The present Mrs Hughes was diagnosed with ME after a bout of pneumonia which hospitalised her about twelve years ago.
She manages it well - east a very good diet, and is careful to take extended rests when needed.
Infections are bad - what would make the rest of us feel lousy for a day or so can put her to bed for a week.
It has taken time to get her routine right, when she was first diagnosed, she was to exhausted to walk from the bed to the bathroom, it was a hands-and-knees job.
So it can be managed, but it is a debilitating condition.