I seem to be in a bit of a slump lately. It began while I was on vacation, when the boys and I all took turns for a couple of days with some sort of virus that caused nausea and (for me) achy knees. After a couple days of rest at my in-law's house in Oklahoma, I felt better again and was quite active and well for the rest of the trip.
Since returning home, though, I've continued to have lingering symptoms on and off, mainly very painful, achy knees and lower legs. Yesterday, I even had a mild sore throat. I'm still much better than I used to be - that was my first sore throat since May, when I had bronchitis. I haven't been badly crashed but have had lots of days where I'm just OK instead of good (which I've grown rather fond of!)
I looked back through my records today and saw that this weird achy-knee-thing has happened to me before and generally bothers me on and off for a month or two before disappearing again. Interestingly, it seems to hit me most often in the summer.
I will probably go see my doctor for a Lyme test, just because that is an ever-present danger where I live, but I suspect I'll just have to wait it out as I have in previous years. So, I'm trying to rest as much as I can to avoid getting worse. I'm currently lying on the couch, using my laptop as its name suggests for a change!
Sometimes with CFIDS, there's nothing to do but rest and wait...two things I find very difficult!
I have had Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) since March 2002. Both of my sons also got ME/CFS at ages 6 and 10. Our younger son fully recovered after 10 years of mild illness. Our older son still has ME/CFS and also has Lyme disease plus two other tick infections. This blog is about how our family lives with chronic illness, with a focus on improving our conditions and enjoying our lives in spite of these challenges.
Hi there-
ReplyDeleteI've never left a comment but I read your blog as my partner has been struggling with CFS... finally was diagnosed with Lyme and is experiencing some improvement, and we expect more over time! Please do get a Lyme test and be sure to have it followed up with by an LLMD. Best of luck! It sounds like you are doing well these days.
Hi, Daphne -
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to write. I'm glad you've found my blog helpful. That's great that your partner has been correctly diagnosed with Lyme; it often responds well to treatment. We know all about Lyme at our house - my older son has had it twice before. I did go to see my doctor today, and I'll go get a bunch of blood tests tomorrow, including a Lyme PCR. Of course with CFIDS, it could just be a bad crash triggered by some unknown virus - we'll see. Thanks for reading - I hope your partner continues to improve.
Sue
Me too! I hope you continue to do well, too. I'm just curious, did you have your Lyme test through IgeneX?
ReplyDeleteNope, just a basic PCR for Lyme through Quest Labs. I know all about the controversies re: labs and tests and have talked with experts here in town when my son had Lyme. It makes sense to me to just start with the basics tests and see what happens. I'm certainly not convinced I have Lyme - I've had knee pain before just as a part of CFS, this time it's just lasting longer than usual, so I wanted to check things out. My doctor also ordered CBC, various indicators of inflammation, Erlichiosis (another tick-borne infection), and Parvovirus (another known CFS trigger). We'll see what the results show.
ReplyDeleteSue