So what is this Chronic Fatigue Syndrome anyway?

Gosh, if this isn't a huge question because even the medical doctors have trouble with answering that! If affects different folks in all sorts of different ways. For me it was the breaking down of my body over time -- one health problem leading to another in this downward spiral that at first was easy to ignore and pass off as temporary pain and fatigue.

I try to simplify things for those unfamiliar with this disease. Officially I’m diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS). That’s the whole complete and correct name for this thing but most folks – if ever – have only heard it referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Don’t get confused here. This is not the same as chronic fatigue, many people can become chronically fatigued but can recuperate over time and can continue to function in their day to day routines. You mommies and daddies with new borns are a perfect example! There is a huge distinction here and I’ll try my best to explain it.

CFIDS is a debilitating illness that affects both adults and children. CFIDS, diagnosed by exclusion of all other illnesses known to modern science, affects virtually every major system of my body: neurological, immunological, hormonal, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal. No amount of eating or drugs can change that. At present, there is no known cause or cure for the illness.

The body, when stressed or in pain, sends out a surge of adrenaline and endorphins as a coping mechanism. A person with CFIDS is sometimes lacking in both to deal with physical or emotional stresses.

When there is a shock to the nervous system the body drops in energy level as it uses up the little bit of reserve adrenaline that it has. The muscles and reflexes slow—the body will just shut down until more adrenaline is slowly built-up. This shut down period is an uncontrollable response and can be so severe at times as to cause one to loose all control of muscle function.

For me, I can be left in a heap on the floor unable to move. As my body tries to cope with the stress, sometimes even breathing is hard. With that lack of oxygen, I can have trouble even focusing so that my sight is impaired. With slow reflexes, feeling dizzy and limited vision can cause me to be shut down for indefinite periods of time. Here’s what it feels like to me to have this disability…

Every Day Feels Like Moving Day

CFS is like the end of a big moving day, everyday.
Imagine yourself having just bought a house and moving into it. A day where you have carried all those big heavy boxes of books and moved that impossibly heavy metal cabinet that your best friends swear they will never help you with again.

Most of us have moved at least once in our lives. Didn’t that day go something like this?
Tempers were short and yours is shorter as you hobble aching in every bone of your body with the fatigue of carrying stuff back and forth all day long. Now it’s time to get that truck unloaded one last time to return it to the rental place. Your muscles scream, your back can’t take another load, and you’re shaking like a leaf. AND if one more family member comes up to you whining about when the pizza’s going to get here you’re going to blow your top!

So far, you’ve discovered the garage door doesn’t open with the remote, someone dropped a box of your best china, and the dog peed on the beautiful upstairs rug. You sit down and wanna cry. You announce to everyone you are done; you simply can’t do another thing for the day. Your body is heavy with exhaustion, your head aches -- you’re so dizzy you have to sit down before you fall down.

Imagine that night you are so happy to lie down for bed and so fatigued you don’t even care to put sheets on it. You grab some makeshift covers and settle in for the night. You wake up three hours later stumbling around to the bathroom. Boy, do you ache, holy cow! Back to bed you toss and turn; you lie in bed unable to sleep. You can’t shut down your brain, thinking of all the things that need unpacking and a million little details still to be done – all the work ahead of you. How you wish you could sleep but are just too sore.

You wake, barely able to pull yourself out of bed. You tossed and turned all night long. You feel nauseous and your head hurts. Your brain’s in a fog and you can hardly think. Your body feels so heavy; it’s hard to lift your arms up to get the shirt on over your head. This is going to be one tough day. Every movement is done in slow motion.
This is how I feel everyday with CFS. The bone-breaking fatigue causes me to struggle to even get a deep breath.
The smallest tasks have become monumental achievements, and leaving my house has become an event in itself.

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If your looking for more complete information go to the CFIDS Association of America http://www.cfids.org/about-cfids/default.asp