Chronic fatigue at 59
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi, I 'm pretty sure I have chronic fatigue; if not a post-viral fatigue of couple of months duration. I am 59 and have had it in the past but this time it seems more extensive and debilitating. I also have a strong history of depression especially bipolar. I have had the latter under satisfactory control for quite a few years so have felt I was making headway in my life -keeping really fit, meditating, attention to diet, well-organised, being productive at my job.
Now this has come along & while nowhere as severe as depression lethargy, it has "knocked me for six".
With depression & mental ilness I have used my experience & the collective knowledge to counter the illness -eventually successfully.
With chonic fatigue it seems that what passes for knowledge is disputed and there are few in clear guideliness or conclusive research.
Has anyone got any bright ideas or should I just take the trial and error approach eg attempt modifications to diet, try yoga etc.?
2 likes, 4 replies
jackie00198 quizmo
Posted
It's hard to know what's going on with you from your post. ME/CFS is a core set of symptoms, plus many others that can vary from person to person. One huge red flag for this illness is post-exertional fatigue or malaise (PEM). That is, when you do any activity, you get exhausted. Go to the "solve me/cfs initiative" website to see if the symptoms there resonarte with you. If they do, the next step is to go to a doctor and get a diagnosis. You need to have bloodwork done to rule out other illnesses. Many primary care physicians are not knowledgeable about ME/CFS, and will put down symptoms of fatigue to depression. That's why it's important to see an infectious disease doctor or a rheumatologist to get a proper diagnosis. It's only after you've gone through this whole process that you can make an informed decision about what to do. If you do have ME/CFS, you have to be very careful not to push through the fatigue, or you can make yourself worse and perhaps lessen your chances for recovery. There is no cure for this illness, but people can get better. Get plenty of rest and pace yourself. Gentle yoga can be a good thing if you're able to do it. In my case, I was unable to do yoga, as it made my symptoms worse. By the way, there is a big difference between chronic fatigue, which can be associated with many diseases, and chronic fatigue syndrome, which is a specific illness.
Shreddie jackie00198
Posted
Couldn't have put it better Jackie!
KPD quizmo
Posted
Hi quizmo, sorry to hear that you are feeling bad again! I've had CFS for 25 years and also suffer from generalized anxiety disorder, which makes things even more difficult.
I wish I had some bright and new ideas, but I'm afraid that trial and error is the best approach at trying to get better again. I go through periods where my symptoms seem to get worse, and then I spend time working on pacing myself, taking vitamins, getting the proper rest and exercise, and reducing my stress levels. All these things seem to help.
Hope you start feeling better soon! KPD
cherie8218 quizmo
Posted
I'm sorry to hear you are going through this. We have some things in common. I also have depression and bipolar and now chronic fatigue. My CFS is better than it once was. I started a cocktail of magnesium, coq10 300mg,L cartine, and daily vitamin.. Although it didn't take all my fatigue away I sure can function better. I wondered one time does this really help.. Then I got the stomach flu and didn't take it for 5 days.. I noticed a big difference. I don't know that this cocktail works for everyone but I read it somewhere and tried it. I hope this helps… Cherie