I couldn’t get out of bed. I felt drained, constantly. All my body wanted was more sleep.
When I did drift off, I woke up not knowing where I was, sweating so much I was soaking wet and freezing. My muscles and joints ached and I had migraine-like headaches and a persistently sore throat.
Russell Fleming, MEA Head of Project Development article in Metro
Russell Fleming, the ME Association Head of Project Development, published a first person account of his experiences living with ME/CFS in the Metro online paper on the 6th September, 2025.
Extracts
For about six years, this was my life as someone severely affected by a condition known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).
It is a complex, long-term medical condition that affects a person’s ability to function. The most common symptom is extreme, debilitating fatigue, that can be worsened by activity and isn’t improved by sleep.An estimated 404,000 people inthe UK are affected and sadly, it isn’t a condition anyone can predict. For many, the trigger is an infection (either viral or bacterial).
My symptoms began in July 1999, after I became ill while on holiday with friends in Greece. What I thought was food poisoning was diagnosed by Greek doctors as a non-specific infection.
Back home in Jersey, I was treated in hospital for dehydration and had tests to determine the infection’s source. I was discharged without any answers, only to end up back there weeks later after having seizures.
A year on, I was no better and hadn’t been able to return to work. As well as the crippling, flu-like symptoms, I was increasingly frustrated and confused that no one could say what was wrong with me.
Eventually, in May, 2000, having ruled out every other condition, my GP diagnosed ME/CFS.
Russell Fleming
Head of Project Development,
The ME Association
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