“IT”
The thing that’s always amazed me the most about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is its definition, which reads: One of several names given to a poorly understood variably debilitating disorder of uncertain cause/causes. Wow! That basically says “we’re not sure what to call it, we have a poor understanding of what the disease is and we’re uncertain about its cause(s)”. So if you are diagnosed with CFS it merely means you have the symptoms associated with CFS, such as chronic mental and physical exhaustion, myalgia, and cognitive difficulties to name a few. Being diagnosed with CFS tells us nothing of why we are experiencing those symptoms which for most of us means adding “frustration” to the list of symptoms. Its no wonder CFS is often referred to as the “Phantom Illness”.
CFS is largely an exclusionary diagnosis and your cause of CFS may be different from mine, therefore your treatment(s) would have to be different from mine. So lets for a minute forget all the names and take the prevailing symptoms (chronic mental and physical exhaustion, muscle weakness, sleep disturbances etc.) and simply refer to them as “IT”.
The “key” and, in my opinion, the first step to finding a cure to your “IT” is to go “back to the drawing board” by finding the cause of your illness. There are lots of remedies out there for treating the symptoms, but you will never resolve the problem completely until you find out what caused/is causing your “IT”. This can mean researching the alleged possible cause of “IT”, trying any known treatment protocol for that cause and seeing if symptom resolution is experienced. Remembering, of course, not to undertake any medical treatments without the strict direction of your doctor. I am not sure which possible cause you should start with, my doctor and I ruled out at least 2 causes before finding a treatment protocol that was extremely successful for me. I suggest you start out by researching all the possible causes of your “IT” and making a determination of which one most likely pertains to you. For example if you live in an area that is known to have ticks, you would start by researching Lyme Disease and, more importantly, Post Lyme Disease. If you live in an estuaries area, loaded with agricultural chemicals, you should research Possible Estuary Associated Syndrome (PEAS). And if you live, work or go to school in a a building infected with mold (known as a sick building) you would research Sick Building Syndrome. These are just a few of the many possible causes of “IT”.
Through my research and a doctor’s guidance I was able to find the cause of my “IT” and finally follow a treatment protocol that was successful in decreasing all of my (major) symptoms, most of them to a 2 or 3 on a scale from 1- 10. Although I still cannot go to the gym and work out or participate in sports that require high physical activity, I no longer feel like I have to lift a “Mac Truck” off of myself just to get out of bed in the morning and I have been able to go back to full time work. The bad news is I often get re-infected and have to repeat the treatment. Thankfully research is ongoing and I am confident that in the future a cure for my “IT” will be found.
If you are experiencing the symptoms of “IT” I urge you to please contact me. There is a now a simple and inexpensive tool that assists in diagnosis by showing evidence of neurological deficit. It can help you determine what further action, if any, you should take. If you have any questions, would like additional information, or are interested in Losing yourself please contact me personally. Good Luck!
Yours truly,
Adriano
Losing myself in a cause greater than myself
Please subscribe to the Ordinary Miracles blog by email or RSS.
To read the in-depth, extended version of this post click here.
[...] presents Chronic Fatigue: IT posted at Ordinary Miracles, saying, “Hello, first time participation in a blog carnival. [...]
I had chronic and acute Lyme’s disease for over 10 years. I was on antibiotics for slightly over six years without a day off for good behavior.
It utterly changed my life. At the time all I wanted was to be well.
Now I reap the benefits from the many spiritual lessons I learned through the time of hardship. It prepared me for who I am today and what I do. It make me a far more spiritual person who lives more in the now.
Due to the lack of energy and the pain, I had to learn to prioritize. I learned to seek guidance from what I refer to as The Divine, as that term is inclusive for many paths and beliefs.
Today, I am well, full of energy and busy founding a new theory of art, UnGraven Image and launching a new e book, The Art of Seeing The Divine. None of this would have happend had I not been stricken with — learned lessons throughout and then overcome Lyme’s disease.
Judy Rey Wasserman
Hello Judy,
Thanks for your comment. This is exactly the type of story I live for – people who have suffered, overcome and learned from their illness. For more motivational stories like yours you might want to visit this site’s sister blog: http://justdoitanyway.wordpress.com/ Thanks,
OMGuy
[...] discussed in a previous post CFS is an exclusionary diagnosis and has many causes. One of these causes is Sick Building [...]