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willthethrill18
willthethrill18

Hey all. I forgot my password on here and was much too lazy to change it until now lol. So, as many of you know on here, we all dont know if I have CFS. I have the typical symptoms (extreme fatigue all day, headache every day, general off-feeling) BUT **NO post exertional malaise** which is why I am skeptical. Well, besides the point, I am off to college in about 5 months and was wondering if anyone has any good coping mechanisms for when I am there! I go to school full time as a senior now. I would be categorized under the MILD CFS sufferers I believe. I have slowly gotten better since June, with ups and downs, but ultimately better. 

Please dont tell me "dont go to college youre not gonna be able to handle with CFS"...I have managed school all year keeping my grades higher than ever. 

Also, I have not quit alcohol even with CFS, it doesnt really hurt me to be honest. However, Marijuana makes me feel like utter sh*t. 

Honestly, I am just very worried about my roomate in college because I go to bed during the week early to rest up from the fatigue and I am not sure how to bring up to my future roomate that I have an illness because I hate hate hate talking about it (only 3 of my friends know). 

Oh yeah, QUESTION: Do people FULLY recover from this illness or will it stay with you forever, like even a little bit? I have no trouble walking around, working out, going out, the only thing that stops me is how crazy tired I am, but physically, my muscles dont hinder me, im just so exhausted. 

1 like, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Fidd
    Fidd willthethrill18

    Posted

    Doesn't really sound like CFS to me. Maybe some sort of chronic migraine problem? Maybe a sleep disorder? Have you looked into anything like PoTS? There is always a danger that trying to find the cause will mean you put a lot oftime and effort into something which doesn't help you, but you sound like an unusual collection of symptoms for CFS - which includes a pretty wide range of symptoms anyway.

    People with these sorts of problems as teenagers have a much better prognosis than those who get them older, and especially if symptoms are mild. I think that sure that some fully recover, and many substantially improve. It's very difficult to predict anything when no-one knows what it causing your symptoms, but you do not need to assume you will not improve.

    Would you be able to get a solo room at college? Could you mention your health problems? Maybe they'd put you in with someone else who needs a lot of rest?

    • willthethrill18
      willthethrill18 Fidd

      Posted

      Thanks for the response! POTS seems a lot different than I'm feeling, but it's certainly possible. I think it's CFS because I remember specifically the day it started. I just wake up so exhausted after 10+ hours of sleep and just wanna sleep again.

      It's possible to get a single room, something I may look into. Then again, company also makes me feel good because I don't think about how tired I am. But I will look into the roomate process and see if anyone else shares a need for sleep!

  • georgeGG
    georgeGG willthethrill18

    Posted

    I still need to pace myself. If I overdo it then I have two to three days of being physically and mentally washed out.  I have counted my self well for some 20 years now.
    • willthethrill18
      willthethrill18 georgeGG

      Posted

      I can play 2 hours of tennis 1 day, and feel fine after which is what's confusing. Pacing is important, but for me it's all about pushing myself harder bc I don't suffer post ex. Malaise. Take care
  • jackie00198
    jackie00198 willthethrill18

    Posted

    Funny thing. You came into my mind today, out of nowhere. I noticed you hadn't posted in a while. I wish you the best of luck in college. Whatever you have, you're obviously high functioning, which is a wonderful thing. I understand that you still feel off and fatigued, but really, it could be so much worse. There's every chance of you're making a full recovery. Especially because you're young and have slowly gotten better since June. This is a very positive sign that your body is successfully fighting your problem. I've found that coming "out of the closet" with my condition has been very liberating. I xeroxed a first-person account of what it's like to live with the illness, and passed it out to my supervisor and coworders when I was still working. People were very curious and interested in the article. And I didn't come off as whiny or complaining because the author of the article was speaking for me. The article is "A Sudden Illness," by Laura Hillenbrand. It appeared in the New Yorker a few years ago. You can Google the title and author and read the article. Perhaps it doesn't fit your situation closely enough, but you might still find it interesting. Best of luck to you!
    • willthethrill18
      willthethrill18 jackie00198

      Posted

      Hey Jackie! Hope you're doing well too, I remembered your in depth comments, so I came back here! I appreciate the kind words and all as well. And I will def check it out as soon as I finish this research paper I'm currently writing! The only reason I'm afraid to "come out" is because no one will believe me. But, I feel it'll take a bunch of stress off too. Maybe I'll start by telling my closer friends smile take care
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