MEDICAL MATTERS
- Medical Matters features questions asked by Members of the ME Association on health-related topics.
- Dr Charles Shepherd and the ME Association's other advisers answer these questions by sharing their expert knowledge.
- Medical Matters is based on the popular ‘Ask the Doctor’ series in ME Essential magazine.
- It is a free resource that supplements the detailed information contained in the full range of literature that can be found in the website shop.
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Questions in the Category: ME/CFS
Can HIV/AIDS be misdiagnosed as ME/CFS?
I've been diagnosed with ME by my GP after having several months of fatigue, enlarged glands, night sweats and flu-like symptoms. A friend says that HIV/AIDS can cause very similar symptoms in the early stages and that I probably ought to have an HIV blood test – which hasn't been done as far as I know.
Having had several sexual partners, some casual, in the past, I suppose I could be at risk. Unfortunately, this isn't the sort of medical query that I can discuss with my GP because he is a family friend.
Is ME a post-acute infection syndrome (PAIS)?
I see that ME and Long Covid are now sometimes being referred to as being a post-acute infection syndrome. Why is this?
And following on from this question, one important action in the generally disappointing research section of the DHSC Delivery Plan is to fund research into post-acute infection syndromes. So is this good or bad news for people with ME if we are going to be lumped in together with all kinds of post-infective conditions?
Do I have Long Covid or post Covid ME?
Two years ago I was very fit and healthy young adult. I then caught Covid. It was more like having a very bad cold and flu combined. I was managed at home with online GP consultations and didn’t have any serious chest problems. So I don’t have a persisting cough or breathlessness. My main symptoms are very similar to ME – debilitating fatigue, brain fog, muscle pain, problems with temperature control and post-exertional malaise.
My doctor has diagnosed Long Covid. But do I really just have post Covid ME?
Driving
Do you think ME/CFS should be a notifiable medical condition with the DVLA?
Should people with ME/CFS notify the DVLA that they are still driving?
Is ME/CFS an autoimmune disease?
I know that ME and CFS are both classified by the World Health Organisation as a neurological disease. But I’ve also seen statements on the internet to say that ME is now being classified as an autoimmune disease. Is this correct?
Symptoms – Abnormal red blood cells
After feeling more fatigued than usual, my GP arranged some blood tests – all of which were normal apart an abnormality with my red blood cells called macrocytosis. Can this can be caused by ME? I understand that there has been some research from New Zealand that found abnormally shaped red blood cells that impaired the blood flow in tiny capillaries.
Medication: What is the best method of contraception if you have ME?
What is the best method of contraception if you have ME?
My partner and I have a dilemma regarding our choice of contraception. I have mild to moderate ME/CFS. My husband is fit and well. We want to use a safe and reliable method but we aren't having much luck!
I had to give up using ‘the pill' because of side-effects, including migraine-type headaches. So we are reluctantly using barrier protection. But this isn't ideal when you are not wanting to have another baby for both health and practical reasons.
I've thought about using a coil but am worried about whether having a ‘foreign body' inside could cause more problems with my immune system. I'm also worried about the risk of infection, having had a pelvic infection in the past.
There doesn't seem to be a simple solution and my GP isn’t very helpful when it comes to discussing the remaining options.
Symptoms: Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM)
What is Post-Exertional Malaise and how can it best be managed?
Treatment: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)
Has there ever been a clinical trial to assess the use to hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) in ME? I know that HBO is being used by people with multiple sclerosis as well as ME – so it seems that there are positive effects in the case of neurological diseases. I’ve also read that a clinical trial involving people with Long Covid has found some beneficial effects.
Dr Charles Shepherd
Dr Shepherd has been Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association for more than 40 years. He is integral to the charity's activities and provides information and support based on his professional knowledge, personal experience as a doctor with ME/CFS, and the understanding gained from helping many thousands of people with the condition. He was a member of the comittee responsible for the 2021 NICE Clinical Guideline and is a recognised expert on ME/CFS in the UK. His knowledge extends to Post-Viral Fatigue Syndromes (PVFS), Myalgic Encephalopathy/Encephalomyelitis (ME), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) or Long Covid.
If you have questions about ME/CFS or Long Covid, you can:
- Review the free information in the What is ME/CFS section of the website, and the free Covid-19 and Long Covid information in the website shop.
- Review the largest range of literature covering all aspects of living with ME/CFS. Download detailed information about symptoms, diagnosis, management, co-mordidities, employment, education, related health conditions, The 2021 NICE Clinical Guideline, welfare benefits etc.
- Join the ME Association as a member and you'll receive the highly-rated ME Essential magazine, and you can ask questions of the charity’s expert advisers including Dr Shepherd.
- Contact us via the ME Connect Telephone Helpline (open 365 days a year) and speak to one of the national team of fully-trained volunteers who waiting to provide information and support.
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Medical Matters is based on the popular ‘Ask the Doctor‘ series featured in the highly-regarded member’s magazine, ME Essential, and in the healthcare professional magazine, ME Medical. Both are produced by the ME Association and published as hard-copy magazines every 3 months and sent to members and healthcare professionals by post to home or business addresses.
If you are a Health Care Professional you can sign-up to receive ME Medical magazine (people with ME/CFS can also nominate their HCP by completing the sign-up form).