Chronic Fatigue Syndrome used to be called ME, and before that yuppie flu and there was some controversy over whether it was a genuine medical condition or not: http://tinyurl.com/389dj2

What I have... also known as ME. I was diagnosed when I was 15 and am 20 now... it can last 15 years. During the first couple of years I had it, I couldn't stay awake for more than about 5 hours. At times I stood up, jumped about, trying everything to keep busy, and then I'd stop for a split second in absolute exhaustion, my eyes would just shut and I'd fall asleep... it apparently looked like I was passing out all the time, but I was just so tired... Nowadays I don't fight it, but try to make the most of my time awake... To have a bright good day, I ideally need about 13-14 hours sleep a night, but I'm currently surviving on about 10 or 11, and I'm constantly exhausted... I sleep in my dinner hour at work, and go to bed when I get in, wake up about 7, do something worthwhile, then go back to bed around 9. I recently started a full time job, and my social life is none existant due to my chronic sleeping, so I need to talk about part time really. But yes, chronic fatigue syndrome is exactly what it says on the tin... I'm over the worst of it I think, but still struggling with it.. I sleep an awful lot, and when I wake, I'm only refreshed a tiny bit, It feels like I haven't been to sleep in the first place... but I've got to keep going. It's really difficult - thats why I like AB, it's a low-energy way of maintaining some sort of social life... I'm mostly only on AB when I'm at work, as I'm asleep all the time I'm at home just about... Which is sad becuase all my waking time is spent at the office. It's particularly hard with my boyfriend constantly saying I'm lazy and need a kick up the arse... he just won't understand it at all, and can't seem to accept that I really am trying... I'm just so tired. xxx