Ever had your diagnosis challenged as not genuine?

This is my response (published in the Meeting Place - NZ ME/CFS association), to a previous article challenging that the Lightning Process can work with ME. My previous post gives the context of the letter.

Letter to editor

A recent article in the ANZMES newsletter from a member, put into print one of the arguments I regularly hear and felt needed addressing. A big thanks to Colin for allowing my comments to be printed in the following edition.

To paraphrase the article I was responding to - If you get well using the Lightning Process you couldn't have had ME in the first place. It was probably Glandular fever or some mimic of ME.

It is an argument that I hear all the time and makes no logical sense, as people I see are getting their diagnosis from ME experts. Which creates an interesting dilemma - either the diagnosis from the experts are wrong which puts uncertainly on all other diagnosis OR the Lightning Process can be effective with ME. I suspect it is the later.

Hopefully at some stage there will be a biological marker or definitive test that will allow these anti-Lightning Process arguments to be put to bed once and for all.

Lightning Process, rain, wind and thunder

Last year I had a very nervous training in Noosa as a cyclone headed our way and changed course at the last moment. Phew.

Then my last trip to South Island New Zealand for a training had the small town I was staying in receive a record downpour and I was flooded in. (Hello to Oamaru!)

I then had a lady fly to the Sunshine Coast for a training and her plane was struck by lightning on the way home. (I assured her it wasn't part of the training package!)

Over the last few months the South East of Queensland have been so wet that I had to cancel several trainings.

Then just last week a had a man fly down from Cairns for a 1-on-1 training. As Cyclone Yasi headed towards the coast, he didn't know if he would have a home to go to.

I know the Lightning process is powerful but that is ridiculous. :-)