Do you believe Chronice Fatigue Syndrome is a "real" disease? A poll on the Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome Association website indicates that 30% of respondents think their doctor does not believe CFIDS is a "real" disease.

Claire, from sleepydust, talks about emails she gets from people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

How difficult it is to live with this illness. It's difficult enough to live with the physical side of it. Feeling so ill and exhausted. Some experience the illnesses so severely that they are bedridden.
Then, add to the equation the prospect of not knowing whether you'll ever recover. That there is no universal cure. That most treatments and therapies cost money that you don't have. That you have been denied benefits. And that you're lucky if you find a doctor that actually believes your illness is real in the first place.

Abide has a huge list of Fibromyalgia and CFIDS links as well as an interesting Illness Etiquette blog post.

In some countries, CFIDS is called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. A hummingbirds guide shares "A Day in the Life" stories from a large group of M.E sufferers. Here's an snip from one of those stories:

. Instantly my thoughts dissolve into nothingness and the world drops away, no longer beneath me. I am surrounded by nothing but pain. A tidal wave of it crashes over me and I forget who I am. There isn't room for anything but this pain. There is no thought, no words, no sense of self at all. Time is suspended. This is just more pain than anybody should have to go through ever. It feels inhuman. I feel inhuman.

And, Lady X struggles with a positive attitude.

Well, I think that I am doing something really important right now. I'm trying to take care of myself the best I can. This is my full-time job. I'm believing that one day I will be better in some way and that these are my circumstances at this point in time. Maybe I will never be the same as before but I think that will be okay because no matter what type of improvement I have in the future, I will be so thankful for it. Having this illness has taught me a lot of things about myself. That I can still have hope no matter what is thrown across my path. That I am useful to those in my life - I can teach them what I'm learning every day. That I am stronger than I ever thought.

March is CFIDS awareness month. Take some time to visit the sites linked in this post and remember diseases with "invisible symptoms" are still real diseases.

~~Denise
Daily Dose of Denise