I use to thnk that Chronic fatigue was just an excuse for lazy people to lay on the couch or in bed all day. That changed about 2 months ago. At the beginning of April I started having mild headaches everyday with an upset stomach. Soon after I started waking up as if I had not slept for 24 hours. Unable to work out due to lack of energy the situation seem to build on itself. The more sleep I tried to get the tireder I became.
Not officially diagnosed with CFS yet but that is what the doctors a re leaning toward. Anyone else have ever have this nebulous disease? What did you do to help overcome it? I have tried changing my diet, sleep and workout patterns and nothing has had an impact yet.
I had something similar back in 1993. I spent about 4 months with a low grade fever, body aches and the fatigue that is associated with chronic fatigue. It took all the strength I could muster to drag myself out of bed and go to work in the mornings, stare blankly at my computer screen and try to keep from falling asleep. For me working out was not even an option. It was definately one of the worst times of my life. I did the same as you and tried all kinds of thing, different diet, more sleep, less sleep and nothing worked. Then one day I woke up and felt great, everything had cleared up and I could get back to a normal life.
To this day, I could never explain why it occured, why it cleared up and why it has never returned; I’m just glad it did. I hope the same happens for you.
It can be purely physical but can also be associated with chronic depession. A woman that i know has CFS that is associated with bi-polar syndrome, a chronic depression psychological disorder.
I’m no doctor, but I did sleep in my own bed last night…
It might not even be that…
My wife had a piutuitary disorder (tumor) diagnosed late last year that was secreting outrageous amounts of growth hormone into her system. While all you juicers out there might think this is a neat thing, let me assure you it’s not, especially if it happens after puberty.
Because all her soft tissue was growing on a skeleton that could no longer grow, she had aches and pains, headaches, nausea, ringign in the ears, etc, etc, etc. at all times. She could never rest and often slept 14hrs a day but would wake up feeling as if she had only 1.
My point, make sure you get a second opion no matter the diagnosis. We know so little about CFS and the like.
I’ve known a couple of athletes that have fought it. I suffered with it for about 9+ months and it all started with Epstein Barr for me. It penetrates every cell of your body. I went from a highly trained athlete to not being able to get out of bed for more than 4 hours at a time for that period of several months. If you would like more specific advise offline feel free to email me at jtaylor1024_AT_H0tmail.c0m. The main thing though is don’t fight it. By saying that I don’t mean give up fighting it mentally, but if you try physically fighting it, it will win. I just mean rest, rest, rest, eat healthly, yoga, relax. It is really tough and very real. Good luck bro…
Back in 2002 my form took a staggering downturn. Starting in about April I began to have a hard time climbing stairs. My heart was always racing (70bpm RHR, it’s usually 50-60). And after a while I was getting dropped from steady (20-25mph )group rides…And I was a cat. 2!!! My working day was torture since it felt like I was navigating through pudding and I had a constant “stuffed” feeling in my head. Emotionally, I was a wreck.
I took a blood test, but everything came back normal.
Then it went away after a while (a couple months), without so much as a “Had a great time, Mr. Charming” note on my pillow. To this day I have no idea just what the hell happened.
I recall George Hincapie had something similar a couple years ago, but he retreated to “herbal remedies” and diet changes to fight off a “parasite”. I don’t think he’s sure what was wrong, either.
Rest lots, moderate exercise (steady/aerobic/max 60% of MHR), good diet. Hope.
I had the diagnosis in 1991, it never fully cleared up. But it might also have been the aftereffects of cerebral malaria, so it’s not certain. Some of the fatigue was due to mild anemia.
I am no doctor, but I also thought I had CFS and it turned out there was another cause for my symptoms…
There are a lot of environmental factors that could cause similar symptoms.
If you were healthy before, there is a good chance your condition may be triggered by a viral infection or an emerging humoral problem.
Make sure your doctors explore all routes before nailing you down for “working out too much”.
If CFS is the only explanation (after exlusion of all other possible causes), you are in for the long haul. I have however have heard that several non-conventional therapeutic approaches (light- and herbal therapy) have significantly improved the condition of CFS patients.