How Will Me/cfs Affect My Quality Of Life
Not everyone will experience the same symptoms so itâs important not to compare people with ME/CFS. People with ME/CFS can have very different experiences of the condition and how long their symptoms last.
The impact of symptoms can be:
As symptoms change over time so does the impact they have on peopleâs lives.
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.
Literature Review And Findings
In response to the proposals, WHO conducted an extensive literature review of research relating to chronic fatigue. The review found that there remains insufficient evidence to classify chronic fatigue as an infectious disease, at this time. The review also confirmed the lack of consensus on a reliable diagnostic pattern of symptoms, the continued debate about etiology and the absence of any uniform or reliable treatment. The only constant in the studies reviewed was the lead symptom of fatigue, persistent over time.
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What Are The Signs & Symptoms Of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Someone with chronic fatigue syndrome can have many possible symptoms. The most common ones include:
- severe fatigue, which can make it hard to get out of bed and do normal daily activities
- sleep problems, such as trouble falling or staying asleep, or not having a refreshing sleep
- symptoms getting worse after physical or mental effort
- symptoms or dizziness that get worse after standing up or sitting upright from a lying down position
- problems with concentration and memory
- headaches and stomachaches
How Is Cfs Treated
Theres currently no specific cure for CFS.
Each person has different symptoms and therefore may require different types of treatment to manage the disorder and relieve their symptoms.
Work with your team of healthcare providers to create the best treatment plan for you. They can go over the possible benefits and side effects of the therapies with you.
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How Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Diagnosed
CFS diagnosis depends on two criteria:
A specific treatment for CFS has yet to be proven effective. Vitamin supplements and medicines have some benefit. Many treatments just relieve the symptoms of CFS.
What Else Should I Know
Having chronic fatigue syndrome can be hard. But for most people, the symptoms are most severe in the beginning. Later, they may come and go. Teens with CFS generally get better faster and recover more completely than adults do. Most teens get partial or full recovery within 5 years after symptoms began.
Many new and experimental treatments for CFS are available. But don’t use any unproven treatments until checking with your doctor.
CFS is a misunderstood illness. But scientists continue to learn about it through research and clinical trials. They’re trying to better understand its symptoms and causes in kids and teens.
Good medical care and coping techniques are the keys to helping your child manage chronic fatigue syndrome. You can find more information and support online at:
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Pacing Activity For People With Me/cfs
Pacing, or keeping within your available energy, is a self-management strategy to help people with ME/CFS make sure that they dont overdo activity or exercise. It reduces the likelihood of triggering PEM and can help reduce symptoms. Pacing is not a cure for ME/CFS and does not treat the underlying, physical cause of the disease.
The goal of pacing is for activity to be sustainable, so that the person can have some stability in their symptoms and what they can do each day. Pacing should be used in conjunction with rest.
The most challenging aspect of pacing is that PEM is very often delayed by as much as 24-48 hours, which can make it difficult to recognise when youve done too much. Using tools like an activity diary or heart rate monitor help you learn about your body and how much activity you can safely tolerate.
Suggestions on how to pace yourself include:
Definitions Of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Words
- uncountable noun chronic fatigue syndrome Chronic fatigue syndrome is an illness that is thought to be caused by a virus, and which affects people for a long period of time. Its symptoms include tiredness and aching muscles. The abbreviation CFS is often used. 3
- noun chronic fatigue syndrome a debilitating medical condition without an apparent cause, characterized by prolonged severe fatigue, muscle pain, impaired memory, etc. 3
- noun chronic fatigue syndrome a viral disease of the immune system, usually characterized by debilitating fatigue and flu-like symptoms. 1
- noun chronic fatigue syndrome A condition characterized by immune, endocrine and neurologic pathology whose main symptoms are extreme fatigue, extremely low stamina, muscle pain, lymph node swelling, postexertional malaise, and cognitive difficulties. 0
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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.
Central Nervous System Abnormalities
Abnormal levels of certain chemicals in the brain system known as the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis have been proposed as a cause of CFS. This system controls important functions, including sleep, the stress response, and depression. Some people with CFS appear to have imbalances in hormones controlled by the HPA axis, such as cortisol.
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How Is Me/cfs Diagnosed
Because many symptoms of ME/CFS are also symptoms of other illnesses or side effects of medicine, your doctor will need to do physical exams and tests to help determine if you have ME/CFS. There are no standard lab tests to diagnose ME/CFS.
If you think you may have ME/CFS, see your doctor. Your doctor may:
- Ask you about your physical and mental health.
- Do a physical exam.
- Order lab tests based on your symptoms, such as urine and blood tests, which will tell your doctor if something other than ME/CFS might be causing your symptoms.
- Order tests that check for problems found in people with ME/CFS.
- Classify you as having ME/CFS if:
- You have the main symptoms of ME/CFS, including extreme fatigue or exhaustion that does not go away and that prevents you from doing the things you want and need to do for you and your family exhaustion that comes after mental or physical exercise sleep problems and pain AND
- You have had the extreme fatigue and other symptoms for 6 months or longer AND
- You and your doctor cannot find another explanation for your symptoms.
The process to make a final diagnosis of ME/CFS can take a long time, so try to be patient. It is usually best to develop a relationship and follow up often with one doctor so that he or she can get to know you and see how you respond to treatment over time.
Diagnosis And Treatment For Me/cfs
Currently, there is no single test to diagnose ME/CFS. Doctors make a diagnosis by excluding all other illnesses that might be causing symptoms and following accepted diagnostic criteria. The persons results from routine medical tests will often be normal, but additional tests may show abnormalities.
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How Is Me/cfs Treated
Right now, there is no cure or FDA-approved treatments for ME/CFS. But, there are things you and your doctor can do to help ease your symptoms. Because the symptoms of ME/CFS vary from person to person, the management plan you discuss with your doctor may look very different from the plan of another person with ME/CFS.
What Are The Treatments For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
There is no cure or approved treatment for CFS, but you may be able to treat or manage some of your symptoms. You, your family, and your health care provider should work together to decide on a plan. You should figure out which symptom causes the most problems and try to treat that first. For example, if sleep problems affect you the most, you might first try using good sleep habits. If those do not help, you may need to take medicines or see a sleep specialist.
Strategies such as learning new ways to manage activity can also be helpful. You need to make sure that you do not “push and crash.” This can happen when you feel better, do too much, and then get worse again.
Since the process of developing a treatment plan and attending to self-care can be hard if you have CFS, it is important to have support from family members and friends.
Don’t try any new treatments without talking to your health care provider. Some treatments that are promoted as cures for CFS are unproven, often costly, and could be dangerous.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Autonomic Nervous System Abnormalities
Researchers are investigating links between autonomic system dysfunction and CFS. The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary actions, including regulating blood pressure.
Some people who have CFS also have symptoms of a condition known as neurally mediated hypotension . NMH causes a dramatic drop in blood pressure when a person stands up, for even as few as 10 minutes. Its immediate effects can be light-headedness, nausea, and fainting.
A related condition experienced by some people with CFS is called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome . POTS causes a rapid increase in blood pressure when changing from a lying down to a standing up position.
Can Complementary Or Alternative Medicine Help Manage The Symptoms Of Me/cfs
Some people say that complementary or alternative medicine has helped their ME/CFS symptoms. Keep in mind that many alternative treatments, dietary supplements, and herbal remedies claim to cure ME/CFS, but some might do more harm than good. Talk to your doctor before trying alternative therapies to be sure they’re safe.
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Va Disability Rating Criteria For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
According to 38 CFR, Part 4, theSchedule for Rating Disabilities, paragraph §4.88a the diagnosis of ChronicFatigue Syndrome for VA rating purposes requires the following:
#1. New onset of debilitating fatigue severe enough to reduce daily activity to less than 50 percent of the usual level for at least six months AND
#2. The exclusion, by history, physical examination, and laboratory tests, of all other clinical conditions that may produce similar symptoms AND
#3. Six or more of the following:
- Acute onset of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ,
- Low grade fever,
Deterrence And Patient Education
Living with chronic fatigue syndrome can be stressful, as the symptoms can affect the quality of life. Most people are generally healthy and active before developing CFS, making it particularly distressing. The most crucial factor for patients to successfully cope with CFS is establishing a strong relationship with an experienced health care provider. Having a provider that patients can trust, who listens to them and understands that their symptoms are real, can be validating and helpful. While it is discouraging to know that there is no quick cure for CFS, an experienced provider can work with the patient to find ways to manage their symptoms and maximize their quality of life.
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How Does Me/cfs Affect People
ME/CFS affects different people in different ways, some more severely than others. There are four levels of severity of ME/CFS, which give an indication of the level of disability ME/CFS can create:
- mild: 50% reduction in pre-illness activity
- moderate: mostly housebound
- severe: mostly bedridden
- very severe: totally bedridden and need help with basic activities including nutrition and hydration.
The severity of ME/CFS can vary over time. A person living with ME/CFS could be at one level of severity now, then their disease could either improve or deteriorate over time. For some patients, their disease can worsen significantly with no known cause. Other patients have a fluctuating illness where they have better and worse periods, which last for months or years. It is unclear why this happens.
For most people, ME/CFS is a lifelong disease. Full recovery is rare and estimated at less than 10%. For some people with ME/CFS, as time passes and their disease improves, they will find they can do more, but it is a slow and gradual process. However, this is not the case for everyone. Some people find their disease worsens over time, others may remain somewhat stable. With support and pacing, people can often improve their quality of life.
Tips For Exercising Safely With Me/cfs
If you feel you can tolerate some exercise, be guided by your doctor or specialist, but general suggestions include:
- Experiment to find the type of exercise that works best for you. Choose from a range of gentle activities such as stretching, yoga, tai chi, walking and light weight training. Often, people find exercises lying down use less energy.
- Keep an activity diary so you have a long-term picture of your performance levels and factors that might impact on your symptoms. Some people with ME/CFS find they feel good straight after exercise, but then crash later on, so make sure you monitor how you feel, hours to days after exercise.
- Stop the physical activity well before you feel any symptom flare. Pacing yourself is very important.
- Remember that the amount of exercise you can do will change from one day to the next.
- Listen to your body if you dont feel up to exercising on a particular day, dont.
- Find out as much as you can about your ME/CFS. Make sure you consult with health professionals who fully understand ME/CFS as a biomedical disease
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What Causes Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Scientists have been researching chronic fatigue syndrome for many years, but they still aren’t sure what causes it.
There may be more than one cause. And the different causes may interact with each other to bring on different symptoms in different people. Experts are studying potential triggers, which include:
- infections: Experts have wondered if infections like measles or Epstein-Barr virus might increase the risk for CFS. The role Epstein-Barr plays in CFS is not clear because studies have not confirmed it as a cause.
- emotional stress
- low blood pressure
Chronic fatigue syndrome can affect people of all ethnicities and ages, but it’s most common in people in their forties or fifties. It’s 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, but more research is needed to see if this is true.
What Causes Me/cfs
Despite researchers identifying many biological abnormalities in people living with the disease, we do not yet know the cause. For some people, the disease may be triggered suddenly by an infection, toxic exposure, anaesthetic, immunisation, or trauma such as car accident. In other people, ME/CFS may develop slowly over months or years.
Research clearly demonstrates that ME/CFS is a biological illness, and it is not caused by being unfit or mental health problems.
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What Is The Icd
The International Classification serves to record and report health and health-related conditions globally. ICD ensures interoperability of digital health data, and their comparability. The ICD contains diseases, disorders, health conditions and much more. The inclusion of a specific category into ICD depends on utility to the different uses of ICD and sufficient evidence that a health condition exists.
The Connection Between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome And Gulf War Veterans
Gulf War Veterans who develop Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome do not have to prove a connection between their illnesses and service to be eligible to receive VA disability compensation, although at VA Claims Insider we still recommend getting a Medical Nexus Letter , especially since Gulf War Syndrome is commonly misunderstood by C& P examiners and VA Raters.
ME/CFS musthave emerged during active duty in the Southwest Asia theater of militaryoperations onor by December 31, 2021, and be at least 10 percent disabling.
The VA has recognized medically unexplained illnesses, more commonly referred to as Gulf War Syndrome, and certain infectious diseases to include Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
APersian Gulf Veteran is one who served in the Southwest Asiatheater of operations during the Persian Gulf War. See 38 CFR § 3.317
Theater of Operations Covered for Gulf War Syndrome
TheSouthwest Asia theater of operations includes Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, theneutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United ArabEmirates, Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, theArabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the airspace above these locations. See
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