ME/CFS is a complex illness with extreme fatigue and other symptoms that affect your ability to function. It’s not known what causes ME/CFS but it is thought to be triggered by infections and may have genetic, environmental or neurological factors. ME/CFS can start suddenly or gradually over months or years. It’s not known whether ME/CFS can be cured but there are ways to improve your symptoms and help you manage the condition.
The goal of the End ME/CFS Project is to accelerate ME/CFS research so precise diagnostic tools and life-changing treatments can be found as soon as possible. Support our efforts by donating today!
Describe yourself with ME
Choosing the right words to describe yourself can be tricky. It’s important to think about who will be asking and reading the questions, as well as what type of person you want to target with your description. This will help you focus on the qualities that are most relevant to that audience.
For example, if you’re applying to college, it would be helpful to ask friends and family members to give you their describing words for yourself. These could be used in your application or for recommendation letters. It’s also a good idea to get describing words from people who haven’t been close to you, such as teachers or coworkers. This will give you a more objective view of your strengths and weaknesses.
When it comes to describing yourself with ME, it’s also important to be honest. A dishonest answer can skew someone’s opinion of you, so it’s best to be completely honest. In some cases, you can even make the game fun by giving players incorrect answers in a silly situation.
ME/CFS can cause pain and other symptoms in many parts of your body, including headaches, sore throats, tender lymph nodes in the neck and armpits, nausea, difficulty concentrating, unrefreshing sleep and a feeling that your mind is working too hard. You may also be sensitive to light, noise, smells and certain foods.
ME/CFS is more common in women than men, and it can affect all ages. It can occur in any race, ethnicity or socioeconomic background. It’s not clear what causes ME/CFS, but there is evidence of a link between ME/CFS and a variety of infectious illnesses. Some of these include glandular fever, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), herpes viruses such as herpes simplex and HHV-6, hepatitis A, B and C infection, and Ross River virus in Australia. Other infections can trigger ME/CFS, such as labyrinthitis and enteroviruses.