CFS/ ME Diagnosis: What Should You Expect

If you have been feeling extremely tired in the past few weeks, you may have what is called chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), or in medical terms -- myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). Only widely accepted as a medical condition until recently, it is quite challenging to run a CFS ME diagnosis. Apart from vague causes (i.e. Virus, hormonal imbalance, weak immune system), it also exhibits symptoms that are similar to other illnesses.

By The Numbers

CFS has sparked intriguing diagnoses and several debates in the medical community. Until now, experts and researchers are still in search of its cure and rightful CFS ME treatment.

However, generally speaking, this disease tends to affect people in their 40s or 50s. Women are twice more likely to develop this condition than men.

In a 2015 report by the Institute of Medicine, around 33 percent of Americans are suspected to suffer from CFS. Nonetheless, up to 91 percent of this figure is yet to be properly diagnosed.

Symptoms

Typically, a CFS patient exhibits three "core" symptoms:

Drop in activity level

Though people experience extreme stress once in a while, those who are suspected of CFS can display signs of being severely fatigued. It is so severe to the point that the patient decreases his or her activity level.

Difficulty in sleeping

People who might have CFS may also encounter difficulties in falling or staying asleep. And as mentioned, if he or she indeed gets a full night of sleep -- it does not help in relieving the fatigue that he or she feels.

Crash or relapse

Medically known as "post-exertional malaise," a crash or relapse is another vital symptom of CFS. In this stage, the patient’s initial signs of tiredness (e.g. Sleeping problems, headaches, difficulty in thinking) worsen. In some cases, the patient becomes house-bound or bed-bound, significantly affecting his or her daily activities.

Apart from these, doctors also look for the following before they run the succeeding steps in CFS ME diagnosis:

Muscle and multi-joint pain

Loss of memory

A frequent sore throat

Presence of swollen lymph nodes in armpits and neck

Chills and sweats during sleep

Difficulty in digesting

CFS ME Diagnosis

Once someone is observed with the abovementioned symptoms, he or she is advised to undergo diagnosis, which involves the following:

Running a medical history check

This is done to know what might have triggered your disease and if any other factors might have contributed to you getting CFS.

Taking physical exams and screening tests

This involves taking your vital signs like blood pressure, temperature, and heartbeat. In this step, you’ll also undergo screening tests including complete blood count and urinalysis among others.

Ruling out of other illnesses

A key part of CFS diagnosis is ruling out other potential fatigue causes. Your doctor may run some exclusionary tests so he or she can be sure that your condition isn’t brought about by other diseases.

If you are confirmed to have the disease, CFS ME treatment covers taking medications and adjusting lifestyle habits (e.g. Limiting caffeine intake).