Have you been feeling more than tired lately?!

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Before March comes to an end, I wanted to to address a Women's Health Topic having to do with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This came into my though process as I was helping a patient out as she kept describing to me doctors didn't know what was wrong with her because she simply didn't have the energy for anything lately. Although I was seeing her for something else, I kept thinking about her frustration. So I did a little reading with books and research, I was curious to know why her symptoms were being dismissed. And then I came across what some people say some women have he " Raggedy Ann Syndrome" known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.







 CFS is characterized by continual tiredness, achy muscles, fever, drowsiness, and the you know occasional "blah" moments that lost for not weeks months........ sometime for some women even years. I read that the typical patient are of course most likely woman between 20 and 50 years of age who are highly successful, educated and busy AF... Could this be you?! I mean at some point I even started asking myself could this be me! Well the answer to that was no because occasionally I do experience tiredness, but nothing that last for months, but it definitely made me curious to know what women should know....

 So, ladies, did you know that the typical patient will have a hard time finding someone to take her symptoms seriously which can at times be confused for depression or maybe doctors don't know even how to screen for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and there is a criteria to fit into this diagnoses. However at the same time CFS can mimic symptoms such as infectious diseases, hormonal disorders such as thyroid disease, drug abuse and exposure to toxins. For a women to be diagnose with CFS she must have persisting symptoms lasting more than six months or longer, but as well as have at lease 8 of the 11 symptoms below: 

 *Chills and mild fever 
*Sore throat 
*Painful or swollen lymph glands 
*Unexplained general muscle weakness
*Muscle Discomfort
*Fatigue for a least 24 hours after previously tolerated exercise
 *Health unlike any previous pain 
*Joint paint without joint swelling and redness
 *Forgetfulness, excessive irritability, confusion, inability to concentrate 
*Disturbed sleep 
*Quick onset of symptoms within a few hours or days 


 Some of these symptoms are similar to COVID-19 SARS 2 and it could possibly be that during the pandemic that some women's fatigue started abruptly following an infection of COVID-19 or after the flu too. Also, Symptoms usually start during a stressful time and when unusual demands are being made of the person such as family, work etc.







 CFS can show up in laboratory results with high white blood cell count, slight abnormality of the liver and antibody levels can increase or decrease. Of course this will be on a case by case basis. One thing to keep in mind ladies is to always to talk to your provider and follow up to see how your health keeps progressing. Now I know, I am no Medical Doctor, but I do know one thing you can do to ease the symptoms and you hear me say it all the time in my IG stories..

 *Eat right
*Exercise 
*Prioritize your activities...
*If you need to take a break...It's okay.... 
*Continue living, but do monitor your symptoms 
*Maintain a positive Attitude 


 There are several treatment to CFS diagnosis, but you will have to first get seen by a medical provider. Only tip of advice will be to look for a CFS specialist affiliated with a teaching hospital or university (Good examples are like USC or UCLA, UCSD etc.) You can also ask for a local support group that can help recommend a doctor. In other words ladies don't just sit around waiting for the answer to come to your lap, be proactive and take charge of your health. 










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