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Click the arrow to play audio file:Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are both elusive and debilitating conditions. They are difficult to diagnose and even trickier to treat. Many physicians chalk them up to psychosomatic problems and don’t have much to offer patients.
The CDC counts these as real disorders: fibromyalgia affects up to 5 million Americans, and chronic fatigue syndrome affects between 1 and 4 million at any given time. Although these problems seem mysterious, they are treatable.
Guest: Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., is Medical Director of the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers (www.fibroandfatigue.com) nationally. His Web site is www.vitality101.com. He is also the co-creator of the iPhone application, Natural Cures.
I was diagnosed with CFS back in the late 80s and what seemed to help me was taking Beta 1,3/1,6-D glucan derived from baker's yeast.
As a 66 year old male, I have over four decades of experience with chronic fatigue. I had to quit work at age 52 with no disability coverage because "there was no clear diagnosis, hence no proof." After consulting with scores of specialists, taking 9 different anti-depressants, and spending 10 years in psychotherapy the picture has cleared.
I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea so severe that it has damaged my pituitary gland (hormone production), deprived me of adequate oxygen for years, and kept me from getting deep, restorative sleep. My life had shrunk to a very tiny list of possible activities. It took three sleep studies to find it. The first 2 studies revealed nothing. But my masseuse kept noticing that I dozed off on the table and stopped breathing regularly for 45-60 seconds each time.
She pressed me to get a third study. Having gained nothing from the first two tests I delayed. She pursued until I got a third. Come to find out, the technology changed markedly about 5 years ago. Now sleep studies are catching cases missed earlier.
My Endocrinologist, who has been treating me for hypopituitarism for 12 years says she finally understands why that treatment was necessary. Based on my blood work she believes I have had apnea all my adult life. It just took medical science a few decades to catch up to the problem.
I am thankful to know. But I wish all the doctors who did not view severe fatigue as a primary symptom could know this outcome.
P.S. I learned a great deal from the phsychotherapy so that was hardly a loss. But the therapist kept assuring me there was nothing wrong with me that addressing my demons couldn't cure. You have to know what is true in your gut.
I am 85 years old. I complained to my physio-therapist-cardiologist about my constant fatigue. Since I had Atrial Fibrillation, he mentioned the possibility of a pace-maker. But, first he wanted to try a less invasive method and prescribed Amiodorone. I had 7 of the many side effects and discontinued the medication. He asked about my sleep habits and was the cause of waking during the night due to a need to use the bathroom.
I explained that I did not know why I woke up --- the urge to use the bathroom came after I was awake 1/2 to 1 hour.
Then he suggested a Sleep Apnea test. I had it done without much confidence that that was my problem. Was I WRONG!
I now sleep 7 to 8 hours almost every night using a CPAC and have increased energy.
I am SO grateful for my cardiologist's diagnosis!
My internist did not dismiss my tiredness and with some type of calcium test, found I had an adenoma in a parathyroid gland that was removed. I also seem to need a shot of B12 twice a month- what a difference! Don't decide you'll be that way forever - get help!
I have been taking Tai Chi for several years and have reached the point where my posture is better than it has been all my life. I have always slept well, but think it is much deeper and restorative than ever. Could posture problems translate into muscle tension that hampers restorative sleep? If so, exercise programs enhancing muscle tone in the torso could assist treating this disease.
We are studying CFS and sleep apnea worldwide, as a sidebar to studying infectious diseases.
Some reports show that a mandibular device improves sleep apnea symptoms and that there is much overlap between the two conditions.
Finally, some hope. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 5 years ago. First I had a textbook case of Lymes, caught within the first two weeks and treated right away. I went back to the doctor 3 months later when I still felt sore and fatigued. But when the blood tests came back they showed the Lymes was not the problem.
They suggested I wait awhile and I would probably feel better. Nine months later I went back, this time to a Reumetologist. He also tested for Lymes and said that my blood test showed no remaining markers for Lymes. He did say that it appeared that I had Fibromyalgia. However, like mono and CFS there is no treatment.
So for the last 5 year I have been in fog of fatigue, muscle soreness, insomnia, adrenalin rushes, weight gain and stomach problems. Not until your guest last week did I feel any hope of ever feeling otherwise. Thank you for such a wonderful service, especially in this era of unaffordable health care.