"Chronic Fatigue problems"

Over the last 2 years I have suffered froma variety of health problems. I have repeatedly complained of an overbearing fatitgue which was making life harder and harder. I saw all 3 GP's at the Marsden surgery who presciribed anti-depressants and told me that eventually my body would recover and feel better.

In the last 6 months my chronic fatigue has gone from bad to worse. When I suggested to the GP's that maybe I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) I met a very negative response which bordered on hostile from one GP. It was made very clear that I didn't know what I was talking about and that I just had to be patient and take higher doses of anti-depressants.

In August I saw an independent consultant who immediately diagnosed me as having CFS and has since put me on several treatments which are slowly making me better.

I am very upset by the poor treatment from my GP's. NICE guidelines state that you should get a diagnosis of CFS within 6 months. My GP's had no idea what was wrong with me and were not prepared to listen what I had to say.

It seems from talking to other people with ME/CFS it is very common to be met with ignorance, doubt, disbelief and even hostility from GP's; many of whom have little knowledge of this neurological illness.

Such substandard treatment is unacceptable. GP's should keep up to date with the latest medical research for diagnostic and treatment purposes.

The medical guidelines developed by Canadian scientists for the diagnosis and treatment of ME/CFS should be made available to all GP's. These are based on the very latest medical research which proves conclusively that ME/CFS are physiologically based illnesses not psychosomatic.

GP's should get better training in this awful illness which affects over 250,000 people in Britain and become much better at listening to patients whose views should not be dismissed out of hand.