My ME lockdown with the invisible “terrible triplets”

ME Awareness week:

My ME lockdown with the invisible “terrible triplets”

 

I have been living in ME lockdown on my own, yet it doesn’t feel as though I am alone. 

My lockdown experience started long before Covid-19 appeared on the scene as I have been ill for many years, often unable to leave the house for weeks or months at a time. This new lockdown has just added another layer of complexity to my life.

The will to get better is there and I desperately want to live a productive, peaceful life, but my brain and body don’t listen to me, or each other, and won’t cooperate. They’re like troublesome children who argue and fight no matter what I want, or what is happening in the outside world.

My body

My body misbehaves in so many ways, some of them most unexpected – painful muscles and joints, shooting pains, minimal energy reserves, post activity delayed reaction, haywire temperature regulation, sensitivity to prescription meds. I could go on!

You’ve heard of ‘brain freeze’ after eating ice cream? I get ‘body and brain freeze’ when overstretched. All of a sudden my temperature plummets, I go cold all over and I am in agony.  The sun has been shining outside during lockdown. People are gardening, sunbathing and having barbecues in their back gardens, (or risking illegal trips to the beaches and parks!). I remain indoors fully dressed, plus dressing gown, wrapped in a thermal blanket, shivering in bed with the electric blanket on, sometimes for hours or days, attacks coming back to back sometimes!

Then just as suddenly heat surges take me over and trigger a polar opposite experience.  I have days where I am super sensitive to light and sound and need to cocoon myself in a quiet darkened room until my tolerance levels increase. Some days I get eye distortion, even double vision, and cannot see clearly. The harder I try, the more difficult it becomes and again some downtime is needed.

My brain

My brain really lets me down frequently. Some years ago I earned the equivalent of 2 degrees but now my brain rarely works well and frustration reigns. I find it hard to follow, absorb, process and retain information. The concentration required really hurts. Sometimes the more active my body is the more impaired my brain functions become, as though it is being cooked in a pressure cooker. My brain processing power ceases but the pressure & pain continue and all the things I once learned to do, I rarely can do.

Pronouncing or spelling familiar words can be difficult.  Although I once excelled at maths without using a calculator, I now find basic calculations near impossible, even with one. My brain reacts as though I’ve become dyslexic with both words & numbers alike, as I struggle to make sense of what I see written down or even what I say.

Learning to shop in a different way during lockdown has really hurt my brain. I was unable to get a supermarket delivery slot but eventually discovered a local teacher who was volunteering to shop for those of us who are shielding. She turned up as planned to get my shopping list. Momentarily forgetting my recalcitrant brain I gratefully gave her a list of 6 items (2 pate, bread, cereal, milk, chicken). She looked puzzled, but I assured her that was all I needed. Once she had brought the shopping and I had put it away, I looked around the kitchen in horror, wondering what I was going to eat for the next week! I have been too embarrassed to contact her again, yet.

An acquaintance who lives some distance away offered to collect shopping for me. He helped me find a supermarket with a click & collect slot & spent at least 4 hours over a few days making and amending an order for me, as I tried to work out the most important 80 items I needed. Then he drove nearly 100 miles round trip to collect and deliver it to me. I was very touched and grateful and gave him a cheque. I was mortified when he got home and noticed it was unsigned. Another bad brain moment! Fortunately he had a sense of humour.

Cognitive difficulties are not a sign of low intelligence, a behavioural problem or a learning disability, but they really can make you feel daft.

My belly

And then there’s my tummy. It is such a problem it also has a life of its own – pain, food intolerances, bloating, diarrhoea etc.  Most of my stories about this family delinquent are too unpleasant to relate! I got so tired of watching doctors nodding sagely and unmoved when I mentioned the bloating that I took a selfie so they could compare it to the person in front of them. That got their attention! As you can imagine I have been offered seats to sit my weary pregnant body down on (though I was not of an age where pregnancy was possible) – a bittersweet moment to be considered so young.

I was pleased to receive 2 food boxes recently. Although I communicated my dietary restrictions beforehand they were misinterpreted, maybe unable to accommodate. I found half the items were unsuitable, which made me then feel ungrateful, and guilty at depriving someone else, because I couldn’t return them.

The terrible triplets

The terrible triplets. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year these triplets have minds of their own. My ME lockdown is not imposed from outside, by governments or health services, but by my own discontented and argumentative ‘family’. I call them the ‘3 Bs’ and not just because of the alliteration!

The hardest lesson in my life is to learn to accept my new self and life difficulties with humility and kindness, forgiving myself for my lack of previous abilities. I have to postpone activities that use physical or cognitive functions knowing there will be moments later when I get to catch up on critical life tasks. And there will be the odd momentary flash of the old me, which is still within me and can bring me joy, and then sadness as my abilities retreat again.

It is a real relief when the triplets calm down a bit and I can focus on something useful, productive, even enjoyable, when I can inhale a breath of sanity before chaos resumes. What impact does this have on my mental health? I sometimes think I am going doolally, but mostly I just try to remember to acknowledge that anxiety and depression are normal side effects to such a chronic health condition, and wait for them to pass.

People only see me occasionally, on better days, not when I am behind closed doors. It is difficult to communicate to people the difficulties I deal with on a minute to minute basis. I don’t talk about the invisible triplets obviously. That might lead me up the path to the asylum on the hill, though I’d happily go if I could leave the terrible triplets behind!

8 weeks into Covid-19 lockdown. 

12 years 5 months into my ME lockdown.

PF, Wales

PS Thanks to my ‘editor’ who made sense of my incoherent ramblings and scribbles!

 

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Poem: Words escape

ME Awareness week:
      Words escape, a poem by Derryan Paul

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ME affects the brain.
Words escape. A sentence
on a page is meaningless,
and yet, you know there is
a meaning somewhere there.

If you are patient, read it
again, you understand.
You misread a word, altered
sense quite clearly expressed,
invented gibberish.

Poetry’s impossible.
A string of words, threaded
like beads down a page,
remains a mystery.
You fail to see the thread.

Writing is so difficult.
Letters misform. Typing
is hit-and-miss. Process
the words, and like a stick,
spell-check helps you to limp.

               Derryan Paul, 1997,  Mid Wales

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Gwyneth’s ME story part 3 – walking for ME

ME Awareness Week:
Gwyneth’s ME story part 3 – walking for ME

 

Gwyneth Hopkins is one of a small percentage of people who has recovered from ME within 5 years. Here is part 3 of her story. Part 1part 2 cover her experience of ME and her path to recovery.

Staying healthy…and helping others

After recovering I went to college to study natural nutrition to help me understand how to keep my body healthy.  I went on to train in some of the therapies that I feel played a big part in my recovery. I am now a part-time Reiki Practitioner and Master/Teacher, a Bach Flower Remedy Practitioner and Em-Power Therapist. It’s nice to be in a position to help others after all the help I received during my illness.

By the end of 2003 I was back riding horses and walking in the hills. However the pressures of the illness on my marriage became too much and I was divorced in February 2005. We had only been married for 18 months when I became ill. The marriage lasted 8 years, 5 of them I was sick. We have stayed friends though, and he’s now happily remarried.

During my illness I used to imagine being well and riding across Wales from south to north, but I couldn’t afford to keep horses now I was divorced. After I’d been recovered for a couple of years I knew I’d be safe to push myself so I decided I could walk it instead. I had never done anything like that before, but after not being able to walk more than a few yards for years it seemed like the most exciting thing to do.

Coast to coast – my first walk

In June 2006 I walked from Aberavon sands near Port Talbot to Penmaenmawr on the north coast, 230 miles in 3 weeks. I had a big rucksack carrying minimum camping equipment, a change of clothes, OS maps etc. It weighed 16 kg when I started but I soon got it down to 15kg. I’m only 8st 2!!

Most people thought I was crazy and that I’d never manage it. My sister Liz had cycled from Lands End to John O’Groats in her younger days so she understood and was very supportive, as were the people I worked with in Monmouth sports club. I was determined to try.

I didn’t want a fixed route or time schedule. I chose 5 places to pass through as a guide, including  Llandovery, Devils Bridge, Cadair Idris and Mt Snowdon. I used OS maps and just planned my routes daily as I went. If I got to a split in the path I’d choose the one that looked most interesting!

Other than that I made my way across hill tops and farmland not knowing where I would sleep (sometimes wild camping, sometimes on small camp sites) or where I would eat next. It was such a sense of freedom! I often slept 10 hours a night and didn’t miss a bed, but accepted a kind offer of accommodation for the night from people with ME in Tregaron and Ysbyty Ystwyth. It was the bath that was the real treat. I often washed in cold streams and would fantasize about soaking my tired body in a hot bath!

Some footpaths were just sheep tracks so I had to be careful with my navigation, the stiles across farmland were usually in a corner and over grown with nettles and brambles. I had to bash my way through and often had scratched legs. Some paths had fallen trees etc. blocking them and then it was it was a real scramble with a big pack on my back.

When asked why I do it I say because I can and it’s a joy to feel well and be out in nature again after spending years in bed. If I can help inspire people with ME  at the same time, that’s great.”

I usually carried enough food for about 36 hours but I didn’t have anything to cook with, so it was all cold. Sometimes on a farm camp site a kind camper would give me a cup of boiling water for one of my herbal T bags or give me some hot baked beans. I made a point of going through a village where I could buy food or have a hot pub lunch once every few days.

In the spotlight for ME

When I told some people with ME about my planned walk they asked me to raise money for MERGE (now ME Research UK). I agreed and then spent 6 weeks promoting the walk in the press etc. In fact a friend made me a web site and soon people with ME were picking it up and contacting me.

During my walk I raised as much publicity for ME as I could by getting into local papers and on radio. BBC radio Gloucester had given me a tape recorder to talk into daily. When I got home, edited bits of that went out on the radio every day for 3 weeks. I also spoke live on other radio stations, trying to tell people what it was like having ME.

I carried flyers explaining what I was doing and gave them out as I went. On the whole people were amazed and handed me cash or donated on my Justgiving page. In my opinion most people who are aware of ME only see the people who don’t have it so badly or are partly recovered, they don’t realise that a large proportion of people with the illness are either bed or housebound.

A lot of people with ME, and others, were following my walk and I had loads of people ringing me on my return. I had given out my number then, as I do now, offering to chat, and I was on the phone most days after work to people with ME who enjoyed talking to someone who knew what they were going through, also to some of their carers. Carers are amazing people, usually family members who go through a lot when they see the person they love suffering. They themselves can get overtired and stressed looking after them. Thanks to them all!

Interesting encounters

I hadn’t been sure if I could reach my destination but I got fitter the farther I got and people were so supportive along the way. I also met many people with ME.

The most interesting contact was from a lady in the US who had ME. She asked if I was going through Llanddewi Brefi on my route. I replied no. I was going about 15 miles east of there. She said “that’s a shame, my grandmother is buried there and I’d like a photo of her grave.” I replied “I’m going there now, as this is a walk for ME”

I also met a Chilean mountain biker on his holiday. He had stopped to have lunch and asked me what I was doing but couldn’t understand much. I gave him my flyer. Later he caught me up, he’d been trying to interpret it. He was full of praise in broken English and insisted on giving me a carton of apple juice. When I got home I saw there was £20 from Carlos on my Justgiving page!

I had expected wonderful scenery and I certainly got it. Mostly in very hot weather but it turned wet by the time I walked up Snowdon. But the best thing I shall take from that walk was the amazing people who helped me along the way, and their stories.

One day I went down a foot path that went past a remote cottage of a lady with ME. She saw me and invited me to lunch and I stayed a few hours chatting. Once going through Llandovery I turned up a road mistaking it for one 100 yards further up. It took me up a steep hill and at the top a man was gardening and stopped to tell me his daughter was housebound with ME and he gave me £10 for MERGE.

But the best thing I shall take from that walk was the amazing people who helped me along the way, and their stories.

One goal reached – now I was hooked!

I had promised friends that I would finish by going into the sea when I reached my destination. I had arranged to meet a press photographer and friends who had come to take me home at 2 pm. It had gone cold and I had been wearing a fleece and waterproofs on the last part of the journey. I stripped down to my charity T shirt (but kept the thermal top on underneath) and ran into the sea and threw myself under.

 

Had I not had ME I wouldn’t have had the idea or the courage to undertake such a trip on my own.

I was elated that I’d managed it after years of pain and just lying in bed feeling utterly useless. I was also feeling very sad that it was over, it had been such an amazing trip. Had I not had ME I wouldn’t have had the idea or the courage to undertake such a trip on my own.

I enjoyed it so much I went on to do walks from 110 to 168 miles over the next few years, for charity. I gave it up in 2015 at the age of 64 after a 168 mile walk which took my total to over 1,000 miles. I raised over £7,000 mostly for ME Research UK but some for Get kids going who supply sports wheelchairs for kids.

I could tell endless stories about my trips 🙂 and I am very proud to have been able to raise awareness and give hope to people with ME.

Gwyneth Hopkins, South West Wales

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Gwyneth’s ME story part 2 – my route to recovery

ME Awareness week:
      Gwyneth’s ME story part 2 – the route to recovery

 

Gwyneth Hopkins is one of a small percentage of people who has recovered from ME within 5 years. Here is part 2 of her story. Part 1 covers her experience of ME and can be read here.

 

Tackling the physical causes

I was lucky to have a District Nurse come to see me during my illness to give me iron injections for my anaemia (they were later taken off the market!!). She also gave me Reiki, a form of hands on healing. This helped calm me and reduce the stress and pain, also helped me to adapt to the fact that I was so ill and felt totally useless. She also advised me to have Vega testing because she thought I had food intolerances. She was right.

I tried acupuncture, which balanced my body thermostat and stopped me from feeling permanently freezing cold.

I was then lucky to hear of a very good Master Herbalist, Philip Weeks.  He detoxed my colon, liver and kidneys. It involved taking all sorts of unpleasant mixtures, which made me feel worse while I was taking them because of the healing reaction. I always felt a lot better afterwards. I was treated for bacterial infection, organo-phosphate poisoning, radiation, heavy metal poisoning, viral infections, Geopathic stress and other things, mainly with herbal remedies, but also by some other really good complementary therapists.

I was advised by Philip to eat a vegan diet and drink 2 litres of filtered or bottled water daily. I’d already given up caffeine, alcohol, sugar and most processed foods. I kept to the strict diet. These treatments were ongoing and sometimes expensive, but worth every penny because they worked and the therapists were always very supportive and understanding.

I wanted to reduce the chemical overload on my body, which meant not only giving up chemicals in food where ever possible but also stopping the use of chemicals in the home. I use Eco-friendly products to replace sink and toilet cleaner, to wash clothes, wash up the dishes and floors etc. instead of ones without all the harmful chemicals in them.

It was pointed out to me that we absorb about 60% of the chemicals we rub into our skins which is even more worrying when you think that what’s in hair dyes, face creams etc. can easily be absorbed into the brain, damaging our nervous system. There are lots of good alternatives on the market today – usually found in health food shops or online. For people in good health these substances may not cause a big problem, but with ME you have little energy to support your detoxing organs like liver and kidneys, and the substances can build up like poisons in your body. Your liver is a major filter and it just gets blocked.

I have replaced perfumes with aroma therapy oils, they not only smell nice but they have therapeutic uses as well.

In December 2001 I had my amalgam fillings out by a top Harley Street Specialist because I was told it would help with my mercury overload. Within days my brain function returned to almost normal. All my concentration levels, bad memory and fuzzy heads improved dramatically within days. Removal of fillings must be done by an expert, otherwise you could swallow or inhale more mercury and become worse! It is unusual to react so quickly it was expected to take months.

Facing up to emotional stressors

I also found it was no good just treating physical symptoms, we need to treat the emotional side at the same time.

In my opinion the factors that can lead to ME include stress, caused by everyday things – pressures of work, exams, bereavement, divorce, abuse or physical injury, – can lower our immune system, which is probably already under-functioning – on top of stresses like organophosphate poisoning, vaccines and viruses. This can occur gradually over years (or a lifetime).

Once the immune system is low we also become more vulnerable to picking up viruses. Our body filters, like our liver and kidneys become weaker and less able to eliminate substances like organo-phosphates and other chemicals. Once the body is out of balance we can develop other problems like candida and a leaky gut, then we are unable to absorb the food we eat properly leaving us deficient in essential nutrients. Left untreated we just become weaker and weaker.

I found it necessary to go back over any emotional problems in my life and ‘release them’ either with the help of complementary therapies, or by talking – discussing them with a knowledgeable friend, in my case the District Nurse. This helped me release any feelings of resentment, grief, guilt or anger etc. I believe that we hold emotions at a cellular level and until we have dealt with and released them they can cause us physical problems.

If you didn’t have many emotional issues to start with, suffering from a serious illness for years often leaves you feeling grief for your past life, and guilty that it is affecting all the people you love, as they worry and care for you. You can have too much time to ponder on all the negatives!

Bach Flower Remedies

When I got well enough to hold a book I also found reading about Inner Child work and Psychotherapy helped me to understand how we hold onto and how to release emotions. Reiki, Bach Flower Remedies and Em-Power Therapy helped a great deal with balancing and releasing emotional trauma.

There isn’t only the past trauma to deal with, there are all the stresses of living with a serious illness that still isn’t understood by, or in some cases believed by, the general public and even some doctors. That is so very hurtful!

It leaves you feeling isolated and guilty that you’re ruining the life of others around you.

To sum up

This is just a brief account of how I recovered, it was hard work and I was lucky to have had the support of my family and an excellent District Nurse. I believe that some of the methods I used could help most ME sufferers but we are all individuals and need to make our own choices.

I have learnt a lot about complementary medicine, healthy diet and lifestyle during my illness. It took me years to collect my information and I’m still searching to find ways I can help people and myself to improve good health and reach my positive potential in life.

I think you have to take responsibility for your own health. Follow your own path and do what feels right for you. Trust your intuition.

If you would like to discuss any of this with me, or find out more about my long road to recovery, call me on 01554 891551 or email gwynrhopkins@hotmail.com  I’m happy to share my experiences or just listen to yours.

Gwyneth Hopkins, South West Wales

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What’s the difference between Covid-19 and ME?

ME Awareness:
        What’s the difference between Covid-19 and ME?

 

It is hard not to see many glaring differences between the attitudes to the illness I have struggled with for years and the latest public health threat.

Covid-19 is generally accepted to exist, considered to be serious, and widely discussed and researched.

ME hasn’t been widely accepted in the medical world or by the general public, even by our friends and families sometimes. Understanding is patchy and research underfunded.

Covid-19 can be avoided by self-isolation and shielding. Or by wearing personal protection, using lots of soap & water & sanitiser and avoid touching your face.

ME comes uninvited, without warning, though it could have been avoided for some if the medical profession had given advice not to push themselves following a virus.

Covid-19 – the population is told we’re “in it together” for the good of all.

ME people, along with people with other disabilities, often feel on the margins of society, isolated and not seen.

Covid-19 treatment advice is fairly clear and consistent. Plan A: self-isolate with fluids, rest; take pain relievers. Or Plan B: call 111 if it gets worse.

ME affects people in different ways and fluctuates, so our coping strategy changes. A, B, C – are there enough letters in the alphabet to describe all the things people try, hoping to feel better, to avoid a relapse?  So called experts can’t agree. Exercise – don’t exercise. Resist unhelpful illness beliefs – accept and adapt. Medication – no medication.

Covid-19 lockdown support has grown when needs were made known: priority delivery slots, food parcels; prescription deliveries; furlough; mental health check-in calls; help from banks, insurers, mortgage companies etc. etc.

ME – being housebound with ME does not trigger the same concern and practical support.

Covid-19 – everyone is encouraged to stay in touch with those self isolating and in lockdown, and to keep an eye on others’ physical and mental health, as well as their own.

ME – it has been hard to make people understand how difficult it can be to manage a complex health condition and how isolated and invisible we can be for months or years on end.

Covid-19 restrictions will come to an end and life will return to normal.

ME is for life, for most of us. There will be no return to normalcy, just constantly learning to adapt to the limitations of our bodies and brains.

Covid-19 can kill if given the chance.

ME rarely kills, but can be a living hell.

It is reassuring to see how understanding, proactive and caring our society can be. I hope these positive attitudes and support structures can be absorbed into our future, and become part of the ‘new normal’ for people with ME on a long term basis.

PF, Wales

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‘Staying at home’ with ME – Sarah’s story

ME Awareness week:
‘Staying at home’ with ME – Sarah’s story

 

Having had ME for 27 years I’m not expecting to get better.

Every day requires time spent lying down, experiencing pain in my muscles and joints and sensitivity to noise, smells and light.

Here’s the set up in my bedroom – books, stitching, films and body cream – my skin is sensitive and itchy.

Sometimes I can’t pull the covers on my bed up as I don’t have the energy. I have lots of covers even in summer because I’m always cold.

I no longer think much about my illness and no longer grieve what I’ve lost in terms of career. I’m sad I can’t do things though, my low energy doesn’t allow the swimming, cycling or walking I used to enjoy- I can still do some at a lower level.

I never feel I’m thinking clearly and often feel vague or unfocussed.

Being housebound isn’t a new experience for me. I’m fortunate enough to live fairly comfortably and have some outside space. I even have a summerhouse so I can lie down in a different space.

Sarah, South West Wales

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Gwyneth’s ME story part 1 – trapped in my useless body

ME Awareness week:
Gwyneth’s ME story part 1 – trapped in my useless body

 

Gwyneth Hopkins is one of a small percentage of people who has recovered from ME within 5 years. Here is her story, told in 3 parts.

 

I suffered from ME from September 1998 to October 2003.

Getting a diagnosis

In November I was rushed into hospital with what was diagnosed as a mini stroke. I was kept in for nearly a month undergoing endless tests, a lumbar puncture and multiple scans. In the end by a process of elimination they diagnosed ME. It was useful having an early diagnosis but they wanted to keep me in hospital because I was so weak. In the end I had to beg to go home. Hospitals are noisy and being in a stroke ward the lights were on all night and there was noise as the other patients were being attended. The lights hurt my eyes and I was very sensitive to sound.

The trouble was that to do the tests, they were injecting me with different chemical substances and eventually they were injecting me in the stomach twice a day with something to thin the blood because I had become bedridden and they were worried that I’d suffer from blood clots.

I didn’t realise it at the time but now I know I’d been getting weaker as a result of even more overload on my body caused by foreign substances (injections) on my already overloaded immune system.

Year One

The first year was spent suffering from multiple symptoms and pains and on an average day I spent 5 minutes out of every hour out of bed, usually just enough to wash or go to the loo. Sometimes the short walk to the bathroom exhausted me so much I’d collapse and be unable to move for nearly two hours when I was then able to walk or crawl back to bed.

In the first few months I had magnesium injections on the suggestion of my GP and they helped a lot with the muscle pain. I also tried Amitriptyline to help with the lack of sleep. I did sleep a bit longer when I eventually got to sleep but I took myself off it because of the side effects and took Bach Flower Remedies instead.

By the end of the first year I had experienced all the following symptoms:

  • Fatigue sometimes so bad I couldn’t chew food.
  • Falls where I would suffer temporary paralysis for up to 2 hours
  • Sore throat and swollen glands
  • Headaches and sinusitis
  • Muscle pain and tingling in the arms and legs mainly on my right side
  • Feeling freezing cold for months
  • IBS
  • Gritty eyes
  • Sore face and cheek bones
  • Lack of concentration
  • Unable to co-ordinate brain and hand to write properly
  • Short-term memory loss
  • Often sore to touch & sometimes-itchy skin
  • Mood swings
  • Found it hard to get to sleep even though I’d feel exhausted
  • Suffered vivid dreams and nightmares

A visit from my granddaughters, summer 1999. I couldn’t pick up my youngest granddaughter so she was placed on my arm.

Years 2-5

By the end of the second year I could spend about 15 minutes out of bed in an hour. I could occasionally manage a walk in the garden in slow motion or just sit in a chair. I had a reclining wheelchair at first because I couldn’t hold my head up for more than a few minutes, then I progressed to an ordinary wheelchair.

In the third year I hardly ever went in a wheelchair, except on outings. I could occasionally manage to walk 1/2 mile (as others with ME will know, when you manage something like that you never know how long it will be before you can do it again) but I still spent a lot of time in bed. If I overdid it I ended up back in bed unable to do anything, sometimes for days but more likely for weeks. It can seem so cruel because just when I thought I had a bit more energy I seemed to be punished for using it. It was very frustrating learning how to pace myself.

I still found standing still and lifting difficult but I could now lift the kettle. 🙂

During the worst years of my ME not only did I feel trapped in my useless body but I also felt guilty that I was so helpless and my husband had to wait on me as well as hold a full-time job. I had to lie there seeing him getting more and more tired and stressed with it.

I made gradual improvement with a few short relapses until after 5 years I was completely recovered by the autumn of 2003. I believe that my recovery was due to going down the complementary route.

By the end of 2003 I was back riding horses and walking in the hills and even went to college, all unimaginable 2 years before!

Gwyneth Hopkins, West Wales

Part 2 of Gwyneth’s story will describe the complementary therapies she found helpful on her way to recovery.

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Symptoms of ME/CFS

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No Lockdown fun for Melanie, just bedbound with ME

ME Awareness Week:
No Lockdown fun for Melanie, just bedbound with ME

 

My daughter has had ME for the last 27 years, since she was 11 years old when she suffered a bad attack of glandular fever. She was a few weeks into a public school, where she had gained a place on merit. She was extremely bright and enthusiastic, playing cello in a junior orchestra and she excelled at sport.

For years she ranged between moderate to severe symptoms.  She made several attempts to return to the school she loved, but in the end, she had to have home tutors, when she could cope. Her social life was extremely limited, but she joined in family life, when she could. She has been really severe for the last 8-9 years, and has not been outside for 4 years.

Staying at home in self isolation is nothing new for her. She has her bedroom blind closed most of the time. Her body clock is reversed and she is asleep during the day, despite several attempts to change this. She has pain in her muscles, is light and sound sensitive, and suffers with brain-fog and extreme unnatural exhaustion. She is only just able to go to the bathroom herself. She is an immensely independent and private person, and sometimes it is a struggle.  Often a conversation is too much for her and she shuns any company most of the time.

Lockdown brings no change to her life, except that she does know about this awful virus and she understands the ultimate threat to her, and our lives.

My partner and I are in the fortunate position of being able to isolate ourselves, while the brave NHS doctors and nurses battle under very difficult conditions.

If only patients with ME could experience that same dedication and true understanding.

Dee Molyneux Parker, South Wales

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WAMES asks Health Minister for combined healthcare strategy for Covid-19 survivors, PVFS & ME

ME Awareness Week:
WAMES asks Health Minister for combined healthcare strategy for Covid-19 survivors, PVFS & ME

 

WAMES has written to the Health Minister and other officials on International ME Awareness day to draw attention to the links between post-Covid, PVFS and ME care.

Minister for Health & Social Care
cc Deputy Minister for Health & Social Care
Chief Executive for NHS
Chair Petitions Committee
Kevin Frances, Directorate for Health Policy

Dear Vaughan Gething,

Today, 12th May 2020 is International ME Awareness day. The WAMES blog and social media this week contains stories of the devastating effect ME has on people’s lives. (1)

On behalf of people with ME and Covid-19 survivors WAMES asks that Wales develops a strategy to recognise and treat illnesses triggered by all viruses.

Today is also Day 51 of the Covid-19 lockdown in Wales. 2 months ago we could not have imagined that we would be drawing your attention to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) in the middle of a pandemic!

We do so because over the last few weeks media and research reports (2,3,4,5) have made it clear that a number of people who survived the SARS and MERS pandemics a few years ago did not recover, but went on to develop neurological and post-viral symptoms. For some this led to full blown neurological ME.

Concern has been raised by the NHS in Wales that “a national strategy for [Covid-19] rehab would be required. They claim provision is “patchy” and without help people’s lives will be harmed.’ (6)  WAMES agrees, and has been calling for a national strategy for caring for ME and post-viral sufferers for many years.

Fortunately the professional group physios4me (7) have been quick to produce clear guidelines to enable doctors and therapists to identify and support patients with ongoing problems, to avoid the long term chronic condition of ME developing.

Many people with ME wish their doctors in the past had done this for them!

The physiotherapists have been guided by international research evidence on the nature of the dysfunction in ME and particularly the Workwell Institute’s findings on exercise intolerance in ME. They have also drawn on the long clinical experience of Dr Charles Shepherd of the ME Association.

Unfortunately NICE has still to catch up, and due to the Covid-19 crisis the publication of the revised NICE guidelines for ME/CFS has been delayed, possibly well into next year.

It is good that the Welsh Government has ‘announced an extra £10m to help people recovering from coronavirus.’  It would also be good if money could be dedicated to ensuring that other people with post viral symptoms are well supported. It is too late for many who have already been harmed by neglect, disbelief, inappropriate advice and exercise therapy in Wales’ fatigue and pain clinics, but future patients could be spared that. The paucity of testing for Covid-19 means that many in Wales could have had the virus and be unaware they might face a backlash in the future and won’t be recognised as needing specialised advice.

People who already have ME are finding that catching Covid-19 leads to a relapse in symptoms. As people with ME have not been placed on the ‘at risk’ from Covid-19 list, this can cause added difficulties in gaining support as they continue to shield. Is there a way that people with ME who are very ill can be placed on the ‘at risk’ list?

Currently the Welsh Government has placed ME and CFS in an advisory group with pain syndromes, hoping to find ways to improve NHS handling of common issues: ‘the need for patient and professional education, effective diagnosis, self-management techniques.’

WAMES believes this could mislead the health community into believing ME is a pain syndrome, and lead to ME being over looked, or worse, included in pain rehabilitation programmes, which have already caused such setbacks (and distress) for people with ME in the past. This approach fails to address the most pressing issues, that of the unique characteristic of ME – exercise intolerance and the post-exertional response (PEM) – and the lack of medical expertise in post viral conditions in general and specifically neurological ME, in Wales.

WAMES calls on the Welsh Government to lead the way in caring for ALL survivors of viruses, without discrimination.

Best wishes,  Jan Russell

Chair/ Cadeirydd,
Welsh Association of ME & CFS Support
Cymdeithas Cefnogi ME a CFS Cymru

Refs:

  1. https://www.wames.org.uk
  2. https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24632783-400-could-the-coronavirus-trigger-post-viral-fatigue-syndromes/
  3. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/coronavirus-could-cause-secondary-illnesses-including-chronic/
  4. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/coronavirus-could-leave-you-with-symptoms-of-post-viral-fatigue_uk_5eb3e88dc5b6526942a29dfc
  5. https://le.ac.uk/news/2020/may/coronavirus-me-risk
  6. Coronavirus: NHS faces ‘massive’ challenge helping patients recover.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52475139
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