Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – WOMEN in RECOVERY

CHRONIC FATIGUE…can destroy, watch your thoughts!

One cannot control what comes to mind;

one can control just how long to entertain it….

“It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are,

or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy.

It is what you think about.”

Dale Carnegie.

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Endocrinologist

Abstract

Fatigue and stress-related illnesses often become diagnoses of exclusion after extensive investigation. ‘Tired all the time’ is a frequent reason for referral to the endocrine clinic, the implicit question being–is there a subtle endocrine pathology contributing to the patient’s symptoms? Often initial assessment suggests not but there are no clear data to address the question of whether overt pathology will develop in the future. This study observed outcomes after five years in 101 consecutive and unselected referrals to secondary care for ‘fatigue?cause’, where initial assessment did not suggest treatable endocrine pathology. The findings suggest that the clinical diagnosis of fatigue, based on history and tests to exclude anaemia, hypothyroidism and diabetes, is secure: these patients do not subsequently demonstrate excess morbidity and mortality, and their presenting symptoms are not early features of significant endocrine pathology.

VIDEO ONLINE ONLY

CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME – Dr. Whittemore and patients discuss symptoms and treatments.
Annette and Andrea Whittemore Nevada Newsmakers

Guests: Annette F. Whittemore, Andrea Whittemore, Anita Patton (patient), Rebecca Patton (daughter)

As of today, the cause or causes of CFS have not been identified and no specific diagnostic tests are available. Therefore, in order to be diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, a patient must satisfy two criteria:

1.Have severe chronic fatigue for at least 6 months or longer that is not relieved by rest and not due to medical or psychiatric conditions associated with fatigue as excluded by clinical diagnosis; and

2.Concurrently have four or more of the following symptoms: •self-reported impairment in short-term memory or concentration severe enough to cause substantial reduction in previous levels of occupational, educational, social, or personal activities

•sore throat that’s frequent or recurring
•tender cervical or axillary lymph nodes
•muscle pain
•multi-joint pain without swelling or redness
•headaches of a new type, pattern, or severity
•unrefreshing sleep and
•post-exertional malaise (extreme, prolonged exhaustion and sickness following physical or mental activity) lasting more than 24 hours.

The fatigue and impaired memory or concentration must have impaired normal daily activities, along with other symptoms that must have persisted or recurred during 6 or more consecutive months of illness and must not have predated the fatigue.

READ MORE @ CDC

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