A glimpse into the suffering and bravery of those living with the illness known as ME.
D猫 a dh猫anadh tu ma bha tinneas ort nach ainmeachadh duine? D猫 ma bha thu cho sg矛th 's nach cuireadh tu cas air beulaibh cois, no nach b' urrainn dhut fi霉 's glainne uisge 貌l? Agus d猫 a dh猫anadh tu mur an robh an dotair agad a' creidsinn gun robh an leithid ann? F脿ilte gu saoghal ME.
Thathar a' d猫anamh tuairmse gu bheil c貌rr is 250,000 neach anns an R矛oghachd Aonaichte a' fulang leis an tinneas air a bheil ME. Ann an saoghal an saidheans tha diofar bheachdan mu na tha ga adhbhrachadh, na comharran, an leigheas ceart, agus - 's d貌cha an rud as draghaile buileach dhaibhsan a tha a' fulang leis - fi霉 's ceist ann a bheil e na 'fh矛or' chor chorporra, no 'tinneas fuadain' a tha san inntinn. Tha aon rud cinnteach ge-t脿, tha beatha dhaoine ga sgrios leis, agus 脿s aonais rannsachadh deimhinnte tha an luchd-fulaing air fh脿gail ann an saoghal iomagaineach, m矛-chinnteach.
What would you do if you had an illness which no-one could name? What if it made you so tired you couldn't put one foot in front of the other, or even drink a glass of water? And what would you do if your doctor didn't believe it existed? Welcome to the world of ME.
Over 250,000 people in the UK are estimated to suffer from ME. Scientific opinion is sharply divided over the cause of the disease, the symptoms by which it should be diagnosed, the treatment methods which should be used and even - most disturbingly for sufferers - whether it is a 'real' physical affliction or a psychological 'false illness belief'. One thing is certain: it wrecks lives and in the absence of definitive research sufferers must live their lives in a frustrating limbo.
In the first of a two-part Trusadh special on the illness, we hear the stories of five ME sufferers, their descent into illness and their quest for treatment.