I have been dealing with fatigue for the last several years. The Dr's I have seen have passed it off as a result of chronic pain from TMJ. Recently, by God's grace, I am free of my TMJ pain, I've been weaning off my narcotics, and took the last pill 5 days ago. I realize they can stay in your system for quite awhile, but I'm past the point of withdrawl symptoms.

I'm still experiencing fatigue to the point of aching. I went grocery shopping yesterday, and felt completely wiped out afterwards. I have had some flu like achiness, but am not sure if that is a result of the drugs, since it seems to not be as prominent as when I first went off the narcotics.

I also experience depression, PMS, IBS, headaches, dry tired eyes, I tend to swich back and forth from sweating to chilling, can't focus. These seem to be able to be explained away as separate conditions, but I wonder if they are all related. And I seem to have trouble getting my Dr. to treat everything, he seems to focus on one thing at a time. Over the last 6 months I have probably been to the dr. 15 times. And I make an appt. for one thing, and by the time I see the dr. something completely different is my priority.

Any input or suggestions would be helpful.

BJO,

I would research the following:

-CFIDS
-Fibromyalgia
-Hypothyroidism
-Hashimotos

It sounds as if you could fall into one or more of these categories but I would do a thorough search on google for all of them. I would then ask your doctor for a referral to an endocrinologist. Many doctors still do not know what to do with Fibromyalgia and CFIDS, but you can find a lot of information and support on the web. For CFIDS go to the CFIDS Foundation homepage for links to other resources. An endo. should be able to address the thyroid issues if that is part of your illness profile.

All the best!

Peregrine

[This message has been edited by peregrine (edited 09-29-2003).]

Thanks for your reply. The Dr's have already checked my thyroid, and I'm on high doses of iron for anemia (which makes no difference in the way I feel). I just seem to feel worse each day. This morning I could barely get out of bed. I have been reading alot of the info on the CFIDS webpage. It has been very informative. I will need to see my dr. and ask him about all this soon!

I do have one other question, how do people with this condition stay fit. Before my recent discoveries about this, I just thought I was out of shape, and was going to get a personal trainer. Now I don't know if that is even an option, if I do have CF.
Thanks again.

If you have CFIDS I would be very careful about exercise as one of the major symtoms is exercise intolerance. This means if you even slightly overdo you could find yourself in a "flare" (an exacerbation of your symptoms). CFIDS is usually a life-long illness with periods of varying periods of remission (for me it is usually 1 to 2 months). It is a very complex condition for which there is still little know about how to treat (especially by MDs!). I think it imperative to do your own research to find out how you can best take care of yourself and reduce the onslaught of "flares". I wish you all the very best!

Peregrine

[This message has been edited by peregrine (edited 10-02-2003).]