Hi,
I am new to this forum and was wondering if anyone could help? I have been unwell for quite a long period of time, and all my symptoms are those of PVFS (as suggested by others and more recently a chiropractor who i am seeing, a former GP, and initially by an endrocinologist whom I saw in India), however I am not getting anywhere with my current GP.
I am constantly tired, no matter how much I sleep, and am physically becoming less and less able to do things like I used to - this is causing me extreme anxiety and depression, and my life is becoming so affected in all areas. A year ago I was able to run for about 7 miles, and today just doing daily household chores are becoming more and more of a challenge. My body is aching more - ALL OVER, aswell as headaches and a huge impact of physical exertion like cleaning my house. Just dragging myself out of bed is a chore.
I have had bloodtests which have all come back normal (though for a period up until about four months ago, I did have very low oestrogen, which has naturally gone back up), and am absolutley going round the bend trying to find ot what is wrong with me.
I changed GP's after being fed up with being 'shoved off' as I like to call it, and returned to an old GP with whom I have more faith, however that is slowly dwindling. I have a shoulder injury and increasing neck and back pain (hence seeing a chiropractor) which he believes is causing my symptoms (which even he admitted are also like CFS), but time off work (two and a hlaf months) and doing less physically has in no way alleviated my symptoms. Even after 10 hours sleep and a rest in the afternoon (thankfully it's the weekend), I am still tired. Friends who really know me, can see i'm not right and are worried about me.
He also thinks i've got depression, and after years of resistance I surrendered to taking anti-depressants, which I am now offas they made me feel more suicidal then when I initially went on them. Yes I do get really down, and am quite an emotional and sensitive person but put that due to just growing up - the reason why i am so low now is because I feel like physically and mentally I am becoming a shadow of my normal self - I want so desperately to do so much, however feel the barrier is my physical wellbeing. I just don't feel quite with it. I can laugh annd see the positive in things, but get so low due to all the uncertainty - I FEEL SO ALONE. I pray desperately for the strength to get through each day, and sometimes just teh next ten minutes.
I really would like to believe it is something simple, but am tired of all the brick walls I am continuously coming up against. In the past i've been able to get through so much, but it's becoming near impossible. All I want is some clear answers, and not to feel liek i'm being viewed as over dramatic, negative, and a hypochondriac - if I know what's wrong then I can apply the solution - anti depressants didn't work and I don't beieve that is my primary problem. I also feel liek i'll have to give up work but again with mo 'clear' answers, don't feel justrified in making any clear decisions.
I know this is a really long post but taht's how desperate I am, and I'm sure many of you can identify when I say that this doesn't really describe a patch of what's going on.
If anyone can advise, i'd really appreciate it.
Love and peace x
Hi,
I would normally start by telling people to get to their GP and have it checked out, but you have done all that, so it is difficult to know what to suggest, apart of getting a second opinion from another doctor.
" All I want is some clear answers..."
I'm afraid I can not give you clear answers and no responsible person or therapist on this forum will give you a diagnosis over the internet. You may be right, and potentially you may have ME/CFS/PVFS.
Please do not consider this as a prescription but I often advise clients with PVFS to take supplements of vitamin C, garlic and Milk Thistle.
However, your symptoms of tiredness, low oestrogen, depression, anxiety could also indicate other conditions, for example a hormonal or thyroid imbalance. You may also have vitamin or mineral deficiency - and nutritional imbalance may also be responsible.
I often treat people with reflexology, who have similar symptoms and have been unable to get a diagnosis, or even after tests, no identifiable diagnosis was given. I invariably also recommend a hair mineral analysis to find out if there is toxicity or deficiency.
Good luck,
Andre
Hi Lahnis
There is an indication that a lot of factors could be actively playing part in your present condition. It does not have to be this way. You are welcome to pm or email me.
Ruby
x
Hi Lahnis - welcome to HP - there are plenty of lovely people here who will offer ideas to help. No need to feel alone any more! There are a number of former threads on HP.
I can very well understand your frustrations having been through this myself - the worst being considered a fraud/hypochondriac/depressive by the medical fraternity and colleagues! It is extraordinarily debilitating, and however much one wishes to get on with things, it can be impossible - even to simply climbing and descending stairs :(.
CFS/ME/PVFS are umbrella terms for a variey of symptoms which have similar patterns. Unfortunately, as there are no current tests to confirm diagnosis this has to be done by looking at the symptoms - a skill that seems to be fast disappearing (reliance on tests is paramount now!) and we have had to overcome a disaster created by a psychiatrist who published a paper in the late '70's early '80's saying that ME was 'all in the mind' - a view taken on by other doctors as gospel. It has taken decades to start to dispel this myth and finally proof is being uncovered in mitochondrial dysfunction and now MRI brain scans done in medical research centres, mostly in USA. This year it has finally been accepted in UK that ME/CFS can be as serious as MS. (I could have told them that anyway if they'd asked!!!)
ME/CFS involves many different symptoms, which vary from person to person (as each of our bodies reacts differently). Not only is extreme fatigue involved, but often adrenal insufficiency (result of prolonged stress), gut dysbiosis leading to Leaky Gut Syndrome (don't suggest this to any doctor other than one of Functional Medicine!) which causes allergies, food intolerances, vitamin, mineral and essential oil deficiencies, poor immune function, aches and pains and many other problems.
The best information I have found is from Dr Sarah Myhill (the medical profession don't like her as she cures people!!!) [url]click here[/url] - she has helped hundreds of desperate people with ME to recover, and her system really helps. Her excellent book on ME is downloadable on request - It is important for you to find out as much about your problem as you can. It is not going to 'go away'! and doctors find us a nuisance because there is no pharma magic bullet ... And obviously there is more info on the various ME/CFS websites.
My recovery (not total, but enough for me to become a more active citizen again) has been the result of Nutritional Therapy (which not only looks at diet but looks at intolerances and the body as a whole) similar to Myhill's approach), and the amazing Emotional Freedom Technique to deal with any underlying emotional issues. NT deals with physical problems and EFT with emotional connections.
I assume you are un UK, so to find a Nutritional Therapist near you [url]click here[/url]. To discover more about EFT, click . There are videos to watch and a free starter kit too, but you will need someone to help you through the process. For an EFT practitioner near you try [DLMURL="http://www.aamet.org/search/filter-members/eft-advanced-practitioners.html"]here[/DLMURL].
Other therapies also help - as I say we are all bio-individual - and acupuncture, reflexology, homeopathy, reiki, massage, aromatherapy, etc can all play their part in helping recovery.
Hope this helps.
Love and Light
Here's another useful read [DLMURL="http://www.naturalhealthcourses.com/Reading_Room/ChronicFatigueSyndrome.htm"]here[/DLMURL]
Me/cfs
Hi lahnis,
I completely understand how alone and frustrated you are. In my own experience of CFS/ME which never really got properlly diagnosed or aknowledged for that matter, it took several levels of unpeeling the onion and healing to get me back on my feet. I first felt extreme fatigue when I became pregnant unexpectedly with my only child. It continued for 7 long weary years afterwards. However, the day before I found out I was pregnant was the day of my mothers funeral..she died 2 weeks after being diagnosed with cancer..and the same day my father decided to tell me that he had been living a double life with another woman and her kids. So there are a few shocks right there. It led me to Reiki, which proved to me that there was a spiritual link, and chiropractic, which showed there was a spinal link- both of which led to some resurgernce of energy..(u might want to read up on The Perrin Technique which is one Osteopath's research into ME- i agree wholeheartedly) but the silver lining came when a I was a case study for a friend who was training in applied kinesiology- she linked 3 weak muscles to thyroid and iodine deficiency. That really did help amazingly and the brain fog started leaving/could hold things without arms dying, even when the blood tests were all supposedly normal. Many ME cases are misdiagnosed thyroid cases. Soul retrieval had given me a richer life of wholeness and "being here" emotionally aswell. For all it's adversities, I cannot say I would change the illness looking back as it led me to learn about alternative therapies lying there on the bed, bored stupid, when, working as a nurse to the NHS under great stress and pressure was neither holistic or fulfilling. It has changed my life path completely as I have trained in many therapies and am currently learning reflexology and looking at craniosacral therapy this year. But most of all, the main thing I can give you right now is my heartfelt understanding of the awfulness of living minute by minute in that state, with people thinking you're making it up or even being called lazy perhaps. No, no, never doubt your own intelligence, especially your body intelligence- for as much as it is wise enough to tell you it''s sick, that same wisdom is within you to heal aswell. Your job is to find the right conditions for that to happen. Dont give up. Even little changes are a step toward the bigger changes. Heartfelt Hugsxx