There are more than 7,000 cases in Northern Ireland. These vary from person to person and, while remission can occur, relapse is common. Symptoms include fatigue, poor short-term memory and concentration, painful muscles and joints, problems with sleeping, stomach pain, sensitivity or intolerance to light, alcohol and certain foods, psychological difficulties, problems with controlling body temperature and difficulty with balance. In some extreme cases, individuals have to be tube-fed to stay alive. If symptoms are severe, people can become seriously disabled and housebound. If the symptoms are mild, some people can continue with work or study, but may need to sacrifice social activities in order to rest. What cannot be agreed, however, is what type of treatment is appropriate for this debilitating illness, which usually develops when people are in their early 20s to mid-40s.
Indeed, the World Health Organisation now classifies it as a chronic neurological condition. While initially thought to be a psychological condition, and even given the nickname 'yuppie flu', understanding of the condition has improved. ME is a condition that has greatly puzzled healthcare professionals for many years it has even been debated as to whether it was actually an illness at all. She was eventually diagnosed with myalgic encephalopathy (ME), also commonly know as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Joan went from being a “superfit” 42-year-old mum who enjoyed exercising and caravanning with her husband and 11-year-old son Stephen, to having to be carried from her bed to go the toilet. This was the reality for Newry woman Joan McParland whose life as she knew came to a halt in 1999 when she woke up one morning unable to work or get out of her bed. "TEN years is a long time to be staring out the window counting leaves on the trees."
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