Daily Mail: Royal Wedding harpist on her diagnosis of ME/CFS

Generally very good, especially this bit:
Claire then collapsed and had a seizure in a hospital corridor. She said: 'I looked like a fairly normal person and I didn’t have any broken bones or severe injuries, which is what you sort of expect in A&E.

She was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, CFS or ME, which leaves around 25 per cent of people who have it house or bed bound.

The condition manifests as unrelenting fatigue and profound pain and there is no known cure.

Sufferers are often confined to their beds, unable to walk, and need help even to shower - an action that could then lay them low for hours, or even days.
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The usual quackery plug (hey, it's the Daily Mail after all):
For Claire, treatment from the Optimum Health Clinic, regular chiropractic sessions in Cardiff and the help of a specialist doctor in Dorset appeared to help, along with regular supplements and yoga.
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It sounds like she's improved and/or stabilized, not recovered:
"There are times when I get a couple of red lights. But I’ve learned to spot them and slow down a little. But at no point have I felt unable to get out of bed. I'm living a very normal life and probably doing a lot more than many other people.'
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I think Dr Charles Shepherd did a great (and diplomatic) job of pointing out the same issues with the cause and extent of her recovery:
While some people with ME do improve over the course of time, it is only a small minority that return to full normal health.

ME specialist Dr Charles Shepherd, said: 'Like many people with ME/CFS, Claire experienced a long and unacceptable delay in obtaining a diagnosis, along with no clear management advice during the very crucial early stages of her illness.

'Clare has learned to pace her activities, found a helpful doctor, and become an 'expert patient' when it comes to the management of her ME/CFS - all of which appear to be contributing towards her improvement.'
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Now to read the comments ... :cautious:
 
I'd file this under "not too bad" for a big publication. Shame to see Optimum Health Clinic get a plug, they seem to be everywhere these days. Still, clickbaity headline including the royals might mean that a few more people might read it than usual :)
 
Overall it's not a bad article. My daughter read it out earlier, but did not look at the comments.

When I spent 12 weeks in hospital, mainly on my back (late 70s) I could only read The Express or the Mail. The others were too large and awkward when horizontal!
I guess in those days there was less Celebrity Gossip.
 
Liv aka Mrs Sowester said:
Oh, I'm so sorry - I didn't mean you @Revel! I meant the daft trolls.
I'm only being snotty so I don't get sucked in to the side bar of shame and start caring about the Kardashians or Katie Price's ex husbands.
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I got sucked into reading about Paul from s club 7.... How did that happen?....up voted all the good ones and down voted trolls though
 
There are a couple of issues as I see it @ Perrier:

Some (few) people do recover or at least improve significantly. Without a biomarker we simply cannot be sure that they have the same illness. It may be a variant, or better management in the early days or just luck.

We are more likely to hear about those who have improved significantly. The rest of us are too ill and isolated.

Celebrities are more simply more likely to attract attention and be newsworthy.

Misdiagnosis is a big problem - for example Esther Rantzen's daughter had ME and was in a bad way. She had a miracle cure with the lightening process....bht still had to be very careful etc. In the end she turned out to be a coeliac.
 
Liv aka Mrs Sowester said:
The Mail is a fuckwit magnet.
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Valentijn said:
I'd noticed that :p On the plus side, the trolls were extra daft and easy to refute.
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The comment section was once analysed by adding quotes from Mein Kampf and seeing what the reaction was. The results were depressing.

We must thank brave explorers like @Revel for their sacrifice in navigating the fetid swamps and reporting back to us of the strange sights and creatures encountered.
 
Perrier said:
Is it only celebrities that get well? I have to ask, if this wasn't a case of severe burnout, a CFS, and not ME. I'm not trying to be unkind here or to dismiss suffering. Please do not think this. But I don't know anyone this recovered.
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In this case it sounds like she stabilized and improved a bit, but hasn't recovered. She cannot do things like a normal person would, without having to worry about the consequences. Basically, it sounds like she's pacing and can do a bit more due to that.
 
Valentijn said:
In this case it sounds like she stabilized and improved a bit, but hasn't recovered. She cannot do things like a normal person would, without having to worry about the consequences. Basically, it sounds like she's pacing and can do a bit more due to that.
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Yes I thought Charles' comments about people who (are lucky enough to) improve, often do not fully recover to their previous levels of health and activity. NB My version of what he said.
I think the article mentioned that she is off on tour soon, or at least back to public performance. I hope for her sake that she has built in plenty of rest etc.

Also, there are millions of people in the world who work long hours at stressful jobs and do not end up with ME, why are they never mentioned!!!

ME is NOT BURNOUT.

Yes I know I am ranting at the "converted".
 
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