In this special ME Awareness Month episode, Jessie, Emerson, and Rush speak with Elly, a teacher from Scotland whose life was derailed by a seemingly mild summer cold that she never recovered from. What began as a sore throat and congestion spiraled into migraines, brain fog, and profound exhaustion – ultimately leading to a diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).
Elly shares what it was like to go from living a full, active life to suddenly being unable to work, socialize, or even do everyday tasks. She talks about the slow, frustrating road to diagnosis, the daily reality of living with symptoms like post-exertional malaise (PEM), and how she eventually found small but real improvements through deep rest, pacing, and major lifestyle changes.
We also talk about the stigma around invisible illnesses, the emotional toll of not being believed, and how Elly coped with years of isolation. While her story is deeply personal, it highlights a much broader issue – especially now, as more people develop post-viral conditions after COVID – revealing how research still lags far behind the scale of the suffering.
You can find a written version of this episode with our sources on substack, here.
The transcript is available here.
And you can view our glossary here.
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