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How Does It Feel Like To Have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Posted by admin | Posted in Chronic Fatigue | Posted on 02-09-2009
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has varying levels of severity. Some people only
experience lack of peaceful sleep, intermittent headaches and overwhelming
exhaustion while other people experience anywhere from 4 to 30 full-blown
symptoms which occur simultaneously. While there are a lot of symptoms
oftentimes associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, there are a few that
are commonly reported by patients. Among them are the following:
Overwhelming fatigue – People with this syndrome wake up like they just got
hit by a truck and feel worn out all day. There are, however, periods which
run from a few hours to several hours a day when they feel a bit better.
What most of them try to do during these periods is to make up from the
lost time they stayed rested in the bed. This backfires on them and they
rebound to being exhausted. Whenever they try to do physical activities or
exercises, they would get drained easily and would feel worse the next day.
Recurrent infections – Among the major symptoms of CFS is infection which
may manifest as sore throat, recurrent sinusitis, bladder infection,
swollen glands and other respiratory infections. Some patients experience
recurrent rash that may or may not go away with antibiotics. Digestive
complaints such as bloating, diarrhea, constipation, cramps and gas are
also very common which are caused basically by the build-up of yeast in the
bowel, or by parasitic infection or by spastic colon.
Brain Fog – While overwhelming fatigue is one of the most debilitating
symptoms a patient of CFS can experience, the scariest, however, is brain
fog. Not a few patients complain of this symptom which may affect their
short term memory, their concentration, and their ability to substitute
words with another. Some of them also experience brief disorientation which
may last anywhere from half a minute to one minute.
Frequent Aches and Pains – Muscle pain and multiple joint pains are very
common among CFS patients. These are said to be products of lack of
sufficient rest or disordered sleep, yeast infections, impaired thyroid
glands and lack of nutrition in the body.
Increased thirst – Patients of CFS drink two to three times more water than
average individuals. This is caused by hormonal problems which lead to
increased urine output.
Allergies – Because of yeast overgrowth and other conditions occurring in
the body of a fatigue patients, allergies and food sensitivities are very
common. By removing the causes, of course, the allergies can be removed.
However, these patients have histories of poor response towards allergy
medications.
Weight gain – With or without change in diet, fatigue patients experience
20 to 50 pounds weight gain. Apart from lack of activities, the packing up
of pounds is also contributed by hormonal changes.
Depression and anxiety – The development of these psychological problems
push healthcare providers back to the classic chicken and egg question:
does fatigue cause anxiety and depression or is it a product of these
psychological conditions? As of yet, no one is certain. It is proposed,
however, that some factors are instrumental in aggravating these conditions
including poor nutrition and general sense of illness.
Reduced libido – Because of hormonal deficiencies, pain and the general
feeling of being sick, people affected by CFS have decreased libido.
Fortunately, this improves through medication and therapy.
You probably have recognized yourself from reading the above list. If you
think you are suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, it would be in your
best interest to consult a healthcare provider who is knowledgeable in this
disorder.

