Episode 187 - The Pain of ME/CFS

The Conditional Release Program

Jack interviews Peter McCluskey - a full time carer and volunteer with EMERGE Australia, a support group for sufferers of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), a complex, long-term illness characterised by severe fatigue that is not relieved by rest, joint pain, multiple food allergies, dizziness, sensitivity to light, touch and sound.

Peter’s wife, Jen, was first diagnosed with ME/CFS in 1993.

Peter outlines the struggles his wife has had to manage over the last three decades. The condition is exacerbated by medical health professionals who often believe ME/CFS is a psychosomatic syndrome. Poor and out-dated advice from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners continues to worsen the symptoms for sufferers of this debilitating illness.

The advice remains in place in Australia despite changes to treatment in the UK and the US. Sufferers are often bed bound for much of their lives. They find it extremely difficult to access government support, including disability pensions and the NDIS.