What is M.E?

M.E. (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Encephalopathy) is a chronic, fluctuating illness. It is also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Sometimes it is diagnosed as Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome (PVFS). The illness affects many parts of the body, such as the nervous and immune systems. The most common symptoms are severe fatigue or exhaustion, problems with memory and concentration and muscle pain.

It is estimated that there are up to 250,000 people with M.E. in the UK. It can affect men, women and children of all ages and from all social and ethnic groups. It seems to be more common to develop the illness between your early twenties and mid-forties.

View a selection of related articles from past issues of InterAction, our quarterly magazine.

Real experiences

John
'I was diagnosed in 1995 by my GP but was offered no advice or help. Looking back, the illness began at least 10 years before diagnosis. As a primary school teacher I had been exposed to lots of minor infections as well as a lot of stress. I suspect the combination was at least a large part of the cause. The illness limits every aspect of life. There are periods when just coping with being alive takes all my energy. 'Working' and campaigning for the local support group keeps me going; it gives me a purpose in life. Sometimes I take the conscious decision to do support group work, knowing that I will pay the penalty later. Do nothing and feel ill, or do something and feel worse for a while but with the satisfaction of having achieved something.'

Val
'I was a Staff Nurse working on a children's unit. During break times I was often seen running around like a headless chicken playing tag, indoor hockey, hide 'n' seek, football... until the day I found myself struggling and physically exhausted after only 10 minutes. A few weeks before I'd developed a sore throat. At first I thought nothing of it as I'd been suffering from recurrent sore throats for some years, but this time I couldn't shake it.

Two lots of antibiotics, two customary 'sweat and shake off the virus' runs, three visits to the occupational health doctor and an appointment to see a medical consultant at a London teaching hospital and I'm diagnosed as having post viral fatigue syndrome. I was given a six week recovery period and prescribed complete bed rest, however unaware at the time that Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and M.E. were almost synonymous and only a few months into my new post... I postponed the inevitable.

20 years later (2009), I am now well into my second year of recovery.'

Information first produced November 2003