I have suffered with ME/CFS for over a year now and it
has been a terrible struggle to keep on to my job and support my family.
Over the last 12-18 months I have felt more and more
ill. Repeated visits to the GP's at my local surgery have led to them
telling me to be patient and giving me higher and higher doses of
anti-depressants. Meanwhile my health just went from bad to worse to
terrible.
I just couldn't understand why I was ill all the time
and struggling with my workload. The more I tried to keep up with my
workload of 50 hours a week the more ill I became. For a while the GP's
almost had me convinced that it was down to my depression and anxiety and I
had to be patient.
During the summer term every day was a horrendous
struggle against fatigue. It took huge will power to get through each day
without collapsing in a heap.
Things came to a crashing halt at the start of the
summer holidays. My body just crashed and I spent the first two weeks of the
holiday laid on the sofa feeling absolutely dreadful.
I saw 2 GP's in the summer holidays. They were cold to
the point of hostile when I had the temerity to suggest that I had ME/CFS.
I finally lost patience with the NHS and I was forced
to see a private holistic doctor who has listened to me and helped me make
some improvements.
I feel so badly let down by the NHS which is wedded to
the idea that ME/CFS is a psychosocial illness when 4,000 research papers
show that there is a physiological basis to ME/CFS.
I have done a lot of reading about my illness and would
strongly recommend the self help book by Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, an American
physician who has successfully treated many people with ME/CFS.
I have found inspiration in the compassion and
commitment of pioneering doctors such as Professor Malcolm Hooper and Dr.
Sarah Myhill.
I have been writing to my MP for what its worth and
would encourage all people with ME/CFS and their families to do the same.
We need to emerge from the shadows a community and make
our voices heard.
Wishing everyone good health
