Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

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I had an epiphany moment the other day, you know, one of those moments when something you have always known suddenly becomes real to you. (Actually I have had a few of them this week, but I'm going to start with this one). For me it was a sudden realisation of why I am so tired sometimes. Well, actually, I know, I had just not thought about it.

I suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is the common name for a group of significantly debilitating medical conditions characterized by persistent fatigue and other specific symptoms that lasts for a minimum of six months in adults (and 3 months in children or adolescents). The fatigue is not due to exertion, not significantly relieved by rest, and is not caused by other medical conditions. CFS may also be referred to as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), post-viral fatigue syndrome (PVFS), chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS), or by several other terms.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_fatigue_syndrome)

And as a result its hard to get an official diagnosis of it. Though it is slowly become more accepted. But then when you think about it stress and mental health were also diagnosis that the medical proffession struggled with. I think its because they are so hard to quantify.

The most commonly used diagnostic criteria and definition of CFS for research and clinical purposes were published by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC recommends the following three criteria be fulfilled:

-A new onset (not lifelong) of severe fatigue for six consecutive months or greater duration which is unrelated to exertion, is not substantially relieved by rest, and is not a result of other medical conditions. The fatigue causes a significant reduction of previous activity levels.

Four or more of the following symptoms that last six months or longer:
-impaired memory or concentration
-post-exertional malaise, where physical or mental exertions bring on "extreme, prolonged exhaustion and sickness"
-unrefreshing sleep
-muscle pain (myalgia)
-pain in multiple joints (arthralgia)
-headaches of a new kind or greater severity
-sore throat, frequent or recurring
-tender lymph nodes (cervical or axillary)

The CDC states other common symptoms include:
-brain fog (feeling like you're in a mental fog)
-difficulty maintaining an upright position, dizziness, balance problems or fainting
-allergies or sensitivities to foods, odors, chemicals, medications, or noise
-irritable bowel syndrome-like symptoms such as bloating, stomach pain, constipation, diarrhoea and nausea
-chills and night sweats
-visual disturbances (sensitivity to light, blurring, eye pain)
-depression or mood problems (irritability, mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks)

In 2000, July I had a skiing accident that left me in hospital and undergoing surgery. It was a very interesting experience from a nursing perspective (but thats a story for another time).

A few months after that I started to get tired, very tired. In fact it got a little ridiculous. I would drive to work, falling asleep at the wheel, get through work, repeat my drive and then sleep until it was time to go back to work. I stopped going out with friends as I was just too tir d.

And the migraines that I had suffered occassionally became almost constant. During this time my allergies started to develop. In fact I can just about tick every one of the criteria. After a while (two years) of medical investigations the penny finally dropped. I had CFS!

At that time about the only thing people could recommend was exercise as helping to deal with the symptoms. So I dragged myself to the gym and started running/ bike riding again. Until eventually I was able to function normally again.

All was good until I fell pregnant, I had such severe hyperemesis that I lost huge amounts of weight and was exhausted. Once I had my son I just assumed it was normal baby tiredness. Except he's now five and a half and nothing has changed, it set warning bells off.

Driving to work I realised I am not as tired when I have run (just started again recently). And that led to my epiphany moment. So now I have an even better reason to exercise, so I can enjoy l fe!