Just a question i have been diagonsed with c.f.s about two weeks im 15 i went a like a childrens doctor dont know whats its called...then just bak to my normal g.p....
i was wondering if either of these doctor should of prescribed me medicine to help me along?

and is they actully c.f.s doctors??? should i go see one


i dont know much bout cfs....?


(arent a good speller)

DOWN UNDER GIRL XXXX

Welcome to the Healthboards Sickgirl. I don't know much about chronic fatigue syndrome either, I just started using these boards. But I will try to help you along as much as I can in this posting. From what I have learned, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a name that doctors give to "fatigue" when they haven't been able to find out what the problem is after 6 months. Quite honestly to me, it sounds like a cop out, this is where the traditional medical community has decided to lump all us together. Technically I have not been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, but I do feel that I am headed in that direction with the way my doctors appointments keep going, and the disappointing results I keep getting. However, I am a paramedic, and with my albeit limited paramedic training, I feel very strongly that chronic fatigue syndrome is closely related to a host of many endocrinological problems (endocrine system=hormone system) Its statistically proven that women tend to get chronic fatigue syndrome more often than men, and why is that? Well, whats a significant difference between men & women? Women have much more complex endocrine and hormonal systems, and therefore their systems are more prone to malfunctioning and breaking down, and thats why I believe that chronic fatigue syndrome is mostly a hormone problem. When I personally started experiencing this fatigue for myself, in addition to visiting my regular doctor many times, I also went to see a chiropractor who uses the most unusual diagnostic techniques. He uses kinesiology, which is a fancy word for doing bizarre muscle manipulations that make you think that he is silly, and off his rocker. He told me that I was having a problem with my adrenal system, and armed with this information I started going after my doctors with renewed vigor. I demanded to have my adrenals tested, and then I began to study, and eventually to LEARN. You have to educate yourself Sickgirl, theres no two ways about it. This may be a disease that affects you for the rest of your life, so if you want to conquer it you're going to have to do it yourself. Traditional doctors are floundering around on the sidelines, they are NOT your friends, and in many ways, they are the enemy. They will tell you that all of your blood tests are normal, that there is NOTHING wrong with you, that its in your head, to see a psychiatrist, to prescribe anti-depressants, etc. . . You have to learn to READ your own blood tests, you have to learn what tests they gave you, and what they tested you for, and what it means. You have to educate yourself on your own body, how it works with far greater knowledge and skill than your doctor. I advise you to start keeping a daily, or perhaps a weekly journal. Write down things that have to do with your physical well being, and anything medical. How you feel, describe it, what you did before and after, etc. . . Chronic Fatigue is not a disease that will make a doctor sit up and take notice. In my experience, a doctor can't figure out whats going wrong until the patient is almost dead or dying, and then the problem becomes obvious to them. I've seen a patient go into the emergency room at least a dozen times complaining of vague symptoms, and always being sent home afterwards. Well, after the 10th time or so, the paramedics were finally lucky enough to perform an EKG at the moment that this patient started having her 10th HEART attack. God knows how many heart attacks she had until they figured out thats what was going on! Chronic fatigue never seems to get like that though, its always there, always debilitating, but never life threatening. You are the only one that is going to be able to figure out whats going on for yourself, because it will rarely ever get to the point where it kills you, it will just make you feel awful for a long time. Personally, I think that there answers out there, you just need to find them. In my case, I demanded the tests for my adrenal glands, and I continued to harp on this issue with every single referral and every single doctor that I saw. As it stands now, I had to go outside of my HMO plan and pay a big out of pocket fee to see this doctor, and to get some tests done. The doctor I went to practices what is known as "anti-aging" medicine, but he is one of those few doctors that knows that a small imbalance in the hormone system can cause significant symptoms, in my case fatigue, tiredness, muscle soreness, dizziness, nausea, short of breath after doing the smallest tasks, etc. . . Well guess what, 3 weeks later I got the test results back, and there it was, in black & white... I have a MAJOR growth hormone deficiency, and now I have the task of figuring out WHY I have this deficiency. Now, thats the problem that I have been dealt with, thats not to say thats what YOUR problem will be (Quite honestly, I sincerely hope its not). Hopefully your problem will be something much simpler to cope with, and there are many possibilities floating out there. Please, take a look at my postings under "Chronic Fatigue - A Possible Explanation", i've written a lot of stuff there which may help you.

thank you alot ....... dat was great thanks heaps



down under girl xxxx

i have only had it for about 3 weeks....



also is very sore red bloodshot eyes from this illness to?

Thanks for all the info CoCoMedic! That was great. :)

i have only had it for about 3 weeks....
also is very sore red bloodshot eyes from this illness to?

Dear one,

Your comment about the eyes ... were they also burning when this first started to happen? There are some cleaning products used at home and in the garages of families that have an often used component, 2-butoxyethanol. To find out if they do, you would have to search for more information; however, there are usually warnings about rinsing eyes for 15 minutes if you get fumes in your eyes, not wearing contacts, not getting in the water systems, etc.

If you can pinpoint when your symptoms started, and what you were doing at that time, you can stop using that and similar products with the same ingredients and stop exposing yourself to more and more serious ramifications of this chemical exposure.

Search for this information as if your life depended on it. It is very important. Be an educated consumer.

By the way, there are MDs who are also toxicologists and there are specialty labs that test for chemicals residual in your system. They will know about such things.

All the best

Moderator gave permission to share these web pages:

One is the NJ Hazard sheet on 2-butoxyethanol
(easy to understand - what this chemical does)
http://www.state.nj.us/health/eoh/rtkweb/0275.pdf

and

the MSDS sheet on it, that mentions not to mist (get in eyes)
www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/cis/products/icsc/dtasht/_icsc00/icsc0059.pdf

Welcome to the Healthboards Sickgirl. I don't know much about chronic fatigue syndrome either, I just started using these boards. But I will try to help you along as much as I can in this posting. From what I have learned, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a name that doctors give to "fatigue" when they haven't been able to find out what the problem is after 6 months. Quite honestly to me, it sounds like a cop out, this is where the traditional medical community has decided to lump all us together. Technically I have not been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, but I do feel that I am headed in that direction with the way my doctors appointments keep going, and the disappointing results I keep getting. However, I am a paramedic, and with my albeit limited paramedic training, I feel very strongly that chronic fatigue syndrome is closely related to a host of many endocrinological problems (endocrine system=hormone system) Its statistically proven that women tend to get chronic fatigue syndrome more often than men, and why is that? Well, whats a significant difference between men & women? Women have much more complex endocrine and hormonal systems, and therefore their systems are more prone to malfunctioning and breaking down, and thats why I believe that chronic fatigue syndrome is mostly a hormone problem. When I personally started experiencing this fatigue for myself, in addition to visiting my regular doctor many times, I also went to see a chiropractor who uses the most unusual diagnostic techniques. He uses kinesiology, which is a fancy word for doing bizarre muscle manipulations that make you think that he is silly, and off his rocker. He told me that I was having a problem with my adrenal system, and armed with this information I started going after my doctors with renewed vigor. I demanded to have my adrenals tested, and then I began to study, and eventually to LEARN. You have to educate yourself Sickgirl, theres no two ways about it. This may be a disease that affects you for the rest of your life, so if you want to conquer it you're going to have to do it yourself. Traditional doctors are floundering around on the sidelines, they are NOT your friends, and in many ways, they are the enemy. They will tell you that all of your blood tests are normal, that there is NOTHING wrong with you, that its in your head, to see a psychiatrist, to prescribe anti-depressants, etc. . . You have to learn to READ your own blood tests, you have to learn what tests they gave you, and what they tested you for, and what it means. You have to educate yourself on your own body, how it works with far greater knowledge and skill than your doctor. I advise you to start keeping a daily, or perhaps a weekly journal. Write down things that have to do with your physical well being, and anything medical. How you feel, describe it, what you did before and after, etc. . . Chronic Fatigue is not a disease that will make a doctor sit up and take notice. In my experience, a doctor can't figure out whats going wrong until the patient is almost dead or dying, and then the problem becomes obvious to them. I've seen a patient go into the emergency room at least a dozen times complaining of vague symptoms, and always being sent home afterwards. Well, after the 10th time or so, the paramedics were finally lucky enough to perform an EKG at the moment that this patient started having her 10th HEART attack. God knows how many heart attacks she had until they figured out thats what was going on! Chronic fatigue never seems to get like that though, its always there, always debilitating, but never life threatening. You are the only one that is going to be able to figure out whats going on for yourself, because it will rarely ever get to the point where it kills you, it will just make you feel awful for a long time. Personally, I think that there answers out there, you just need to find them. In my case, I demanded the tests for my adrenal glands, and I continued to harp on this issue with every single referral and every single doctor that I saw. As it stands now, I had to go outside of my HMO plan and pay a big out of pocket fee to see this doctor, and to get some tests done. The doctor I went to practices what is known as "anti-aging" medicine, but he is one of those few doctors that knows that a small imbalance in the hormone system can cause significant symptoms, in my case fatigue, tiredness, muscle soreness, dizziness, nausea, short of breath after doing the smallest tasks, etc. . . Well guess what, 3 weeks later I got the test results back, and there it was, in black & white... I have a MAJOR growth hormone deficiency, and now I have the task of figuring out WHY I have this deficiency. Now, thats the problem that I have been dealt with, thats not to say thats what YOUR problem will be (Quite honestly, I sincerely hope its not). Hopefully your problem will be something much simpler to cope with, and there are many possibilities floating out there. Please, take a look at my postings under "Chronic Fatigue - A Possible Explanation", i've written a lot of stuff there which may help you.
Wow! You are very inspiring to me - thank you!

if you have had it only 3 weeks it will not be a diagnosis of CFS cos you have to have it 6 months for it to be clinically called that! or do you mean you have only been diagnosed 3 weeks??

you could try a trycylic antidepressent eg amytriptline in a very small does to regulate sleep pattern cos CFS ppl have very little D wave deep sleep. AND painkillers for any pain you got. also antisicknesss, it just depends on your symptoms?? yes i would try to see a paeds CFS specialist

s xx.

Sickgirl, when I had CFS I also had red, bloodshot eyes that the eye doc pronounced to be ocular rosacea. When the underlying problem resulting in my CFS was fixed, I found the ocular rosacea also went away. I am not sure if the two conditions often go together or if they are only rarely found together.

I hope you feel better soon. Don't give up hope! There are medical discoveries being made every day, and each day we learn more and more and surely soon there will be cures for these diseases.

CS

This is a common misconception about CFS, probably because of the name which sounds pretty lame. But CFS, or CFIDS (Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome) is actually a complex illness involving the immune, endocrine and nervous systems. The brain is seriously affected, with many neurological symptoms, but actually all systems in the body get a beating, with a wide array of very confusing symptoms. However, most people with CFS suffer from debilitating fatigue, some neurological problems, orthostatic intolerance, gastrointestinal difficulties, and immune abnormalities. It is a complete and separate illness with its own markers, much like multiple sclerosis or AIDS, not a 'wastebasket diagnosis' for people whom doctors don't know what to do with. This is a misconception people who have CFIDS have to fight against, as it means that our illness is derided and dismissed, when in fact it is a serious, painful, and often lifelong condition.


[QUOTE=CoCoMedic]Welcome to the Healthboards Sickgirl. I don't know much about chronic fatigue syndrome either, I just started using these boards. But I will try to help you along as much as I can in this posting. From what I have learned, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a name that doctors give to "fatigue" when they haven't been able to find out what the problem is after 6 months. Quite honestly to me, it sounds like a cop out, this is where the traditional medical community has decided to lump all us together. QUOTE]

Hi sickgirl15
I am going to post the same thing that I posted for someone else, except modified for you. I completely understand what you are going through!! reading your post really brought me back to when I was first diagnosed. It is so painful when you feel like no one out there understands or believes you. I am 35 and have been sick since I was 12 yrs old. Back then they didn't even know what CFS was so I went through all the medical tests they could think of. The doctors kept saying I was either making it up, lazy, it was psychological or that there was simply nothing wrong with me. In fact they actually put me into a treatment center for 3 months when I was sixteen because they were convinced that it was all psychological. Doctors have a hard time admitting that they can't find something so usually the problem lies with you. I had anxiety disorder so bad that I couldn't leave the house. I get body aches, sore throats, irritability, extreme fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, weakness in my muscles, and joint and muscle pain just to name a few symptoms out of many. I also did and do get bloadshot eyes as well as problems with dry eyes. I am MUCH better today because I finally stopped going to regular doctors and veered towards alternative medicine. I am not telling you to do this in place of Medical Doctors but in addition to them. It's extremely important that you seek out an acupunturist/holistic physician. Also a Kinesiologist would be very beneficial. these doctors can read the body systems so much better than a traditional Dr. can and tailor a treatment plan especially for you which is extremely important if we are talking about CFS. It's one of the reasons I am at where I'm at today! At one point I was going to an acupunturist, chiropracter and a Kinesiologist. I will tell you right now that a Medical Doctor will do nothing for you, they did nothing for me. If there are any doctors out there reading this, forgive me for saying, but alternative physicians are much more in tune with how the body works. I know this, I have years of personal experience. If you do not seek out these alternatives I can't honestly tell you that you will get better. Most of these are not covered by insurance, however they are getting better at acknowledging things like this. I will try to help you in any way that I can but PLEASE take my advice. I hate to see people like you because I remember what it was like. Especially at age 15 when you should be out having fun with your friends. It's a very isolated feeling. Just know that There IS HOPE!!!!! I may never be completely better because I had it so long before a diagnosis. My case is however in the minority and I can certainly live with the few mild symptoms I now experience. Compared to how I was, I am 85-90% better. Again, please don't stop seeing Medical doctors in case it is something else that they can treat, just seek those I recommended in addition. Also CoCoMedic was right. no one really knows what "CFS/CFIDS" is, its just a label they put on something they don't understand. There may be many different causes. It's a process of illimination. Please feel free to ask me anything, and when you are feeling bad because no one seems to "get it" remember that there is a whole community here who understands. Take Care!! ;)

Traditional doctors are floundering around on the sidelines, they are NOT your friends, and in many ways, they are the enemy. They will tell you that all of your blood tests are normal, that there is NOTHING wrong with you, that its in your head, to see a psychiatrist, to prescribe anti-depressants, etc. . . .

You're so right!! First they give you anti-biotics, then another course of anti-biotics, then anti-inflammatory and if THEN its not cured they start to actually think about what it could be. By this time though, a few months have passed and you still feel like ***. They're so slow at doing anything and don't seem to care about anything more than getting you out of their office. Drs are useless.