Had persistent concentration difficulties that increase in intensity after a small amount of mental work (e.g. reading/typing). Lasted quite a while now. Started after a brief episode of complete lack of sleep, sweating and generally feeling **** which I presume could have been a viral infection. I have a persistently inflammed right tonsil with no pain, but mild sore-throat feeling and throat dryness. No real 'physical' fatigue, aside from a very repeatable twitching of my left hand and left middle finger after I do some mental work (especially typing, though reading has a similar effect). I don't feel physically fatigued is what I mean and can play sport for as long as before, although I think the concentration is affecting how well I play. Is this compatible with CFS?

Is this compatible with CFS?

I would say no. But go to the cfids foundation web site for a list of symtoms one must have in order to receive the diagnosis.

I would say no. But go to the cfids foundation web site for a list of symtoms one must have in order to receive the diagnosis.
Had a look.

No I don't fit the criteria as I wouldn't define my experience as "severe fatigue". Other than for this (the first criteria), I have (or had) at least 4 of the second.

It's mainly the concentration difficulties and a low energy state, not debilitating or preventing me moving or the likes, just making me more apathetic and making mental work seem more strenuous (as concentrating is very hard at times and my I seem to keep having mental blocks with trying to learn or recall things in the short term).

What annoys me about this is:
- it is significant enough to notice and affect my functioning, but not blatant enough to be obvious to the world, especially now that my sleep is back to normal
- the persistent congested feeling and periodic episodes of quite intense tiredness that grip me at times
- the low level of tiredness that worsens rapidly with the amount of mental work I do
- the physical manifestations that, like the other manifestations is significant enough to notice, but not blatant enough to scream that there is a problem. In particular is the repeatable twitching/tremor of my left hand after a moderate amount of mental work and the enlarged right tonsil
- it coincides with a time where it would be quite useful if I was at my best for studies, etc

The worst part is:
- the doctors see the signs and my reports, but, probably correctly, deduce that because I have no severe signs, nothing need be done and all I need is time. I agree with this, but I would quite like to be at my best and make the most of my study opportunities at the moment, so I'm not actually looking for a diagnosis and cure, but just something to relieve these symptoms.
- others (e.g. nurse) don't believe me and think it's all in my head and that it is all psychological. The problem I have with that is that the psychological parts e.g. its effect on my work were secondary to my experiences and didn't precede them.
- I doubt myself. It doesn't make sense. I feel there is something wrong with me, but it doesn't match anything I know of or have heard of. My symptoms are not severe enough to cripple me completely, but I feel just less than I was before. Even if I accept the nonsensical idea that people keep pushing on me that it is all psychological, it doesn't help me at all as I'm not aware of it and certainly am unable to cope with it by myself. Besides, how does one psychologically make a tonsil grow? Why are my feelings only on the right hand side of my head and neck? Why do I not feel depressed (except as a result of my work going badly because of this)? Are all my experiences over the since october last year related?

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions of what is wrong with me, or better still what I can do to feel better, please suggest it. I've tried drinking alcohol, but I just seem to get drunk easily. Caffeine seems to have the opposite effect half the time and I actually feel more drowsy. When it does work, I feel shaky and my hands have a tendency to shake and even then my concentration problem is still there - I just feel hyperactive. Sleep seems to be the safest bet, but I can't sleep longer than I normally do. I don't want to try sleeping earlier either, as it brings back memories of the horrible times when I couldn't sleep at all. I just sleep nowadays when I feel tired and not before.

Rich,

Have you considered a problem with your thyroid. It can produce the type of symptoms you list. Go to the thyroid board here for some really great information. Also, if you haven't already, ask to have a thyroid panel done (blood work) and then post those numbers at the thyroid board. There are some very savy people there who can interpret them better than most docs.

.....
.....

I dont think its CFS, get MRI done and let us know the results... I may suspect Early MS forming, or just simple Brain Fog that happens to everyone..

In the absence of any definate signs and the variety of my experiences, I must conclude my experiences must be imaginary - also called somatization. MS is as unlikely as improbable. Besides the finger twitching is brought on by fatigue and accentuated by it. It doesn't occur independently as far as I know. Thyroid problems are unlikely for my age and gender.

Of all my experiences (head, sleep and neck), only the last can be looked at. The right-sidedness was my initial reason for concluding it was unlikely to be imaginary. My head sensations could possible be: completely imaginary, in part related to a chronic muscle tension on the RHS giving the sensation or perhaps a relayed sensation from the neck, as can happen when a cold gives the feeling of head congestion. My neck sensations show a distinct one-sidedness, and I've had continuous nasal congestion for at least a month - perhaps this is also in a way generated by the mind as I've heard anything's possible with the mind. My right tonsil shows reactivity in that it enlarges, then recedes and has a pimpled appearance. I have a sore-throat like discomfort in my right neck but I guess this could be some sort of subconscious emotional tightness. Brain fog as people describe it, is such a subjective condition that although I experience it quite distinctly, it could I guess be caused by almost anything, from my nasal congestion to slight immune reactions as indicated by tonsils to some complicated psychogenic origin.

If any one of you have similar experiences especially with the throat/tonsils, either emotionally induced, unexplained, or explained - I'd be interested in finding out how you dealt with it/fixed it. I think the simplest thing for me to do is to once and for all verify the validity of a psychogenic (imaginary) cause to this by examining my throat. I have no interest in wasting the time of professionals, as I think 3 G.P. appointments is enough and will have to find a way to do that at some point. I am currently trying some CBT psychotherapy techiques to hopefully deal with any emotional causes, if they exist.

Any info or tips on emotionally/psychogenic causes of the above symptoms would be very useful indeed. I'm especially interested in the nasal congestions one.

Good luck to you all.