Symptoms
Everyone who experiences M.E. has a different pattern of illness, and symptoms and severity can fluctuate and change over time.
Severe and persistent fatigue or exhaustion most, or all of the time, is one of the key symptoms of M.E. This feels very different from ordinary tiredness experienced by normal healthy individuals.
Simple physical or mental activities, or combinations of activities, can leave people with M.E. feeling utterly debilitated. They can also experience an increase in other symptoms often associated with the illness.
The impact of activity may be felt straightaway but it can typically take a day or two to kick in, and is not significantly improved by resting. This is a key feature of the way M.E. affects people, and is known as post-exertional malaise.
A variety of symptoms
It is important to know that people with M.E. may only experience a few of the key symptoms associated with M.E. and at varying levels of severity.
Any new symptoms experienced should be checked by your doctor, as they may be unrelated to M.E. Women often find that symptoms worsen at different times in their menstrual cycle.
Along with post-exertional malaise, people with M.E. may experience the following symptoms.
Feeling generally unwell
- Having flu-like symptoms (often called “general malaise” by doctors)
- Recurrent sore throat, with or without swollen glands.
Pain, such as:
- aching muscles or joints
- nerve pains or pins and needles
- headache or migraine
- twitching muscles or cramps
- abdominal pain (stomach or bowel problems)
- chest pain
- back pain.
If pain, especially muscle pain, is more of a problem than fatigue, fibromyalgia may be an issue.
Sleep disturbance, such as:
- unrefreshing sleep
- difficulty getting off to sleep
- waking for long periods in the early hours
- light, dreamy, restless sleep
- sleep reversal (for example sleeping from 4am till midday)
- hypersomnia (sleeping for a long time).
Problems with concentration, thinking and memory (“brain fog”), such as:
- reduced attention span
- short-term memory problems
- speech and language problems, including word-finding difficulties
- inability to plan or organise thoughts
- loss of concentration.
Problems with the nervous system, such as:
- poor temperature control
- dizziness on standing or sitting up
- hyper-sensitivity to light and sound
- sweating
- loss of balance
- poor circulation.
Digestive problems, such as:
- nausea
- loss of appetite
- indigestion
- excessive wind/bloating
- cramps
- alternating diarrhoea and constipation
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Intolerance and increased sensitivity to:
- bright lights
- noise
- odours
- some foods (for example dairy or wheat)
- some medications
- alcohol.
Frustration, anxiety, low mood and depression are sometimes experienced by people with M.E. as a consequence of having to cope with the impact of the condition and its symptoms.
