Schoolboy, 14, struck down by ME during a football match – yet doctors dismissed his symptoms as him being a ‘lazy teenager’

Sly Saint · Jan 24, 2019

In brief

Cai Onraet's onset of ME was sudden when his legs went beneath him

He suffered fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, and flu-like symptoms

Schoolboy made good recovery but aged 19 still suffers brain fog

Calling for better awareness of ME among public and doctors

Cai Onraet was always active and sports mad – he was captain of his school football team and played rugby every week.

But he began to suffer some bizarre symptoms. His lips swelled up and he developed a rash that worsened when he exercised or showered. It was so severe that his mother Nikki rushed him to A&E twice, but doctors were left baffled.

Then the 14-year-old collapsed suddenly while playing football.

Cai told i: “My legs went beneath me and I fell to the ground. When I tried to stand I was only able to lift my legs a few inches, as though weights had been tied around my ankles.”

Over the coming weeks, he experienced all the classic signs of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) as it’s also known.

These included severe fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, flu-like symptoms and a sore throat.
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Three out of four people with ME cannot work and one in four are so severely affected that they are rendered house-bound or bed-bound, with some even reliant on tube feeding.
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While some some people with ME do improve over the course of time, it is only a small minority that return to full normal health.
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https://inews.co.uk/news/real-life/...-myalgic-encephalomyelitis-me-football-match/

NelliePledge · Jan 24, 2019

Says he’s had GET and CBT not critical of them.

Trish · Jan 24, 2019

he said: “I began to gradually make friends and begin to live my life again. I also joined a gym with my dad, and although I consistently threw up afterwards I knew the importance of the commitment – only I could better myself.”
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I wish him well and am glad that his health has improved, but there are so many unhelpful things in this article.

Sly Saint · Jan 24, 2019

NelliePledge said: ↑

Says he’s had GET and CBT not critical of them.
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Trish said: ↑

I wish him well and am glad that his health has improved, but there are so many unhelpful things in this article.
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the timing is also suspect, but the article links to MEA?

NelliePledge · Jan 24, 2019

Sly Saint said: ↑

the timing is also suspect, but the article links to MEA?
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I know I wonder if this is John Siddles work or if MEAssociation were just asked to comment. If they have placed the story I would have thought they would have done better to find someone more aware of the advocacy issues. Seems more like an AFME type story.

Snow Leopard · Jan 26, 2019

Trish said: ↑

I wish him well and am glad that his health has improved, but there are so many unhelpful things in this article.
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These sorts of articles are most often not written for the benefit of people with illnesses/disability, they're written so that able bodied people feel better about themselves...

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Schoolboy, 14, struck down by ME during a football match – yet doctors dismissed his symptoms as him being a ‘lazy teenager’

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Schoolboy, 14, struck down by ME during a football match – yet doctors dismissed his symptoms as him being a ‘lazy teenager’

Sly Saint Senior Member (Voting Rights)

NelliePledge Moderator Staff Member

Trish Moderator Staff Member

Sly Saint Senior Member (Voting Rights)

NelliePledge Moderator Staff Member

Snow Leopard Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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