Thread by @ProfHughLewis

10 years ago I visited my local GP surgery for some vaccinations. Two days later, finding myself in excruciating & unrelenting pain, I was back for some prescription pain relief. It didn't work & it's been that way ever since #MEawarenesshour

Just a few days later, I found myself unable to lift myself out of a chair & experiencing extremely rapid declines in energy. These episodes seemed to come without cause or warning. They happened in the middle of the day & also at night #MEAwarenessHour

A few days later, I was signed off work & told not to return until I had made it through two weeks without any symptoms. That was the beginning of my first #SelfIsolation. For the next 3 months I really only left my house for food shopping. #MEAwarenessHour

I got used to being at home & not going out. I got used to speaking to friends on the telephone rather than seeing them in person. I reconnected with friends I had lost touch with & we shared our experiences with illness #MEAwarenessHour

So the prospect of another period of isolation at home does not worry me. It is familiar. Like wearing comfortable clothes. #MEAwarenessHour

I understand that it might be difficult for some to remain housebound when they would rather be out, enjoying the company of friends & family, a good meal, a drink with colleagues, or a trip to the beach. Trust that this period of isolation will come to an end #MEAwarenessHour

Trust that you will be able to return to your lives, your family, your friends & your colleagues. Trust that the beaches, the forests, the mountains & the rivers will be there waiting for you to relish once again. Trust that you will get through this period #MEAwarenessHour

Then remember that some will not have the same opportunities to return to the world. Some will continue to be isolated from the outside, as they were before the world knew of COVID-19. Unable to go back to lives they once enjoyed but unwilling to remain #MEAwarenessHour

I am one of the lucky ones, able to go back into the world. Yet I have lost the the wealth of opportunities open to most of the world. I am still tied to my house, anxious to leave it for long or to go far from its comforts. #MEAwarenessHour

When you emerge, remember those lost in an isolation imposed by an unforgiving & relentless illness #MEAwarenessHour