Although ME/CFS is still being studied, one thing is crystal clear: ME/CFS is a real condition that can affect anyone.
Katie Camero, Self Magazine
Extracts
Charles Shepherd, MD, was a “perfectly healthy” 30-something-year-old when he came down with chicken pox, which he caught while treating a patient with shingles. Even after the painful, itchy rash disappeared, a cluster of debilitating symptoms—unrefreshing sleep, balance problems, brain fog, and an overwhelming fatigue that worsened with activity—strangely stuck around.
For two frustrating years, he pushed through long hospital shifts that only made him feel worse, which, in hindsight, he considers one of his biggest mistakes. Finally, though, Dr. Shepherd received a diagnosis that not only changed his life, but also led him to help others dealing with the same issue: myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, better known as ME/CFS.
ME/CFS is a serious, complex, and often long-lasting condition that can make it hard to go to school, keep or advance in your job, maintain relationships, or even practice basic self-care. According to the CDC, an estimated 3.3 million people in the US are living with ME/CFS, which is thought to be caused by a number of factors, including infections, immune system changes, and genetics (but more on this later).
Although the severity varies, about 25% of people with ME/CFS are house- or bedbound, and some need a wheelchair or another mobility device to get around. However, most folks who have it don’t “look” sick, which—like other invisible ailments—often leads people (even some doctors) to dismiss or minimize their symptoms.
Dr Charles Shepherd Comment:
A long and generally very helpful review of ME/CFS in SELF magazine (USA).
The information is all based on interviews that Dr Hector Bonilla (Stanford University, California) and I gave to the journalist.
As this is a US publication, aimed at a US audience, the diagnostic criteria is weighted towards a US definition rather than the UK (NICE definition) of ME/CFS.
Dr Charles Shepherd,
Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association,
Member of the 2018-2021 NICE guideline on ME/CFS committee,
Member of the 2002 Chief Medical Officer's Working Group on ME/CFS
