MONTENEGRO

05.09.24

Before my trip to Montenegro, I was introduced to Vasilije from Podgorica who was keen to share his story with me.

• How did you get ill?

I got ME after being vaccinated against the corona virus in the summer of 2021. A few days after the vaccination, unbearable pain and chronic fatigue began.

• Has it been difficult to get diagnosed?

I started doing various tests in my country, but since I was young (at that time 24 years old) and healthy, numerous diseases were quickly rejected. Since I wasn't getting better, I decided to go to a bigger medical center, in Belgrade (Serbia), and there I was diagnosed with ME by several experts. The diagnosis was established 7 months after the onset of symptoms.

• How does this disease affect you?

ME greatly affects the quality of my life. I don't have the strength to do everyday activities, such as going to work, playing with the child, etc. PEM occurs very often and it significantly worsens my condition. I belong to the group that is in the moderate level of illness.

• How do doctors and health authorities perceive ME/CFS in Montenegro?

Unfortunately, ME is not recognized as a disease in Montenegro. If I would explain the symptoms and talk about how I got the diagnosis in another country, the doctors most often would not be sure what kind of illness it was, and would often think that it was a potentially psychological problem.

There are no charities or ME association of sufferers. I only know one patient with fibromyalgia, but no one with ME. When statistics are taken into account, it can be concluded that there are thousands of people suffering from ME in Montenegro, but these people are not properly diagnosed.

• Do patients receive adequate support? Can they receive disability benefits when they are unable to work?

Considering that the disease is not recognized in our medical system, therefore patients do not receive adequate treatment and support, and there is also no possibility for getting disability or any benefits for those who are unable to work.

• What changes would you like to see to the treatments currently proposed in Montenegro?

First of all, I would like everyone in the medical system to become familiar with the diagnosis of ME and how serious this disease is. By raising awareness about the importance of this disease, it would also lead to the support of medical funds that would enable adequate support for these patients who have a very low quality of life.

Also, it is necessary to follow the latest research in this area, since the number of patients increased after the COVID19 pandemic, i.e. the similarity between ME disease and Post-Covid syndrome was established.

• What does the future look like for ME/CFS sufferers in Montenegro? Is there reason to be positive?

I sincerely hope that there will be significant research progress in the world, and that this research will lead to the discovery of a cure for this disease. I believe that this significant step forward would lead to an increase in awareness of the seriousness of this disease in Montenegro as well, to education of the medical staff, and finally to the acquisition of the latest therapy that exists for this disease.