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Some Things on ME
Recollections and thoughts on my severe chronic illness, ME/CFS
My least favorite friend, who once compared my chronic illness of ME/CFS with his inability to quit smoking, said last year to me via group text that “Stephen Hawking was driving a wheelchair around with a straw and he still managed to be a useful member of society,” implying that I should be doing more with my life.
The week leading up to my attempted suicide, I listened to Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” every day on repeat because it had been an earworm prior to. After I awoke from my coma in the hospital, I was medically cleared within two days and then sent to the psych ward, where I spent the next five days in bed, barely moving, in a state of deep agony and reciting the lyrics to the song in my head, over and over again. I’m certain that doing that helped me to better cope with the challenges I faced during that incredibly difficult time.
I’ve had severe ME/CFS since 2015. Through a series of strange events, I landed in the psych ward five times between the years 2017 and 2019. I’d not had any real psych conditions during this time, but I’ll tell you, the psych ward is one hell of an experience for a physically ill person with an intact mind.
It’s entirely strange. The people I know with severe ME/CFS are at times more…
