It’s something I’ve said for years, my M.E often feels like I over-indulged the night before and I’m suffering for it. The issue I have with that is that M.E has brought about an intolerance to alcohol and has severely restricted my social life. I can’t remember the last time I had the opportunity to have a hangover! It’s nice that my body likes to remind me of the life I could still be living though! Thanks M.E!
Read this list of hangover symptoms, it could almost be describing a big chunk of M.E couldn’t it?! 
- Fatigue and weakness
- Excessive thirst and dry mouth
- Headaches and muscle aches
- Nausea, vomiting or stomach pain
- Poor or decreased sleep
- Increased sensitivity to light and sound
- Dizziness or a sense of the room spinning
- Shakiness
- Decreased ability to concentrate
- Mood disturbances, such as depression, anxiety and irritability
- Rapid heartbeat
I have fond memories of actual hangovers, I never minded feeling rough the ‘day after the night before’ because I had a blooming good time getting into that state!! It was worth it! The hangover came the morning after a kebab (garlic mayo…mmmm), giggles with other revellers in the taxi rank or walking home carrying my shoes (why do women do that? Probably because our feet are killing us!).
Having the same symptoms with M.E is no fun, it isn’t ‘worth it’. Feeling like you tried to go drink to drink with a bunch of Royal Marines in Union Street in Plymouth (oops…insight into my former life!) when you were actually as sober as a judge, at home in bed by 7.30pm, with a hot chocolate and Netflix, and feeling hungover doesn’t have the same accompanying fond memories!
The feeling of being off-balance and slightly unable to cope with functioning is a daily occurrence. The hungover feeling adds to my clumsiness, my spatial awareness is virtually non-existent. In my previous employment, my employer once accused me of being drunk in work. I hadn’t touched a drop for weeks but I was feeling exceptionally hungover because of my M.E. My slurred speech was quite bad that day and brain fog, added to the above hungover symptoms, meant I was a bit of a burbling mess!
Alcohol, like M.E, causes inflammation. Maybe that’s why the symptoms are so strikingly similar. That’s where the similarities end though! Alcohol = fun and temporary hangover. M.E = Feeling ‘ill’ to varying degrees of severity, often with pain, with no end in sight.
I know which one I’d rather have!
Love Sally
and Foggy (OBVIOUSLY)
Don’t forget to donate! https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mefoggydog Thank you x Foggy wants to raise oodles of cash for Cure ME.