Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)

By Nurse Diane

I was talking with my aunt the other day and she was telling me about her concern for her friend, a lady she has known since high school.  Several years ago her friend was performing her normal routine tasks, when all of a sudden she had some sort of attack, my aunt described it as a type of electric shock.  Following this attack she began having several problems such as muscle pain, insomnia weakness.  She went to several doctors, and specialists trying to determine what was going on with her body, and why she was feeling the way she was.  She was eventually diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).  She finally had a name for her condition, but explaining it to friends and family proved to be another difficult challenge.  Many thought she was just too lazy to want to do anything, while others thought that if she could do one thing, she should be able to do other things too.

Chronic fatigue syndrome refers to severe, continued tiredness that is not relieved by rest and is not directly caused by other medical conditions.  These symptoms must last for over 6 months before a diagnosis is made.

Symptoms of CFS include:

• Feeling extremely tired for more than 24 hours after exercise that would normally be considered easy
• Feeling unrefreshed after sleeping for a proper amount of time
• Forgetfulness
• Concentration problems
• Confusion
• Joint pain but no swelling or redness
• Headaches that differ from those you have had in the past
• Irritability
• Mild fever (101 degrees F or less)
• Muscle aches
• Muscle weakness, all over or multiple locations, not explained by any known disorder
• Sore throat
• Sore lymph nodes in the neck or under the arms

Diagnosing CFS is not an easy task.  There are no x-rays or blood tests that confirm the diagnosis; the only way is to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms.  There is no treatment for CFS, however there are treatments for the symptoms such as medication for pain, depression and anxiety.  Also a healthy diet and sleep management actions are helpful.  Patients may also benefit from working with health care providers to determine a safe type of exercise regime as well as trying to maintain social activities.  The expected outcome for this condition also varies.  Some people may recover in 6 months to a year, while some may never get back to their previous state before CFS.  Long-term effects include depression, isolation, and side effects from medications.

Today is National Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness day.  For more information about CFS, click here: http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/

(All images from Google) 

All or Nothing Day

(Google Image) 

By Diane Forrest

When my son was in college a few years ago, I was surprised and shocked to learn that he had gone out of town with some of his friends to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.  As for myself, I can't imagine why anyone would want to jump out of a plane, unless it was fixing to crash, but many enjoy the thrill of floating in air.  Such as President George H.W. Bush who likes to skydive on his birthday.

(Google Image) 

Recently I found out that this year, instead of jumping out of a plane, my son went up and flew it.  While I prefer he keep both of his feet on the ground, I have to commend his courage and resourcefulness.  With him, it’s either all or nothing.  When I told my father about his flying, hoping to "shock" him, all I got was my father wishing he had taken flying lessons when he was younger.  Who knew?

(Google Image) 

There are many people in this world what are risk takers, rule breakers, and those who like to play it safe. I have a friend who likes to bet on horse races. When he goes, he will take a friend along with him.  His friend will place a single bet with all his has in his pocket, not being satisfied with a small bet on each race. If he wins, he wants to win big, but when he loses, he loses everything.  I guess that’s where the phase "easy come, easy go" comes from.

(Google Image) 

Today is All or Nothing Day.  It's a day where you can just say to yourself, "what have I got to lose?'  Just bite the bullet and take the plunge.  You don't have to do something extreme like jumping out of a plane, or betting the bank, you can simply talk to your crush, or tell him/her that you love them.  You can make an apology over a long time burden you have been carrying.  You can even try something new like order a strange dish at a local restaurant.  All or Nothing Day is a time to take risks and live on the edge. Live like today is your last day alive and let your inner daredevil shine.

(Google Image) 

So today, try something new, give it all you got, and who knows, something wonderful may happen to you.

National Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness

(Google Image) 

Diane Forrest, RN

I was talking with my aunt the other day and she was telling me about her concern for her friend, a lady she has known since high school.  Several years ago her friend was performing her normal routine tasks, when all of a sudden she had some sort of attack; my aunt described it as a type of electric shock.  Following this attack she began having several problems such as muscle pain, insomnia weakness.  She went to several doctors, and specialists trying to determine what was going on with her body, and why she was feeling the way she was.  She was eventually diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).  She finally had a name for her condition, but explaining it to friends and family proved to be another difficult challenge.  Many thought she was just too lazy to want to do anything, while others thought that if she could do one thing, she should be able to do other things too.

(Google Image) 

Chronic fatigue syndrome refers to severe, continued tiredness that is not relieved by rest and is not directly caused by other medical conditions.  These symptoms must last for over 6 months before a diagnosis is made.

(Google Image) 

Symptoms of CFS include:

• Feeling extremely tired for more than 24 hours after exercise that would normally be considered easy
• Feeling un-refreshed after sleeping for a proper amount of time
• Forgetfulness
• Concentration problems
• Confusion
• Joint pain but no swelling or redness
• Headaches that differ from those you have had in the past
• Irritability
• Mild fever (101 degrees F or less)
• Muscle aches
• Muscle weakness, all over or multiple locations, not explained by any known disorder
• Sore throat
• Sore lymph nodes in the neck or under the arms

(Google Image) 

Diagnosing CFS is not an easy task.  There are no x-rays or blood tests that confirm the diagnosis; the only way is to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms.  There is no treatment for CFS; however there are treatments for the symptoms such as medication for pain, depression and anxiety.  Also a healthy diet and sleep management actions are helpful.  Patients may also benefit from working with health care providers to determine a safe type of exercise regime as well as trying to maintain social activities.  The expected outcome for this condition also varies.  Some people may recover in 6 months to a year, while some may never get back to their previous state before CFS.  Long term effects include depression, isolation, and side effects from medications.

(Google Image) 

Today is National Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness day.  For more information about CFS, click here: http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/