Have you had enough of all the neglect and abuse of ME/CFS patients? Gabby Klein says now is the time for a National PR Campaign for ME/CFS to impress a change. Join the Patient Revolution to restore power to ME patients … Thirty years of neglect, incompetence and malfeasance by the Department of Human services (HHS) have rendered ME patients
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A disease with two faces? Re-naming ME/CFS
Persuasion Smith covers the bases on the misleading and disreputable name for our disease we’ve all been saddled with … If there is one thing that is sure to get ME/CFS sufferers riled up, it is the name of our disease. The very fact that two names are attached to each other, janus-like, almost as if mocking one another seems emblematic
ContinueErgonomics and ME/CFS: Have You Hurt Yourself Without Knowing It?
Having a chronic illness like ME/CFS can make it hard to avoid problems that come from bad ergonomics. Jody Smith has learned some lessons the hard way … Ergonomics can help people to navigate in a healthy way through their world, so they are not slouching, bent funny or stuck in the same position for too long, and so they can avoid the
ContinueDr. Kerr, I presume?
Clark Ellis brings us a rare interview with British researcher Dr. Jonathan Kerr who is now living in Colombia. Dr. Jonathan Kerr is regarded as one of Britain’s foremost myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) researchers, and an expert in microbiology, inflammation and genetics.Formerly of St. George’s University of London, he is now working at the Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud,
ContinueCan You Come for a Visit? My ME/CFS Says No
New grandma Jody Smith shares her frustrations about not being able to visit the new baby… My daughter and son-in-law just had a baby last week. We are thrilled. But we won’t be able to see the baby or hold her any time soon. We won’t be able to take over little gifts or help out with housework or babysitting.
ContinueME/CFS: A disease at war with itself
Persuasion Smith shares some thoughts on the stigma that comes with ME/CFS … We can all agree that ME/CFS is a nasty disease, particularly in its severe form, but there are abundant nasty diseases in the world. What is unique and particularly confounding about our disease is that so much controversy surrounds it, and not only surrounds it, but invades it too. It
ContinueME/CFS and the Magic of the Canine Factor
Jody Smith has been taken by surprise by the value of having a dog when dealing with ME/CFS … There’s been plenty of research indicating that having pets is good for your health. I never really noticed any particular benefits to having cats, though that may have had more to do with my cats. They’ve been fairly indifferent to my presence and
ContinueME/CFS and Beating the Clock
For Jody Smith, the ticking of a clock was enough at one time to chase her back to her bed. But with the passage of time, she has been able to reclaim her living room … I have two clocks in my living room. One clock is on the wall across from where I usually sit at my computer. The
ContinueNever Ask Us if We’re Hungry — The Answer’s Always No
If you’re ever at Jody Smith‘s house, don’t bother asking anybody if they are hungry … One of the most ridiculous questions you can ask in my house is “Are you hungry?” There are three of us here and for many years, none of us ever got hungry. When our brains would turn to mush, when our faces would go
ContinueME/CFS: In Free Fall Through the Looking Glass
Jody Smith continues to try to put into words the horror of the altered state that hobbles the brains of those with ME/CFS … If you’re not a fan of hallucinatory drugs you’re gonna hate ME/CFS. When I first became ill in March of 1992, the feeling of altered reality inside my head, the shaking which could not be seen
ContinueNo Longer Naive in the Ways of The Beast
After having lived for years with ME/CFS, Jody Smith learned there’s more to this beast of an illness than she realized, and that what might help one person may not help others … When I first got back online five years ago, I was naive in the ways of this beast we call ME/CFS. I guess I thought that whatever it
ContinueThe Mighty Egg: New Life Springs Forth Despite ME/CFS
Jody Smith finds that even with ME/CFS, new life as symbolized by the mighty egg, can still spring forth … The egg has been a symbol of new life since ancient times. Recently, this symbolism has struck home for me in my own life. I’ve eaten a lot of eggs in my life. Particularly in my vegetarian years,
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