1. Sign our petition calling on Cochrane to withdraw their review of Exercise Therapy for CFS here.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Guest, the 'News in Brief' for the week beginning 18th March 2024 is here.
    Dismiss Notice
  3. Welcome! To read the Core Purpose and Values of our forum, click here.
    Dismiss Notice

Brighton woman on living with ME aka Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Discussion in 'General ME/CFS news' started by MeSci, May 13, 2018.

  1. MeSci

    MeSci Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    4,438
    Location:
    Cornwall, UK
    I'm not very impressed with this article, but then it is from "a member of the Sussex & Kent ME Society".

    Source: The Sussex Argus
    Date: May 11, 2018

    URL:
    http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/16219467.I___m_living_with_chronic_fatigue_but_I___m_coping/

    Brighton woman on living with ME aka Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
    ----------------------------------------------------------

    Social worker Catherine Bleach is living with an invisible condition that not many can recognise. The 53-year-old from Brighton was diagnosed four years ago with a life-changing condition, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), better known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. As this is ME Awareness Week, Catherine hopes to inspire other patients to confront the condition bravely. Catherine was working full-time in adult social care until she fell ill. Initially she thought she had flu but when she could not get better, her GP delivered the bad news.

    More at link
     
    Woolie, Andy, Snowdrop and 3 others like this.
  2. Trish

    Trish Moderator Staff Member

    Messages:
    51,868
    Location:
    UK
    Oh dear. So ME = exhaustion and the advice is be positive and determined and don't give up doing things.
    While I sympathise with the woman involved the resulting article is so misleading as to be harmful to pwME.
     
    Woolie, alktipping, MEMarge and 7 others like this.
  3. Dr Carrot

    Dr Carrot Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    265
    I wouldn’t say it was that bad. The only two lines that leap out to me are the ones about ‘inner strength’ and ‘not letting ME stop you from doing the things you love’. That’s it.

    Everything else seems an on-the-money assessment of someone who is milidly affected by ME but still not living the life that they wanted.
     
  4. Barry

    Barry Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    8,385
    I actually find most of it pretty well reflects a lot of how my wife copes, though she would find it hard to hold any sort of job down due to unpredictability of work hours.

    This bit ...
    ... is obviously misleading. I think most folk with ME seem to demonstrate bucket loads of inner strength, but this quote suggests that it's all you need to carry on working. But given how journalists can sometimes really skew reality, this is not too bad, and it does clarify somewhat a bit further on.

    And with this quote ...
    ... my wife also has managed to not stop doing everything she loved. She can still do a fair bit of gardening, and has learned to pace herself there. I was doing some digging for her a while back, and was going to chide her when I saw she was also digging - then realised she has learned to pace herself very neatly at that also ... she uses a small spade, and even with that only takes small half-sized nibbles at a time. My wife can also pursue her craft and sewing interests, albeit subject to pacing.

    But my wife also used to love walking a lot, especially out into the countryside. We still walk, but much much less than she would like. She also loved the little gardening business she had, and that had to stop.

    But on balance I think the article is not bad. Better with than without.
     
    Woolie, andypants, alktipping and 5 others like this.
  5. Woolie

    Woolie Senior Member

    Messages:
    2,918
    Yea, its also incredibly arrogant not to recognise that many aren't as lucky as her. Honestly, those who've had the disease and have known other sufferers have no excuse for that sort of ignorance.

    Lets hope that she was aware of that, perhaps the piece was edited?
     
  6. TiredSam

    TiredSam Committee Member

    Messages:
    10,482
    Location:
    Germany
    It's unlikely that the "inner strength" thing is something she said about herself, probably the journalist spicing it up a bit.

    This is true for her, and it's true for me and a lot of others, although I could make a list of the things I've had to give up, I'm fortunate to be able to replace them with a couple of things I can do from the sofa.

    Agree with this, but who knows what else she said, including an acknowledgement that not all are so lucky, that wasn't included? If the journalist / editor decide it's going to be an inspiring uplifting can-do story of hope and triumph over adversity, what can you do?
     

Share This Page