| The thing that's always amazed me the most | | | | undertake any medical treatments without the |
| about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is its | | | | strict direction of your doctor. I am not sure |
| definition, which reads: One of several names | | | | which possible cause you should start with, my |
| given to a poorly understood variably debilitating | | | | doctor and I ruled out at least 2 causes before |
| disorder of uncertain cause/causes. Wow! That's | | | | finding a treatment protocol that was extremely |
| like saying "we don't know what to call it (often | | | | successful for me. |
| referred to as Post Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia, | | | | I suggest you start out by researching all the |
| Sick Building Syndrome, Gulf War Syndrome, | | | | possible causes of "IT" and making a |
| Multiple Chemical Sensitivity among others), we | | | | determination of which one most likely pertains to |
| have a poor understanding of what the disease is | | | | you. For example if you live in an area that is |
| and we're uncertain about its cause(s)". | | | | known to have ticks, or visited a place known to |
| So if you are diagnosed with CFS it merely | | | | have ticks around the time your illness began, you |
| means you have the symptoms associated with | | | | would start by researching Lyme Disease and/or |
| CFS, such as chronic mental and physical | | | | Post Lyme Disease. If you live in an estuaries |
| exhaustion, myalgia, and cognitive difficulties to | | | | area where the downstream flow of rivers, |
| name a few. Being diagnosed with CFS tells us | | | | loaded with agricultural chemicals, meets the |
| nothing of why we are experiencing those | | | | incoming tide you would research Possible Estuary |
| symptoms which for most of us means adding | | | | Associated Syndrome (PEAS). And if you live, |
| "frustration" to the list of symptoms. Its no | | | | work or go to school in a "sick building" (a building |
| wonder CFS is often referred to as the "Phantom | | | | infected with mold) you would research Sick |
| Illness". | | | | Building Syndrome. |
| CFS is largely an exclusionary diagnosis and your | | | | Through my research and a doctor's guidance I |
| cause of CFS may be different from mine, | | | | was able to find the cause of my "IT" and finally |
| therefore your treatment(s) would have to be | | | | follow a treatment protocol that was successful in |
| different from mine. So lets for a minute forget | | | | decreasing all of my (major) symptoms, most of |
| all the names and take the prevailing symptoms | | | | them to a 2 or 3 on a scale from 1- 10 (10 being |
| (chronic mental and physical exhaustion, muscle | | | | severe). Although I still cannot go to the gym and |
| weakness, sleep disturbances) and simply refer to | | | | work out or participate in sports that require |
| them as "IT". | | | | physical activity, I no longer feel like I have to lift |
| The "key" (and the first step) to finding a cure to | | | | a "Mac Truck" off of myself just to get out of |
| "IT" is to find the cause. This can mean | | | | bed in the morning and I have been able to go |
| researching the alleged possible cause of "IT", | | | | back to full time work. The bad news is I often |
| trying any known treatment protocol for that | | | | get re-infected and have to repeat the treatment. |
| cause and seeing if symptom resolution is | | | | Thankfully research is ongoing and I am confident |
| experienced. Remembering, of course, not to | | | | that in the future a cure for my "IT" will be found. |