Courtesy of the Howick and Pakuranga Times, May 2006

Coping with a debilitating but invisible condition has been the decade-long challenge for a Whitford woman.

Jill Diprose first fell ill with glandular fever while studying at university and was later diagnosed with ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis).

“I seemed to recover from glandular fever, but then got worse again with the same types of symptoms,” says Mrs Diprose.

“Basically that’s what ME is like. It’s like ongoing glandular fever.” From the outside, Mrs Diprose looks well, but underneath it’s a very different story.

“People think it’s a tiredness illness but it’s not. There’s a whole constellation of things that go with it,” she says.

“Basically 10 years of my life I have been wiped out.”

Every day sufferers endure fatigue, swollen glands, sore throats, muscle pain, joint pain and disrupted sleep. Aerobic exercise leads to delayed reaction fatigue.

ME is known by various names, including Tapanui flu, chronic fatigue syndrome and yuppie flu.“ Doctors are still left without a magic bullet treatment. There’s some very good research going on and it’s being taken much more seriously than it has in the past,” says Mrs Diprose.

“Often people aren’t diagnosed or they’re misdiagnosed. People say they have ME but actually they have to fit very strict medical criteria. It’s not a dumping ground as it used to be seen as.”

After the decade-long battle, Mrs Diprose recently completed a degree in science.

“I’ve worked part time at different jobs but currently I’m not working,” she says. “I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be well. I look completely well but behind it is a giant iceberg. People might see me up for three or four hours and then after that I have a huge delayed recovery.”

Mrs Diprose monitors how much time she spends completing mental tasks.

“The curious thing is it affects your brain. I was a very high achiever and got an A bursary and all the rest of it, and reading was natural,” she says.

“With ME I have to curtail how much I read during the day. It’s something that requires mental energy and that’s what stops me from functioning as a good employee.”

Mrs Diprose has to take a break after only an hour working on a computer.

“Then I’m completely whacked out. It’s difficult to find something you can do with a condition that’s both physically and mentally consuming.”

A fortnight ago, Mrs Diprose took part in an awareness day that used a bed display in a Newmarket shop window, recreating what it’s like to have ME.

“We were in white gowns with velcro on them and we were put on a bed with velcro. It was to show how ME sufferers are attached to their beds and the noise was to display the pains that go with it.”

Mrs Diprose was happy with the public response.

“Lots of people came up and were asking questions. It was good. It was the first time we’ve had an awareness event because we’re all too sick to get together.”

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