Cardiac problems or CFS

Hi 

when my husband was diagnosed with CFS at the m.e clinic in Truro hospital the specialist explained what things could trigger in your history CFS. 

A virus , cold, flu,glandular fever, a stressful childhood traumatic life and she mentioned open heart surgery as the body can be shocked by it traumatically , she also mentioned car crashes etc ...it's not the cardiac problems it's the affect of a major operation on the body . 

My hubby hadn't had surgery and he started like you dizzy bad sleep fatigue still able to function but just really struggling .. He didn't rest he continued working and it worsened he went part time with work then finally stopped after 3 years on sickness benefit he is feeling better and planning to start gradually pacing back to work.

my tip get referred to m.e clinic you will get assigned a occupational therapist to help you recover and tailor your recovery to you. And stop slow down rest or it will get worse ... 

Hope this helps 

That doesn't sound a lot like 'CFS' - but it is a label which is appleid to people likely to be suffering from a wide range of problems!

Even by the loosest standards though, it doesn't sound like you have CFS.

Here are some of the usual symptoms for ME/CFS: fatigue (level varies depending on how ill you are); post-exertional malaise (higher level of fatigue after any activity); unrefreshing sleep; cognitive problems (such as short-term memory loss and lack of concentration). Other common problems are headaches, muscle and joint pain, digestive problems, the list goes on and on. You should Google ME/CFS symptoms and see if the symptoms resonate with you. The Internet is a mighty tool for getting information about this illness. If I were you, though, I'd go to another cardiologist and get a second opinion. Because of your history, heart issues are the logical place to check. If you're in the UK, you may want to go to a private doctor. Of course, it's possible that your symptoms are caused by ME/CFS, but that's not the first place to look. For instance, when I first got this illness, I had heart palpitations and a feeling of shortness of breath that were so severe that I went to a cardiologist and wore a heart monitor. Turned out my heart was ok; it was the ME/CFS. If your heart checks out ok, see an ME/CFS specialist, preferably an infectious disease doctor or a rheumatologist. Also, take it easy and pace yourself. Especially if this is ME/CFS, pushing yourself through the fatigue could cause symptoms to significantly worsen.

LInda if you do have CFS then your fortunate you can still do your daily activities, but as Jackie says dont push yourselfe to soon to much as you could end up getting worse and takes far longer to get over it, could take months.

Hi Linda

Jackie and Sally have given you really good advise, that is well worth following. 

Im a 37 year old male, and still being diagnosed.  The route to being successfully diagnosed is often long, so I have read and there is often a large number of tests involved, which I had been going through just to rule out other possible causes.  

My next appointment is at the begining of January, my GP has advised me that I am having an enzime test as well as an ECG. They are hoping they will find something in these tests which could be the cause. however he also said that if the tests are negative that I am to be immediately refered to a ME/CFS specalist. 

similar to you, I also had an event which luckily gave me access to additional specalists, my oncologist doesnt believe that the issues relate to my previous condition and definately not as a late side effect.   I find myself not believing them, to be brutally honest. 

My issues started the moment treatment ended and like you I learned to live with them and not to allow them to intere with my life.  an example. I had the operation on a friday, but was back at work the following monday. I had the chemo on a wendnesday and returned back to work the next day. 

I continued working trying to ignore the issues and to put the ordeal behind me.  Making great hedway.  Then out of nowhere 13 months later it hit me. 

I've struggled every day since.  Not to dissimilar to what Sally has described about her husband.  I run my own business which has been the main driver for me to return to work, it remains the main driver for me to get out of bed in the morning and to try and do as much as I can. 

The advise from both Sally and Jackie is good and should be followed.  it took me a little while to find the sweet spot and I now know when I need to stop for the day. 

luckily I sit at a desk and its not physical.  but continuing is a tough task. 

The advise needs to be echoed.  Pass yourself and try not too over do it, the problems do get worst if you do. 

all the best 

Andy