Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

It's more than being tired

In April, 1991, my life changed - forever. I was diagnosed, over the phone
(without ever seeing a doctor) with a strep infection. Four weeks, and four
different antibiotics later, my sore throat finally eased...slightly.

In the next year, I went back to the same doctor, each time telling him that I
hadn't felt well since April. I was exhausted, my muscles were weak, I ran
low-grade fevers, sore throats came and went, my muscles and joints hurt all
the time. I was nauseous, dizzy, couldn't think, couldn't concentrate, and
couldn't remember anything.

The first time, I was told "You're a mother with small children. You're going to
be tired." The second time he said, "You've been under a lot of stress. You're going
to be tired." The third (and last) time, he patted me on the shoulder and told me I
should get my husband to take me on a vacation.

So I went home and swore I'd never go to another doctor again. By March,
1992, I was bedridden, unable to take care of myself or my children. I was so
weak, I was unable to hold my arms up to wash my own hair or to open a can of
pop. My life was a living hell, and real-life was passing me by. I listened
to my children growing up through the closed bedroom door.

Then, by the grace of God, I found a very special doctor.
He listened to all the symptoms, ran scads of tests, and finally diagnosed
me with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).

At last, I knew what was wrong with me. It had a name. It was real. It
wasn't stress or all in my head. A wave of incredible relief washed over me
only to be replaced by despair with the doctor's next words, "There's nothing
we can do for you."

Nothing???? How could that be? In this day of medical miracles, how could
there be nothing they could do? I went home, fell back into bed, and cried.
The next day, I began my search to learn more about this crippling disease
that had taken over my life. Even more importantly, I began to learn how to
live with it.

CFS is a lifelong illness. PWCs (people with CFS) never fully recover. We
can go into remission and be symptom free, but the next relapse hangs over
our heads for the rest of our lives. And for some, remission never comes.

There's so much information about CFS available on the Net. I'm not going to
repeat most of it here. I will include a couple of things I've written about
CFS and some very good links. If you want more information, and think that
talking to someone who's been there might help, feel free to email me.

© 1997 maddress@mail.com

Fatigue Rating Scale - For those who think, "Hey, I get tired too.
May 12th - CFS Awareness Day
Living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Aggressive Rest Therapy (ART)

Links to other sites on the Web

Center for Disease Control - CFS page
absolutely tons of information
a personal site - lots of good information