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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome


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I think that I have symptoms o the chronic fatigue syndrome, but my doctor never had talk me about this. Some of you have this illness.

This are some of my symptoms:

*Short-term memory or concentration problems

*Sore throat

*Multi-joint pain without joint swelling or redness

*Muscle pain

*Headaches of a new type, pattern or severity

*Non-refreshing sleep

*Poor sleep

*Brain fog

*Increased thirst

*Recurrent infections

*Exhausting after minimal exertion

I know that many of this are to symptoms of POTS, but not all.

Could I have both?

I have the Sjogren's Syndrome too.

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I have some of the CFS symptoms but not the "usual" ones: I don't have swollen lymph nodes, sore throat and some of the others.

My doctors always attribute my poor stamina to POTS. Whatever the name of it is, I'm still disabled.

I wonder if there are CFS people out there who "get better" and if so, how?

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I have also been diagnosed with CFS (and POTS).

I often wonder if most of my symptoms stem from autonomic dysfunction or cfs. The symptoms overlap so much!

Lisa

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Hello Jacquirouin! :D Sorry you're having so much trouble with health! :D

I have POTS and CFS, although the CFS is my major hindrance at this point. Both conditions do have overlapping symptoms, which makes it difficult to determine which belong to which condition. The definition of CFS according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) is as follows:

"in order to receive a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome, a patient must satisfy two criteria:

1)Have severe chronic fatigue of six months or longer duration with other known medical conditions excluded by clinical diagnosis; and

2) Concurrently have four or more of the following symptoms:

substantial impairment in short-term memory or concentration;

sore throat;

tender lymph nodes;

muscle pain; multi-joint pain without swelling or redness;

headaches of a new type, pattern or severity;

unrefreshing sleep; and

post-exertional malaise lasting more than 24 hours.

The symptoms must have persisted or recurred during six or more consecutive months of illness and must not have predated the fatigue."

I would certainly discuss the possibility of your having CFS with your doctor. I'll warn you that diagnosis with CFS is not going to bring about lightning-fast change. There is no single, universal cure for CFS. There are steps that you can take to improve your ability to function, but not a magic pill as of yet. This is in part because the medical field still does not really understand much about the condition; the general population understands it even less. I've had all sorts of comments regarding CFS from people I know or have met: "Oh yeah, isn't that caused by some sort of yeast imbalance or something?" :D "Well if you hadn't danced so much you wouldn't have this problem!" :) "Oh, well just stop eating wheat, dairy, citrus fruit, starches, meats, fats, sugars, and fiberous vegetables and you'll feel better in no time!" :) "Well, if you just EXERTED yourself you'de be fine!" :D:D I'm sure someone could make a very amusing T-shirt out of the comments I've received! :D:D

When I asked Dr. Low if I should see a specialist for CFS he told me not to bother -- I knew as much as they would he said. By educating myself and with some help from my dad, I've come up with a treatment that appears to be working for me.

Generally, the medical professionals that I've talked to about CFS say that they treat CFS patients "by symptom." Since there is no single medication so far that seems to eliminate the whole condition, usually doctors work on getting rid of or reduce in intensity as many symptoms as possible, which in effect makes the condition as a whole less severe. Finally being able to sleep again was one of the big breakthroughs for me. I'm blessed with a wonderful new PCP with a background in CFS -- she's been able to give some very helpful suggestions regarding living with CFS and increasing my level of functionability, but there haven't been many medical interventions she could think of to get rid of it.

So...I guess my point is this: definately speak to your doctor about the possibility of having CFS, but be prepared for the fact that if you do have it, it won't be a simple, straightforward condition to deal with. That is not to say that it is untreatable -- please don't misunderstand me. I'm thrilled by the progress I'm seeing on my treatment regimen and look forward to a more "normal" life ahead.

Hope you're able to find some answers soon! Feel free to PM me anytime -- I love to talk! :D

Angela

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