9 April 2015

Medical Neglect of ME

My story

My ME started with a virus in 2011, some months after the birth of my daughter. After the virus had apparently abated, the first symptoms I noticed were numbness, tingling, and pins and needles in my hands and feet; body temperature disturbances; vision problems; dizziness; clumsiness; pain; muscle spasms and weakness; sleep dysfunction; and cognitive impairments.

For 18 months the GPs at my local surgery refused to take me seriously. They didn't believe I had anything physically wrong, dismissed my reports of physical symptoms, and said I was depressed. I knew this was not true, and that although I was extremely fed up and frustrated, this was a response to my physical symptoms rather than the cause of them.