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PLEASE RESPOND. CFS or Anxiety- giving up on life

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willthethrill18
willthethrill18

I had tonsilltis this past May-August. Sometime over this period I was hit with HORRIBLE fatigue. Id wake up from 12 hours of sleep exhausted. In April before the fatigue started I had my first ever panic attack after smoking weed-I felt weird for like 2 weeks because I flipped out and didnt know what was going to happen to me (felt anxious). But then in May i got the flu/strep throat. After the fatigue started I lost it. I looked up EVERY possible illness known to man to cause fatigue. If I sneezed, I would look up illness causing sneezing. I was basically a mess and went crazy. I then got symptoms like this: fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, headaches, weird dreams, spaced out feeling, no energy. I gave up and lay in bed and stayed home basically all day for a month and a half. But, I played tennis 3 hours a day and went to NYC every day during this time. in August for 3 weeks I played tennis 3 hours a day every day while still feeling horrible. Then, my doctor told me to have surgery to remove my TONSILS bc I kept testing positive for strep. He removed them and he found an abscess (an infection) and said all my problems would subside. The surgery was over 3 weeks ago and I am back to square one. My fatigue feels different but it is still there. My headaches arent the same severity but still there. My therapist says its ALL ANXIETY because I am able to excersize unlike many CFS patients. My symptoms are: horrible fatigue, tired still, headaches, slight brain fog, dizziness, shortness of breath, mild chest pain sometimes. Im a senior in high school and applying to colleges currently and it is making me crazy. I am terribly afraid I will not be able to attend because of my issues. All my hard work gone down the drain because of this. Can anxiety cause such symptoms? I hardly feel anxious and never have panic attacks. If its CFS I dont know what I will do. Please help me 

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  • littleme1969
    littleme1969 willthethrill18

    Posted

    Yes anxiety can cause all the symptoms you describe.. in fact the symptoms are very similar to CFS. I was diagnosed with General anxiety for almost 20 years before they finally realised it was infact CFS. The fact is adrenal gland fatigue which you get with too much anxiety is often diagnosed as CFS as the symptoms are so similar, with the one exception like your doctor said, you CAN exercise.. Which says to me it is just post opp fatigue/adrenal fatigue made worse by anxiety. Listen to your docs they know what they are talking about. It will pass but you have to calm down first and accept that it is just anxiety, otherwise you will keep throwing fuel on the fire and prolonging your recovery.

    It can take many months for the body to recover after a bad bout of infection, sometimes as many as 6, and your anxiety issues are just making it much harder for your body to heal itself . So take a few deep breaths and chill out!!   smile

  • jackie00198
    jackie00198 willthethrill18

    Posted

    Will: I'm so sorry you're going through this. I believe you posted on this forum before your surgery. Your symptoms mostly sound like ME/CFS, except for the chest pain. Also, if you have no post-exertional fatigue--well, I've never heard of anyone with this illness not having this kind of fatigue. It's really kind of a hallmark of the illness. You don't say whether you've had a complete blood workup and physical checkup. Rather than trying to second guess yourself, get all this done. Remember, ME/CFS is a diagnosis of exclusion. If all your test results are negative, find a ME/CFS specialist. This could be an infectious disease doctor, for instance. It's true that this could be anxiety, but I would want to rule out everything else first, including ME/CFS. Deep breaths, one day at a time. You will get through this.
    • willthethrill18
      willthethrill18 jackie00198

      Posted

      Hey. Yes I did. I had every test done all negative. Youre the first to tellcme it's CFS as everyone else says it's anxiety. Should I see a CFS doctor? Almost everyone on my anxiety post says to accept it's anxiety because my symptoms line up 
    • jackie00198
      jackie00198 willthethrill18

      Posted

      Will: I didn't mean to say it's definitely CFS. There's no way I could know that. I just meant to say it could be and is worth investigating. Do you have any post-exertional fatigue? I did mention that's a hallmark of CFS. I think it can't hurt to see a CFS doctor. If you are also anxious, whether that's the primary symptom, or secondary symptom because of CFS, you'll need to deal with that. A lot of people (including me) with CFS do have anxiety, because of what the illness does to the brain. 
  • JulieBadger
    JulieBadger willthethrill18

    Posted

    Hi Will, you've got yourself in a bit of a pickle.  You're scaried that it is but you're scared that it isn't cos what else can it be?  The anxiety side of things along with the tiredness is driving you mad. It is possible from personal experience to have ME/CFS and be able to do quite a bit of sport but that would be when the symptoms of the ME/CFS tiredness are in remission.  To be feeling the tiredness at the same time as doing the sport daily doesn't really tie together.

    You don't want ME/CFS, no-one does. Emotionally I would recommend telling yourself you don't have CFS/ME.  Thne looking at what you do have. You have shortness of breath, dizziness and mild chest pains which can all connect with the Panic attacks of Anxiety.  The tiredness and headaches, slight brain fog can come from stress. 

    So, are you suffering from high levels of stress and anxiety which you're brain and body can't deal with?  Very possibly.  You've got a stressful time at school and you're not feeling well.  Sounds stressful to me which can then lead directly into anxiety.  You're stressed and really anxious over your future.

    I would recommend trying to think "I am stressed and my body isn't dealing with it well".  Right you need to lower the stress levels. For this you need help cos it's got too high for you to deal with on your own.  Approach the doctors with can you help me to reduce my stress levels - short term anti-depressants.  Then go find specialists who help you to learn how to phyiscally deal with the emotions of stress.  Let go of the notion that you have an illness which can't be fixed - it's stressing you out too much!  If you do have ME/CFS reducing your stress is extremely important and will releave some of the ME/CFS symptoms.  Stress makes us that much worse.

    Get the stress down and then re-evaluate.  Be open minded that if you learn how to make stress stop affecting you in the way that it is now, then all or most of your current symptoms may disappear or be livable with.  Concentrate on stress releaving because it could be causing all of your symptoms. Good luck

  • Avocado
    Avocado willthethrill18

    Posted

    I'm quite stupefied by the responses to Willthethrill so far. Your symtoms started after an acute infection, and the symtoms fit very well with ME/CFS. If you have done some exercise every day, there's no way of telling whether the symtoms are caused by exercise, because they are there anyway, right? On the other hand, in CFS you don't get the crash immediately after exercise - there may be days in between. Especially when you haven't had CFS for very long, it may be very hard to figure out the link between exercise and crash. Many of us CFS patients can do some exercise, and as you may already have red, many have been top atheletes previously.

    I don't think your symtoms are caused by anxiety, especially if you have no other reason to be anxious except your sudden illness. Anxiety can make your symtoms worse, but it's not the cause. Saying that your multiple symtoms are caused by anxiety speaks of the same suspicion that we have experienced for years from the doctors who think CFS is all in our heads, and who attribute our symtoms to "panic", "anxiety", and a desperate need for attention.

    • willthethrill18
      willthethrill18 Avocado

      Posted

      Thanks for the reply. But I'm confused. I read that all cfs patients have some trouble just walking going about doing daily activity. I can do it all, I mean I feel exhausted but I can push through it. I just wake up feeling like I did the night before which is annoying. But, I like remember the day I felt this fatigue feeling which is odd. My parents yell at me when I talk about CFS bc they think I'm going insane
    • littleme1969
      littleme1969 Avocado

      Posted

      Clearly reading this you don’t really understand anxiety. When anxiety goes to the next level you become anxious about being anxious.. which is pretty much what  he is describing.  So saying he has no other reason to be anxious other than the illness does not apply to someone who has gone beyond that point and is living in a constant state of panic.   Again people with anxiety do no do it for attention!!! they can’t help it, their brain/body systems are so out of whack they lose control. Its not attention seeking its a mental illness like any other.  The fact is that you or i have no idea if he has CFS or not... that’s not for us to decide but the doctors.  He needs to give his body time to repair from the prolonged illness he has had, treat the anxiety with meds if needed and just give it time to all settle... then if he is still having CFS type symptoms despite treating the anxiety issue, then you can consider and look deeper into the CFS issue. Why have him worrying about a problem that he may well not have. One hurdle at a time.    Most patients with CFS can do some exercise.. this is true.. but most patients can do very little at all during a bad relapse.  If he does in fact have CFS what he is describing is a bad relapse.... so no CFS doctor on the planet is going to say that playing tennis for 3 hours during a CFS relapse fits the bill. It doesn’t. Its called CFS for a reason. But if he had an anxiety issue even while having background illness... then yes one would expect him to be able to do that amount of exercise.. Its all about breaking it down .. you have to do what the doctors have done and just use common sense and not jump to conclusions.  Sadly until they can find a test for this condition situations like this will continue to happen to people. Its like living in the middle ages when it comes to this illness.. no one still has a clue really. Because it does not kill you, the funding isnt there. Crazy when you consider that millions are affected by it sad 
    • Avocado
      Avocado littleme1969

      Posted

      It is true that any evaluation of a person's illness that we do here is based on the information given. It may not be the final truth. My own view is based on having had CFS for nine years and having followed up on dozens of people who have symptoms similar to CFS. Not all of them have had CFS, but hardly anyone has had anxiety only. Unfortunately, as you can read from many patient reports, in CFS issues most doctors are useless. They simply don't have the knowledge nor the interest to dig deep enough into the symptoms and research about this illness. Regardless of the illness, patients need to be active themselves to get diagnosed and treated properly. In case of CFS, patients need to be even more active.

      I'm not saying at all that people suffering from anxiety are pretenders or attention seekers. I'm saying that there are doctors who consider people with CFS symtoms as such.

    • willthethrill18
      willthethrill18 littleme1969

      Posted

      Thank you! Avocado doesn't seem to understand anxiety. I'm not saying I have anxiety for attention... Why would I..? I just rather have that than CFS. I'm going to see a cfs specialist soon. 
    • jackie00198
      jackie00198 willthethrill18

      Posted

      Will, I think you have some misinformation about CFS/ME. People with this illness can vary greatly as to how fatigued they are and how much they can do. When I first got ill, I could take a stroll around a garden for a few hours. Now I can walk only for a few minutes. If you're feeling exhausted and can push through it, this says a lot about you will power (no pun intended) and maybe less about whether you have ME/CFS. But if you do have this illness, pushing through exhaustion is a very bad thing to do and can result in worsening of symptoms. As I said in another post, it would be helpful to see a specialist, just to explore the possibility of you're having this illness. Not saying you do, just saying to check it out.
    • willthethrill18
      willthethrill18 jackie00198

      Posted

      True! I'm going to a specialist next week. I feel like I have it. The fatigue is unbearable. I'm relaxing from extreme exercise too to experiment and see what happens. Is it possible to overcome CFS in a year? I want to be able to go to college 
    • jackie00198
      jackie00198 willthethrill18

      Posted

      Of course you can can recover in a year. But doing extreme exercise to see what happens is the best way to prolong the illness, if you have it. I may sound like a broken record, but to optimize chances of recovery, you need a lot of rest, pacing yourself, good nutrition, and the best night's sleep you can get. Overdoing it can result in a very scary downward spiral. Really, I've been there, done that. Extremely not fun! 
    • willthethrill18
      willthethrill18 jackie00198

      Posted

      Sorry I meant I'm STOPPING the excersize to see if improved my symptoms! My bad, I was unclear. 
    • jackie00198
      jackie00198 willthethrill18

      Posted

      Will, Yikes! I reread your post and it was very clear. My brain must be totally addled! So it's my bad. Best of luck with the specialist.
    • JulieBadger
      JulieBadger willthethrill18

      Posted

      You don't need to recover completely from CFS/ME to go to college.  I went to Uni and got my degree. It was tough but it was possible.
    • JulieBadger
      JulieBadger willthethrill18

      Posted

      It will come down to motivation and looking after yourself.  You won't be able to party as much as the other students. However, you can walk away with the qualification towards a career and having experienced College life.  biggrin
    • Avocado
      Avocado willthethrill18

      Posted

      "Avocado doesn't seem to understand anxiety. I'm not saying I have anxiety for attention... Why would I..?"

      This is getting ridiculous. I have never said anyone with anxiety has it for attention. If anyone said so, I would consider that insulting and untrue.

    • Avocado
      Avocado

      Posted

      "Saying that your multiple symtoms are caused by anxiety speaks of the same suspicion that..." = If anyone says your symptoms are caused by anxiety, it's the stuff that people suffering from CFS have been hearing for years. 
    • JulieBadger
      JulieBadger Avocado

      Posted

      No. not necessarily.  At the end of the day Will is very young and very stressed out.  Do you think it's nicer to tell him that "you might be ok, it could be the stress that's doing all these things.  Try dealing with it as though it is just stress that is attacking your body.  That with help on how to deal with stress you could lead a 'normal' life" or do you think its better to say "yeh, you got CFS/ME there's no cure, hope you're one of the lucky one's who recovers. By the way no-one knows definately how to recover".  Most of us have not said it definately isn't or is CFS/ME but taking into account the description of his physcial ability we are hoping for his sake it is stress.  We have all I think pointed him in the direction of specialists and hope that it is just the stress that is doing it to him. 

      I definately wish mine was just due to my body not being able to deal with stress!  There's alot more help and understanding out there for how to learn how to deal with stress than there is how to cope with CFS/ME.

    • Avocado
      Avocado JulieBadger

      Posted

      Honestly I'm not thinking what is "nicer" for Will. I'm trying to think how to best help him, and because I don't think it's anxiety (alone), it would do him disservice to claim otherwise. Most of all I hope he will get better, and there is plenty he can do if he has CFS. (See earlier themes.)

      If this is a forum for exchanging niceties, obviously I'm in a wrong place. 

    • willthethrill18
      willthethrill18 Avocado

      Posted

      Thanks. Yeah this turned into a full fledged argument somehow... I'm going to a specialist so we will see how that turns out. This got wayyyyyy too opinionated. Will report back after I see a specialist 
    • JulieBadger
      JulieBadger Avocado

      Posted

      I think this is a place for giving people hope and support
    • JulieBadger
      JulieBadger willthethrill18

      Posted

      Hi Will.  If you can take a diary of what you do each day and how you feel during and afterwards with you, that could be really helpful for them.  Also I would advise you write down all your symptoms to then give them.  It's easier than trying to remember them all when you are put on the spot.  I know I always remember an odd one or two once I've left.

      Fingers crossed they can guide you.  As you can see even those of us who have been diagnosed officially with it can't always recognise it definately.  It has so many varients and symptoms like other conditions, that it is confusing. 

      I'm not sure if you've mentioned pain as well as fatigue?  There is also different fatigue feelings too.  They may ask you to describe your fatigue and your pain (if you have any).  You may want to think about that description too before you go.  I find it hard when I'm put on the spot.

      If they do diagnose you with CFS/ME don't go don't the thought route of you can't go to college or do the things you had dreamed of.  I've had ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia since I was at least 14.  I'm now 36.  I've got my degree, I'm self employed, married with 2 children.  I've achieved so much, yes it's been hard, still is!  But things are very definately achievable with determination (oh and a bit of painwink).

      Good Luck - hope they help you.  (PS. if they do say it's not them ask who they would suggest you see next). 

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