You look just fine - when pain is invisible

Abstract

Have you ever stayed up studying (or partying?) for most of the night and slept just a couple of hours? You might wake up feeling not so bad, but later you notice you’re tired and can’t quite focus. Then perhaps some nausea sets in. You are so exhausted that you might collapse. This is how a fibromyalgia and myalgic encephalomyelitis (also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or CFS) sufferer describes her day-to-day life. You might recharge on resting, but for a person with fibromyalgia or myalgic encephalomyelitis, the battery never charges. Christabel Cutajar (25) is studying psychology at the University of Malta (UM) and is a fibromyalgia sufferer. She struggles with accessibility and finds that current adaptations of the learning environment don’t offer equity to students like her. Together with a fellow sufferer, she is working to raise awareness and achieve the crucial changes she needs.