Does anybody have CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) ?

I'll try my best to not beat around the bush so people bother answering. :lol: I'm a 22 year old male, I've been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder with tendencies toward depression in March 2015.

I've always been a quiet and introspective person, even as a child, but since my mid-teens I've been accustomed to low moods and (almost) always critically low energy. I was always able to manage it, but since the end of last year this condition has become crippling; depressive episodes became more severe, my body is sore and my back and neck are stiff, my grades at school have been falling downhill since I can't concentrate on any homework, and I had to quit my job midsummer because I couldn't even make half a shift without feeling exhausted. I won't go through all of my symptoms.

Recently, I learned about CFS, or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, and I relate to a lot, if not most, of the symptoms and conditions that come with this illness. I know for sure that my condition is not in my head and that beneath my mental woes, something deeper in my brain or my body is wrong and I can't find it, nor my doctor.
Does anybody have been diagnosed with that illness, suspects to have it or know somebody that has it and could enlighten me on the subject?




Thanks to you all, have a great day! (&&&)

NW-*

 

Thanks to you all for your answers!

@Anthemic, I send all hope and positive thoughts to your grandma. Everyday for at least 2 years I have felt as if my brain was floating in a pool of fluid inside my skull. I relate to this feeling of 'fog' a lot, to me it comes with trouble concentrating, struggling with memorizing and assimilating new information, reading a lot slower than before, trouble with enunciating ideas clearly when I speak, searching for my words etc...

@Caleb93, Is there a specific test I should take? The several blood tests I took for the past five years all came back normal. My grandpa, who has the same doctor as me, is taking meds for low T so I guess she would have suspected it but I'll talk to her about it on my next appointment!

@mvp 447, I send all hope to you as well! The last several months, especially since I had to quit my job, even running errands has become a chore haha! The sleep thing is one of the symptoms that is most crippling. Having low energy also means that I never feel rested. Sleeping 4, 8, 10, 12 hours doesn't make any difference; I always feel tired! If I don't put on my alarm I can easily sleep 10 to 15 hours and wake up worse than after a sleepless night. Do you exercise? I'm not sporty at all but I've been hoping to become fit for a while now. If so, which routine do you follow so you don't aggravate your symptoms?

 

@Valkari, I am glad I could help you find answers. Take good care of yourself.
@Anthemic, I'll search for a place like that much nearer to my home hehe! That said, I really wish your grandma will brush off her husband's opinion and check in. I mean if he does love her, he will understand that her well-being comes first, by all means. ^^

 

@Anthemic, Thank you for your concern! For now I will concentrate on finding myself a therapist to treat my ongoing depression, for which my doctor has been pushing me hard in the back to do for several months. There's a department at the university which offers cheaper sessions for students. Next, I'll make an appointment in another clinic in my city so I can have a different opinion on my case. The best thing to do right now is to get an accurate diagnosis, to make sure it is CFS and not something similar! To me, the odds are pretty high, but my maternal family has genetic history of fibromyalgia, so even though it is way more common in women, I have to make sure it's not my case. In the meantime, thank you for your help, take good care of yourself and your grandma too, we all need it! ^^

 

@freeapril Thanks for your reply. I've been meaning to send you a PM and tried to send one on your wall but I'm restricted on both. Have a great day!