Tips for quick way of explaining what it feels like to have M.E.

My friend who is challenged with ME talks about how she can do things and even travel some, but after she does anything, extreme mailaise comes over her...she says she detoxes a lot, and does get sick with sore throats etc. easily.

After she does something, she can be down for days.

Exhausted, unable to do normal every day tasks, tgetting out of bed is painful, dressing isn't easy.

Depression due to pain.

Hope that short list helps x

Of course how you describe it depends on the severity of your symptoms. You could start by saying it's like having the flu all the time, then add some description of your symptoms. For me, at my worst, I'd say "I can hardly lift up my arm, my energy level is so low." If you give a real life example like this, I think someone can better understand.

It does depend on how bad you are. 

I read somewhere that it's like you've been run over by a bus, then the bus reverses over you.  Just when you've managed to stand up again and start walking the bus comes along again, runs over you and then reverses. I did like that discription.

The feelings are often described as you've been poorly, you're just at that stage of recovery of mentally thinking you can do something. Then as soon as you try to do it you find out you haven't recovered enough to do it after all.  If you're a bad case of ME/CFS it can be just trying to stand up off the sofa - which includes the initial lifting of the blanket. if you're a moderate level it can be that you tried to go back to work too soon after you're illness.

The best thing to do is describe it as something that person could imagine feeling. It's the quickest and clearest way of describing emotions.

Good luck

Glad to be of help

i sometimes talk of having  'empty muscles'