Hi, I had a new symptom start around 6 months ago and, because of the infamous being 'fobbed off' incident, it was only investigated this week. Here's what has been going on. I started to get pain in my right breast that could have been caused by any number of factors. I assumed it would most likely be related to hormonal changes as I suspect I am now perimenopausal (not confirmed by blood tests but signs are there). I found a large painful lump that was tender all of the time but had started to be severely painful when I moved. At the moment, just the movement involved with breathing is pai ..read more

Hello! 25th October marks one year since Patch left Foggy HQ forever to chase squirrels and run through meadows for eternity. To mark the date, I am starting an annual day of thanks to those who SEE us and offer love, support and practical help to get us through each day. Patch saw me. He knew when I was having a bad M.E/C.F.S day, the love he showed me was ramped up when he could sense I had reached my limit. He was the inspiration behind ME Foggy Dog and it is appropriate that he is now the inspiration behind our day of thanks. I like to do things in a lighthearted way so the hashta ..read more

Hello! Foggy is travelling to Christchurch, New Zealand and is surrounded by the bubbly loveliness that is first class (jiffy bag). To bide his time Foggy is going to tell you all about Sally's issues with digestive problems. Sally has had problems with reactions to certain foods, bloating and discomfort (to name a few symptoms) her whole life and was usually fobbed off by doctors who just said she had IBS and to get on with it. Last year Sally requested a colonoscopy/endoscopy to rule out anything more sinister as more and more foods were causing a reaction. The colonoscopy found an i ..read more

Hi, Payback is something that M.E/C.F.S. patients mention all the time, as a community we know what payback is and we don't need to explain to each other how we are feeling. However, Foggy is all about raising awareness and as it's been a while since I blogged about payback, it's time for another go at explaining what it is! Payback is what the M.E/C.F.S community call the medical term Post-Exertion Malaise (P.E.M.). It is a key characteristic of our condition. The M.E. Association defines P.E.M. as:  The key diagnostic feature of ME/CFS is the way in which symptoms worsen aft ..read more

Hi! I'd like to share the love about Team Foggy's friend Retha Viviers. Over the past year or so, Retha has become a close confidant and someone to bounce ideas off. She is also the reason I became aware of the dictaphone option on WhatsApp. We use that function to communicate as typing is usually far too tiring! I want to help to raise awareness of her story, why she set up the ME CFS Foundation in South Africa, and how we can help her in her efforts. This is the first of a number of blog posts about M.E in South Africa, as told by Retha Viviers.  This is Retha's M.E story. My ..read more

Hi, Having M.E sometimes turns me into a super sleuth. Just call me Miss Marple! Trying to work out exactly what has caused a symptoms flare can often be a fruitless task, purely because of the complex nature of our illness but sometimes the cause of discomfort can be nailed down and prevented. Many M.E patients have sensitivities to sound, noise, chemicals, and odour. My own sensitivity to odour has been heightened over the past year or so. In particular, sensitivities have flared dramatically when I am washing clothes and bed sheets. I am going to give you a timeline of my investigations t ..read more

Hi! Team Foggy and my new business Stripy Lightbulb's Non-Executive Director Yvonne had a great time in London yesterday. We went to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to see the Cure M.E/M.E/CFS biobank team. The main reason for the visit was to talk about Stripy Lightbulb CIC, my new social enterprise. Community Interest Companies work for the benefit of communities. In our case, the community involved is the M.E/C.F.S community. As it says on our new legal documents, Stripy Lightbulb CIC works for the 'benefit of the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (M.E ..read more

Hello! I hadn't planned on writing loads of blogs during Foggy's home stretch but a few things have happened that should be talked about. Yesterday, for want of a better word, I was 'head-hunted' due to my social media marketing business to 'host' a Twitter hour slot for the foreseeable future. I had a phone conversation with the founder of this successful business related Twitter hour (38k followers) and felt extremely happy to be asked. She said she weekly has hundreds of requests from social media marketers to do hosting but she only uses people who have demonstrated creativity, talent an ..read more

Hello! Devoted fans, Sally drives herself nuts by wondering if there is anything she did pre-M.E to trigger her illness. Maybe she shouldn't have got so stressed over a breakup or maybe she should have looked after herself better. I'm sure she's not alone in that way of thinking. I keep telling her it's nothing she did to herself but I'll let her explain that mindset in this blog. Hi, I'm sure I am not the only M.E sufferer on the planet who goes through phases of either blaming themselves or wondering if getting M.E was preventable. We were having a tidy-up in our loft last week and I cam ..read more

Hi, Over the past 4 years, I have been struck by the sheer number of M.E/CFS sufferers who keep their health private. They are free to do so, that is their choice to make. However, as the founder of ME Foggy Dog, I waived that right to privacy in order to raise awareness. As you will know, I talk about everything and anything that comes under the umbrella of M.E/CFS. There aren't many things that I have thought are too intimate to discuss, you guys even know about my M.E affected failing love life and weight problem! Many of Foggy's Followers message me to tell me that I am brave and strong f ..read more