M.E. is:
M.E. is not just being ‘tired’ or even ‘exhausted’.
It’s a biological illness, and trust me, I can tell you, it’s really real.
(I wish it wasn’t)
M.E. is:
- Using severely limited energy to fight for medical help and care
- Not being believed and being accused of faking symptoms, or being ‘lazy’
- People seeing you for a few moments doing a little better, and presuming that that’s how you are all the time
- Constantly having to monitor how much you’re doing (including very low levels of activity)
- Having to choose between things like having a shower or briefly seeing a friend that day
M.E. Is:
- Not having the strength to see your friends or even watch your favourite tv shows
- Living in pyjamas whilst your cute clothes stay in the wardrobe
- Losing your independence and having to rely on others even for small tasks
- Not knowing how far you can push your body before crashing, and how long the crashes will last
- Never being able to reliably make plans (and be able to stick to them)
M.E. Is:
- Grieving the life you thought you would have
- Not being able to predict how you’ll feel, or how much you’ll be able to manage on any day
- Having so little energy, that you struggle with basic needs like eating, drinking or washing etc
- Watching the world move on without you
- Spending whole days, weeks, or more, go by from the same spot
M.E. Is:
- Invisible yet devastating
- Living in your own world, which becomes very small
- Grieving the future you thought you would have, and all that you’ve missed out on
- Missing out on milestones, relationships, holidays, having your own family, jobs, education, birthdays, weddings, singing, dancing, living and thriving
- Disappearing whilst the world looks away
M.E. Is:
Real.