M.E. (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis)
In 2003, during post graduate studies at Oxford University, Vlad became sick with two viruses.
He thought he’d soon be back to normal, but he began to get worse not better. He began to experience ‘brain fog’: sentences and thoughts no longer made sense.
Then came debilitating muscle pain, and a range of other symptoms including unrefreshing sleep, cardiological irregularities, and eye problems. All these were made much worse after any form of exercise, both mental and physical.
He had to pull out of his studies. Within a few months, he was unable to walk, talk or read.
Numerous doctors told him there was nothing wrong & that he would get better with rest & exercise.
18 months later, he was finally diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.), a condition of the brain and nervous system.
It is believed to affect about 250,000 people in the UK and about 30-35 million people globally (sadly, this number is set to rise as over 40% of people with Long Covid effectively have M.E.).
While he has now recovered his ability to walk & talk, Vlad is largely housebound & spends the majority of his time managing his symptoms.
He is in constant pain and even minimal physical or mental exertion, such as talking for 30 minutes, can cause him to ‘crash’ for days at a time.
A devastating and erroneous emphasis on the supposedly psychiatric nature of the condition has left research into M.E. chronically underfunded & vastly misunderstood by the medical community and the media.
Vlad produces video content about living with M.E. to increase awareness of the condition which has robbed him of so much of his adult life.
