Interview with M.E sufferers friend; Hannah Hyde for M.E awareness week.

Beauful Hannah Hyde. <3

Today’s interview is with my best bud Hannah Hyde. She took on my m.e when knowing nothing about it or how it would affect me or our friendship. Yet through all that she has stood by me and been so understanding. I couldn’t of asked for more, she’s helped me through so many rough times through the years and still is today. People say that I’m the inspiration with having this illness but I believe people like Hans are, people who could easily walk away or forget about you, not on purpose but because they have their own lives. I know it has happened to so many people so many times, but she hasn’t and for that I will always be so so grateful. She puts no demands on me, just understands without me even having to tell her sometimes. She no way gives herself enough credit for this but I do and always will even if I don’t always show it. You have made me laugh so many times Hans, even when I’ve wanted to cry sometimes even during ;)) There’s not enough thanks in the world for that. So here she is the magical girl in question herself; Hannah Hyde answering all the questions from the opinion of somebody who is friend’s with someone with M.E…

What have u learnt about M.E? It's a bitch to start with, it attacks the white blood cells making u tried and in a lot of pain. It can cause u to have brain fog but it's different for different people, you don't know how long you'll have it for.

How has it affected you having a friend with M.E? It hasn't really there still the same person u where friends with at the start. You don't need to just sit around u find ways of doing thing but sometimes it's nice just to sit and talk. :)

What is the hardest part for you to cope with, with your friend having M.E? Seeing them unable to do something that every body takes for granted or something they really means alot that they wanted to do.

Was the M.E hard to understand?
I think it was hard at the beginning because no one really knew anything about it, but the longer you had it the more I learned and it was easier to understand like most things.

Is it hard to deal with to have made an arrangement but they cant make it?
It’s a yes and a no answer, yes your upset that they cant do it or cant come but you understand because they cant help it they would be there if they could they didn’t choose not to come.

What’s been the hardest time for you?
I have to say it was when you went into hospital for 3 months because you were there but you wasn’t really there. You couldn’t really get out of your bed and didn’t talk because you where in your own world so I think that was the hardest for me to see.

What support do you give to your friend?
I try to be there and make you think of the silver lining. As you obviously can’t see them all the time and when you don’t want to do something I try make you want to do it if I think it will help you in the long run. If I can see that you’re a flat pancake as I like to call it or just generally try t make things easier I get you a drink, help you up when you are down literally in some context. I read to you if you need to close my eyes and make me relax and lie down and do nothing so to rest. And I take technology things off you and type it/look at it for you so you don’t have to.

If your not I’m not well to do anything that big but need to do something what do you do?
Do a little activity like sitting outside in some chairs even though its not a lot you’ve gone outside or opening the double doors for some fresh air after two weeks inside (gives me evilss ;)) and do a little crafty activity or push you in your chair for a little bit. It’s doing something at the end of the day.

Do you think M.E is known about?
No, because if it was known about like cancer or HIV or M.S I would of known about I wouldn’t of had to research it or heard what doctors have said about it. It’d be easier to find information about it because it’d be known about but it’s not which it should be. I don’t think it’s fair that some people say it’s all in the brain, as it’s physically seeable that it’s not with the physical symptoms you get.

What would you do because of your experience with M.E to raise awareness?
If I had the chance to do something big and like wowzaa haha. I’d do a runway show and get a shop or boutique that’s wants to donate or sponsor. Get some blue and yellow dresses and get people to donate or buy the dresses. The model would be someone that knows somebody with M.E or had it or even has it cause we can berlingerdinger (Hans has a brill way with words ;)) up a zimmer frame. And for each person that comes out would say a piece on M.E. e.g "This is Rebecca Harrington sporting a blue ball gown, Rebecca has suffered from M.e for four years and so on…"

We know M.E can make the sufferer down but does it ever make you down to be around and see?
I think if anyone says it doesn’t get you down you’d be lying or stone cold bitches haha. Because your seeing your friend or best friend whatever case your in deal with something so hard and difficult. It’s not nice knowing that you can’t do anything and can only like get a drink or something for them which is not a big help. It’s upsetting in that light and see them not be able to go to school or get a job or do what they really want to do. Walking down the street in some cases, i think that’s a difficult thing to see and nobody wants to see their friend go through that.

I’ve asked an M.E sufferer whether she thinks it’s better for it to be better as a visible or invisible illness but what do you as the outside think would be better?
I must say it’s a hard question for an outsider to say, I’m going to say both sides. Say if you do have an illness that can be seen then I think you still get ridiculed for it because people still point and stare, look and talk. You would get more questions like "whats wrong with you?" Whereas if you don’t have a visible illness it’s believed it’s in your head because there’s no physical proof. So you will get people asking why you’re in a wheelchair and so on. So do I think its better to have a visible illness rather than an invisible illness? I don’t know it’s not nice to have an illness that you can see or can’t see. So I’m going to lead it up to you to decide, what do you really think?

　What illnesses do you know of that come from M.E?
Well obviously you, Rebecca Harrington has developed anxiety from not being able to go out and have a lot of time to sit and think and dwell. I don’t think it helped you cant go out and do the things that other teenagers are doing at that time. Depression again because you can’t be doing what everyone else is doing at that time and mad at your body like "Why can’t you do it body, why?!" Haha. Weaker muscles because your not being able to move them as much as everyone else. It’s easier to get headaches, lower immune system – like if I can a cold it’ll be like black lung flu for you. So you get hit with it 3 times as hard. So lots of general infections and lower concentration that leads to the headaches. Also intolerance’s to certain foods/ products.

Do you think there’s a lot of support around for M.E?
I think there is in some point of the country, some people get a lot more help easier than others. In the Lytham St. Annes / Blackpool and Lancashire area there isn’t the same support or network of people or opportunities available. Everything’s a struggle, everything’s a fight, you’ve got to talk to lots of people to get the answer you could of got at the start. So no I don’t think there’s a lot of support, awareness round here for people with M.E. Say somewhere else like York they might get an answer in a week whereas round here it could take a few weeks. To use as an example.

Obviously you’d want to take it all away like we all would but if you only had the power to take one part/ symptom what would it be?
I think it would have to be the walking and the movement side of things. Just because then you would of your own independence, if you wanted to walk out the house you wouldn’t need to worry about taking the wheelchair you’d just walk out. Although you can a lot to do a short amount with the concentration, but the fact you could walk and do something even if still just for a short amount of time. I think it would help a lot with anxiety and depression and not being able to do things you want to do.

Any last words to say or to sum up the interview?
Well to sum up this interview I’d have to say… M.E is a bitch and I don’t have it and I don’t know what people go through or what It feels like. But all I can is, you have to try and look on the bright side of things. Say your in bed one day then think there’s always tomorrow. If you can’t get out of bed then think what you can do from your bed. I mean of course you’re allowed to cry, I mean I’ve had lots of cries and I haven’t even got anything to cry about hahaha. But we have to pick our selves up and we have to know that if this is what it is then what can I get out of it.

I love how she keeps saying my full name in the answers. ;) I hope these posts have helped you understand a little bit more about M.E. thankyou so much to anyone who has taken the time to read them, if you have any questions then feel free to leave a comment. Before I go here’s the article that was in last week’s gazette to raise awareness for M.E awareness week. - http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/lifestyle/supplements/eve/dealing-with-me-1-4525016

Lots of love,
Becca. xox