September 2022

38
Wanstead Village Directory
Tired of fatigue?
Based in Wanstead, the East London ME/CFS Support Group has been
a lifeline for those living with chronic fatigue syndrome. Long COVID
sufferers, like Tim Armitage’s wife, are also invited to join them
My wife, Sally, has had ME for the
last six years. The effects of her
condition are varied. There’s
extreme fatigue, where doing even light
work around the house or ‘just popping
to the shops’ can wipe her out, muscle
aches and weakness, sleep disturbance
and cognitive dysfunction, where facts and
figures that were once readily available are
now difficult to remember.
After activity more strenuous than a short
stroll, she experiences post-exertion malaise,
meaning that at any time, from a few hours
later to the next couple of days, she is
exhausted. Her symptoms become more
intense with no amount of sleep lessening the
effects. She calls this payback!
Then, in 2020, she caught COVID.
This worsened her existing problems and
added new ones on top. She now suffers from
regular migraine attacks and an altered sense
of taste and smell.
As a family with two teenagers, we’ve adapted.
She and I used to be a partnership, splitting
household jobs equally, but now most things
fall to me. As someone who was always on the
go, my wife has found this difficult. It’s one of
many things that’s changed.
We have to limit social activities, dog walks
and holidays. Everything is planned with
precision. Public transport is often not an
option and I have to drive and drop her close
to the door. We also limit the time spent
somewhere so she doesn’t get too tired, and
sometimes I’ll go out with the kids on my own
so she can rest at home. It’s not how we would
choose life to be, but, unfortunately, it’s our
new reality.
My wife likens living with ME to a smartphone
that can’t be fully charged. Even if it’s plugged
in all night, by morning it’s still only at 25%.
And by lunchtime, it’s empty.
This forces her to make micro decisions about
how she spends what little energy she has and
how to programme in small periods of rest
for recharging, simply to make it to the end of
the day.
One thing that has kept her sane has been the
ME support group she came across in 2018.
They meet monthly, on Saturday afternoons
at the Wanstead House Community Centre.
They have been a lifeline. The informal drop-in
group share their experiences and knowledge
of having ME.
My wife wants to spread the word to anyone
suffering from either ME or Long COVID that
there is a supportive, local group waiting to
help and listen to those who need it.
The East London ME/CFS Support Group
will meet on 10 September, 15 October
and 26 November at Wanstead House,
21 The Green, E11 2NT between 2.30pm and
5pm (free; donations welcome). For more
information, call 07957 152 566
To advertise, call 020 8819 6645 or visit wnstd.com