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I think this is the assumption I'd prefer until we know more. ME may be a type of post-viral syndrome that does not resolve; it also appears to have non-viral triggers, although we can't be sure there are cases where no virus is involved due to the possibility of asymptomatic or latent viral...

Having worked with small trusts and foundations in a different field, a lot of them prefer to develop ongoing relationships with one or two organisations rather than churn out large numbers of small grants. It helps them get value and impact for their investment, and as a lot of them don't have...

Tsk, tsk – you're not supposed to ask questions about observational studies done as part of a marketing campaign. The correct response is, "Ooh, I definitely need a bit more vigour, I'll give that a try!". Followed by reaching for your wallet...

I'd really love to see a TV or radio programme with strong input from a female contributor (given that women are most likely to be labelled hysterical), based on the issues in this excellent article. I don't think it's too niche a discussion to be of general interest, as the fallout from...

It seems to be saying that it begins as 'simple' deficiency due to use of highly effective sunscreens and the predominance of indoor activities, and this is the point at which it needs to be addressed. Once ME kicks in it may become Vitamin D resistance, and supplementing may not be enough to...

Sigh. Who's volunteering to explain that 'highly protective sunscreen' didn't exist in the 1960s and 70s, and the redheads among us have the skin cancers to prove it? And that vitamin D deficiency is a bit unlikely in people who'd spent every possible moment mucking about outdoors as kids, and...

I wonder if 'embarrassed' is a polite word for 'absolutely bloody furious'?

Indeed – there's also the possibility that it starts as a low level post-viral syndrome in some, which is why I'm so concerned about post-Covid patients being given pacing advice from the outset. I don't know whether there is ever a possibility of full recovery in people who appear to develop ME...

My onset was quite gradual too, though it took me a bit longer to discover ME (23 years!). I'd never heard of it until a GP at my practice suggested it. I'd had several sudden remissions during that time, leading to 80 to 90% of function returning. Each time I started really struggling again...

An argument that I think still has a lot going for it, as long as people are given appropriate pacing advice from Day 1 and understand that it's not a fixed marker. Self-limiting PVS may go on for a year or more in some cases, and by the same token, severe and unrelenting ME symptoms can become...

I do know some, but one in particular got glandular fever in her late 40s. After seven months she was referred to a CFS service, as she just wasn't recovering. She went for one appointment, where she was given a CFS diagnosis; having known me for several years and learned a bit about the NHS...

And indeed, 'cause' is distinct from 'trigger'. Arguably we still don't know the biological cause of the symptoms, even though a proportion of us can identify one or more likely triggers [edited to add] for our ME.

Really interesting and important questions. I haven't seen any analysis, but it might still be too soon to address your second one.

That must be really tough. Yet another disease that's been massively under-researched – probably because it only usually affects women, and there are widespread incorrect assumptions that it's somehow connected to obesity.

About to say the same! :laugh: We need to include the possibility that post-Covid patients are left with two or more distinct conditions, such as the post-viral cascade of events that leads to ME plus lung scarring, neurological damage, etc. It wouldn't be easy to separate the symptoms without...

Sorry! As it's a MS Word doc, I assumed you'd either be reading it with Word or a WP app on a tablet. By saying one control, I just meant that you can double-space the entire text by just pressing Ctrl+A for 'select all' and then choosing double spacing in the Format/Paragraph menu in Word –...

I have one of these fat disorders, but I've never got around to raising it with a doctor. I know that isn't very helpful in research terms, as it means it goes unrecorded, but knowing there's nothing much that could be done about it means it's hard to find the energy! It's hereditary, whatever...

Agree, but I think it's because they're a hybrid between minutes (where only questions and decisions are noted, usually with one paragraph for each point/contribution – which they've done) and an article, where there'd traditionally be a lot more para breaks. If it helps, you can double space...

It's not impossible to find it. It's more difficult in some cases than others, but the main problem seems to be that too many doctors and researchers actively avoid looking for it in the first place, due to sexism, politics, and financial conflicts of interest.

Just to play devil's advocate for a minute – I can see a theoretical benefit, if the two did turn out to be the same. New researchers and new funding might be brought in to post-Covid research, without some of the baggage that's been loaded onto to ME (which isn't our fault, or that of good...