In the introductory article, “The Mystery of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”, we learned that fatigue is more than being tired. The kind of fatigue experienced by chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients goes deeper than that. It is an unrelenting lack of energy sometimes crippling and debilitating enough to render a person bedridden for days, weeks, even months.
But fatigue is not the only symptom. Since the body commonly fatigues when fighting other physical or psychological battles, it is important to consider other physical manifestation of this imbalance.
Neurological and Other Related Symptoms
Other symptoms that occur after the onset of severe fatigue include:
1) Sleep Difficulties: falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking refreshed.
2) Pain: arthritic or muscle pain without confirming diagnosis of joint inflammation or fibromyalgia.
3) Neurological/cognitive symptoms (two or more of the following difficulties): “confusion, impairment of concentration and short-term memory consolidation, difficulty with information processing, categorizing, and word retrieval, intermittent dyslexia, perceptual/sensory disturbances, disorientation, and ataxia [loss of coordination of the muscles especially in the extremities]” (Carruthers/van de Sande). Patients may also experience informational, cognitive, and sensory overload (hypersensitivity to light or noise).
Autonomic, Hormonal, and Immune Symptoms
4) One symptom each from two of the following categories:
a. Autonomic symptoms: inability to stand for long periods of time requiring medication to ward off episodes of low blood pressure (neural medicated hypotension – NMH), or resulting in an abnormally large increase in heart rate (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome - POTS); light-headedness; nausea and irritable bowel syndrome; frequent urination and other bladder dysfunctions; palpitations with or without disturbance of cardiac rhythm (arrhythmia); and difficult or labored breathing with physical exertion.
b. Neuroendocrine (hormonal) symptoms: loss of the ability to control body temperature, and intolerance of extreme heat or cold, accompanied by marked weight change due to anorexia or abnormal appetite; unable to adapt to and worsening of preceding symptoms with stress.
c. Immune symptoms: tender lymph nodes, recurrent sore throat, recurrent flu-like symptoms, general malaise, new sensitivities to food, medications and/or chemicals.
A Symptom Journal Key to Communication
Be sure, if you are experiencing any of these symptoms in combination, to discuss everything with your doctor. This will help him/her determine where to begin investigating. It may be that your symptoms are indicative of something else and not chronic fatigue syndrome. One way to keep track is to keep a journal of your symptoms, when they occurred and under what circumstances (eg: stress, time of day, in relation to last meal or snack, what kind of food did you have prior to onset of symptoms).
Sources: http://bodyandhealth.canada.com; www.drpodell.org; www.cfids.org; “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome” by K. Kimberly McCleary and Suzanne D. Vernon, PhD, The Pain Practitioner, American Academy of Pain Management, Vol. 20, No. 1, Spring 2010, Pgs 14-17, accessed through www.cfids.org; www.cfids-cab.org/MESA (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Society of America); “Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Clinical Case Definition and Guidelines for Medical Practitioners (an Overview of the Canadian Consensus Document)” by Bruce M. Carruthers and Marjorie I. van de Sande accessed through www.cfids-cab.org; www.dictionary.com