When you're ill with M.E., your GP (General Practitioner) will be one of the people who looks after you. A GP is a doctor working at a surgery or health centre near to where you live. Your GP will have other trained people working with them such as nurses.
Some people with M.E. will go to the hospital for tests to be done. You may go as an out-patient - just for a day visit - or you may need to stay overnight or longer. See A guide to hospitals
You may also be cared for by a special children's doctor or paediatrician (pee-dee-a-trishon). Some paediatricians know a lot about M.E. and others are experts in other medical conditions.
It can take several weeks before your medical team will be sure that you have M.E. See Diagnosis
Tips
- Keeping a simple diary of your symptoms can be helpful - for you and the doctor and medical team - to see how your illness changes from day to day. It may also help you to work out what things might make your symptoms worse.
- Don't be afraid to ask questions. Ask a parent or the grown-up who looks after you to get the doctor to explain things in a way that you understand. Doctors can sometimes use words that don't make a lot of sense, unless you are a doctor too, so don't be afraid to tell them you don't understand what they are saying.
- Write down beforehand any questions you want to ask. It's easy to forget! Take a note of any advice or instructions you are given, or get someone else to do this for you.
- If, for any reason, you are unhappy about what is happening to you, it's really good to talk to someone. If you can, talk to the doctor or medical person concerned. Don't bottle up what's bothering you.
- Remember, it's your body, so try to take an interest in everything that's going on.
Information produced July 2003
Updated June 2004
