My friend has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

And I'm not entirely sure what it means, we've had a close online friendship and we speak like everyday, but because he has CFS, he gets tired and can't be bothered to do much a lot of the time,

and I always seem to misconstrue this as him not wanting to talk to me, even though he said he does, and I just wondered if anyone could explain what CFS is and what does it actually mean? I've tried reading about it, and I don't want to seem ignorant to the issue.

I always just get paranoid sometimes, but thats my own problem, I just want to understand this better.

Thanks.

To the first answer: If you'd have read, I actually said I tried reading about it,

I thought I'd be able to understand it better if someone who knows someone, or has CFS could explain it better

As a sufferer of CFS/ME (It's called ME mainly over here in the UK - 2 names, same thing) myself, I can give you an insight into what it's like to live with illness. Some people are severely affected, whilst others only mildly. I am moderately affected. It is very uncommon to meet someone with CFS who hasn't lost some (if not all!) their friends. I'm part of an Association of Young people with ME (AYME) and I don't think I've met anyone who has still got all their friends. I include myself in that - one of my "close friends" decided that I wasn't really ill, it was 'just tiredness, which everyone gets' and couldn't work out why I have so many days off school for 'just being tired like everyone else'. She found it unfair that I went into school late, came home early, and got extensions for all my coursework. I fell ill nearly 2 years ago, and my days of being good friends with her are long gone! =P

I think it's absolutely fantastic that you're trying to read up on the illness and trying to be supportive to your friend, that is honestly the best thing anybody could do with a friend with CFS.

If you look at this link... http://www.ayme.org.uk/article.php?sid=1... ... it shows you little quotes from what people have said it feels like to have CFS. And here's a link to a list of all the symptoms sufferers can experience... http://www.ayme.org.uk/article.php?sid=1... ... it's unusual for someone to have all the symptoms, but a symptoms everyone has in common is the fatigue (extreme tiredness). It is not the tiredness that a normal person would feel if they were up partying all night, but a tiredness that makes you feel incredibly ill... all the time. It can last for a short duration, or much longer. I'm not sure how old you/your friend are, but when you become ill with it when you're young then the chances of recovery are higher (I'm 16). There is no cure, or even no known cause. You can't have a blood test or anything like that for CFS, so diagnosis is based on the symptoms and obviously the length of time you've been ill.

Again, as I'm not sure how old you/your friend are, I'm not sure whether you are still in education or not. Or even if your friend is able to attend school at all, but I have a great friend who was really lovely to me whilst I was at school. If I wasn't having a very good day but still went into school for a couple lessons, then she'd write the notes and then scan them for me to save me writing. She really was a complete God-send!! Writing, and other simple tasks are knackering for a CFS sufferer.

You say your friend 'can't be bothered to do much a lot of the time'. I doubt that is true, I find that I'd love to do everything my friends are doing, but I just don't have the energy as I feel so ill which then gives the impression that I can't be bothered.

If you have any more questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them for you, and again, well done for trying to read up on the illness and be supportive! Your support will be very much appreciated to your friend, I'm sure.

Oh gosh, I've just re-read that and realised that you have an online friendship and therefore all I wrote about helping him in school (if you go to school) is completely useful. Bleghh! (brainfog and poor concentration is a symptom haha!) Anyways, I hope some of what I've said still is useful to you... just don't get fed up with your relationship because he may not feel up to talking as long as you did before. That doesn't in anyway mean he doesn't want to! Send my best wishes to him xxx

go to web md and put in the key word chronic fatigue syndrome

CFS is horrible. You are tired all the time and deep inside you want to get up and do stuff but you can't because you don't have the energy to do pretty much anything. I have CFS and sometimes I get so tired its hard to walk up the sairs or even eat. Most people don't understand. They think when you say you are "tired as hell" they just say, "well go to bed earlier". No matter how early you go to sleep you're still tired the next day. You shouldn't be paranoid because if your friend has CFS he most likely wants to talk to you but doesn't have the energy to do so.

I hope this helps.