M.E - A Poem

To mark M.E Awareness Week 2012 I have written this poem as an expression of the emotions felt whilst suffering with M.E, based upon my own experiences. Please take a look and share with others if you can. Thank you!

M.E

Virus, not well, mild frustration,

Missing out my education,

Visit GP, desperation,

Blood tests, waiting, agitation,

Still so sick, a bad sensation,

Return to GP, preparation,

Bloods clear, now what? Anticipation,

Hospital the new location,

See consultant, evaluation,

“You have M.E”, a revelation,

Explains the illness, grabs attention,

I’m not alone, a celebration

List of symptoms, expectation,

“No cure yet though”, hope deflation,

Just more waiting, stirs emotion,

Wiped out, pain, poor concentration,

Sickness, joint pain, bad digestion,

Fatigue, weak muscles, debilitation,

Insomnia, sleep deprivation,

Bedbound, housebound, isolation,

For some comes hospitalisation,

Have to stay strong for duration,

Where’s the help, consideration?

Benefits battle, messed up nation,

Struggle through the registration,

Misunderstood by population,

Media writes words of fiction,

“M.E not real” a fabrication,

Still I fight, no liberation,

Too ill to learn, no graduation,

No job at all, no work promotion,

Charities help, make a donation,

Volunteers at their station,

To help with my incarceration,

Recovery the destination,

For now in my imagination.

M.E often (but not always) develops after a virus, as was the case with me when I came down with glandular fever which developed into M.E. Diagnosis is initially a relief, after being ill for so many months not knowing just what is wrong with you. But then comes the realisation that there is no cure for M.E. It is an emotional rollercoaster that lasts for years.

M.E Awareness Week - 6th-12th May 2012.

http://www.ayme.org.uk

http://www.meassociation.org.uk

http://www.actionforme.org.uk

Sarah x