Tuesday Guest Post By Haylay-Eszti

Hi everyone. Today I want to introduce to you a young woman who has been battling with a chronic immune disorder for a few years. Her name is Hayley-Eszti  (click for her blog)
and I have been following her and her fight with this disease for a couple of years now.

Here is her story:

This week is M.E awareness week, and Jim has very kindly offered to help me promote awareness through his blog. Thanks Jim!

M.E stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis but it may also be known as Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome (PVFS) Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or Chronic Fatigue & Immune Dysfunction (CFIDS) confusing right?! It is a life changing and lifelong neurological disease that attacks every system in the body, including the brain, nervous system and immune system. It is an extremely debilitating illness even in its mildest form. Severe cases leave people bed bound, housebound, confined to a wheelchair and in need of everyday care. In some cases it can even kill.

There is no cure, and no known medical treatment other than pain relief, and sadly in many parts of the world it is still unheard of, passed off as a mental illness and mistreated, which is why raising awareness is so crucially important, because spotting the symptoms early could save your life both literally and metaphorically.

So what causes M.E and who can get it?

Absolutely anyone can get M.E. Babies, children, teenagers and adults. There is no proof as to the cause, but many people get the illness following a virus. Other triggers may include an operation or an accident, although some people experience a slow, insidious onset. It is more common in females.

How common is M.E?

Official statistics are unknown but it it is estimated that it affects

250,000 people in the UK

800,000 people in Canada

150,000 people in Australia

Over one million people in the USA

The affects of M.E are on a par with Aids and Cancer, it's chronic and there is no known cure or effective treatment. Despite M.E affecting millions of people around the world there still seems to be a misconception that many of the sufferers are attention seekers or faking it which couldn't be farther from the truth. Why would anyone purposely want to do that to their lives? It is an obscene judgement. I hope by reading this I am helping you understand M.E a little better. Many sufferers not only have to fight through the physical symptoms everyday, they also have the emotional side of it to contend with which is equally as difficult and draining. When all you want to do is get better and live your life it can be very hard to deal with emotionally, and it can lead some sufferers to become depressed. In spite of that, many people with M.E use the little energy they have to promote awareness so the next generation of sufferers have a better chance of being supported and treated how they deserve to be treated - with respect. 

I have been living with M.E for three years now. It has completely changed me as a person and I have become stronger even though I am not strong physically. I don't know what the future holds, but I am hopeful and optimistic that a cure will be found. We must never loose hope. If you would like to donate a small (or big!) amount into vital research, you can do so through my friends 'justgiving' page here: 

https://www.justgiving.com/Anna-Jones13

Thank you so much for reading and if you'd like to know more, please visit my blog and get in touch!

www.hayleyeszti.blogspot.co.uk