Signs And Symptoms Of Chronic Fatigue

What Is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease that causes you to feel so ill that you can’t do your normal activities. Sleeping problems occur along with extreme fatigue that doesn’t get better with rest. Any kind of activity often makes your symptoms worse. You may have other symptoms like problems with thinking.

Throw Her A Bone Now And Then

It might feel like your MIL is needy at times. She wants to rest, she doesnt want to dig the weeds today, work is too stressful for her, she wants to be in bed no later than 8:00 p.m. The list goes on and on. For goodness sake, throw her bone now and then! No. Scratch that. Throw her all the bones she wants and then some. I promise you the pay-off in terms of your health will be worth it.

Other Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms

Other symptoms that may be associated with CFS/ME include:

• Dizziness, palpitations, fainting, nausea on standing or sitting upright from a lying position.
• Increased sensitivity to temperature, causing increased sweating, chills, hot flushes or feeling very cold.
• Twitching and other abnormal uncontrolled body movements.
• Flu-like symptoms, including sore throat, tender glands, nausea, chills or muscle aches.
• Intolerance to alcohol, or to certain foods or chemicals.
• Increased sensitivities, including to light, sound, touch, taste and smell.
• Pain, including pain on touch, muscle pain, headaches, eye pain, tummy pain, or joint pain.

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Tests To Confirm A Diagnosis Of Me/cfs

Other conditions can cause symptoms similar to ME/CFS, so your doctor may do more tests to confirm the diagnosis. These may include:

Orthostatic testing.

Two types of tests may be done to see if you have symptoms after being upright for long periods of time. The tests may include a 10-minute standing or leaning test after lying down and a 30- to 45-minute upright tilt table test. The doctor will have you stand or sit upright for a period of time. He or she will ask you to report any symptoms or change in symptoms as they happen.

Neuropsychological testing.

This may be done to see if you are having problems with your ability to think, concentrate, or remember.

Cardiopulmonary exercise test .

This may be done to see if you recover after physical activity. Often the test is done and repeated about 24 hours later.

What Causes German Measles

German measles is caused by the rubella virus. This is a highly contagious virus that can spread through close contact or through the air. It may pass from person to person through contact with tiny drops of fluid from the nose and throat when sneezing and coughing. This means that you can get the virus by inhaling the droplets of an infected person or touching an object contaminated with the droplets. German measles can also be transmitted from a pregnant woman to her developing baby through the bloodstream.

People who have German measles are most contagious from the week before the rash appears until about two weeks after the rash goes away. They can spread the virus before they even know that they have it.

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When To Call A Doctor

It’s important to talk to your doctor about any symptoms you may have.

• Severe fatigue that lasts longer than 2 weeks, causes you to limit your usual activities, and does not improve with rest.
• Sleep problems that last for more than 1 to 2 months. These problems may include being unable to fall asleep or stay asleep, tossing and turning, and waking up feeling tired or not rested.
• Swelling in the glands in your neck or armpits that lasts for at least 2 weeks.
• Severe fatigue along with frequent urination , extreme thirst, weight loss, or blurred vision. Fatigue that occurs with some or all of these may be a symptom of undiagnosed diabetes.
• Severe headache that does not improve with home treatments.

What Can I Expect

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. It can also help to find support sites and groups, such as:

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Severe Or Very Severe Cfs/me

If you have severe or very severe CFS/ME, you will need more frequent reviews and increased support and care. You should also be referred:

• To a physiotherapist or occupational therapist working in an CFS specialist team for support on developing energy management plans.
• To a dietician with a special interest in CFS.

The process and pace of any CBT should be adjusted to meet your needs. This might include shorter, less frequent sessions and longer-term goals.

Is There Any Treatment

There is currently no cure for CFS. The therapies for this disorder are directed at symptom relief. It is important to maintain good health by eating a balanced diet and getting adequate rest, exercising regularly without causing more fatigue, and pacing oneself because too much stress can aggravate the symptoms of CFS. Working with a physician to develop a program that provides the greatest benefits also will help in reducing frustration with the illness.

Non-pharmacological therapies include acupuncture, aquatic therapy, chiropractic, cranial-sacral, light exercise, massage, self-hypnosis, stretching, tai chi, therapeutic touch and yoga. Certain psychotherapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy also have shown promise for facilitating patient coping and for alleviating some of the distress associated with CFS.

In pharmacological therapy there is a variety of medications that can relieve specific symptoms. It is important to begin with low doses and to escalate the dosage gradually as necessary.

Some CFS patients may also find it therapeutic to meet with other people who have this illness, and this can be accomplished by joining a local CFS support group. Support groups are not appropriate for everyone, and may actually add to their stress rather than relieving it.

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How Can I Help My Child

To help your child cope with the emotional symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome:

• Encourage your child to keep a daily diary to identify times when he or she has the most energy and help plan activities for these times.
• Have your doctor plan an exercise program to maintain strength at whatever level is possible. This can help your child feel better physically and emotionally.
• Help your child to recognize and express feelings, such as sadness, anger, and frustration. It’s OK to grieve the loss of energy.
• Get support from family and friends because emotional health is important when coping with a chronic health problem.
• Allow more time for your child to do things, especially activities that take concentration or physical exertion.

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.

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Cope With Depression Anxiety And Distress

When you have ME/CFS, you may not be able to do the things you would like to do. This may lead to feelings of frustration and anxiety. It can also lead to depression. Depression is not the same thing as ME/CFS. But it can make your ME/CFS symptoms worse.

• Work with your doctor to watch for signs of depression. People with depression often feel better after exercise, but people who have ME/CFS often feel worse.
• If your doctor suggests an antidepressant, ask if there is one that can help control your pain and help you sleep, as well as improve your mood.
• For support and help with mood problems, you can also work with a professional counsellor who understands ME/CFS.

An ME/CFS support group can be a good source of information and tips for managing your illness. It also gives you a chance to share your frustrations and problems with others who have ME/CFS.

How Is It Diagnosed

To be diagnosed with ME/CFS, you must have all of these symptoms:footnote 1

• Major decrease in your ability to do the things you did before you got sickincluding work, school, social, or personal activitiesthat has continued for more than 6 months.
• Worsening of symptoms after being mentally or physically active .

• Sleep problems, including not feeling rested after sleeping .
• Extreme fatigue that is:
• New or has not been a life-long problem.
• Not caused by being active for a long period of time.
• Not much better after resting.

You must also have one or more of these symptoms:

• Problems with concentration, short-term memory, or using the correct word .
• Feeling dizzy or faint while standing or sitting upright that gets better when you lie down .

Doctors may also use a variety of tests to confirm a diagnosis or to rule out other conditions.

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What Is The Outlook

The long-term outlook varies from person to person. Although some people recover or have a long period of remission, many will need to adapt to living with /CFS. The outlook is better in children and young people than in adults.

CFS affects everyone differently and its impact varies widely. For some people symptoms still allow them to carry out some activities, whereas for others they cause severe impacts on different aspects of the lives of people with CFS and their families and carers, including activities of daily living, family life, social life, emotional well-being, work and education.

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. 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.

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Some Diseases May Be To Blame For Chronic Fatigue

When a persons lethargy and general exhaustion completely take over, help should be sought, because the culprits for chronic fatigue may be some diseases, which should be treated in the hope that the treatment of the underlying disease will slowly affect the chronic fatigue syndrome. Diseases and conditions that can cause general exhaustion and life fatigue due to which sometimes there is no strength or why anemia, hypothyroidism , but already diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, diabetes, apnea .

Chronic fatigue is sometimes due to adrenal dysfunction and adrenal fatigue, endocarditis, inflammation and infections of the heart and heart, celiac disease, mononucleosis, restless legs syndrome , chronic anxiety, obesity, and of course other serious diseases may be behind the chronic syndrome. the real cause of this phenomenon has not yet been discovered, when some diseases are triggers, treating them at least partially improves the condition and the patient recovers from this feeling of complete exhaustion and returns the will to live.

When Should You Call Your Doctor

It’s important to talk to your doctor about any symptoms you may have.

• Severe fatigue that lasts longer than 2 weeks, causes you to limit your usual activities, and does not improve with rest.
• Sleep problems that last for more than 1 to 2 months. These problems may include being unable to fall asleep or stay asleep, tossing and turning, and waking up feeling tired or not rested.
• Swelling in the glands in your neck or armpits that lasts for at least 2 weeks.
• Severe fatigue along with frequent urination , extreme thirst, weight loss, or blurred vision. Fatigue that occurs with some or all of these may be a symptom of undiagnosed diabetes.
• Headache that lasts longer than 2 weeks.

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Is There A Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Test

There is no available test or bio marker for the illness. And, what makes this disorder baffling is the severity, type and number of symptoms individuals suffer from.

No single cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is known, and in fact it can be caused by multiple things, but it is likely that a trauma or several traumas of some description triggered it.

For example, trauma can come from one or more of the following:

• Hormone imbalance, such as adrenal fatigue.
• Bacterial infections, such as pneumonia.
• Immune system problems.
• Viral infections, such as glandular fever.
• Trauma from physical accidents.

How Is The Condition Treated

There are some ways to alleviate the symptoms of CFS/ME.

For some patients, cognitive behavioural therapy is prescribed, which works on the way you think and behave to help you cope with the effects of the condition.

Graded exercise therapy can be used to help sufferers after diagnosis.

Specialist trainers put patients through exercise, which raises the heart rate and helps to establish how much activity your body can cope with.

However this could soon be scrapped when the new guidelines are released, after many patients reported it made their condition worse.

Currently, there is no medication available for those who suffer with CFS/ME.

Over-the-counter painkillers can be used for muscle pain and antidepressants are sometimes useful for those who are battling with any mental symptoms.

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What Are The Symptoms Of German Measles

The symptoms of German measles are often so mild that theyre difficult to notice. When symptoms do occur, they usually develop within two to three weeks after the initial exposure to the virus. They often last about three to seven days and may include:

• pink or red rash that begins on the face and then spreads downward to the rest of the body
• mild fever, usually under 102°F

What Else Could It Be

The symptoms of ME/CFS are similar to those of other conditions.

If you think you may have ME/CFS it’s important to see a GP to make sure you get a correct diagnosis. A GP should also be able to refer you to a ME/CFS specialist if they think it would help you.

Page last reviewed: 29 October 2021 Next review due: 29 October 2024

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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.

Treat The Worst First

Start by listing your worst symptomsthe ones that make it hardest to get through the day. With your doctor, focus first on treating those symptoms. Decide whether a specialist might be helpful for any of them.

The most common ME/CFS symptoms can also be the most treatable.

Symptoms worse after activity

Learning how to manage your activity can help you be as active as possible without causing your symptoms to get worse. This includes:

• Estimating how much energy you have on a given day. This is sometimes called your “energy envelope.” You spend only that much energy, and not more.
• Estimating how much energy an activity takes and how long you can do that activity. You stop when you reach that time, and then take a break.
• Not pushing yourself to get more done on days you feel well.
• Adapting activities to make them easier. One example is sitting down while doing the dishes.

Sleep

Good sleep habits can help improve the quality of your sleep. If you also try medicine for sleep, it’s best to start on a low dose. Certain antidepressants help with sleep, mood, and chronic pain, so your doctor may suggest trying one.

• Insomnia: Improving Your Sleep

Feeling dizzy or weak while sitting or standing

Your doctor may have you wear pressure stockings, put your legs up while sitting, or increase your salt intake. Your doctor may also suggest medicines like fludrocortisone or midodrine.

Pain

Depression, anxiety, and distress

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