After illness

Posted , 4 users are following.

I suffered acute pancreatitis end of Sept last year. I spent 4 weeks in hospital. A gallstone lodged in the tubing and I had to spent time in ITU on a ventilator. I had respiratory and kidney failure. On top of that I caught a hospital infection, pneumonia and pleurisy. Since then I have progressed from a wheel chair to resuming my training...triathlete...by shuffling and jogging, to running 5K. I've just started back in the pool with some short swims. My condition now is that I'm very dizzy most of the day and get very tired. I have to go to bed at 6pm and spend 13 hours lying down. I don't really know if I have CFS. I've had all the usual tests and my doctor thinks I just need time to recover...up to a year. He can't offer any treatment as he isn't sure what to do. I'm naturally concerned that it maybe CFS. Strangely, I'm better when I'm outside jogging even though I feel unsteady than sat on the sofa. What do others more qualified in this condition think?

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4 Replies

  • Posted

    hi nannysooz. sorry to hear you've been through so much in a short time. it sounds quite a nightmarish experience. i'd certainly say WAIT. give your body time to heal. it's been through so much, it's likely to be traumatised. however, i'd say to ask your Doc to have a check on your b12, folate and vit d levels.

    all good luck for a full recovery

    Caitlin

    • Posted

      Thank you for your reply. It's doubtful my GP will check on these, he's checked for iron and I'm OK,  but I could take them anyway and see.
    • Posted

      hi again. the Doc may only be too plsd. to find a reason for the unsteadiness & fatigue etc. and after what you've been through, may want to remove any obstacles to full recovery. the shock your body has been through may have thrown many of the metabolic pathways & processes out of zinc. since the pancreas was involved many of the dietary co-factors, enzymes etc. necessary to metabolize b12 , folate etc. may have been interrupted. it's worth asking as these conditions are so easily and cheaply treated. vit d. is a fat soluble vitamin so too much can cause problems. it's best to know your levels before treatment and be able to monitor progress. if folate happened to be too high it can mask b12 deficiency. you may not be able to absorb oral b12 if other enzymes are missing. getting base line levels is always a good starting point.

      Caitlin.

  • Posted

    If you're better when jogging, it's hard to believe it's ME/CFS. The hallmark of this illness is fatigue after exertion. In my case, I even have to rest after taking a shower.  But better safe than sorry. Give your body a chance to heal itself by getting a lot of rest and not pushing it. Have you had bloodwork done to make sure nothing else is wrong? You've been through a lot, so take it easy! If you don't improve, try to find an ME/CFS specialist.

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