Just a few years ago doctors seemed reluctant to acknowledge that
ME/CFS is for real, but now (early 2009) nearly everyone agrees that the syndrome is not only real but becoming an epidemic. As of July, 2007, the
Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that more than a million Americans have the illness. Since the name
CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) seems to trivialize the condition, many patients prefer the older British name
ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) which means muscle pain with inflammation of the brain and spinal chord.
If you or a loved one have
ME/CFS then it is very important that you realize it is a serious condition and can even be life-threatening. According to the CDC,
ME/CFS can be as disabling as multiple sclerosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, end-stage renal disease, AIDS, breast cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. "[People with
ME/CFS] say the word 'fatigue' does not begin to describe their condition. Donna Flowers of Los Gatos, Calif., a physical therapist and former professional figure skater, said the profound exhaustion was unlike anything she had ever experienced. "I slept for 12 to 14 hours a day but still felt sleep-deprived," said Ms. Flowers, 51, who fell ill several years ago after a bout of mononucleosis. "I had what we call 'brain fog.' I couldn't think straight, and I could barely read. I couldn't get the energy to go out of the door. I thought I was doomed. I wanted to die." (New York Times, "Chronic Fatigue No Longer Seen as 'Yuppie Flu'", David Tuller, July 17, 2007)
"The illness causes overwhelming fatigue, sleep disorders and other severe symptoms and afflicts more women than men." (Ibid.) If you are stricken with
ME/CFS chances are your immune system is severly compromised, your central nervous system has become abnormal, your cognitive functions are greatly impaired and you have difficulty handling stress. "Under the most widely used case definition, a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome requires six months of unexplained fatigue as well as four of eight other persistent symptoms: impaired memory and concentration, sore throat, tender lymph nodes, muscle pain, joint pain, headaches, disturbed sleeping patterns and post-exercise malaise." (Ibid.)
A doctor cannot order up tests to make a diagnosis of
ME/CFS. By the time you are reading this there is a good chance you have had many tests administered, the results of which indicated virtually nothing. That is one reason why
ME/CFS is so frustrating. The person with
ME/CFS is very sick and probably getting sicker and doctor after doctor is scratching their head because nothing is showing up on the lab work. And, too, a person with
ME/CFS can be very sick one day and feel relatively decent the next. It's no wonder that for so long doctors determined that it must be "all in your head". In such instances the
ME/CFS sufferer generally was referred to a psychiatrist or was given (as in my case) a hand full of antidepressants and told to come back in 2 weeks.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition (very similar to
ME/CFS) that affects about 5 million Americans. Doctors diagnose
fibromyalgia based on a patient's symptoms and physical exam. Patients experience pain and stiffness in the muscles, but there are no measurable findings on x-rays or most lab tests. While
fibromyalgia does not damage the joints or organs, the constant aches and fatigue can have a significant impact on daily life." (
WebMD.com) Fibromyalgia patients suffer with muscle pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety or depression and specific tender points. Like
ME/CFS sufferers, patients are led to believe the pain associated with
fibromyalgia was "all in their heads. But the medical community now accepts that the pain of
fibromyalgia is real." (WebMD) Women are ten times more likely to develop fibromyalgia than men. Medical science doesn't know why. My theory: I have read that women have more difficulty detoxing toxins from the body, expecially heavy metals.
The fatigue associated with
fibromyalgia, like
ME/CFS, is not like normal tiredness. It is lingering and can be present upon arising even after hours in bed.
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