Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

My Dr. says I have chronic fatigue syndrome.

innerkitten

innerkitten

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 1, 2003
Messages
5,623
I've been experiencing fatigue for like 15 years. It had been on and off for 10 years. I'd feel terrible for months but then work myself back up to normal and then crash again a few months later. But since becoming a mom 5 years ago I'm pretty much tired most of the time. Obviously that would be true for most moms but for me it's a little more, if you know what I mean.

She say's I'm pretty functional since I manage to get everything done. That is because I learned from being tired all the time that I have to pace myself big time. If I over do things I could crash and I don't want to so I'm very careful.

Anyway my Dr. ruled about everything else out and say's I have the classic markers of CFS. I would love to know what has helped you if you have it? Supplements , exercise , special foods? Please share!



Thanks.

P.S. It seems to have started after getting very sick in India. Also my Dr. mentioned something about adrenals.
 
adrenals and thyroid can be issues together. you can have "normal" values for blood tests for thyroid and still be deficient. vitamin d3 is essential for both issues.

lots of info on the internet.

my issue is thyroid....hoping adrenals are not involved. taking thyroid med has helped me tremendously. i do not miss the drop through the floor dead tired feeling.....or being cold all the time.

i wish you luck and that you will feel some progress soon.

MoZo
 
I have no idea, but this sounds like something I might have. I have been having fatigue issues since high school (I'm in my 20s now), and it's often really difficult to deal with.

It started when I was about 15 or so, and I think it was right around when a psychiatrist prescribed a SSRI antidepressant for me for my anxiety. It helped a ton, but I also started falling asleep all the time. It was like a mild form of narcolepsy. Even if I got 7 or 8 hours of sleep the night before, I would often fall asleep in class, no matter how hard I tried to stay awake. My teacher could be staring right at me, but I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I remember trying to write my notes, but falling asleep. I would wake up and look down, and there would just be scribbles all over my paper. Overall, I was sleeping at least 14 hours a day, because I would nap when I got home, too.

That continued through college, and I was able to work around it by taking naps between classes - until I started my first job. I got caught falling asleep at my desk, which prompted me to get off the meds. It's been a year since then, and I've stopped falling asleep like that (for the most part), but the fatigue just hasn't gone away.

I still need a lot of sleep - preferably at least 10 hours per night. Even then, I still get so overwhelmingly tired. It seems to be the worst after I eat, which was a problem at work. I would have lunch, feel great, and then become extremely overcome with fatigue. I would often sit at my desk, feeling like I didn't have the strength to do my work (nor the mental energy). When it happens, I feel like I can't even stand up - my heart sometimes beats faster, and I feel short of breath, and like I just have to sit down. I also get this weird feeling in my head, like a headache, but not really. If I don't sleep, I often develop an actual headache. The only difference is that I rarely fall asleep unwillingly now - but the other symptoms are still the same.

Maybe I should go to the doctor for this, but I'm not sure what there is to do. I also feel like mine might be a long-term effect of my antidepressant, but I could be totally wrong. I did a google search and found a website where people shared their experiences, and it seems like this fatigue/falling asleep issue is fairly common for the medication, but no one mentioned having the problem when they weaned off. Of course, I was on it for eight years, so maybe that's why.

Are your symptoms anything like mine? What kinds of treatments did your physician suggest?
 
Hi Shihtzulover. That is really interesting. My guess would have been that the medication would be making you feel sleepy and that was why you were falling asleep. I really hope it's not some long term side effect that just hasn't gone away.
I think you should see your Dr. and have things ruled out. That is what I wound up doing. I also get weird headaches and heart palpitations, BTW. But the worst part is the fatigue. Also if I over do things I'm useless for the rest of the day. And it can take more than a good night sleep to recover. My Dr. says I'm very functional for someone with CFS though. There are some people who can barely get out of bed.

You should make an appointment. I really hope you feel bette soon. Maybe you could keep us updated?

Oh by the way. You might consider a rotation diet. You have to rule out food allergies and things like celiacs. I myself do better off of wheat and dairy.


Hi MZ, I didn't know you had thyroid problems. I wondered if I had them but it didn't show any problem on the blood test. But I think that you're right that there can still be a problem. I'm very sensitive to heat. Hot weather makes me feel sick. Even spending too much time under direct sunlight when it's not super hot can bother me. And I have heard that is common with people who's thyroid is a little off.

p.s. How are the kitties?
 
innerkitten, kitties are doing well...finally. rusty recovered from all his complications from surgery in january [we nearly lost him, too] and though harley is "frail" he is doing ok for an 18 year old cat. the other two are thus far not showing major health/aging issues...thankfully. the loss of lahonda in december followed by rusty's problems and long recovery took a real toll emotionally. thank you for asking! you know they mean a lot to me!

re thyroid: i had suspected but for years all the tests for thyroid came back ok so i just went with it.....then i started getting some really ultra issues: cold to the bone and couldn't get warm even on a hot humid day. like you nauseated by heat and other things. i did some online research and decided i needed to see someone that thought outside the box. i found an md in los gatos who specializes in people who aren't the typical.

two years ago i started on armour thyroid medication and i cannot begin to tell you the difference it made for me. i'm also very deficient in vitamin d and have to supplement at prescribed doses periodically as well as over the counter vitamin d on a daily basis.

i've also experienced slow but consistent weight loss w/o having to diet.....a good bonus.

but nothing is forever and we tweeked my meds in march: reduced the amount of armour and added generic cytomel. the dr's theory being that i was getting enough t4 but my system wasn't doing what it needed to do and thus my t3 level remained too low...cytomel is a t3 medicine. well, about 3 weeks into that change i made another appointment because i just wasn't feeling right. so now i'm back on my original dose of armour and taking cytomel once a day instead of twice.

and therein lies a big problem: once some decides that yes thyroid is an issue, its getting the meds tweeked!

there are some online groups/forums that deal with this but most of those people are way more educated re the terminology and/or have way worse thyroid problems than i do....however, you might find it educational. i did.

also, check this out:

http://thyroid.about.com/bio/Mary-Shomon-350.htm

poke around and you should find the sign up for her newsletter.

my experience is that most drs don't know enough themselves about these issues....and its very very important that we get ourselves educated.

i'm glad you're getting this checked out. i had all the symptoms for so many years and my mother has been on thyroid med for almost 40 years which made me a real candidate. all my symptoms were classic. but those other drs only wanted to go by the numbers. as this dr told me "haven't you suffered enough already?" my answer was YES.

MoZo

ps another great side effect for me is that i always felt angry...i mean really angry. and i flew off the handle very quickly and easily. not so any more. those silly hormones really do make our minds and bodies march to different drummers. for me the difference in my attitude and mind frame is very noticeable.
 
HI:

Did your Doctor r/o sleep apnea? I think this is a big issue that often gets overlooked.

cheers--Sharon
 
Thanks for the links MZ ! Glad to hear the cats are hanging in there.

I asked my Dr. and my allergist about sleep apnea but they said it was unlikely. Not sure why.
 
So sorry to hear about all of the health issues. have you been tested for epstein barr?
 
I am sorry to hear that. I hope they find a way to help you.
 
innerkitten, kitties are doing well
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top