Humorous Look at my Life With ME by J.T

My life since getting ME has been far from humorous, however it has been out of the frustrations, and tears that I have found many occasions where laughter has been the best medicine. The laughter sometimes comes first, then the tears and sometimes it is the other way round.

One of the most embarrassing, frustrating and scary things for me was to suddenly find myself talking rubbish, I know many of my friends who knew me prior to ME will tell you that is not a new thing but as I am sure you will understand I mean total rubbish.

My parents came over for a coffee, a rare treat for me. So I rested up and then staggered out to the bench beside the back door so that we could have coffee in the garden. Determined not to bore them with illness -the conversation went thus:

Me: “I got my new,… my,… new,… my new” (as I frantically think for the right words). Eventually out comes “Daktari catalogue” My Parents looked somewhat baffled but smiled benignly, silently encouraging a further clue as to what I might possible be on about.

I am a determined person so I tried again after a great deal of thought -- the word Daktari came out yet again. After my third attempt, my parents looking at me with now pained expressions, literally cringing and looking at each other in the vain hope that one them had understood what I was talking about, I explained further… “It’s so that I can order some Demi Jones - you know they’re really hard to find these days” (they know I don’t drink).

I decide the easiest thing to save further embarrassment for any of us, is to go and get what I am talking about. It took me a while because of course I couldn't remember where I’d actually put it, (I was developing a multitude of safe places where I would easily remember where I put things—well that was the theory but it didn’t always work in reality).

I found it eventually and staggered back out proudly with a Damart catalogue under my arm. My stepmother burst into fits of laughter which saved the day as she realised I was looking for Long Johns (thermal leggings) to keep me warm over the winter. The laughter was genuine, it was very funny but when they had gone and I crashed out on the bed totally exhausted and demoralised at what was happening to me. My laughter returned when I relayed what I could of the coffee visit to some friends who found it highly amusing.