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5:33 am
September 12, 2008
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DR
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M.E. is a really awful condition to contract - it robs a sufferer of energy, and the means to regain it amongst a host of other symptoms.
Are you a sufferer? Do you know someone who is? Or are you interested in finding out more about M.E.? Whoever you are, you are welcome to join us and to contribute to the discussions. Please use this thread to tell your story, and encourage others! Over to you!
So, what is it?
According to the book 'Living with M.E.' (Dr. Charles Shepherd, 1998, Vermilion, London) - it is a disease of many names.
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5:34 am
September 12, 2008
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DR
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In the early days, it was known by various names, depending on location: 'Icelandic disease' in Iceland, 'Royal Free disease' and 'Yuppie 'flu' in Britain, 'Tapanui flu' in New Zealand. If that were not enough, an M.E. stand for ‘Myalgic Encephalomyelitis’ and it is also known as 'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome' or even 'Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome' or 'Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome'!
Also, according to Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Melvin Ramsay defined M.E. in terms of three main clinical features:
1. A unique form of 'muscle fatiguability' whereby, even after a minor degree of physical effort, three, four or five days, or even longer can elapse before full muscle power is restored. Tenderness in the muscle, along with spasms or twitchings, also occur quite frequently'.
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5:34 am
September 12, 2008
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DR
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2. 'Circulatory impairment' involving cold extremities (hands and feet), increased sensitivity to climatic change, and episodes of sweating (which can occasionally necessitate a complete change of bedding when they occur at night).
3. 'Cerebral dysfunction' involving impairment of memory and powers of concentration. Other typical symptoms include difficulties in completing a line of thought, mixing up words (e.g. saying 'hot' when the correct word is 'cold'), sleep disturbances (including a complete reversal of normal sleep patterns) and emotional liability.
Suffice to say; to quote the whole book would be undesirable to my poor fingers!! As well as nobody is going to read that much long post .
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5:36 am
September 12, 2008
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DR
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However, it is important to note that there is a vast range of symptoms which M.E. sufferers’ experience, and it is quite usual to find that any two sufferers will present with very different symptoms, but will have in common the three main observed conditions, especially the inability to regain energy after quite mild exertion. If a sufferer over-exerts themselves, they can need extreme rest for days, even weeks.
To confuse the issue further, most 'experts' now agree that C.F.S. and M.E. are unlikely to be one disease, but probably a variety of conditions! However, I think it is unlikely that a sufferer would strongly disagree with it!
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5:36 am
September 12, 2008
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DR
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To sum up; what is generally termed M.E. is now used for a variety of physical conditions, which can also cause non-physical symptoms also. The main feature of the condition is extreme fatigue and the inability of sufferers to 'recharge' them. There is a wide variety of other symptoms experienced by sufferers and two of them may well have a different experience of the condition. Also, it is only by talking to fellow sufferers that one can see that symptoms they present are also part of their life.
We will be very grateful for all support and contribution. Thank you!
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5:41 am
September 12, 2008
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James
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I must say I have had to see a way to cope with what I have at the moment. I wish God would just come along and take it all away but it’s not happened but through it all and having cares to talk to I have a built in missionary field right in my home!!
I have got to the point that I want to say to God OK joke over I want to be better now!!! But I am getting worse It my pelvis I am loosing the feeling in my legs and will continue to they think until I loose use of them!!
I have met some wonderful people though.
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