New here--I think I have CFS.

[One_Nerve_Left]

I'm 47. Since Febuary of this year after a brief bout with the flu, I've never been able to bounce back. Constant fatigue, having to relieve myself every 3 hours, and generally feeling like my whole objective for the day is to get home and crash. Even after resting I feel like I'm exhausted. So today I decided to do a web search, and found this site.

Read the FAQ's, and suspect I have CFS. I'm thinking of seeing my doctor, but wondering if there is any point as it seems that there is little that he can do or even test to confirm if I have it. I just don't want to go to my doctor and seem like I'm just complaining I'm tired all the time.

[snohare]

It is worth going to see your doctor simply in order that you have a record made of your current health problems, in case you should need this for future benefit claims. I have found out the hard way that if your medical notes don't mention something, as far as officialdom is concerned it doesn't exist. You could go to ER and die twice, but without paperwork they'll expect you at work the next day...

If you're lucky and get a clued-up doctor who does know something about the subject, he will at least be able to rule out a lot of other possible causes for your chronic fatigue. Severe fatigue comes as part of a whole host of disorders - diabetes, which is also characterised by frequent urination - MS, leukaemia, all sorts of things both major and minor. So there are tests that can and should set your mind at ease regarding these, and also others that may at least provide evidence of immunological abnormalities.

If the worst comes to the worst and the doctor does nothing but raise your blood pressure, you can always go down the alternative/nutritional/lifestyle therapy route after seeing him/her.  But at the least, I'd certainly be thinking about getting tested for diabetes as frequent urination is such a hallmark of that disease.

Whatever you do, please let us know how you get on. Any help you need - we're here ! (When the viruses etc aren't having a good day.... )

[One_Nerve_Left]

Thanks for your encouragement. I've also suspected the possiblity of diabetes, which scares me to , yet conversely makes me afraid to find out for sure---Nothing like the state of denial to keep you from taking the steps to get help.

***Deep breath***I'll make an appointment this week.

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"How can I follow my dream if you keep waking me up?"

[mtnfla]

I guess FMS and CFS go hand in hand,2 weeks ago I was informed I had FMS and yesterday I was told I have CFS..Was put on pamelor to help me sleep hasn't work yet but it was only the first night taking it,tonight will be 2nd dose,hopefully within a week it will start to help...Hope everyone has a good night,was suppose to work tonight but don't quite feel up to standing all night putting up freight..take care and hope everyone has a good weekend..
Mary

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[snohare]

FMS = Fibromyalgia ? If so, yes, muscle pains are one of the most common symptoms of CFS/CFIDS?ME. I would expect/hope for a gradual, long-term improvement rather than a sudden big one. From what I've seen in myself and others, CFS-type disorders never seem to have a cure, just lots of little treatments that add up to a big improvement over time. Rather like a besieging army not actually killing the other side's general, but just gradually weakening the garrison until a surrender happens.

O.N.L., keep us posted on how you're doing, and remember - of all the auto-immune disorders, diabetes is probably the one with the most promising new treatments in the pipeline - experimental therapies have been able to get some patients to start producing insulin again...

Hope the summer where you guys are is drier, warmer and sunnier than ours here in Scotland... 

[One_Nerve_Left]

Saw my family doctor this week. He didn't think I had CFS. Had a blood test to check things out. The blood test came up with everything looking OK. Don't know where to go from here.

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"How can I follow my dream if you keep waking me up?"

[snohare]

Typically, CFS is diagnosed by exclusion, ie ruling other things out, - not by identification by any one specific test. So if he said this test was definitive, you now know that your doc does not know the most basic fact about CFS - always handy to know ! In practice, what you need to do is run a whole battery of tests, usually with a lot of resistance from your doctor who will take a lot of convincing that fatigue can in itself be an illness.

Have you looked at the older threads here and followed up the links to useful websites ?

Sorry, the internet cafe's closing, I'll track down some more info for you soon (ish) on diagnositc symptoms...if you can try a search on the "M.E. Association" in the UK.

Keep going, this too will pass.

[FamilyGuy]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I wanted to let Snohare know that Ralph has been asking about your whereabouts over on the Depression forum.  If you feel like it, could you drop him a line?  Here is a link to the thread:  http://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=19&m=260637&g=269347#m269347

[snohare]

Cheers ! My time has been so limited online I haven't been keeping up over there.

If you see him, please let him know I'll catch up tomorrow. (Only got a minute or two today.)