The Importance of an ME Diagnosis in the Early Stages of Illness
Hello! Over the last 10 days or so, I have been in Spain, partly catching some bright, sometimes hot sunshine, but also doing a lot of work on the expansion of my healing practice to specialise in the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / ME. I have been writing about my experience of the condition a lot in the copy for my new website. And it has been in my mind a lot, in a way it hasn’t been recently.
So, I thought I would write some blog posts about different aspects of my experience of being ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / ME. Although this is my experience of this particular illness, and so of interest to people suffering with this condition, I also think that it is relevant to other chronic conditions.
I remember for me it felt as though being ill happened from one day to the next. I had a full and to me interesting life – and then suddenly, I had a virus and never recovered my energy. I went from being able to walk long distances in high mountains to being unable to go out for a short walk.
I was confused, disoriented and really distressed. I didn’t know where to turn. I was lucky in that I was at university – and this illness is common for students – so I had some idea what might be happening to me, at least at an intellectual level. I was also fortunate to be already aware of alternative medicine, particularly homeopathy – and my lovely homeopath gave me a lot of emotional support during those early days.
But what about conventional medicine? I went to the doctor after about 3 weeks, and received a diagnosis of “post viral fatigue” which is often the forerunner to an ME diagnosis. And sure enough, I think after a few months, my doctor gave me an ME diagnosis.
I remember at the time there was something about this ME diagnosis that was really affirming to me. It felt as though I had in some way been “validated.” and understood.
The early stages of an illness like chronic fatigue syndrome / ME can be really frightening. I think we just get used to relying on our bodies, assuming that they will always be able to do everything we would like them to – until the moment when something happens…..
I think a recognition from an established authority like a medical doctor can make us feel like we are not going mad, that the strange sensations in our body and mind, and our lack of control and feelings of helplessness are not in our mind. And this is what the ME diagnosis did for me at the time.
I know I was comparatively lucky to receive this diagnosis early on. A lot of people can struggle to get an ME diagnosis, for different reasons, and this can add to the feelings of helplessness, lack of control and extreme fear. Also, some people can feel like they are not being believed by the medical establishment, that the fatigue and other symptoms are “in their mind”.
It reminds me of the first time I ever heard of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / ME – and it was pejoratively called “yuppie flu”, and the implication was that it was “all in the mind.” Although we have obviously moved on from this extreme attitude, not receiving any kind of diagnosis from the medical establishment can make people wonder if others think they are making everything up.
So, this post has looked at how a diagnosis like an ME diagnosis can be beneficial and validating at the beginning of a chronic condition. My next blog post will consider how in my opinion this can change once the condition has continued for a while.
If you’re reading this, and you have an ME diagnosis, or feel you may have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome /ME – then take a look at my main website which has information on the way I work with clients suffering from this debilitating condition.
