Research and stories from autoimmune moms who get it.
Chronic fatigue syndrome produces symptoms similar to a flu and other common viruses, such as extreme tiredness, muscle weakness, headaches and body aches. Extensive rest will not relieve the symptoms of chronic fatigue. Although chronic fatigue is not currently considered an autoimmune condition, many of the symptoms overlap those seen with autoimmune issues. Chronic fatigue and other autoimmune diseases can coexist and need to be managed together.
If you have an autoimmune condition, the days of sleeping peacefully and waking refreshed may seem like a distant dream. Fatigue is one of the most common patient complaints; unfortunately, it’s also one of the most non-specific. It can represent a multitude of problems, from simply being sleep deprived (though this is technically referred to as “drowsiness”, as fatigue means a lack of energy and
Fatigue and non-restful sleep are a common and often debilitating components of autoimmune disease and fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome. In fact, sleeping problems are considered reliable warning signs for a variety of autoimmune conditions. Some researchers believe that long-term disruption of normal sleep cycles (for many weeks or months) may actually trigger autoimmune conditions such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome because of how sleep deprivation
If I plan to become pregnant any time in the future, is the treatment safe to take while pregnant, and are there other risks in pregnancy? What about for breastfeeding? Since the treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome varies from patient to patient, each case must be considered individually. For example, if you’re taking an amphetamine to improve your energy levels, you might want to consider
Is chronic fatigue syndrome an autoimmune condition? What type of doctor would diagnose this disorder? No one knows what causes chronic fatigue syndrome. Indeed, this disorder may have more than one cause. Various infectious agents—Epstein-Barr virus, for example—have been implicated at one time or another, but the link between these entities and chronic fatigue syndrome has never been confirmed. Immunity appears to play a role