A bed and bedside table with a lamp on it. Title reads: You might be an M.E. sufferer if... part 1, guest post by David A Graham.

You Might Be An M.E. Sufferer If… (Part 1) Guest Post By David A Graham

​I can’t read this without a ​smile on my face and shaking my head in agreement. In this three-part series our guest author, David Graham, shares ​his humorous ​take ​on life with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. I ​think it also ties in wonderfully with our Effects Of M.E. awareness campaign. I hope it makes you ​giggle as much as I am! ​I’ve also created some graphics you can share online if any of David’s comments resonate with you. Click on any of…

Read MoreYou Might Be An M.E. Sufferer If… (Part 1) Guest Post By David A Graham
An empty bed in a dark room, title reads: Poem, Severe M.E. is... What it's like living with severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

A Poem About Life With Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

​August 8 is Severe M.E. Awareness Day. A day to give a voice to the millions of people around the world who are living in isolation and torment due to the harsh effects of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. 25% of people with M.E. are housebound or bedridden. The most severe living in darkness and silence for years… decades even. Neglected, misunderstood, vulnerable and severely disabled, yet they carry on fighting, waiting, hoping. Moment by moment. One day their breakthrough will come. One…

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Title reads My chronic illness Story, How it all started and how you can help, by Chronically Hopeful, Picture of Char lying in bed under blankets, shes in an ME flare wearing sunglasses and headphones

My Chronic Illness Story: How I Became Housebound With Severe M.E.

​May is ME Awareness Month and once again I am participating in the ​virtual campaigns online to help raise awareness of this life-destroying illness called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Today I’m sharing my story. How did I become so terribly ill and housebound? When did it happen? And how long did I have to wait for a diagnosis? Here’s my ME story: I had a very busy and active life, teaching, going to church and Bible studies, tutoring and babysitting after hours…

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In a dark room a hand is held up to block the light that is shining in. Title reads, Photophobia in ME and CFS. 20 Patients share their experience.

Photophobia: 6 Ways To Cope With Light Sensitivity

​Have you ever experienced that moment of intense pain in your eyes and head when you’ve opened the curtains on a bright and sunny day? Anybody who has experienced a migraine or even a hangover would likely understand what I’m talking about too. Although photophobia or light sensitivity ​might ​seem quite common among ​the general population, it can be quite debilitating when combined with a chronic illness like ME. Most people struggle with glare and direct sunlight in their eyes,…

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Char pulling a funny face. Title reads: How to have M.E. successfully. A humorous look at life with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

How To Have ME Successfully

I came across this fantastic list of guidelines for how to live successfully with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and just had to share it. It’s so refreshing to ​read a light-hearted account of life with this ​horrible illness. I’ll be sharing this humorous look at life with M.E. below as well as explain the realities of each point in more detail to help with raising awareness. There’s also an image you can share on social media.  So here they are, ​The 11…

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Char lying on the bed, feeling ill. Title reads: Living with severe M.E. Who am I now? When it feels like you've lost your identity to chronic illness

Living With Severe ME/CFS, Who Am I Now?

Who am I? When living with severe chronic illness it can be easy to feel like you’ve lost your identity. When experiencing a loss of identity, you start doubting yourself, you lose confidence, you lack purpose and vision. You start to feel useless. It is important to reflect and ​remember who you are​. Reignite your dreams and goals, your passion and purpose. ​ ​Being diagnosed with a severe chronic illness means those things can become a bit blurry. When you…

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Photo of hundreds of empty pairs of shoes in a town square representing th millions of ME/cfs patients missing from society. Title reads, How you can help the Millions Missing, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis awareness and advocacy,by Chronically Hopeful

Advocacy And Fundraising Ideas And Resources

What Is M.E? How To Get By Advocacy Tools M.E. Directory We in the ME community are so grateful that you are interested in supporting our cause. Thank you! I hope that the information on this page will inspire you to action, giving you ideas and resources to help you help us. We need all the help from healthy allies that we can get! The quickest way to support our cause is to donate towards advocacy campaigns or research. For…

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Title reads Join The MEcfs Community, Social group for ME & CFS patients and carers. Photo of blue forget-me-notspin by Chronically Hopeful

A Community for ME/CFS Bloggers and Patients

When I was first diagnosed with ​Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I felt lost. It’s a condition I had never heard of before and my doctor didn’t seem to know much about it either. What got me through was the support of other patients I found online. And they continue to be my support as the years go by! For this reason I have created a community online for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and their carers.…

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How I overcame insomnia BLOG

How I overcome insomnia

When I first got ME/CFS, I was so utterly exhausted, I slept many hours a day and I slept at night too. Later I was introduced to one of ME’s most horrible symptoms: insomnia. I know the frustration and despair that comes from not getting sleep for nights on end, so in this post I will explain how I overcome insomnia whenever it creeps back into my life. It’s quite ironic that people think having ME/CFS means we sleep all…

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A messy bed. Title reads: Imagine... a day in the life of M.E. Have you ever wondered what chronically ill people do all day?

Imagine… A Day in The Life of ME

It might surprise you how often people with chronic illness are asked what they do with all the free time they have at home. I think many healthy people have no idea how difficult it is to deal with unrelenting symptoms on a daily basis. I hope to shed some light on this by sharing with you what a day in the life of Severe ME is like. This post was originally written as a first person account of my…

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