What is M.E?
Firstly, M.E has a lot of names. Its full name is myalgic encephalomyelitis. It can also be called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, C.F.S, C.F.S/M.E or simply M.E. It’s a chronic medical condition that, as the name suggests, causes a long-lasting, or ‘chronic’ bout of fatigue. This can reduce and severely limit the activities that an individual can carry out on a daily basis. Other symptoms can include problems thinking, remembering, and concentrating, dizziness, joint pain, irregular or fast heartbeats, and sleep problems (oh the irony). There is no cure, nor is there an effective treatment. The only treatments available manage individual symptoms. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy may be used to help accept the diagnosis and feel more in control of the condition. Even though M.E. is not a mental health issue, antidepressants (in low doses) may also be prescribed to help with sleep and muscle pain.
So why is this relevant?
Something that I haven’t yet brought up on this blog is the fact that I suffer from this condition. It has affected my life in more ways than one. I was lucky in the sense that I have it rather mildly. I can still play sports and run around on a good day, although not as much as I used to be able to. I have had to learn to pace myself with the activities that I do, otherwise I can burn myself out quite easily, and won’t be able to get up for a while after. This has affected not just my life at home, but school as well, or rather lack of school.
I’m in year 11 as of the time of this blog post, but in those 11 or 12 years, my attendance has never got above 75%. This has been for several health-related issues, not just M.E. However, over the last few years, the M.E has really been taking over my time. A lot of teachers find it somewhat suspicious, and I can’t say I blame them. Imagine seeing a kid who only comes in for the last 2 or 3 lessons per day for seemingly no reason. Yeah, it would draw my attention too.
What is being done about this?
This is where a charity called Action for M.E steps in. They provide help to those living with or around M.E, including teachers – they help them understand why people such as me can only attend school some of the time.
This condition is still widely unknown and misunderstood, so part of their work is supporting vital research into the disease, so that future generations can live more freely. They educate the masses to be more accepting of M.E. and to better equip people to deal with this. They have lots of information about the illness, and anyone who needs help and support with M.E. can call or email them.
I highly recommend donating to them to aid them in this task, the website is here.
Please remember, the people suffering from this disease don’t always show it. They might even try to hide it, as I do. Please never assume they are ‘just tired’.
