Imagine being so tired that you need 16 hours of sleep each day and are still too exhausted to go to the grocery store. That’s how it feels to have chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a condition with no known cause, cure or treatment.
Christina (who prefers not to use her last name), 40, lived with CFS for years—first at its mercy and then gradually learning habits that rid her of the debilitating symptoms. CFS is characterized by at least 6 months of incapacitating fatigue, problems with concentration and flu-like symptoms that are hard to miss. It’s often called the Yuppie flu because it predominantly strikes those in their 20s, 30s and 40s, and 80% of people who get it are women.
The CDC estimates some 500,000 Americans have CFS. “In January 1999, my energy dropped to the point where I was struggling to get out of bed in the morning,” Christina recalls. “Between January and June of that year I used up 4 weeks vacation and I don’t know how many sick days.” By a stroke of luck, the integrative medicine specialist who was treating her for a thyroid condition was able to diagnose the problem immediately.
The effects of CFS
Soon after her diagnosis, Christina acknowledged that she wasn’t able to work. “Once I left my job I slept 16 hours a day, every single day, for one year,” she says. “After that first year, I slept literally one minute less each day because I had spent all that time resting and taking care of myself.” During this period, she recalls, “I’d have 2- to 4-hour energy bursts, so I could still do some things. But even going to the grocery store was a huge hurdle.”
These were tough times: Her insurancecompany denied her long-term disability, she had to fight for Social Security disability benefits and even her family and friends didn’t understand that she was genuinely ill.
Turning point
In 2002, Christina enrolled in a CFS research study that changed her life. “I’d meet with a therapist who taught me energy management,” Christina explains. “I practiced keeping a strict daily schedule for sleeping, eating and exercise.”
Because the researchers believed that CFS is related to stress, she learned to reduce stressors in her life. “I had been in a stressful job that I didn’t like, in a city I didn’t want to live in,” she says. Energy Management Christina changed her habits and recharged her energy levels. She was able to start working again. She began part-time, and then transitioned to her own business as an interior designer—work she enjoys that allows her to create her own schedule.
Eventually she was able to leave the city she didn’t want to live in, and now resides in Amsterdam, where she rides her bike to the grocery store—the errand that was once such a trial. “I would say that I no longer have chronic fatigue,” she says, noting that—for her—following a schedule and reducing stress have improved her health. However, she adds, “I still have energy management issues.”
Christina credits her optimism for her improved health. “My attitude was more about trying to understand why my body wasn’t functioning the way it should,” she says. Indeed, cognitive behavior therapy has helped some CFS patients regain a sense of control over their health and eliminate negative thinking.
“Everyone is different,” Christina says. “You have to listen to your body, and don’t let [chronic fatigue] take over your world.”
About the Author:
Jane Jerrard is a freelance writer.
Often called the "Yuppie flu," chronic fatigue syndrome strikes mainly women in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
