Medical Question.

[citykid]

Well, what happened? How is she?

 

[robya]

hi everyone i'm fine now it took two weeks for me to recover.i went to my doctor he told me it was my ears.he said they were irrated(i can't remember his exact wording)but he said it would get better over time and it did.thanks for all the advice everybody.

 

[pescador775]

I doubt the symptoms had anything to do with the "ears". You would have disclosed if she had an "earache", wouldn't you? Sure you would. The symptoms were a reflection of her CFS, a serious illness with a silly name. I expect that most physicians still consider the illness to be a myth anyway, or a "mental" thing. BTW, did you know that there is a blood test for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? It is a recent development and there is only one lab in the US currently doing it-- in Colorado, I think. Light exercise is beneficial to most CFS patients. However, loss of body heat is very stressful and may cause a relapse. Ask her if she has tried magnesium supplementation. Only one type works. It can be found in the drugstore under the name "Slowmag". The prescription drug Valgancyclovir has also been shown to be beneficial.

 

[pescador775]

The link below is to the laboratory which can confirm the diagnosis of robya. I expect that they can recommend or refer the lady since the diagnostic test is capable of identifying the disease subset. Trust me, this problem is likely to recur if she actually is afflicted with CFS, and it does sound authentic; therefore not something for the attention of GP's or DAN.
http://www.redlabsusa.com/

 

[TSandM]

The CDC, which I would regard as a very authoritative source for information, says that there is no laboratory test to confirm or deny chronic fatigue syndrome.

 

[DocVikingo]

QUOTE=pescador775, 09-27-2006: "BTW, did you know that there is a blood test for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? It is a recent development and there is only one lab in the US currently doing it-- in Colorado, I think."

QUOTE=pescador775, 09-28-2006: "The link below is to the laboratory which can confirm the diagnosis of robya. http://www.redlabsusa.com/ "

QUOTE=TSandM, 09-28-06: "The CDC, which I would regard as a very authoritative source for information, says that there is no laboratory test to confirm or deny chronic fatigue syndrome."

Thanks, TSandM. I'd like to expand upon your comment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states: "A number of factors add to the complexity of making a CFS diagnosis: 1) there is no diagnostic laboratory test or biomarker for CFS; 2) ...." http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/cfsdiagnosis.htm#challenges

The Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) Association of America states: "As yet, there is no indicator or diagnostic test that can clearly identify the disorder." http://www.cfids.org/about-cfids/diagnosis.asp

The Mayo Clinic states: "There's no diagnostic or laboratory procedure to confirm the presence of chronic fatigue syndrome." http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/DS00395/DSECTION=6

What these very authoritative sources are saying is that immuno, enzymatic and other assays, such as those offered by Redlabs USA, are NOT confirmatory of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Moreover, it doesn't even appear that Redlabs USA itself asserts that their procedures "confirm" CFS. Rather, Redlabs USA says they have been able to create a number of lab tests that "can assist" the physician in making the diagnosis of CFS (http://www.redlabsusa.com/chronicfatiguesyndrome.htm).

A second point is that if there were blood tests that confirmed CFS, or any disease subset thereof, they wouldn't be available only from ONE facility based in Northern Nevada that has corporate parentage in Belgium. The tests also would be available at major medical centers/diagnostic labs, particularly those with an interest in CFS.

Recognized and reputable authorities agree that the diagnosis of CFS can only be made by a lengthy, time-comsuming and challenging process of excluding other illnesses with similar signs and symptoms and comparing the patient's features with the currently agreed upon case definition.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[DocVikingo]

Ask her if she has tried magnesium supplementation. Only one type works. It can be found in the drugstore under the name "Slowmag". The prescription drug Valgancyclovir has also been shown to be beneficial.

NOTE: That would be "Slow-Mag."

NOTE: The preferred capitalization is "valganciclovir/valgancyclovir" as it's a chemical, not a brand name. The band names are Valcyte/Valtrex.

Very preliminary research to date has suggested that some of a subset of CFS patients, i.e., those with an ongoing active herpes (HHV-6) infection of the bloodstream, may respond to this drug. However, experts agree that considerably more research needs to be done before it can be widely recommended as a treatment for CFS.

The extent to which magnesium supplementation is beneficial in the treatment of CFS is controversial. There are anecdotal reports and a single rigorous study suggesting that supplementation may help to improve fatigue, sleep, and muscle ache (http://www.remedyfind.com/treatments/6/2560/). However, in persons who are not magnesium deficient the matter is far from settled.

To the extent that magnesium supplementation may be beneficial in the treatment of CFS, there is nothing magical about Slow-Mag and it wouldn't be the "only one that works." There are other, equivalent products out there such as Jigsaw Magnesium w/SRT (http://www.jigsawhealth.com/magnesium/buy_now.aspx).

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[shakeybrainsurgeon]

Headache, dizziness and fatigue after a dive can come from carbon dioxide retention in divers who struggle to maintain buoyancy and breathe shallowly. These symptoms usually clear in several hours, however, but who knows in this setting? In any event, you might want to remind her to breath slowly and fully.