By Asa Lovell in The Mighty. No one prepares you for the grief and feelings of inadequacy you get when you have chronic illnesses. They make such a huge impact on your life that they derail you, stop you from achieving the things you’re working for in the time you’d planned. You […]
By Shell Pettifer in The Mighty. “Chronic fatigue, my arse!” I have a confession to make. I have oftentimes throughout my life internally judged people for being overly dramatic. There, I’ve said it. I am a closet censure. I am guilty of internal eye rolls, doubtful compassion and quite frankly some completely uneducated […]
From the How To Get On Blog. We are taught that exercise is supposed to make us feel better. Staying active is supposed to make us healthier. Getting out of bed is supposed to improve our quality of life. Sadly, for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,” the opposite can […]
By Susanna Agardy, in BMJ Journals. At the heart of Sharpe and Greco’s article lies the complaint that while cancer patients accept CBT/GET treatments for their fatigue, ME/CFS patients reject these treatments. Of course they do! ME/CFS patients have a different disease, the main feature of which makes them unable to increase exertion. The article contains […]
By Adrienne Dellwo in Very Well Health. Because fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndromeinvolve the central nervous system, we get all kinds of strange things goings on with our nerves. Along with burning, tingling, numbness, and pinpricks, we can experience itchiness that can be severe and persistent. It’s maddening, especially since scratching doesn’t do a thing to help. For […]
By James C Coyne. This is an edit of something I wrote in 2016, which I return to read every now and then. Sometimes I tinker with it, like now. I wrote it soon after I first became a professional advocating for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis, a set […]
By Lexie in The Mighty. I just made one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. Many of you can relate to my story. I’ve seen countless doctors, integrative general practitioners, naturopaths, chiropractors, and specialists over the last few years. When they couldn’t explain my symptoms, they diagnosed me with chronic […]
By Adele Paul in The Mighty. Imagine the following conversation… Friend: Heard you weren’t feeling well lately? Me: You could say that. Friend: So you’re just tired all the time? Me: Yeah, and a few other things… Friend: Girl, I hear ya. When I got back from Hawaii in January, it took me […]
By Janet Harrison in The Yorkshire Post. Living with ME can be severely life-limiting for those affected. KT King, 46, from Hessle, explains what it is like living with myalgic encephalomyelitis, sometimes known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. “I first became aware of ME aged 23 when I spent six months in bed after […]
By Cort Johnson in Health Rising. The Spinal Series This is part three of a series examining spinal issues which may mimic chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and fibromyalgia. The first two in the series involved two very ill ME/CFS patients who have recovered or are recovering following surgery to correct craniocervical instability. Leader in the […]
By Jen Brea. This is a hard post to write because there are no words that can do this justice. I can hardly believe it myself. My ME is in remission. For the first few years that I was ill, I dreamt of being able to say this. I fantasized about what recovery would […]
By Cathie Anderson in The Tribune. Researchers at Stanford University and UC Irvine appear close to giving people with chronic fatigue syndrome something they have wanted for decades: a biological test that diagnoses their disease, according to a research paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Those who suffer from […]
By Jo Moss in A Journey Through The Fog. For ME Awareness month I want to tackle some of the common misconceptions surrounding this debilitating illness. The lack of belief and ignorance surrounding ME is deep-rooted and causes significant harm to patients worldwide. Due to the disbelief, misconceptions, and stigma that are attached […]
From #FindME. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), can affect anyone, even children. Fibromyalgia is a related disease that affects the joins in the body, causing excruciating pain. CFS/ME is most common in women and tends to develop between your mid-20s and mid-40s. Famous celebrities, such as 71-year-old […]
From Stanford Medicine News Center. Stanford scientists devised a blood-based test that accurately identified people with chronic fatigue syndrome, a new study reports. People suffering from a debilitating and often discounted disease known as chronic fatigue syndrome may soon have something they’ve been seeking for decades: scientific proof of their ailment. Researchers […]
By Caitlin Phillips-Peddlesden in The Mighty. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) fatigue. The invisible illness vampire. The blood- (or energy-) sucking beast ever at your shoulder, teeth in your neck. CFS fatigue is invisible. Many people with CFS have no visibly discernible symptoms. Only the bags under our eyes point to the constant torture people […]
By Cort Johnson in Health Rising. With its regular news updates, information on drugs and diseases, quizzes, conference overviews, and educational courses, Medscape, which just turned 20 years old, strives to be a kind of one-stop shop for medical professionals (and consumers). It appears to be succeeding. Producing dozens of news stories a day, […]
by Sasha Nimmo Researchers at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne confirmed that paediatric chronic fatigue syndrome (Fukuda criteria) causes significant disability and little is known about how common the condition is or how it is currently managed in Australia. More than half of children have to wait a year or longer before […]
By Abby Pickus in DEPAUL Magazine. In 1980, a high school English teacher from Wisconsin named Pat Fero went on a trip to England. Healthy and in her 30s, she noticed something was very wrong toward the end of the trip. “We were in this beautiful countryside, and we went to climb a hill […]
By Jack Croxall in Allies Everywhere. Growing up in rural England I was obsessed with the outdoors. Bug hunting, fossil collecting, and pond dipping were what I spent most of my time doing. But, during my time at university (living in the city of Nottingham and then in London), there wasn’t as […]
By Saidee Wynn in The Mighty. In the TV show “Golden Girls,” a two-part episode titled “Sick and Tired” depicts the character of Dorothy, played by Bea Arthur, approaching a doctor while out at a restaurant. This doctor had earlier dismissed her symptoms as being all in her head and sent her on […]
By Diane O’Leary in BMJ Blogs. Professional and public debate about myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome(ME/CFS) has reached a new pitch. A London Times article in August described the “acrimonious scientific row” that’s erupted in the UK now that the US Institute of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, and Centers for Disease Control insist that ME/CFS is not a psychosomatic […]
By Adrienne Dellwo in Very Well Health. Allodynia is a rare type of pain, generally on the skin, that’s caused by something that wouldn’t normally cause pain. This pain type is frequently associated with fibromyalgia, and some people with chronic fatigue syndrome have it as well. Other conditions associated with allodynia include neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia (shingles), and migraines. Outside of these conditions, […]
By Louise Ní Chríodáin in The Irish Times. Aspiring dancer Rosa Devine was 16 when illness took her legs from under her. Bedridden, by what she came to know as chronic fatigue syndrome, comic books and art would become first a solace, and then the trajectory to a new future. “It was easier to […]
By Melissa McGlensey in The Mighty. Sensory overload happens when too much sensory stimulus is occurring at once — it can be triggered by a crowded room, a TV turned up too loud, strong aromas, fluorescent lighting — or a hundred other things. It’s often associated with certain diagnoses like autism, sensory processing disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, post-traumatic stress […]
By Cort Johnson in Health Rising. Disturbances in circulation and provision of oxygen to tissues could underlie many symptoms of ME/CFS. Metabolomics has quickly become one of the hottest research trends in chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The metabolomic work in ME/CFS started with the Australians, picked up speed when Ron Davis and […]
By Lori, in Rare Disease Day. What About M.E.? Living with a Little Known and Widely Misunderstood Neurological Disease Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or ME CFS for short, is the disabling disease that I’ve been diagnosed with and that has changed my life forever. First, some words about the disease itself. […]
By Mark Guthridge, Monash University, in The Conversation. Around 200,000 people in Australia suffer from a debilitating illness often branded with the unfortunate name of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). I say “unfortunate” because this implies patients are simply tired, run-down, burnt-out or overly stressed. But myalgic encephalomyelitis, or ME/CFS as it is now more commonly called, […]
by Llewellyn King in Inside Sources. For 10 long years, I’ve been writing and broadcasting about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, now called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). Like all chronic diseases, it’s brutally unfair to the afflicted. But ME also can claim to have been unfairly treated by doctors and medical researchers, the pharmaceutical giants, and the […]
By Michael B. VanElzakker, Sydney A. Brumfield and Paula S. Lara Mejia in Frontiers in Neurology. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is the label given to a syndrome that can include long-term flu-like symptoms, profound fatigue, trouble concentrating, and autonomic problems, all of which worsen after exertion. It is unclear how many individuals with this diagnosis are […]
By Eleanor Segall in Metro Lifestyle. Chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as ME (myalgic encephalopathy) is estimated to effect 250,000 people in the UK. It is a serious and debilitating illness that at times can render its sufferers unable to function effectively due to the level of fatigue. ME is more than just exhaustion. […]
By David Tuller, DrPH I haven’t had time to cover the new and wildly over-hyped study about prolonged fatigue–and purportedly about “chronic fatigue syndrome”–that was published this week in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology. Thanks no doubt to the involvement of the Science Media Centre, this mildly interesting piece of research has received widespread media attention. […]
By Cherilyn Schutze in The Mighty. Stuck in the middle of sick and well. That’s how I feel. Chronic illness is never easy, whether you are the person who’s sick, or the caretaker or family member of a person with a protracted illness. Before I became ill, I was very busy multi-tasking, care-taking, mothering, wife-ing, and working. […]
By Frank NM Twisk in World Journal of Methodology. Abstract Although myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are considered to be synonymous, the definitional criteria for ME and CFS define two distinct, partially overlapping, clinical entities. ME, whether defined by the original criteria or by the recently proposed criteria, is not equivalent […]
-------------------------------------------------------
The first Monday of each month at 11 am - The York ME Community Coffee Club at Bar Convent, 17 Blossom Street, York.
---------------------------------------------------------
The third Wednesday of each month - at 2 pm - The York ME Community Coffee Club at The Novotel, York.
--------------------------------------------------------
Weekly - Every Wed, 8 pm - 9 pm on Twitter, ME Awareness Hour using the #MEAwarenesshour hashtag.
Access Your Life is a site run by Felix and Lauren, with a little input from Fliss, the dog!
The site is full of great information that I feel will benefit many within The York ME Community and beyond.
To go to Access Your Life, click on the link below:
Would you like to help your local community ?
By current research, there are around 800 people in the York area suffering from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). This might include the work colleagues you haven't seen in some time, or your friends and family, maybe one of the lads who hasn't turned up for five-a-side for a while.
There's information at the top of this site to explain how it affects people and ruins lives. These are your neighbours; would you like to help ? To read the rest of this request, click on the link below:
The social element of this site is via a Facebook Group called The York ME Community.
This is available to people in the York area looking for help, advice and support, whether those diagnosed, family or friends. We are a close knit group who discuss more than just ME, as we like to think that we are not defined by this illness. We discuss every day things, have a laugh, and try to meet via our Coffee Club if the beast that is ME allows us ! If you apply to join, please check your Facebook messages, as there are a couple of automated questions to be answered before being welcomed to the group.
Please don't apply to join if you are promoting your preferred remedy. I'm happy to mention your company within the group, but it's for individuals to choose what they wish to try in their battle to seek an improvement in their health.
Some companies and organisations offer discounts for disabled people and their carers – click on the link below to find out what you could save.
Carol Monaghan SNP spoke in Westminster Hall about the need for support and funds for ME Research. Many other MP's spoke passionately on the subject as it affects their constituents UK wide. Click on the link below to watch the full debate.
Anil's interview gives a great insight to the man and his ME mission !
Link to Anil van der Zee's Interview
Having read the above interview, I'd recommend a visit to David's Blog below:
After a pretty tough time, the guys riding as part of The Nomadic Knights group, made it to Everest Base Camp. I hope we can use this story to gain interest from media sources to help raise awareness for us all. It's the least the guys deserve for all their efforts.
19 May 2017.
“Very pleased to report that we reached Mt Qomolangma (Everest) Base Camp with the ME Awareness Flag at 1528hrs on Thursday 18th May. Three and a half hours after we had planned but time in Tibet can sometimes be very fluid. The base camp is located at 5200m, walking to the final destination was challenging in itself due to low oxygen levels.
Conditions at base camp were extremely windy (good for flag flying) with intermittent clouds with no particular destination in mind and the sun was not ideal for photos."
Debbie North, our TOG wheelchair walk designer uses an off-road mobility scooter, also called an all terrain hopper to access the countryside and wants to inspire other wheelchair users to do the same through her wheel friendly walks.
Wheelchair friendly walks are a selection of walks that the TOG team have carefully selected for families using pushchairs, wheelchairs or bicycles.
The Jen Brea ME film 'Unrest', about her story and struggle with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) was shown to a sellout audience at City Screen York on 1st November, prompting a second showing on 16 November. This film has won awards at The Sundance Film Festival and is a must see for all wishing and needing to know more about an illness affecting over 800 people in the York area alone.
Although still showing around the UK and worldwide, it's now also available on Amazon and iTunes and through the Unrest UK Store on DVD and Blu-Ray by clicking on this link: Unrest site to save having to undertake a journey to the cinema.,
Please spread the word through your GP, MP, Company HR Teams and any other people of influence you may know. Thank you.
One of the major questions raised is the blending of ME with CFS. This chart on the Hummingbirds site illustrates the many differences between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
For confidential and independent advice for everyone on welfare benefits, debt, housing, employment, consumer rights and much more.
Welcome to Broken Puppet Theatre Company.
We are a small team of creative professionals who live with chronic illness and invisible disabilities. We work with theatre, film and puppetry to support children, families, schools and communities who are learning to share their world with chronic illness and invisible disabilities too. Our aim is to provide creative expression and escapism wherever they are needed.
Helpfulpeeps is a platform that allows people in any given area to ask for and offer help to one another. Although this is a nationwide facility, by adding your street name, the system automatically drops a pin on that location and you only see posts from a 20 mile radius. You have the option to narrow or widen this radius. I hope this is a useful facility for members of our Community.
If you're given the time and space to talk things through, you can find a way through your problems.
Samaritans help you to explore your options so you can make decisions that are right for you.
Upon request, North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service can carry out a home fire safety visit to your home, completely free of charge. This visit involves fire service staff coming to your home to give you advice on fire safety in the home, actions you can take to reduce the risk of fire, and discuss escape routes should fire occur.
If you don't aim to take up this offer, please at least check the batteries on your smoke alarms on a regular basis. If you want to read more, click on the link below:
FEATURED ARTICLE
By
Sally Duffin
Hello to all the members of York ME Community. I’m Sally, a Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist at ‘Nutrition in York’ and Bill has asked me to share some nutritional therapy approaches for managing ME.
Many nutritional therapists – myself included – are trained in the Functional Medicine approach to healthcare which means we are less concerned with the name of a condition (ME, CFS etc.) and more interested in the underlying cause and contributing factors of the condition. (more…)
Last season was a great success with loads of local company teams involved, and this season promises to be even better. With the aim of spreading ME Awareness, as a bonus, we have also raised around £800.00 for Invest in ME Research, so why not join us ?
This is a call out to all York (and beyond) Businesses, Clubs and Venues to join us for next season and support your local ME Community.
To join in for next season, click on the tab at the top of the site for more information, or just to register your interest.
The aim of this group is to bring together everyone in York with a need for a little help in getting out and about in our beautiful city.
This includes those who use, or are thinking about using any type of mobility aid, from a simple walking stick, to a wheelchair or mobility scooter. This is where we can share advice, ideas and support on all things mobility, including any ideas that might help us around the house, or out and about.
It will also be where we can raise concerns of accessibility issues in York, and maybe create a strong enough voice to effect the changes needed to help us be a full part in what’s going on and live a fuller life.
We can share names of accessible shops, cafes and venues, as well as those that need to improve if they want to get our custom.
If you know of someone who might like to be a part of this group, please let them know, and let’s all join in with ideas, suggestions and support to those who might need it.
Let’s make York a better place for all of us.
To read the ME Research Summary 2019 by ME Action covering the last ten years, click on the link below:
There is a great need for the training of those with a Duty of Care to those with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). For those in Healthcare, Education or Business with this Duty of Care, this E-Learning Course is the one for you.
To learn more, click on the link below:
AccessAble in York provides information on Shopmobility, Talking Signs, Dial & Ride, York Wheels and accessible Hotels, Restaurants, Public Toilets and a whole lot more in our city. To find out more before setting off for York, click on the link below:
The York Inset Scooter Club is based in York (UK) and has a membership of around 250.
They are a thriving, active club and look to support local charities when they can. They have an annual Mods and Rockers charity ride out, and for 2019 supported The York ME Community.
They headed off from The York Eye (Clifford’s Tower) on Sun 28 Apr on a run out to the coast, set off by the Mayor of York and the York Normandy Veterans.
All money raised will be used to raise the profile of ME in York through posters being produced and put up in local business premises, clubs, schools, GP Surgeries and venues.
Euan’s Guide is the disabled access review website used by disabled people to review, share and discover accessible places to visit. The charity was founded in 2013 by Euan MacDonald, who is a powerchair user, and his sister Kiki. As Euan’s access requirements changed, both went in search of recommendations for accessible places to go, but a platform for this kind of information didn’t exist. Built as a friendly and honest alternative to hours of web searching and phone calls before visiting somewhere new, Euan’s Guide now has thousands of disabled access reviews and listings for places all over the UK and beyond.
To go to Euan's Website, click on the link below:
Our Coffee Club meets twice a month for a cuppa and a natter.
Dates and times will always be shown in our diary at the top left of this site.
The Coffee Club is open to anyone either with ME, or friends and family looking for support from people who understand.
Due to the nature of the illness, there will be times when numbers are low, but if you'd like to attend, either just turn up on the day, or email me at bill@York-ME-Community.org. If you're a member of our Facebook Group, you can of course say you'll be going via the notice in the Events area.
Help us raise money for The York ME Community to pass onto Invest in ME Research every time you shop online, and it doesn't cost you a penny !
By using the link below, when you shop online with a huge number of shops, they will pass a percentage of your purchase cost to our fund. THIS MONEY IS DONATED BY THE RETAILERS, NOT YOU !
Written Question to the Department of Health and Social Care on 22 May 2018 by Carol Monaghan SNP, answered by Caroline Dinenage Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
| Financial Year | £ |
| 2014-15 | 280,442 |
| 2015-16 | 295,626 |
| 2016-17 | 130,958 |
A TRUE STORY BY JESSICA TAYLOR-BEARMAN
Book Description: From a darkened world, bound by four walls, a young woman called Jessica tells the tale of her battle against the M.E Monster. The severest form of a neuro immune disease called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis went to war with her at just 15 years old. From beneath her dark glasses, Jessica glimpses a world far different from the one she remembers as a teenage school girl. This true story follows her path as she ends up living in hospital for years with tubes keeping her alive.
This harrowing story follows the highs and lows of the disease and being hospitalised, captured through her voice activated technology diary called `Bug' that enables her to fulfil her dream of one day becoming an author.
It provides a raw, real-time honesty to the story that would be impossible to capture in hindsight.
To order the book through Jessica's site, click on the link below:
This book is also now available at York Library
An album of original songs and poetry composed and performed by people with M.E. from all over the world, was released to mark and support ME Awareness Day, 12 May 2018.
It was hoped that by releasing this album, it will help those with ME to know that they are not alone, and for others to understand the nature of this illness and give what support they can.
Please consider downloading the album, or even a couple of tracks to help raise awareness of ME, and much needed funds for research into this illness that affects so many, but is understood by so few who may be in positions to help. Proceeds to ME Research and Education. All further information and questions, please direct via the website below: The album can be downloaded now from:
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD !
I had a very productive meeting with Cllr Aspden and Cllr Runciman of City of York Council where they have stated they will back efforts to raise awareness of ME, understanding that much more is needed to increase understanding of this debilitating disorder, in York and across the UK.
The motion put before Council with regard to support in raising ME Awareness in York was passed unanimously !
The City of York Council followed through on their promise by lighting up the city walls and Clifford's Tower in blue over ME Awareness Week.
Are you a member of a York based Sports or Fitness Club ? Looking for a local cause to run or do an activity for ? The York ME Community are looking to be 'adopted' by anyone willing to maybe run for us and help raise our profile. There are around 800 people of all ages in the York area who would be so very grateful for your help.
We had a brilliant day at York Explore Library raising ME Awareness. Lots of interest in what we're doing from local health groups, charities, the council and most heart warmingly, from those dealing with ME themselves who now know we're here for them.
If you'd like to hear more about ME, get in touch.
Time For Unrest: Why Patients With ME Are Demanding Justice.
If you want the full story on ME and will read just one article about it this year, please make it this one,
Are you on Twitter? Learn more about ME every Wednesday, 8 pm - 9 pm (UK) using #MEAwarenesshour
Mike Harley is a very special guy who's running a marathon in each EU country to raise awareness and funds for Invest in ME Research. Please visit his site to learn more.
To go to the Government's Disability Benefits Advice Guide, click on the link below: