Paul Atherton

Paul Atherton is a Director and TV & Film Producer in London. He was 20 March 1968 in Cardiff, Wales.

When he was 21 years old he developed ME/CFS, and still suffers from it. At his most severely affected, Paul was bedbound for two years.

“I've had M.E. since a bout of glandular fever when I was 10 years old, but wasn't diagnosed until a massive crash during my university years at the age of 21...Every day is an immense challenge and my biggest fear is being derailed by something trivial or menial.”

Paul's most recent work is a film, Our London Lives that documents 16 years of his son's visits to London from Cardiff. The film is divided into several short episodes of about 10 minutes or so, allowing it to be viewed on Paul's Twitter account. It was originally screened at the Museum of London.

“What was spectacular to note as I went through all the footage was how many years I'd been wheelchair-bound with CFS, but hadn't picked up on it from watching the film. In the scene showing Charles outside the Royal College of Music, he constantly pushed me around in my chair on that day, but you couldn't notice from the shot.”

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myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - A disease often marked by neurological symptoms, but fatigue is sometimes a symptom as well. Some diagnostic criteria distinguish it from chronic fatigue syndrome, while other diagnostic criteria consider it to be a synonym for chronic fatigue syndrome. A defining characteristic of ME is post-exertional malaise (PEM), or post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE), which is a notable exacerbation of symptoms brought on by small exertions. PEM can last for days or weeks. Symptoms can include cognitive impairments, muscle pain (myalgia), trouble remaining upright (orthostatic intolerance), sleep abnormalities, and gastro-intestinal impairments, among others. An estimated 25% of those suffering from ME are housebound or bedbound. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ME as a neurological disease.

myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - A disease often marked by neurological symptoms, but fatigue is sometimes a symptom as well. Some diagnostic criteria distinguish it from chronic fatigue syndrome, while other diagnostic criteria consider it to be a synonym for chronic fatigue syndrome. A defining characteristic of ME is post-exertional malaise (PEM), or post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE), which is a notable exacerbation of symptoms brought on by small exertions. PEM can last for days or weeks. Symptoms can include cognitive impairments, muscle pain (myalgia), trouble remaining upright (orthostatic intolerance), sleep abnormalities, and gastro-intestinal impairments, among others. An estimated 25% of those suffering from ME are housebound or bedbound. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ME as a neurological disease.

flare-up A symptoms flare in ME/CFS is a temporary increase in symptoms, alternatively known as experiencing post-exertional malaise. May be referred to as a "crash" or "collapse".