thorntn@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Duncan Peter G. Thornton) (02/04/91)
Index Number: 13369 Hi! My name's Duncan Thornton, and _my_ handicap is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is also called M.E., especially in the Britain (stands for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), Chronic Epstein-Barr Viral Syndrome, Yuppie 'Flu, and about a dozen other things. The main sympton is debilitating mental and physical fatigue; in its acute phase it leaves you bedridden. Starting points for a diagnosis are that fatigue has to reduced your level of activity by at least fifty percent for at least six months, and all the other obvious causes have to have been ruled out. Secondary symptons include depression, muscle pains, and a dozen other things that some C.F.S. people get and some don't. The cause is still unknown, and there is no real effective treatment. Many people with C.F.S. have it for years; few people ever make a complete recovery. Although it's becoming more widely known (One of the Golden Girls got it, and there was a Newsweek feature on it before Christmas), many doctors still don't know about it, or refuse to believe in it (it's all in your head, you're just depressed, lazy,burnt-out, etc.). So are there others out there with C.F.S? Or with friends or family who have it? Since it's 'new', and there's so much very basic research still being done, I'm hoping there are others out there with whom to share information or advice. Duncan Thornton | In the 'Nineties, it will become cool thorntn.@ccu.umanitoba.ca | to be tired.