Many people with chronic fatigue syndrome and/or fibromyalgia do not have insurance coverage. They struggle with low income and high medical costs. One of the most expensive aspects of their medical care is prescriptions.
The United States is home to millions of people without health insurance. In fact, one out of every six Americans pays for doctor visits and medical tests out of his or her own pocket. What may surprise you is that the majority of uninsured Americans are from families in which at least one person works. The good news is that there are programs for people who need …read more

Everyone knows smoking is not good for you. You don’t need me, or anyone else, to tell you that. But did you know that cigarette smoking may be particularly aggravating to a person with chronic fatigue syndrome and/or fibromyalgia? Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), is a condition that is closely linked to CFS and FM. And commercial cigarettes are loaded with chemicals.
Some chemicals found in commercial cigarettes:
Benzene
Formaldehyde
Ammonia
Acetone

“This really is the first credible evidence of a biological basis for chronic fatigue syndrome,” Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a Thursday press conference. “It reflects the remarkable confluence of a number of scientific advances that are coming to bear on a problem of great importance to many people in the U.S. It’s an important step forward in the field of chronic fatigue syndrome research.”
When I read something like this, and it comes from the CDC, I have to blink and ask myself if I have dozed off and had …read more

Restless leg syndrome (RLS), is a common problem for people with chronic fatigue syndrome and/or fibromyalgia. It is a difficult problem to explain: Someone has said that it feels like the “creepy-crawlies” are slithering around just under the skin on the legs. It is really not a good feeling! It causes sleep deprivation and worsens the symptoms of both CFS and FM.
The RLS Foundation (Restless Leg Syndrome Foundation) is there for people who need information and support about this condition. It is a difficult condition to treat and information is, as always, the strongest weapon …read more

One of the most common complaints regarding chronic fatigue syndrome is the lack of proof. When people are missing work, filing for disabilities, having relationship issues, it is made that much more difficult with an invisible disease. Not only is chronic fatigue syndrome invisible, its symptoms are subjective, as is also true with fibromyalgia.
“For years, patients with chronic fatigue syndrome have suffered from painful symptoms for which there is no blood test, diagnosable physical condition or any method for doctors to measure improvement,” said James Baraniuk, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Georgetown University Medical …read more

There is nothing funny about chronic pain. PWC’s (People with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and PWF (People with Fibromyalgia) are all too familiar with chronic pain. With the lack of any way of objectively measuring pain severity, it is very common for people to be left undermedicated. These people are hurting, big-time, and have poor support. They often find themselves living isolated lives.
There are various organizations that help people who live with chronic pain. Two of them are the American Pain Foundation and the American Chronic Pain Foundation. These are both good resources for people …read more

The name “chronic fatigue syndrome” is problematic, misleading and does not adequately describe the serious and complex nature of the illness or the severe impact it has on a person’s life.CFIDS Association of America
That is an understatement if ever I heard one. Few things are more irritating to a victim of CFS than someone saying, “Yeah, I think I had a bout of that last year. I was so sleepy all the time.” A bout of it? I would like to have just a bout of this! That would mean it would go away. /rant
So …read more

CFIDS is another way of saying CFS or chronic fatigue syndrome. CFIDS stands for chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome, which many feel is a more accurate name – at least in the United States. The rest of the world calls chronic fatigue syndrome, ME or myalgic encephalomyelitis. It seems to me that a name defines an illness and determines how seriously physicians take the patient, not to mention the rest of society. But that is a topic for another day.
The next few days I am going to be talking about awareness. Awareness of CFS, CFIDS, …read more