M.E. reply to a member who has M.E

Hi,
I suffer with this horrible debilitating illness. And I am in the process of trying to get into the ESA Support Group from the WRAG. The main problem with people who suffer with M.E.is that it is not always apparent. 'We look OK"........Oh how wrong they are!!!!!!!
I have been in bed for the last two days suffering from extreme fatigue........The physical and emotional reactions from simply (in my case), worry about my mum who has Vascular Dememtia and myself suffering from severe Excema, underactive thyroid and the menopause has led me with no alternative but to stay in bed.

**I have started this forum by initially stating how M.E affects me. Will any other members who suffer from this illness please join the forum?? We could give ideas and methods has to how to deal with DHSS???? Gill

Hi gill
well first of all do not panic when it comes to getting the DWP to understand your illness and how it affects your daily life. I am also a sufferer if this illness and have been for a number of years.
The first thing I would tell any fellow sufferers is to get your illness certified by a me/cfs clinic for years I was living with only my gp diagnosis of the condition before I read up that my local AHA ran a clinic not far from me, I went to my GP with the information and the first step was to have blood test to rule out other conditions this came back negative so the next step was to get a referral to the clinic.
After waiting a few weeks I was invited to see a consultant in the field of me/cfs and after filling out a questionnaire and interview with the consultant I received my official diagnosis.
From there I underwent 12 weeks of treatment to help me cope with the illness after which I was placed back under the care of my local gp to monitor my illness.
The DWP cannot argue its all in your mind with the backing of a consultant assessment. You may get knocked back the first time you make a claim for ESA or PiPs but in the end I finally received support group for ESA and full mobility and care for PiPs so proves if you make your case clear and how it affects your life you will receive the right decision

M.E. clinic? Where did you go? What area do you live in? There are not that many clinics in the UK to my knowledge. Getting a referral may seem like an easy task-it sounds like it was for you-but many people do not have those facilities in their area and if they do, the waiting list is very long.
"After waiting a few weeks I was invited to see a consultant in the field of ME..."
Wow. Your experience is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, like what I have experienced. I am really glad that you've had the support you have and it has helped you to get the right benefits and diagnosis. But you should be aware, for many people with ME/CFS and fibro, they are not offered that type of service. Things have started to change but there is a long way to go. And for those who have had a diagnosis many years ago, it is unlikely that this type of service will be open to them as it would be considered too late/irrelevant at this stage. Consequently, getting specialist/consultant input to help with application processes is challenging.

If you have any relevant info. to add to your post, re: where one might access a ME clinic/consultant to get that support, it would be greatly appreciated.