Humans of ME/CFS

I was a widow raising 2 young children alone. In 1993, I got what I thought was the flu. I could not work for 2 months. After I went back to work, it just was not the same. The aching all over and the fatigue were awful. My doctor ran several tests, checking for Lyme, Lupus, MS, and others. Everything came out negative. He started treating me like a hypochondriac or drug addict, even telling me to take Tylenol and I would be fine. I ended up having to quit my job after 38 years as a hairstylist. I have lost people I thought were my friends. I was 37 and now I am 60. The pain is excruciating, but what is just as bad is how I have been treated by the medical professionals. I grieve for the person I was; she died and was replaced with one that can barely function most days. It is lonely and depressing: the pain, the abnormal fatigue, and the way I get treated. I am not a drug addict. I am not lazy. I hate not being able to work or go out with friends and have fun.