Chronic Fatique Syndrome. I have checked the symptoms with mine and they seem to be consistent, after having blood tests this morning a friend of mine (who has cfs) told me that it's possible i have that. And that they usually take lots of blood, they took about 7 bottles of mine today. I know its not contagious and that i haven't got it off my friend. But is it a possibility that i have it?! The doctors found no other signs of illness in me, but just sent me for blood tests, i've heard physical symptoms cannot be seen by a doctor, is this true? Please help. It scares me. My symptoms are:
Dizzyness.
Tiredness.
Lack of concentration.
Feeling sick.
Dry mouth.
Lack of appetite.
And lights/loud noises hurt my ears/eyes.
Lack of breath.
Extemely sensitive senses, like smelling something miles away etc.
HELP ME> There's no reason to be scared. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a highly frustrating condition to have, but it's not life threatening and for the most part, doesn't involve any pain.
Ask your doctor to test you for glandular fever (epstein barr virus) as this can cause very bad fatigue. You should also be checked for underactive thyroid; this again causes tiredness.
If all your blood tests are clear, then your doctor may make a diagnosis of CFS. It will mean that you have to get plenty of rest and sleep, and that you pace yourself; even on days when you have more energy, don't rush to overdo things, take it easy. Do moderate exercise - walking is best - three times a week, for twenty minutes each time.
Also, try and eat a healthy diet. You could visit a nutritionist for help with this, and it also might be worth checking out a homeopath or herbalist.
If none of these things help, then another option is to take an anti depressant; this can help your energy level a bit and can also prevent the depression that is sometimes part of long term CFS. As the name chronic fatigue syndrome suggests, this illness is accompanied by fatigue. However, it's not the kind of fatigue patients experience after a particularly busy day or week, after a sleepless night or after a stressful event. It's a severe, incapacitating fatigue that isn't improved by bed rest and that may be exacerbated by physical or mental activity. It's an all-encompassing fatigue that results in a dramatic decline in both activity level and stamina.
People with CFS function at a significantly lower level of activity than they were capable of prior to becoming ill. The illness results in a substantial reduction in occupational, personal, social or educational activities.
A CFS diagnosis should be considered in patients who present with six months or more of unexplained fatigue accompanied by other characteristic symptoms. These symptoms include:
cognitive dysfunction, including impaired memory or concentration
postexertional malaise lasting more than 24 hours (exhaustion and increased symptoms) following physical or mental exercise
unrefreshing sleep
joint pain (without redness or swelling)
persistent muscle pain
headaches of a new type or severity
tender cervical or axillary lymph nodes
sore throat
Other Common Symptoms
In addition to the eight primary defining symptoms of CFS, a number of other symptoms have been reported by some CFS patients. The frequency of occurrence of these symptoms varies among patients. These symptoms include:
irritable bowel, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea or bloating
chills and night sweats
brain fog
chest pain
shortness of breath
chronic cough
visual disturbances (blurring, sensitivity to light, eye pain or dry eyes)
allergies or sensitivities to foods, alcohol, odors, chemicals, medications or noise
difficulty maintaining upright position (orthostatic instability, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, balance problems or fainting)
psychological problems (depression, irritability, mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks)
jaw pain
weight loss or gain
Clinicians will need to consider whether such symptoms relate to a comorbid or an exclusionary condition; they should not be considered as part of CFS other than they can contribute to impaired functioning.
Clinical Course
The severity of CFS varies from patient to patient, with some people able to maintain fairly active lives. By definiton, however, CFS significantly limits work, school and family activities.
While symptoms vary from person to person in number, type and severity, all CFS patients are functionally impaired to some degree. CDC studies show that CFS can be as disabling as multiple sclerosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, end-stage renal disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and similar chronic conditions.
CFS often follows a cyclical course, alternating between periods of illness and relative well-being. Some patients experience partial or complete remission of symptoms during the course of the illness, but symptoms often reoccur. This pattern of remission and relapse makes CFS especially hard for patients and their health care professionals to manage. Patients who are in remission may be tempted to overdo activities when they're feeling better, which can exacerbate symptoms and fatigue and cause a relapse. In fact, postexertional malaise is a hallmark of the illness.
The percentage of CFS patients who recover is unknown, but there is some evidence to indicate that the sooner symptom management begins, the better the chance of a positive therapeutic outcome. This means early detection and treatment are of utmost importance. CDC research indicates that delays in diagnosis and treatment may complicate and prolong the clinical course of the illness.
Diagnosing chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) can be challenging for health care professionals. A number of factors add to the complexity of making a CFS diagnosis: 1) there's no diagnostic laboratory test or biomarker for CFS, 2) fatigue and other symptoms of CFS are common to many illnesses, 3) CFS is an invisible illness and many patients don't look sick, 4) the illness has a remitting and relapsing course , 5) symptoms vary from person to person infrequency and severity, and 6) no two CFS patients have exactly the same pattern of symptoms.
These factors have contributed to an alarmingly low diagnosis rate. Of the four million Americans who have CFS, less than 20% have been diagnosed.
Overcoming the Challenges
In spite of these challenges, CFS can be diagnosed in a primary care setting. The 1994 International Case Definition for CFS forms the basis of a reliable diagnostic algorithm for CFS, particularly in adults.
While there is evidence that children can get CFS, current research suggests that the illness isn't prevalent in younger children, particularly those under the age of 11. Diagnosing pediatric CFS can be more difficult than adult CFS because children may have difficulty recognizing and verbalizing their symptoms, and because they have a remarkable ability to become accustomed to symptoms and adapt to them. Clinicians assessing adolescents for CFS should exercise judgment based on the course of the illness and the patient's medical history.
If a patient has had 6 or more consecutive months of severe fatigue that is reported to be unrelieved by sufficient bed rest and that is accompanied by nonspecific symptoms, including flu-like symptoms, generalized pain, and memory problems, the physician should further investigate the possibility that the patient may have CFS. The first step in this investigation is obtaining a detailed medical history and performing a complete physical examination of the patient. Initial testing should include a mental status examination, which ordinarily will involve a short discussion in the office or a brief oral test. A standard series of laboratory tests of the patient's blood and urine should be performed to help the physician identify other possible causes of illness. If test results suggest an alternative explanation for the patient's symptoms, additional tests may be performed to confirm that possibility. If no cause for the symptoms is identified, the physician may render a diagnosis of CFS if the other conditions of the case definition are met (see What Is CFS?). A diagnosis of insufficient fatigue could be made if a patient has been fatigued for 6 months or more, but does not meet the symptom criteria for CFS.
An Empirical Definition
Recently the definitional criteria have reached using information derived from 3 questionnaires: MOS SF-36, Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, and the CDC Symptom Inventory (Reeves et al, 2005). This approach can be useful in identifying patient and in monitoring their illness course or response to treatment.
Appropriate Tests for Routine Diagnosis of CFS
While the number and type of tests performed may vary from physician to physician, the following tests constitute a typical standard battery to exclude other causes of fatiguing illness: alanine aminotransferase (ALT), albumin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), calcium, complete blood count, creatinine, electrolytes, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), globulin, glucose, phosphorus, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), total protein, transferrin saturation, and urinalysis. Further testing may be required to confirm a diagnosis for illness other than CFS. For example, if a patient has low levels of serum albumin together with an above-normal result for the blood urea nitrogen test, kidney disease would be suspected. The physician may choose to repeat the relevant tests and possibly add new ones aimed specifically at diagnosing kidney disease. If autoimmune disease is suspected on the basis of initial testing and physical examination, the physician may request additional tests, such as for antinuclear antibodies.
Psychological/Neuropsychological Testing
In some individuals it may be beneficial to assess the impact of fatiguing illness on certain cognitive or reasoning skills, e.g., concentration, memory, and organization. This may be particularly relevant in children and adolescents, where academic attendance, performance, and specific educational needs should be addressed. Personality assessment may assist in determining coping abilities and whether there is a co-existing affective disorder requiring treatment.
Theoretical and Experimental Tests
A number of tests, some of which are offered commercially, have no demonstrated value for the diagnosis of CFS. These tests should not be performed unless required for diagnosis of a suspected exclusionary condition (e.g., MRI to rule out suspected multiple sclerosis) or unless they are part of a scientific study. In the latter case, written informed consent of the patient is required. No diagnostic tests for infectious agents, such as Epstein-Barr virus, enteroviruses, retroviruses, human herpesvirus 6, Candida albicans, and Mycoplasma incognita, are diagnostic for CFS and as such should not be used (except to identify an illness that would exclude a CFS diagnosis, such as mononucleosis). In addition, no immunologic tests, including cell profiling tests such as measurements of natural killer cell (NK) number or function, cytokine tests (e.g., interleukin-1, interleukin-6, or interferon), or cell marker tests (e.g., CD25 or CD16), have ever been shown to have value for diagnosing CFS. Other tests that must be regarded as experimental for making the diagnosis of CFS include the tilt table test for NMH, and imaging techniques such as MRI, PET-scan, or SPECT-scan. Reports of a pathway marker for CFS as well as a urine marker for CFS are undergoing further study; however, neither is considered useful for diagnosis at this time. what are the symptoms?
I am the moderator of the CFS /Highly Sensitive group. Write me your symptoms and I and even some others should write back to help. Susie Let me try to run through the basics real quick. It is FALSE that CFS usually doesn't involve pain, and though it may not technically be life-threatening, it can be life-destroying if left untreated. The good news is that is it reversible, even if you have had it for years. I'm sure your main questions is "how do I resolve these symptoms"? Most doctors haven't been trained in CFS and can't diagnose it properly. Thus they cant tell you if you have it or not. There is no one blood test that can tell you whether or not you have it. Many people with CFS have "normal" tests, yet still have horrible symptoms.
You should go make an appointment at the CFS clinic called fibromylagia and fatigue centers www.fibrocenters.com . They have clinics in many parts of the US, and use the HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL treatment protocol of Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, a leading figure in the field (www.endfatigue.com). You should be able to move forward in your effort to get well using these resources. Good luck! |
