What Are The Symptoms Of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
We all feel tired from time to time. It makes sense that we’d feel exhausted after a long day of work or a rigorous run. However, some people feel this way after waking up in the morning, day after day, month after month. This severe fatigue is just one chronic fatigue symptom, in addition to headaches, muscle and joint pain, mild fever, sore throat, post-exertion malaise and headaches. Dr. Nancy Klimas, an immunologist at the University of Miami School of Medicine who treats AIDS and chronic fatigue syndrome, says: “My H.I.V. patients for the most part are hale and hearty. Many of my CFS patients, on the other hand, are terribly ill and unable to work or participate in the care of their families.”
Chronic fatigue syndrome awareness began in 1984, after several hundred patients developed flu-like symptoms in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Patients complained of extreme fatigue (the primary chronic fatigue symptom), as well as sore throats, mild fevers, headaches, memory loss and confusion. Doctors found most patients had several concurrent viruses, such as cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr and herpes virus 6. At the time, the Centers for Disease Control thought these symptoms were little more than frenzied hysteria.
The most well-known symptom is fatigue. But this fatigue is nothing like what most people experience after a challenging workout at the gym or a especially nerve-wracking day at work. The Centers for Disease Control describes it as “severe, incapacitating and all-encompassing.” Individuals with CFS often can’t go to work, attend school, engage in social pursuits or see to their personal needs since they constantly feel mentally confused and physically rundown. In the most acute instances, people never leave their beds or their homes. Most recently, it is been discovered that the problem might be linked to a chronic fatigue retrovirus known as XMRV.
“Life for us is different,” explains Janet Krause, 58, who has been suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome for at least 15 years. “We have to constantly balance what we can do, and people don’t understand that. That’s why a lot of relationships and friendships break up.” Krause experienced her first chronic fatigue symptom in her twenties, when she suffered from skin rashes, sinus problems, chemical sensitivity, migraines, breathing difficulty, sore throats, arthritic pain, eye focus problems and debilitating fatigue. By 2005, she could no longer work in the hospital food service, since she was dropping boxes at work, couldn’t hold a pencil and was ready for bed at 3 pm. Just a small trip to the store would leave her incapacitated for the rest of the day.
In addition to the chronic fatigue symptom of extreme exhaustion, many CFS patients begin to suffer from depression. It can be difficult explaining to friends and family members why you can’t do something. No one seems to understand why a “little bit of rest and relaxation” can’t make you feel better. Surely you must be exaggerating that you can’t finish putting up the Christmas decorations or take a small trip to the store, right? According to Dr. Robert Matsko Sr. of Marysville, Pennsylvania, “Chronic fatigue syndrome is a viable medical condition. It’s not ‘all in your head.’” Hopefully, future research regarding the CFS virus will solidify the idea that, while the syndrome has mental repercussions, this condition has real physical roots.
If you have been recently diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome you are going to need to research the condition as much as you can. While you can treat the symptoms, the chronic fatigue syndrome causes are still largely unknown. Find out what you can do at Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Help.