Stop Chronic Fatigue

Posts Tagged ‘symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome’

The difficulty in assessing chronic fatigue symptoms is that they resemble several other illnesses, diseases and conditions. The eight defining items on the CFS symptoms list include fatigue, post-exertion malaise, lack of refreshing sleep at night, muscular pain, joint pain, tender lymph nodes, sore throat and headaches. To be diagnosed, an individual must have at least four of these concurrent symptoms. However, the Centers for Disease Control says these symptoms also resemble mononucleosis, Lyme disease, lupus, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, primary sleep disorders, severe obesity and depressive disorders.

Chronic fatigue indicators often occur right after an illness, infection or injury and they never seem to actually go away. Patients usually report acute sensitivity to light, together with sensitivity to noises, sensations and odors. They feel like the most basic day to day happenings are overwhelming, as their senses are kicked into overdrive. These indicators frequently leave a person feeling worn out, woozy, clumsy, nauseous and bewildered. Many patients also acquire sudden allergies and feel as if they have the flu.

Of all the symptoms, fatigue stands out as the most well known. The tiredness is severe, debilitating and all encompassing. Often a sufferer will wake up in the morning feeling just as weary as when they went to bed. A mental fog overtakes the person, making it hard to focus, recall words or carry out everyday tasks. A number of patients say your mental faculties are so numbed, it seems like you’ve got the flu constantly. The most serious cases cause the sufferer to resign from their job, quit going out and basically remain bedridden.

Most, but not all, patients report pain as one of their chronic fatigue symptoms. They may feel this pain in their muscles, joints, head, jaw, eye, abdomen or lymph nodes. Often the pain mimics arthritis, without the redness or swelling. Some patients report that the pain moves from location to location for no real reason at all. Muscles feel heavy like lead, which is not unlike the feeling of catching the flu. The pain sometimes leads people to research more about fibromyalgia treatments because nearly all fibromyalgia patients also suffer from chronic fatigue. In some cases, the conditions are both present together, so treating one will help the other.

Cognitive impairment is said to be one of the worst chronic fatigue symptoms because it is so frustrating. CFS patients might suffer short-term memory loss and have trouble assimilating new information, even when it seems obvious to remember. They misplace keys, wallets and important documents. They have a hard time concentrating on a television show, a book or a conversation. They cannot retain what they’ve read or calculate numbers a lot of the time. They may search for a word while speaking and forget their train of thought. In the worst cases, speech may be slowed or impaired. Patients describe these symptoms as “brain fog.”

Would you be able to recognize a chronic fatigue symptom? If you think you might have one or more of the symptoms of CFS, visit your doctor. You should also educate yourself about this condition. Go to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Help to find out more about this ailment and how you can find relief.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is one of several names given to a poorly understood, variably debilitating disorder of uncertain causation. CFS is thought, based on a 1999 study, to affect approximately 4 per 1,000 adults in the United States.[1] For unknown reasons, CFS occurs more often in women than men, and in people in their 40s and 50s.[2][3] The illness is estimated to be less prevalent among children and adolescents, but studies are contradictory as to the degree.

Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome shares symptoms with many other disorders. Fatigue, for instance, is found in hundreds of illnesses, and 10% to 25% of all patients who visit general practitioners complain of prolonged fatigue. The nature of the symptoms, however, can help clinicians differentiate CFS from other illnesses.

Unlike flu symptoms, which usually go away in a few days or weeks, chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms either hang on or come and go frequently for more than six months. Chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms include:

Headache

Tender lymph nodes

Fatigue and weakness

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Causes

The cause of CFS is unknown, but the condition may be related to infection with effects on the immune system. Several viruses have been studied as possible causes of CFS, but no cause-and-effect relationship has been discovered. Some evidence indicates that the bacterium Chlamydia pneumoniae (which causes pneumonia and other illnesses) may be a cause of CFS in some cases.

The cause of chronic fatigue syndrome may be an inflammation of the pathways of the nervous system as a response to an autoimmune process, but with nothing measurable in the blood as in other autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Chronic fatigue syndrome may also occur when a viral illness is complicated by a dysfunctional immune system. Some people with CFS may have a low blood pressure disorder that triggers the fainting reflex.

Can it be prevented?

Since it’s not known what causes CFS, it’s difficult to prevent. There’s no evidence to support the view that CFS is a contagious disease and there’s no precise identified cause.

It’s believed that a person’s genes may make them more susceptible, and that viral infection, stress, depression, or a major life event (for example bereavement, job loss) may act as triggers for CFS to develop in susceptible individuals.

How is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome treated?

The principles of management for CFS are outlined below:

Planned, gradual return to physical activity – A mutually agreed and supervised programme of gradually increasing activity.

Identification and treatment of maintaining factors – Address dysfunctional beliefs and behaviours and treat mood and sleep disorders.

Prescription Medications

There are currently no FDA-approved prescription medications for use in treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There are, however, a number of medications that are used to treat the various symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Many are recommended for effects that may be unrelated to their primary use.

How can I help myself?

Keep a daily diary to identify times when you have the most energy. Plan your activities for these times.

Keep up some level of activity and exercise, within your abilities. Your doctor can help you plan an exercise program to maintain your strength at whatever level is possible.

Exercise can help your body and mind.