Shortness Of Breath And Tiredness
You should be worried if you have been feeling tired, exhausted, or breathless, for longer durations of time. It could surely spell trouble for you if you have been experiencing these symptoms for over six months now, especially when there are no medical reasons for them to occur. A few medical tests could ascertain the underlying cause.
It may also come from ingesting toxins or after Hepatitis or Jaundice and can leave you hollowed out from within. Whatever be the underlying causes, we recommend going for the requisite pulmonary function tests to determine if your total lung capacity has reduced, and if so, what corrective measures can you take to set it right faster.
Note: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as an ailment is easy to detect but takes time to go away, and may signify some serious health conditions related to the liver and heart. The sooner you get it diagnosed, the better it is.
How Is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/chronic Fatigue Syndrome Diagnosed
Your doctor diagnoses ME/CFS by performing a mental and physical examination. Doctors will ask about your medical history and order blood and urine tests to check for infection. In many cases, doctors refer people with suspected ME/CFS to other specialists to rule out other illnesses that could be causing symptoms.
For your doctor to diagnose ME/CFS, you must have these 3 symptoms:
- Severe fatigue lasting at least 6 months that does not improve with rest or sleep
- Difficulty sleeping
- Fatigue that gets worse after mental or physical exercise
Additionally, you must have at least 1 of the following symptoms:
- Orthostatic intolerance
Discussing Treatment Options With A Doctor
The medical community differs over the exact treatment courses for those living with CFS. Youll need to work closely with a healthcare team to determine which symptoms are impacting your quality of life the most.
You may start with treatment of these issues and progress to others in time. Many treatment options are available, ranging from over-the-counter drugs to alternative therapies.
The most effective treatment for CFS is the one thats catered to you and your specific symptoms. A doctor may suggest a variety of treatments depending on what youre experiencing and what your treatment goals are.
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How Is Cfs Diagnosed
CFS is a very challenging condition to diagnose.
According to the Institute of Medicine, as of 2015, CFS occurs in about 836,000 to 2.5 million Americans. Its estimated, however, that 84 to 91 percent have yet to receive a diagnosis.
There are no medical tests to screen for CFS. Its symptoms are similar to many other conditions. Many people with CFS dont look sick, so doctors may not recognize that they indeed have a health condition.
In order to receive a CFS diagnosis, your doctor will rule out other potential causes and review your medical history with you.
Theyll confirm that you at least have the core symptoms previously mentioned. Theyll also ask about the duration and severity of your unexplained fatigue.
Ruling out other potential causes of your fatigue is a key part of the diagnosis process. Some conditions with symptoms that resemble those of CFS include:
- sleep disorders
The side effects of certain drugs, such as antihistamines and alcohol, can mimic symptoms of CFS as well.
Because of the similarities between symptoms of CFS and many other conditions, its important to not self-diagnose. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms. They can work with you to get relief.
What Are Your Options If Down Syndrome
Screen positive results If your test shows a high risk of having a baby with Down syndrome, your options are: To have a diagnostic procedure. This would tell you for sure if your baby has Down syndrome. If you had one of the standard serum screening tests, you can have a cell-free DNA test for secondary screening.
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How Is Me/cfs Treated
There is no cure for ME/CFS, but there are several things your doctor can suggest to help you relieve your symptoms and improve your quality of life.
Be careful when considering any commercially available product or treatment promoted as a cure for ME/CFS, as it doesnt have a known cure yet.
Current treatments have 2 key aspects.
- Pacing and rest: pacing is a strategy designed to help you live within your energy envelope this is the amount of energy you can safely use without triggering symptoms. It breaks down your activity into short bursts, interspersed with rest. The aim is to have some energy left at the end of the day. For more information about pacing, see the Emerge Australia fact sheet.
- Stepwise symptom management: this involves ranking your symptoms and exploring ways to reduce your symptoms, starting with the most problematic ones.
Your doctor may also suggest working with other healthcare professionals such as an occupational therapist, physiotherapist or psychologist.
Ask your doctor about how to best manage your work or school commitments while you are sick and when you might be ready to return.
It may also help if you:
- keep a diary to see whether certain activities or levels of exercise tend to trigger your symptoms
- make time to relax when you can
- go to bed at the same time each night and limit your daytime napping
- avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and anything else that could affect your sleep
Common Examples Of Roadblocks To Energy Production That Must Be Gotten Rid Of:
Irritants:
trauma, inflammation, food irritants, excessive mast cell activity, excesses of stress, unresolved emotional challenges, distractions
Toxins:
pesticides, industrial pollutants, plastics, mold toxins, heavy metals, cleaning chemicals, endotoxins from gut flora imbalances
Allergens:
food allergens, environmental allergens, drugs, chemicals, metals
Infections:
viruses, fungi, bacteria, parasites, tick-born illness , gut flora imbalances
Consideration should be given to all potential irritants, toxins, allergens, and infections suggested by the history and constellation of symptomsthere may be more than one.
Appropriate selection of testing can help confirm the causes that need to be treated. Work with an experienced Functional Medicine physician to help you sort this out.
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Memory And Concentration Problems
Memory aids, like organizers and calendars, can help with memory problems. For people with ME/CFS who have concentration problems, some doctors have prescribed stimulant medications, like those typically used to treat Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder . While stimulants might help improve concentration for some patients with ME/CFS, they might lead to the push-and-crash cycle and worsen symptoms. Push-and-crash cycles are when someone with ME/CFS is having a good day and tries to push to do more than they would normally attempt .
Articles On Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Thereâs no simple blood test or X-ray to diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome â also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis . And many of the symptoms of the illness — deep tiredness, unrelieved by rest or sleep, feeling worse after physical or mental exertion, trouble concentrating, feeling worse after standing and remaining on oneâs feet and other symptoms– are also seen in other conditions, too, making the diagnosis of ME/CFS more difficult.
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How Do People Report Reducing Their Symptoms And Moving Toward Recovery
In the absence of any approved medical treatment for ME/CFS, sufferers of the disease take their healing into their own hands. Many people who report improving their symptoms or recoveringlike Bruce, Carrie, Kenneth, and Karendescribe how they used pacing to help them very gradually increase their activity levels and regain their health.
Pacing is basically what it sounds like: paying attention to your energy level and other symptoms, and only doing what you can do without making your symptoms worse. ME/CFS patients often find it helpful to have planned periods of rest throughout the day. It can take a great deal of willpower and discipline to modify your lifestyle in this way, sticking to what feels like a very limiting schedule. But the alternativeoverdoing it and triggering the out-of-proportion intensification of symptoms is worse.
The focus on pacing as a method of recovery can make it sound like ME/CFS is a psychosomatic condition, but research has clearly shown that it is a physiological illness involving multiple systems of the body and causing many physical symptoms. The reason why pacing is helpful in recovery is simply because slowing down and paying attention to what your mind/body needs allows your systems to gradually heal and return to homeostasis.
If you have reduced your symptoms or recovered from ME/CFS by any means and would like to share your story, I will add it to this post so that others can learn from your experiences. You can email me at
Housebound Or Bedbound With Me/cfs
About 25% of people with ME/CFS are housebound or bedbound. Those who are housebound may be able to undertake minimal daily tasks for themselves, such as brushing teeth, cooking or using a computer for short periods of time, but they have to pace their activity and often use aids to help them . They are unable to leave the house, often because this requires more energy than they have available. When they do leave the house, they often need mobility aids such as a wheelchair or mobility scooter, or other assistance . Recovery from a trip out of the house can take days, or longer.
Some people are so severely unwell that they are bedbound some or all of the time. The most severely unwell may be unable to undertake even simple tasks, like eating or going to the toilet by themselves. They may require additional medical devices, such as feeding tubes, to help them get enough nutrition and fluids, and can be totally dependent on carers.
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Getting Older And Me/cfs
There is very little information on getting older and ME/CFS, however people can develop ME/CFS at any age. Additionally, all of the strategies such as pacing to reduce PEM and managing symptoms still apply. As people age, other problems with their health may also arise, so discussing any new symptoms with their doctor important.
Mental Health Support And Me/cfs
ME/CFS is not a psychological disorder. However, living with a chronic illness is challenging, especially one that involves missing out on normal life activities, and this may lead to mental health problems like anxiety or depression.
Speaking with a qualified mental health professional who understands the challenges of living with ME/CFS can be very helpful. They can help with things such as coping with changes to schooling, employment or social activities, and symptoms such as difficulty with sleep or pain. With the availability of Medicare rebates for telehealth, many mental health practitioners now offer remote consultations which makes healthcare more accessible for those who are housebound or bedbound with ME/CFS.
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Concluding Remarks And Future Directions
This review suggests that the beneficial effects of nutritional supplements are not random, but that their action is due to the removal of one of the causes of the CFS/ME. There is evidence that supplements may benefit CFS/ME patients therefore, nutritional supplements should be recommended, at least in CFS/ME patients with a biochemically proven deficiency. Studies investigating nutritional interventions in CFS/ME remain very limited most studies have had small sample sizes, and lacked long term followup . Despite the relative consistency in case definition, the studies differed with regard to inclusion and exclusion criteria and reporting participants’ sociodemographic characteristics and clinical features . This heterogeneity in study design makes the application of the findings to the clinical setting more difficult. Therefore, longerterm RCTs in homogeneous populations that use more specific case criteria are now warranted.
In agreement with several previous studies, pacing was consistently shown to be the most helpful treatment, CBT was useful for some patients but not all for all graded training may cause the condition to worsen. However, the results must be interpreted with care, as the participants are not a representative sample.
What Complications Are Associated With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/chronic Fatigue Syndrome
For some people, the fatigue associated with ME/CFS makes activities of daily living very difficult or even impossible. Research shows that only half of all people diagnosed with ME/CFS work full-time or part-time jobs.
ME/CFS causes significant depression in many people living with the condition. If you experience depression, talk with your doctor â effective treatments are available.
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How To Treat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
This article was co-authored by Chris M. Matsko, MD. Dr. Chris M. Matsko is a retired physician based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With over 25 years of medical research experience, Dr. Matsko was awarded the Pittsburgh Cornell University Leadership Award for Excellence. He holds a BS in Nutritional Science from Cornell University and an MD from the Temple University School of Medicine in 2007. Dr. Matsko earned a Research Writing Certification from the American Medical Writers Association in 2016 and a Medical Writing & Editing Certification from the University of Chicago in 2017. This article has been viewed 61,080 times.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or CFS, is a debilitating condition which leaves the afflicted individual with an ongoing feeling of exhaustion. Persons with CFS may be unable to perform even mundane activities which under normal circumstances present no problem. There is no cure for CFS, and there are no medications developed specifically for the condition. Fortunately, there are a number of treatment options available which can alleviate the symptoms associated with CFS.
Eliminate Sugar And Processed Or Packaged Foods
Eat a candy bar and your energy will usually plummet soon after. Sugar and other refined carbohydrates give you a little shot of energy, but at a huge expense: Those blood sugar spikes nosedive quickly, leaving you feeling drained. If eliminating sugar completely is too challenging, gradually trade it for lower-sugar foods, like berries, to transition off sugar. Eat nuts instead of chips or cookies.
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Identify Treatments Youve Tried
In addition to tracking the symptoms you have experienced, keep a list of treatments you have tried. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a medications and supplements list you can use to track your medications, their dosage, how well they help, and if you experienced side effects. Write a separate list of other treatments you have tried beyond medications and supplements, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, exercise, acupuncture, or meditation.
Manage Stress And Increase Restorative Sleep
Doesn’t it feel like life gets busier every year? These hectic and stressful lives we live are doing a number on our sleep.
What to do: Start and end your day with mindfulness meditation. An amino acid called theanine has also been shown to improve sleep and allows you to feel rested and rejuvenated when you wake up. Low-caffeine teas like white tea or decaf green tea are great sleep-promoting options, as well.
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How Can I Care For Myself With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
In addition to the treatments above, there are things you can do to help manage this condition, such as:
- reducing your stress
- getting plenty of rest
- making sleep a priority if you are having trouble sleeping, check out these tips to improve your sleeping habits
- eating a healthy diet to make sure your body is getting the nutrients it needs
- having plenty of salt if you have low blood pressure and a tendency to feel dizzy or even faint on standing
- learning to prioritise the things you need to get done, and then pacing yourself by dividing them into short times of activity with rest breaks in between
- learning mindfulness, meditation or creative visualisation
- getting out into nature regularly, listening to music and enjoying your pets
- developing a support network of understanding friends and family/whnau for when you need help
- joining a support group if there is one in your area
- talking to your doctor about whether there are any medications or supplements that may help you.
Complementary And Physical Therapies
There are several complementary and physical therapies that may help relieve symptoms in CFS. Acupuncture, tai chi, massage, meditation, relaxation therapy and yoga may help people to relax and increase energy, as well as treat muscular aches and pains.
Heat packs, warm baths and gentle stretching exercises may help with muscle and joint pain. TENS transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation can also provide relief from muscle pain.
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Who Gets Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome can affect people of all ethnicities and ages, but is most common in people in their forties or fifties. Its very rare in kids. A few teens do get CFS, and it affects more girls than guys.
Sometimes different people in the same family get CFS. This may be because the tendency to develop CFS is genetic.
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Should I See A Rheumatologist For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
If you go to see your GP and they suspect that you have CFS, they will usually refer you to see a specialist, such as a neurologist or a rheumatologist, to check for other health conditions that may be a cause for your symptoms.
A specialist rheumatologist such as myself can run a series of tests to help find the cause. You may have other health conditions and still have chronic fatigue syndrome.
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