Coping with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

I've had the symptoms for about 18 months now; it all started after a severe viral infection, I just never really got better. After a year of not knowing why I felt awful and why silly things like a cold can put me in bed for a week, my doctors ran what felt like a million tests and diagnosed me with CFS. They've told me I need routine, but being a student with constantly changing lecture times and what have you that's a little difficult, though I've done my best and have fixed things in place to a certain extent. They said it will take time to 'recover', but I really need a boost to get through exams in january. Any suggestions please, from sufferers, friends of sufferers, the doctors haven't been much help with a temporary lift!
x

When they ran the tests, they did all my thyroid and most other hormones, all my vits and minerals, white cells, red cells, viral infection tests the lot, all was within normal range, I just have this awful fatigue and weakness, headaches lack of concentration all that sort of thing with no explanation.

I'm sorry to hear that you suffer from CFS/ME (ME is what they call it over here in the UK incase you didn't realise).

I'm 16 and I've suffered from it for nearly 2 years now, so I can completely sympathise with you.

I've been told the same thing about 'routine', but can't understand how I'm supposed to have a routine when my hours in school change on a day-to-day basis due to only being in school on a very, very part-time basis.

From my experience, I can only suggest the following things in terms of trying to keep to a routine around my schooling:
- Keep to the same sleeping and waking times. I don't know if you suffer from insomnia/excessive sleeping due to your CFS/ME, but if you do then this is even more important. Evening routine in the run-up to going to bed is also important if you suffer from disturbed sleep.
- Try & sort out a certain times each day when you can rest. Although I've always been told to keep to the same time each day, this simply isn't possible for me but you can still have, say a 'Monday rest time', etc.
- If the above seems tedious (as I does to me, even though I wrote it =P) then just try to rest whenever you get back from a lecture. Rest is supposedly no noise, no light & obviously no activity. I find, however, that I can't rest with no noise as thoughts spin around in my head. So, I have the TV on quite quietly in the background but I don't watch it, I shut my eyes and I'm always lying in a dark room.

I'm sorry I can't be of much use to you! The reason your doctors can't help you with a 'boost' to get through your January exams, is because there isn't an ability to press a 'boost' button on your ME. Plus, if you overdo it significantly in trying to have a temporary lift, then that will in turn lead to a relapse, falling very poorly - possibly even bedbound. The big thing with ME is avoiding a 'boom' and 'bust' trend to life, because if you do too much one day, as I'm sure you know, you'll suffer for it the next day. I am telling you this from experience, as I struggled so much to complete my GCSE exams about 6 months ago that I crashed afterwards & was physically unable to walk, or move any of my limbs very much at all, and I've still not fully recovered from that relapse.

It seems like you're trying your best to fix things in a place, and that's all you can do as frustrating as it is!! Have you consider 'immune boosting' natural remedies, such as echinaecia? I've found that it definately keeps the colds away to a large extent! =)

Good Luck with your January exams, but remember that they aren't everything. It is not worth stressing yourself out so much that you actually end up too poorly to sit them! And Good Luck with your recovery, I wish you all the best. You have to be patient, but there IS hope x

Ever thought of going to a "holistic practitioner".They are not "quacks" and since i have been going for IV treatments(combination of vitamins);i have felt much better.Had that run down;tired feeling;but that is just my opinion;so good luck and let me know if you go.

did they test you for EBV Epstein barre virus it wipes you out like a mono, but this virus lives and acts up usually under stress my son was 7-8 and kept falling to sleep in school swollen glands it was + EBV, now did you have your thyroid checked hypo thyroid cause this which is me i have HYPO symptoms normal level growing goiters ii choked on bacon and almost died 2006 that's when they found my goiter s, and i am always freezing muscle ache bone ache air head. acting like FIBRO my vit D was dangerously low my endocrinologist gave me 50,000 iu of D and now i am on OTC D 2000 iu at walmart boost your B vit drink propel it has the vitamins drink V8 splash now you need to ask the DR to rule out goiters, ultra sound, have tsh t 4 have VIT D have an appt with an endocrinologist blood test for EBV mono? now you have to stop eatting BREADS pasta and wheat this could be a food allergy i just started this issue falling to sleep whenever i ate, and couldn't get any energy then my body started dumping everything so you can try eatting OATMEAL grits rice, ckn and turkey, corn polenta is great mini lasagna use thin sliced polenta fried in basil oil, then layer it like a lasagna its very good , eat fruits and veg salad wheat hides in everything see if you perk up.. I did