Hypothyroidism symptoms - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-- Ask any husband and he will say accordingly to his mother his wife has it. Ask any wife and she will say according to her father her husband has it! Is that not true? Just wanted to start a rather heavy post on a lighter note. But jokes apart what is Chronic fatigue syndrome and is it related to thyroid disorders? So, let’s first begin with understanding Chronic fatigue syndrome and then we can go ahead and establish the relationship to whys and how’s of its related disorders.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complicated disorder characterized by extreme fatigue that can't be explained by any underlying primary medical illness. The fatigue may aggravate with physical or mental activity but doesn't improve with bed rest. Experts believe chronic fatigue syndrome might be triggered by an amalgamation of many factors. The sad part being the majority population that is inflicted by this disorder is women.

Women are 7-8 times more prone to thyroid disorders resulting in CFS. The age group that shows the highest prevalence would be between 20-45. With this age group being the major hit, you can imagine how badly it affects the overall well-being of a person and his personality gets dented in a very bad manner for a long time.

There is a very good established connection of CFS with Thyroid disorders. And not only the thyroid disorders but the overall group of autoimmune disorders could be at the helm of triggering these, add to this the hormonal changes that a woman sees in this age group and you have the answer for higher prevalence.

I know most people reading this would feel “Oh this is me, they are talking about me”. So just for the benefit of this group I am adding a small quiz that can probably help you understand your symptoms better. Remember this quiz is not a replacement for a visit to doctor or a blood investigation. Probably this should act as an alert that makes you proceed to a medical practitioner for better diagnosis and medical help. Remember sooner we realize that we need help, sooner we will be able to get out of the shackle of any disease and prevent any long-term impact on our wellbeing.

So, from the list below if you have been experiencing four or more symptoms for more than six months coupled with unexplained, persistent fatigue probably it’s time for some action now.

• Loss of memory or concentration
• Sore throat
• Enlarged lymph nodes in your neck or armpits
• Unexplained muscle pain
• Pain that moves from one joint to another without swelling or redness
• Headache of a new type, pattern or severity
• Unrefreshing sleep
• Extreme exhaustion lasting more than 24 hours after physical or mental exercise

 

But then listing problems never made anyone’s life easy or better. So, let me quickly list a few to-dos that will help you help yourself.  Basically, we can broadly classify them into three large ways to help you feel better.

 

Best ways to cope-up with CFS: 

• Reduce Stress
• Try using some non-prescriptive pain medication if that helps reduce stress and mental agony.
• Try and find a support group.
• Speak to someone who understands and supports you.
• A solution is not always an answer, letting go and accepting a situation helps relieve stress.
• Improve Sleep habits
• Take some powernaps of 20-60 mins but avoid them late in the evening.
• Use a nice firm mattress.
• Use a neck support pillow.
• Let the room be of comfortable warm temperature, not too cold nor too hot.
• Try sleeping in a dark and silent room. To avoid disturbance.
• Avoid stimulants life alcohol, coffee or tobacco near bedtime.
• Try to have a fixed bedtime. Try and get-up at the same time every day, irrespective of you feeling rested or not.
• If not able to fall asleep for more than 10-15 mins, get out of bed. Try being lightly active, until you feel sleepy.
• Pace yourself
• Get light, gentle exercise regularly.
• Keep a balance between being active enough to benefit from it.
• Usually light aerobic exercise like walking, swimming is recommended.
• Lifestyle changes/Scheduling
• Try and have a balanced diet, include more fresh and organic produce in your diet.
• Add proteins to your diet in form of poultry, lean meat, fish and low-fat dairy.
• Try and maintain a dairy to help find pattern of your energy levels and fatigue through a day.
• Try and plan priority stuff for high energy level time of day.
• Don’t exert too much on good days.

But all in all, the best way to live with any illness is to first accept that you have it and then patiently try and find the best ways to work through it. Hope the information provided here, helps you understand yourself better.

 

Till the time I write again…happy healing!