Exhausted (c) jowra.com, 2005
Here's a turn up for the books - I have M.E.
These days you're supposed to call it Chronic Fatigue Syndrome but that just makes it sound like you're very tired - no mention of how flippin' painful it can get!
It's good to have a diagnosis. Over the past year I've developed a bewildering array of disparate symptoms - depression, IBS, hypersomnia, total exhaustion, muscle twitching, joint and muscular pains; and loss of concentration, short-term memory and word-finding abilities. But until last month, no GP had made the connection. Now at least I know what I'm dealing with.
I've already been signed off work for a month and my doc's said to stay off for at least another three months, so I have plenty of time to swot up on this peculiar, life-disrupting condition. The Blonde got me Dr Anne MacIntyre's book about M.E. out of the library, and it's been really useful in getting my head round the subject. The most difficult concept to grasp is just how much you need to rest.
Having had depression for a while, I'm used to the 'if you feel rundown, some exercise will make you feel better' school of thought. But I'm finding that things I use to do easily - wandering round town for a few hours, doing the food shopping, even doing the washing-up - can leave me completely knackered for some time afterwards.
The other week I went out for the afternoon with a friend and felt fine the whole time but spent the following two days in bed, totally wore out and very sore. I've also come to realise how exhausting mental activity can be - even a long talk on the phone, or an hour on the 'net wears me out.
That said, I'm too tired to type any more... ;)
See also:
Sussex & Kent M.E./CFS Society
The National M.E. Centre
Christians With M.E.
On Eagle's Wings: A Christian Perspective On M.E.
Recent Comments