What’s in my Hospital Bag | Disabled & Organised | Managing Myalgic Encephalomyelitis ME/CFS

Whats in my Bag?

I have finally done it ! I have uploaded a whats in my bag video to Youtube.

I have finally uploaded my first video to YouTube.

First I have to apologise for being such an idiot. I have held off from uploading because I am so embarrassed about the way I look and what people will think of me now.  I’m not being big-headed or begging for attention, that is not why I am saying this. I’m just so ashamed of what I have become.

I still want to make something of my life and if you are reading this and thinking you still can then you have never taken in a word of all of this . How am I supposed to be able to achieve what I want when I can’t even brush my own teeth.

Making a difference means everything to me now. To do that I have to forget what I was . I have to forget about the way I used to do things and accept the way things have to be done now. I’m not in control anymore, my illness is

That’s hard to accept.

To make a real difference I need help in getting the message out, so please could I ask every single one of you reading this to subscribe to my YouTube channel? I will be doing all I can to get the real face of ME out there. It will have fun videos up too, I promise. Most importantly I have to show the world everything and I’m sorry if you don’t approve or like that.

Please support me in any way you can x

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Alisha Whittam

Alisha Whittam is a disability advocate, blogger, and founder of The Ability Alliance. Based in Liverpool, she shares her life with severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, raising awareness and supporting others through raw storytelling, honest reviews, and community-driven campaigns.
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What is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

According to the NHS Website, Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a long-term illness with a wide range of symptoms. The most common symptom is extreme tiredness

For more information please visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-cfs/

People with ME/CFS have fatigue that is very different from just being tired. The fatigue of ME/CFS:

  • Can be severe.
  • Is not a result of unusually difficult activity.
  • Is not relieved by sleep or rest.
  • Was not a problem before becoming ill (not life-long)

Worsening of ME/CFS symptoms after physical or mental activity that would not have caused a problem before illness. This is known as post-exertional malaise (PEM).

Sleep problems.

Many but not all people with ME/CFS have other symptoms.

Pain is very common in people with ME/CFS. The type of pain, where it occurs, and how bad it is varies a lot. The pain people with ME/CFS feel is not caused by an injury. The most common types of pain in ME/CFS are:

  • Muscle pain and aches
  • Joint pain without swelling or redness
  • Headaches, either new or worsening

Some people with ME/CFS may also have:

  • Tender lymph nodes in the neck or armpits
  • A sore throat that happens often
  • Digestive issues, like irritable bowel syndrome
  • Chills and night sweats
  • Allergies and sensitivities to foods, odors, chemicals, light, or noise
  • Muscle weakness
  • Shortness of breath
  • Irregular heartbeat
Information is taken from The CDC Website https://www.cdc.gov/me-cfs/symptoms-diagnosis/symptoms

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis does not have a cure.

Find a Dr or Consultant who listens to you is the first step

It is a manageable condition and depending on the severity of your symptoms the more difficult this can become.

I advise learning to listen to your body and what it is telling you. If you feel tired rest and if you feel pain find a solution to reduce that pain, this could be through pain medication prescribed by your Dr.

I am not saying that finding a Dr who listens or listening to your body is going to be easy as this illness is incredibly complex for some and manageable for others.

Having a Dr who listens to you or reads about the latest drug that sufferers are recommending can take a lot of unnecessary stress and anxiety from the sufferer.

It would be best for me to point you to the above question What is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis? 

Most pages list the illness as ME/CFS or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or sometimes even Systemic exertion intolerance disease (SEID).

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