I still have it...

It was around 14 or 15 years ago I was given the label, CFS/ME – Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – after a good couple of years of trying to get to the bottom of why I was so bloody tired all the time.

Initially I was delighted that my unexplained condition was recognised, and I could no longer be accused of just making it up to disguise some form of laziness.

However, because CFS/ME is a diagnosis by omission, it means the medical profession have no idea what causes it, and therefore no idea how to cure it.

Essentially you are given the usual raft of tests, but nothing shows up: the body doesn't appear to be producing extra white blood cells to fight off infection, you're not lacking in vital minerals or vitamins, you're not suffering from sleep apnoea, there are no rashes or raised temperatures, and so on.

So with nothing being flagged up, and no other indicators of known illnesses, they run out of things to look for and at that point, give you the CFS/ME label.

It's a way of saying, “we accept something is wrong – we don't think you're making it up – but there's bugger all we can do about it so now go away and live with it. Oh, and if you need some anti-depressants to cope, just give us a shout...”

Over the years, by being a bit more careful with my diet, doing all the sleep hygiene stuff (no TVs, tablets or phones in the bedroom, for example), and trying to use meditation and mindfulness techniques, I've lessened the all-consuming intensity it originally had on my life.

But it has definitely not gone away and it's effects and impact are felt and dealt with every day of my life.

However, we humans are extraordinarily good at normalising, and on not so bad days I can sometimes wonder if I am just making a fuss about nothing... until suddenly I crash, the brain fog descends, and I can barely string a sentence together through slurred words.

Still the nagging doubts have persisted.

What if the doctor who originally diagnosed me (now retired for over a decade) had missed something more obvious?
What if there are new tests that can pinpoint what is actually causing my symptoms?
What if there are new treatments that could dramatically improve my quality of life?

With this in mind I went back to see my doctor this week. 

I've not actually seen her in person for several years because apart from the Chronic Fatigue there's never really been anything else wrong with me. The B12 jabs I have every 3 months, and the pint of blood I have removed a couple of times a year because of my haemochromatosis (both discovered in the original search for what was wrong with me, but neither actually having anything to do with the CFS/ME), have only required interaction with the nurse.

After chatting with the doctor for a wee while, discussing my symptoms and my desire to revisit the diagnosis, she said she was as convinced as ever that CFS/ME is what I have. In particular, the fact that nothing new has developed over the intervening 14 years was a pretty good indicator that it wasn't anything else that had been missed. If it had been something else, then it would have got worse to the point where it would have become more obvious what it was.

Still, I'm in my mid-50s, so now is probably a good time to have a men's health MOT and have a thorough check up for all the usual stuff, so that's been booked in for the not too distant future.

Perhaps something might show up, but it seems unlikely.

So if I turned up fresh today with all the symptoms I have, I would still be given the CFS/ME label.

The only hope is the appearance of Long Covid, which is incredibly similar to CFS/ME.

Basically the medical companies don't invest in research and development unless there's a profit to be made, and there have never been enough people with CFS/ME (or even enough acceptance within the medical profession), to make it worthwhile spending the millions or billions required.

But with so many more people around the world suffering from Long Covid, it might just start to become a possible money maker for the company that can find a cure.

And if they can do that, there's a damn good chance it would work with CFS/ME too.

Meanwhile, I'm left with complex feelings over this visit to my GP.

On the one hand, I definitely have CFS/ME, so maybe I can now let go of the imposter syndrome fear that perhaps it was just something I subconsciously made up and there's nothing actually wrong with me.

On the other hand, I still have CFS/ME and it's not going away any time soon, if ever, so I will continue to have to live with the impact of the symptoms on a daily basis.

And that's not an easy thing to feel OK about...