Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - When Simply Taking A Shower Is A Major Task.
Someone very close to me suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). It is one of those conditions that tend to stay under most peoples radar. Unless you are aware that someone has the condition it can be very difficult to spot.
What Is CFS?
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (also known as ME - myalgic encephalomyelitis) is a long-term condition. There are many symptoms associated with it but the main, and overriding one is extreme tiredness.
Imagine a day when you felt totally exhausted and had no energy left to do much of anything. When just raising yourself out of a chair or making a drink seemed like a huge effort. We have all had times like that, haven't we? Now imagine feeling like that every day, 365 days a year. Imagine having to lie down for an hour just to recover from taking a shower. Imagine being unable to take the dogs for a short walk because you know that by doing so you will be unable to go to work the following day. That is living with CFS. It is like trying to run a torch from a nearly flat battery. The battery will light the torch very dimly for a while but then becomes totally empty and unable to do anything
Other symptoms include:-
- muscle or joint pain
- headaches
- sleep problems
- problems thinking, remembering or
- concentrating (brain fog)
- flu-like symptoms
- fast or irregular heartbeats (heart palpitations)
- feeling dizzy or sick
What Causes CFS?
No one really knows. One leading theory is that it could be triggered by a viral or bacterial infection. It has been linked to stress, emotional trauma and depression and hormonal imbalance. There is also some evidence that it can be a generic condition as it seems to run in some families.
The last one of these my friend can relate to. For years she couldn't understand why her mother never seemed to have any energy to do things and why she always seemed to be ill. Looking back on it now through the lens of her own experiences, my friend thinks that her mother may have been suffering from CFS. Of course in those days (the 60's), no one really knew about this condition so CFS symptoms were put down to other causes.
Treatments ?
Unfortunately there is no magic pill that will cause CFS to disappear. The only treatments available aim to alleviate the symptoms rather than facilitate a cure.
cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or a structured exercise programme called graded exercise therapy (GET) are used to help people manage their condition. Medication will also be prescribed to help control pain, nausea and sleeping problems.
If you are constantly tired and have persistent symptoms such as those listed above, then you may be suffering from CFS. However, please bear in mind that there can be many other causes of these symptoms. You must see your medical professional to be properly diagnosed.
Take care until next time.
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I‘ve been struggling with Fibromyalgia since 2007 which is very similar only maybe a little more pain and less fatigue sometimes. At one point I could barely get off the couch without help. I’ve made a lot of environmental and diet changes slowly over the years that have helped but it’s still a struggle.
I recently started an herbal recovery program by Dr. Rawls that seems promising and has had a lot of positive results. It runs for 2 months but could be used up to a year. Since it’s focused on all auto-immune disorders it may be helpful for your friend. I’ll let you know how it’s working after 2 months.
Hi, @firststeps. I've seen your post on the herbal recovery program and it certainly looks interesting. I look forward to seeing how you get on with it. Thank you for your comment.
Wow. I've been very tired a lot of times, but I really can't imagine being like that EVERY DAY! Grace and healness to those who have it. Thanks for the enlightenment.
Thank you for your comment @rasamuel. This illness is a life changer for those who suffer from it but also for their family and friends. Thankfully now more research is being done into the cause and treatment of CFS so maybe in the future we will be able to handle it better.
Thank God for that. Hope the research yields something tangible!
Lets hope so :-)
I have Fibro and chronic sleep fatique, I spent the whole day yesterday in bed, hubby made me toast and coffee before he left for work I didnt eat again until 7 that night. Its horrible feeling like this, such a waste. :(
I can only imagine what you go through on a daily basis. I know my friend is in despair on her bad days and cannot see any end to it. Keep strong.
I feel for your friend but glad she has you, this disease has seen all my friends off. Just another part of this illness.
My friend has said that she only really found out who her true friends are after she started to suffer from the illness. A lot fell by the wayside never to be seen again.
I know a few who misunderstood these symptoms and self-diagnosed which is the worst possible solution. I am always for the - first seek doctor to take some test - then seek what else it may be.
One of my family members had a sudden hormonal shift, but she was saying for months it is nothing it is only the stress and being chronically tired, it turned out later ( when it was late) that all her endocrine glands went to heck.
Seeking medical advice is very important. We are lucky here in the UK with the NHS - we don't have to pay for treatments or to see our doctor. I can see that in other countries the cost could be a factor to delay. Us males are also very bad at going for help. I know I will procrastinate for weeks before going to the docs. :-) Thanks for your comment.
We are ok with billing, basic insurance In Croatia covers everything, but some experiences I had are not for humans. I didn't had any stressful things, but I had a huge issue explaining to my dentist that her treatments are making me ill.
So, instead fixing a thing in one pull,so to say, she complicated it and ruined my immune system completely, not mentioning I have no more nerves left as the shots I was receiving pretty much melted all the 'wires'...
It took me a year to decide to run away from her, and now , even after 3 years I am still dentist-free because I just don't want to repeat that experience ever again.
It sounds as if you had a horrific time at the dentist. A case of medical negligence perhaps? I don't know what it is like over in Croatia but here we have law firms who will pursue such an issue with a view to compensation (a no-win no-fee type idea). I hope you pluck up the courage to go and see a dentist at some time. They are a necessary evil :-)