UnRest

We saw UnRest at a local film festival yesterday.  It is the story of Jennifer Brea, an intelligent photogenic young woman with CFS/ME  (myalagic encephalomyelitis).  This is the quintessential disorder of "medically unexplained symptoms" (MUS).  It is a view of MUS  through the eyes, mind and lens of a sufferer.

Perhaps, a dangerous aspect of this disorder is the way this can spread via the internet.  Connectivity can be good -- it can also be problematic.  Is CFS/ME a disease, as those afflicted believe?  Is it an illness?  How can these people be helped?  Do they want help?

UnRest left me with many questions.  There is a disconnect between these patients and their physicians.  And a disconnect between the various specialists who are involved in their care.  Mix in cyberspace and the result is chaos.

GM Hopkins wrote: 
O the mind, mind has mountains; cliffs of fall

Frightful, sheer, no-man-fathomed. Hold them cheap

May who ne'er hung there.

I Remember Me (2001)

From NetFlix:  Kim Snyder was a filmmaker looking forward to her next project when, one day, she was overcome by what she thought was the flu -- but later found out her disease was much more debilitating. In this touching documentary, Snyder chronicles her struggles with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, an illness that's still a mystery to many doctors. Includes interviews with other famous sufferers, including director Blake Edwards and athlete Michelle Akers.  2000  74 minutes

DJE:  This is a sobering documentary.  It leaves many questions unanswered, and ten years after the film's making they are still shrouded in mystery. I think this is worth watching; but it is not always easy.  One thing it highlights is how few of these patients were cared for in a patient-centered manner.