Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: My Personal Story

In June, 1987 I was diagnosed with having Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I had been going through a period of months of extreme tiredness and weakness. It would seem that no sooner that I got up out of bed and I was back in bed again. I was sleeping an average of 15 to 18 hours a day. I can remember laying there and just wondering if I was going to ever get better. At first my family doctor had diagnosed me with Mononucleosis. I had gone to him in April of that year. He told me that I would be sick for about three weeks and then I could go back to work. After three weeks had passed, I actually felt worse. I went back to him and he told me that I should be better not worse. He basically told me that it was all in my head. He released me to go back to work. I decided to quit because I felt so terrible. About this time, I ended up getting a bladder infection. My friend told me about one of her doctors. He was a gynecologist. I was also having trouble with my monthly cycles. I decided to go to see him. He treated me for the bladder infection and also found that I had an ear infection. As you can see, he did a thorough check up on me. I told him about my experience with the other doctor and how I was having a hard time getting up out of bed. He told me that he thought that I could have a virus called Epstein Barr Virus. He told me that he would run some tests. Within about a week, he called me to tell me that sure enough that is what I had. From my understanding, Epstein Barr Virus is the same as chronic fatigue syndrome. He told me that I would be sick from anywhere from about 9-12 months. He told me that there wasn't a cure. The only thing that I could do was rest. Sure enough, he knew what he was talking about. I was in bed for about 9 months before I started to feel a little better.

During the nine months I experienced many different symptoms. I can remember just being so very tired. I was unable to keep my eyes open for very long. It seemed that it took all of my strength just to breath. I can remember having to go to the bathroom and having to crawl to the toilet. If I stood up, I knew that I would fall down. Mind you my toilet was about 5 feet away from my bed. I would sit on the toilet and almost black out. I felt so depressed. I thought that I was going to die. I was only 22 years old. Why was I so sick? I didn't understand. My stomach constantly hurt, and I had such bad migraines. When would this nightmare be over with? It was rare that I actually got to enjoy a bath. Yes, I had to take a bath because I was afraid that I would fall down if I took a shower. My husband was so good to me. He would come home from work and just lie next to me and massage my body because it hurt so bad. He would wait on me hand and foot too. He would bring all of my meals to me and I would eat them in bed and then go straight back to sleep. Eventually, I started to regain some strength around September. Little by little, I would go outside and get some fresh air. Then I started taking short walks. I would walk about 1/4 of a block. It felt so good. I felt like I was alive once more. By December, I was doing so much better that I could actually sit up on the couch in the living room and be a part of my husband's day. Although the struggle wasn't completely over, I was getting better.

I continued to have bouts of illness for about the next three years. I would go through months where I would be back in bed again. It seemed that if I came in contact with any type of virus, I was sure to get it. I learned that it was best for me to try to not go out in public too much. If I stayed at home, then I was less likely to have to stay in bed. This was very torturous for me though because I was young and wanted to be out and doing things. It was a way of life though. It had to be done. Eventually as I started to feel better, I started to study up on the virus. I learned about the things that were recommended for a person like me to eat. This helped a lot because as I followed the diet, I became stronger. Now, very rarely do I have to stay in bed. I think of myself as an average person that combats ordinary viruses. My immune system seems to be a lot stronger now and I can go out in public without having too many problems.