The Nonsense of Sensitivity

If you've read my previous post about my diagnosis, you'll know that it was a pretty long and bumpy road. For this reason, by the time the medical professionals had recognised I really was truly ill with M.E, I was already pretty familiar with the multitude of symptoms it entails. I'd had the fatigue, the pain and the susceptibility to infection, but what I wasn't prepared for was the increased sensitivity I would experience as my condition worsened. 

I don't mean sensitivity of the emotional kind- I didn't suddenly start blubbering at soppy films or weeping at tales of reunited families (I'm not much of crier you see); I mean sensitivity to all manner of external stimuli. I'm not gonna lie to you, it kinda sucks. It really is one of the symptoms I hate the most, because it stops me from doing many of the things I love to do.

This sensitivity comes in a variety of guises, and while its most likely to hit when I'm feeling my worst, it also likes to make a surprise appearance every now and then, much to my dismay. To give you a better idea of what I'm talking about, here's a few examples of the ways this most unexpected of symptoms affects me in my everyday life:

A bit about M.E.

 I've already told you a little bit about me, but now I think it'd be useful if I introduce you a little more to the illness that's prompted the writing of this blog- M.E.

M.E, or to use its rather long and hard to pronounce full name, Myalgic encephalomyelitis, is to be honest, a bit of a minefield. The vast multitude of symptoms and lack of a definite cause make it both hard to diagnose and hard to understand.

 Back in my pre-diagnosis days, I scoured the internet in a desperate attempt to self diagnose the illness that I believed was staring my doctors right in the face. The problem was, with so many varying symptoms, there was so much to rule out- anaemia, Lyme disease and thyroid problems to name but a few. 

I knew that for number of years I'd been a lot more tired than could be considered normal, but what I didn't know was that so many of other, seemingly irrelevant problems I had day-to-day all had the one underlying cause, M.E.

Therefore, believe me, I know how confusing it can be. Before I could even begin to get those around  me to understand this 'new' mystery illness I was suffering from, I had to fully comprehend it myself. So now, with a fair few years of M.E know-how behind me and a number of the symptoms experienced at one time or another, it's my turn to help you. Whether you're looking for a bit of information or simply just reassurance that you aren't alone, hopefully I can be of some use :) So here it is, my short but unfortunately not so sweet guide to the gloriously unique illness that is M.E!