For many COVID-19 survivors, another devastating syndrome may follow, by Barbra Williams Cosentino, in Next Avenue, January 8, 2021
Myalgic encephalomyelitis, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, is on the rise.
Lisa Shanks, 48, was a healthy, energetic cardio-dance and fitness instructor before March 2020.
But three weeks after coming down with COVID-19, she felt worse instead of better, coughing nonstop and feeling as if she was wearing a tight corset preventing her from taking deep breaths. She was weak, dizzy and had blurred vision.
A COVID-19 “long hauler,” Shanks, of Vacaville, Calif., felt disconnected from herself and from the world. Her heart rate soared if she did something as simple as get out of bed. She was afraid she would die.
Though never hospitalized due to the coronavirus, by four months into the illness, Shanks lost 20 pounds and had muscle wasting and sagging skin that she says “looked like a deflated balloon.”
‘A Body Nothing Like the One I Had Before’
Now, nine months after Shanks was first laid flat, she says,
“I feel like an alien has taken over my body. I’m like a car that has run out of gas, stuck inside this body that is nothing like the one I had before.”
Recently, after pulmonary function tests revealed that her lungs were only working at 50% capacity, Shanks was diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME/CFS, often referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Read more about the rise of ME/CFS following Covid-19 infections in the USA
“Individuals with the disorder need to learn pacing, in which they are taught to respect their own triggers and limitations.”
says Adriane Tillman, editor of #MEAction, an international organization of people with ME, caregivers and family members.
“This means stopping and resting at the first signs of overexertion. Pacing helps patients to avoid a cycle of push-and-crash which can worsen symptoms significantly.”
Myalgic encephalomyelitis was named to describe an outbreak affecting the lymphatic, muscular, and nervous systems that closed the 
In the present paper, by integrating insights pertaining to the 
To explore the impacts that Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) has on the patient and their family members using the WHOQOL-BREF (Abbreviated World Health Organisation Quality of Life questionnaire) and FROM-16 (Family Reported Outcome Measure-16) quality of life assessments.
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic, disabling, and complex multisystem illness of unknown etiology. The 
The diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is problematic due to the lack of established objective measurements. Post-exertional malaise (PEM) is a hallmark of ME/CFS, and the two-day cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) has been tested as a tool to assess functional impairment in ME/CFS patients. This study aimed to estimate the potential of the CPET.
A manifesto at least
Sandra had severe ME for 20 years and associated chemical sensitivity for the last 10, which made it difficult for her to visit buildings to discuss her medical or social care needs. Even ambulances were a difficult environment for her and her health had been deteriorating for some time. She suffered a lot of misunderstanding and dismissal over the years from people whose job it was to help her. In spite of this she fought hard to explain severe ME to them. She contributed her experiences to the Hywel Dda ME stakeholder group, although it cost her a lot.
