Cathcart ME Support Group.
March Meeting.
We were delighted to welcome back our very own Grace MacFarlane, who once again took us through some gentle exercises and demonstrated how we could use these to improved our wellbeing and grab a few minutes of peace and relaxation.
After the exercises, Grace told a short story and we were asked to clear our minds and then we were transported through an imaginary garden which was full of beautiful flowers and lovely fragrances, somewhere we could feel comfortable and relaxed. For this short period you could marvel in the wonders of nature and forget all the stresses and strains of our world.
It was a very worthwhile exercise and one which we should all repeat on a regular basis.
November Meeting.
We would like to thank everyone who attended and were delighted that we had sufficient numbers to hold our AGM. A more detailed report will be added at a later date.
October meeting
At the October meeting, an additional volunteer joined our ranks, Marion Walker. Thank you Marion for your assistance and we look forward to your company. Helen and René continue to improve healthwise and hope to come along to our Munch n’ Crunch.
Our speaker last month was Helen Gourlay from the Independent Advice and Support Service (IASS), which supports everyone with their healthcare concerns. Helen gave us a fascinating insight into the various situations from signposting concerns through to complaints when a relative has passed away and a lengthy enquiry taking place. The problems faced by M.E. sufferers were also discussed.
Our speaker last month was Helen Gourlay from the Independent Advice and Support Service (IASS), which supports everyone with their healthcare concerns. Helen gave us a fascinating insight into the various situations from signposting concerns through to complaints when a relative has passed away and a lengthy enquiry taking place. The problems faced by M.E. sufferers were also discussed.
August Meeting.
In August we were joined once again by Pamela Spence, A Medical Herbalist, who had studied at the School of Herbal Medicine in Govan and who had studied Tony’s illness as part of her training. We enjoyed a fascinating insight not only into how Herbal Medicine has helped folk as far back as the middle ages with ME like symptoms, but also us hearing about and sampling remedies that can be obtained in Supermarkets, Fruitshops and Garden Centres, that may help some of our symptoms.
It was however quite alarming to hear that many Herbal Medicine Practitioners may lose their power to prescribe and indeed use many existing herbal remedies as a result of a little known EEC legislation which was passed 5 years ago by our Westminster Parliament.
This has already resulted in the recent closure of the Scottish arm of the School of Herbal Medicine in Govan and more Health Food Shops are likely to close. If you are concerned and wish to register your concern please write to your Member of Parliament.
July Meeting.
In July we had our Care Share and Chat evening, We were joined by a few new faces and were interested to hear their stories and how they were coping with the illness. The church youth group had a special event on that week and we took advantage of the armchairs and couches, which added to the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of the evening. We hope our visitors felt equally relaxed and we look forward to seeing them again.
June Meeting.
Cathcart Trinity Church was the venue for our long anticipated meeting with Dr Chaudhuri and we were delighted that so many people, from all over Scotland came along on the night.
Reverend Wilma Pearson welcomed everyone to Cathcart Trinity.
Picture by: Katerina Giakoumakis kg_photo@hotmail.co.uk
Dr Chaudhuri addressed the Audience.
Picture by: Katerina Giakoumakis kg_photo@hotmail.co.uk
ME Sufferers from across Scotland listened as Dr Chaudhuri discussed ME Research.
Picture by: Katerina Giakoumakis kg_photo@hotmail.co.uk
A Member of the Cross Party Group on ME discusses her concerns with Dr Chaudhuri.
Picture by: Katerina Giakoumakis kg_photo@hotmail.co.uk
Dr Chaudhuri spoke at length about the difficulties faced by ME Sufferers both in Scotland and across the UK. He discussed many of the symptoms experienced by ME Sufferers and explained that these were neurological in origin and should be fully investigated by a Neurologist.
He said that he was saddened that more wasn't being done to investigate and treat ME Patients and apologised for not being able to give us more Hope.
The Second part of the evening was a Question and Answer Session with many people searching for information about investigations and treatments for the illness. It was clear from his responses that Dr Chaudhuri is very knowledgable about ME and the problems we face, Its just a pity that he is not in a position to change things for us.
Cathcart Trinity Church recorded the meeting for us and CD's are available at £1.00 per copy.
Click Here to Download the Order Form.
Jane Giakoumakis has written up a report on the evening and you can download it Here
May Meeting.
Many of our members were unable to attend, We hope that everyone will be feeling better next month and able to come along to our Special Meeting where we will be joined by Dr Chaudhuri, Members of other groups and Health Care Professionals. (Please help up Publicise this event!)
We were joined by a new member who has been recently diagnosed. It was interesting to listen to his journey and how he had ended up with his diagnosis. He had suffered and been investigated for a number Neurological and other complaints, and like many of us, was releaved when they came back negative.
He has a positive attitude and is still trying to enjoy his life, all be it at a far slower pace than previously. He is keen to hear how other members cope with their condition, and perhaps learn a few tips.
April Meeting.
We started our meeting by viewing a short DVD featuring sufferers and experts in ME. This is an introduction to a video about ME which this particular group is trying to put together and which they hope will put the plight of ME sufferers in the public’s consciousness and encourage further research and health policy reform. The video can be viewed at: http://www.whataboutme.biz/
We also welcomed back Jean and her taster therapies. Many of us took advantage of her offer to sample a therapy and found ourselves a little more relaxed, or in less pain as a result.
The meeting continued with a cuppa and a chat. The members exchanged stories about recent developments in ME and treatments that they found helpful.
March Meeting.
We were finally able to have our first meeting of 2010 and also have our AGM.
We were joined by a lady who has recently been diagnosed with ME and spent some time talking to her and listening to her story. It was an all to familiar tale, with no real help or information, feeling isolated, and having the feeling that no-one really believed or understood what was happening to her. Having said that she had a positive attitude and I am sure she will make the most of her situation.
We were joined briefly by Rev Iain Morrison of Cathcart Trinity. He was keen to know how things were going with the group and if the church could anything more to assist us. We assured him that we had always found the Church officers, members and volunteers very helpful and welcoming.
We now look forward to our next meeting which will be a therapy taster session with Jean, giving everyone the chance to sample Indian Head and Neck Massage, Reflexology and Hand Massage.
November Meeting.
Our AGM was scheduled to take place but unfortunately due to the ill health of a number of our members we did not have a quorum and were unable to proceed.
We did discuss a few items of business, including ideas for next year’s meetings. John told us that he had arranged for Dr Chaudhuri to give a Talk/Presentation at our June 2010 meeting.
Members and Friends of the group will be aware of Dr Chaudhuri and his work as a Neurologist. He was previously based at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, but is now consultant neurologist at the Essex Centre for Neurological Sciences. He has an interest in ME and is highly regarded throughout the Global ME Community.
We are very privileged to have Dr Chaudhuri speak at our meeting and are confident that we will be joined by ME sufferers, carers, researchers and many other interested parties from all over Glasgow and beyond.
With the discovery of the Retrovirus in America and other research activity through the world, we are hopeful that this coming year will see progress both with regard to the Cause and Cure of ME and in how it is perceived by the wider community.
We were joined by members of the church for our Munch and Crunch event and took the opportunity whilst having a cuppa and something nice to eat, to thank them for their friendship and continued support.
Our AGM will be re-scheduled for 28th January 2010, when we hope that everyone will be in better health.
October Meeting
The Group welcomed back Raj and were delighted to hear of his successful return to full time employment.
Raj explained that he was first diagnosed in the mid eighties whilst a student at University. He became ill with a mystery virus which was later identified as ME.
Like the rest of us, he had concerns aboout what was happening to him, and had to start an look for information about the illness.
That search lead him to a ME Support Group meeting where he found comfort in being able to identify with the unexplained pains, aches and general debility of other group members.
As his condition improved he volunteered to help out in the ME Association office, where he manned the phonelines and offered a listening ear and some helpful advice based on his personal experience.
Throughout his illness he has managed to retain a sense of humour and a positive attitude. His journey has seen him try many so called cures, and whilst he agrees that some of them have helped individual symptoms, none have provided the cure.
He has returned to work, but is careful to manage his illness. His advice is to listen to your body, rest when you need to and use what energy you have, to do what’s important to you.
September Meeting.
This month’s meeting was a Share and Care Night coupled with a review of some highlights from the Invest in ME Conference which took place in May.
Although it was a small turnout, there was a bit of a buzz about the place as we caught up with each other. It was particularly uplifting to hear from Linda that her daughter Heather’s health had improved a little and that she had been able to produce some handmade cards. She brought some along and we were all very impressed.
The time passed quickly and we decided to concentrate on the keynote speach at the conference which was given by Annette Whittemore, the Founder and President of the Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuroimmune Diseases, Reno, Nevada, USA.
The Institute will be built on the medical campus of the University of Nevada. Its mission is to serve those with complex neuro-immune diseases such as ME/CFS, viral induced central nervous system dysfunction and fibromyalgia.
She talked about her fight to establish an ME Clinic and how she had set goals for the clinic. She also spoke about some encouraging preliminary results and how she was hopeful of making real progress in the near future.
Indeed they have just had a study on the murine leukaemia virus-related virus (XMRV) published in the Journal Science, which shows that the virus was found in 68 of 101 patients from around the US with chronic fatigue syndrome. This compared with just eight of 218 healthy "controls", XMRV was originally found in men suffering from prostate cancer.
You can read details of the research on their website at : http://www.wpinstitute.org/xmrv/index.html
You can add your name to a petition calling for the UK Government to support Biomedical Research on this virus at : http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/CFSresearch/