i have flu like "attacks", escpecially during the changes of the seasons, or under extreme duress, it's a terrible way to live and one doc. told me (long) ago that i had fibromyalgia.......he hit all tender spots and i almost jumped thru the roof with pain.......yet, recently and years later, same doctor, said i did not have this, i am filled with infammation, especially in my back and hips, and i swear i'm getting the flu, yet i don't.......some attacks last for almost 2 weeks and for days, i am bedridden from the pain, fatigue, you name it!
today, i feel it starting again, and all i can do is take ibuprofin to try and scare it off, before it takes hold of me.
it's awful

I have felt like I was coming down with the flu as well.One thing that helps me when I get like this is to drink water,take magnesium and a good b complex.I hate feeling that way-you ache down to the bone.I hope you feel better.GOD-bless

More and more evidence seems to point toward a vitamin D deficiency in many of these conditions.

Have you had your levels checked? That would be the place to start.

I've had chronic fatigue for 15 years. My mother has fibromyalgia. There both hard to get diagnosed esp chronic fatigue. There also are hard to tell apart. 15 years ago after I had my youngest daughter I kept waiting to bounce back and get my energy back like I did after my older daughter was born. Even though months after I had her I was still extremely fatigued I decided to go to the gym anyway. Well my fatigue got alot worse after that. At the time we lived in an apartment on the 2nd floor just from coming home from grocery shopping I couldnt make it all the way up the stairs. I was also feeling sick all of the time.
I found myself canceling plans because I didnt feel well. I had swollen glands,sorethroat , and body aches.

I started to wonder if I had fibromyalgia like my mother because it runs in familes. I looked it up on the computer and alot of symptoms matched up but not exactly and then I read on the internet how chronic fatigue was similar. I read those symptoms and knew right away thats what it was.

Like you I feel sicker when the seasons change,I come back from a vacation,am stressed or do to much. My mother's main symptom is the pain and she has the tender spots that you talked about. I hate to scare but some people have both.

This is getting quite long but if you want to know whats helped me you can im me if you'd like. I still dont feel great but I've learned to manage it. I used to be bedridden for days at a time not being able to pick up my head but havent been that bad for years.

Lara

Hi,

I'm one of those people who have both Chronic Fatigue/M.E. and Fibromyalgia. I've had both for many years and just recently felt like I was in remission, however I'm sick again at the moment with a sore throat, overwhleming exhaustion (not just tired...it's a debilitating exhaustion like every step you take is a walk thru deep mud....)...tender, painful lymph nodes in my neck and lots of tender spots, shooting pains and well, the list goes on and on. The two diseases are hard to tell apart...but with CFS I notice the sore throat and sometimes a low grade fever and I feel sicker. With fibro it's more the pain that I feel....and not so much the flu like symptoms.

The really odd things I"ve found about CFS/M.E. is that although it's called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, it doesn't mean you are tired all the time....it major EXHAUSTION for no reason.....in fact, with me? I can't sleep well when I'm in a CFS "flare." My sleeping patterns are so erratic when I'm sick. I'm exhausted during the day...and sometimes I have an overwhleming need to lie down and sleep....but I don't sleep.....it's more like what I call "passing out"......it's like you are never fully asleep so you wake up later going....."did I sleep? Or not?"......and it's quite disorienting.

Anyway, to make a longer story as short as possible, I've learned to cope........I was diagnosed with both CFS/M.E. and Fibro like I said ..many years ago by doctors.... But lots of doctors don't believe in either disease because there is no specific test to identify them....and both have so many symptoms that doctors tend to concentrate on one specific symptom when they should be looking at ALL of them in order to treat these problems.

My adivce? Don't overdo when you are feeling bad. In fact, don't overdo ..PERIOD. Even too much stress will cause a flare up.... If you do indeed have CFS, you will eventually learn what you can and can't do by trial and error. That's how I learned...no one can really tell you. I sincerly hope you don't have CFS....or fibro........but if you have the sore throat, swollen glands and if you find after exercise you get "after exercise malaise" during the following 24 hours......and this occurs for 6 months or more...then I would recommend seeing a doctor or rheumatologist for help in controlling your symptoms. It can be controlled....believe me. It can. My life as I knew it, however, has changed considerably. I had to mourn the "old" me and get used to a new me.....i.e. "a more sedetary lifestyle with lots of limits."

It's not an easy life........especially with peri added into the mix. I'm a musician and music instructor and can't work.......I never know what my day will bring...... "Will my day be a good one...or full of pain and sickness....?" So as a result I can't keep a regular teaching schedule.

I do a lot of writing.....I keep journals.....write a LOT of poetry...songs....and read a lot. It all helps.

When I'm feeling well enough and in remission I exercise and can take very long walks. The bad days don't last and the good days can be plentiful. Life is a balance.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

All the best,
Sue

This is the way I felt, flu like symtoms, body aches, inflamation etc until I cleaned my diet from all gluten, after about 2 weeks I noticed such a vast improvement that I continued on. Now, after having removed gluten for over 2 years if I accidentally ingest it within 3 days I will feel achy enough that I want to cry. It gets really bad.

I know it may sound strange and it may sound difficult to do but it really isn't. Give it a try for 2-3 weeks and see if it helps.
Also, if it is CFS or Fibromyalgia, they will also reccomend a gluten free diet to relieve symtpoms so you can't go wrong. I don't think I have either of those but my body does re-act to the gluten.

Hi -- did you get tested for celiac or gluten intolerance, or did you just decide to cut it out and see what happened? I have chronic fatigue, aches, dizziness, the whole works. But I've had the celiac blood test and it's come out normal. Missy

Hi Cissy,

No, I've never been tested, I just went off gluten. I found it was much faster than waiting for a doctor's appointment and then blood test results. She has since tested for the antibodies and has never found any. It could be because I no longer ingest gluten, I'm not sure. I just know that when I convince myself it's all in my head and have something with gluten in it, I get horrible thigh and back aches about 3-4 days later and feel miserable for about 7 days. I no longer care what my blood says, I'm choosing to listen to my body.

That being said, I do encourage everyone to get tested first when possible, just to take the guess work out, however regardless of the results if you still feel bad, it won't hurt to eliminate them for two weeks and evaluate how you feel. There are quite a few nutritous grains that can replace wheat such as quinoa, buckwheat, aramanth, rice for example. I would avoid all the processed gluten free replacements such as rice cookies, cereals, bars etc till after the two weeks. I still don't use them, finding it easier and healthier to eat whole foods. Amazing how much better I feel. It's like night and day.

imagine... in just 2 weeks you could find a cheap solution to feeling better and if not, you've still ate quite healthy. It's a win/win situation. (at least that's my opinion).

I should mention that I have the dizzies too and going gluten free hasn't helped that. I'm trying to figure that one out now. I'm low on sodium but normal in potassium, low in free T3 but normal in T4 and TSH so not sure but believe the dizzies may be due to my electrolytes being out of balance.