Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Signs and Symptoms

      Dear Readers, if after reading the description of CFS below you feel you might also be afflicted with its conditions, please       visit your doctor as soon as possible. It took doctors in our area six months to come-up with a diagnosis for Kristy’s       symptoms and only after dozens and dozens of tests that ruled out many other possibilities.

What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

      A fatigue that lasts for more than six months, impairs normal activities, has no identifiable medical or psychological       problems to account for the fatigue, and is only the beginning. Sore throat, lots of muscle pain without redness or swelling       in the joints, intense or changing patterns of headaches (like migraines), and unrefreshing sleep.

      Even mild exercise can often make the symptoms, especially fatigue and headaches, much worse. Then there are the       problems with short-term memory loss, concentration, flu-like symptoms, dizziness and balance problems, chills and       night sweats, numbness, tingling and/or a burning sensation in the arms or legs, muscle twitching, fainting, abdominal       pain and tender lymph nodes. The list goes on and on; everyone is different, not all the symptoms hit at once, it just so       disconcerting, so scary, not knowing why your body is acting in such strange ways.

      Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), or Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS), or Myalgi Encephalomyelitis  (ME), they are all one and the same. The names trivializes the symptoms, its more than just tiredness, the symptoms of CFIDS are highly variable and fluctuate in severity, complicating treatment and the ill person’s ability to cope with the illness. Most symptoms are invisible, which makes it difficult for others, including doctors, to understand the vast array of debilitating symptoms with which people with the illness, and their caretakers must contend.

      CFS is overwhelming – to feel like “crap” as my daughter puts it, all the time; to loose your “normal” life (something we all       take for granted); to loose control of everyday activities because you just don’t know how you’re going to feel; not being       able to plan for the future, its too much stress for an adult, and even more so for children. The worse part is the stigma of       CFS- being labeled lazy, faker, nuts, weak, “its all in your head”, by doctors disbelief of cfs, friends and strangers.       Awareness is the key to having others understand this disease and research is the key to finding a cure.

      Along the way we have found websites offering information, focus groups and much more to help patients and others deal       with CFIDS. Below, we have listed some of them for you…Become educated, be weary of products that offer quick cures,       use your common sense and Live Healthy, Live Strong.

      Remember to visit our Awareness Bracelets for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

      Barbara and Kristy Romero

Helpful Links

Jigsaw Health - Resource for Chronic Conditions
ProHealth's Immune Support.com
CFIDS Association of America
CFIDS Report