Be strong . Be courageous . Be hopeful.
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a diagnosis of exclusion, which means you cannot test to see if you have it or not.
Based on the diagnostic criteria published by the National Academy of Medicine in 2015 which is cited on the U.S. Center for Disease Control's (CDC) website, you may be suffering from this condition if you experience the following symptoms for over six months or more:
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Profound, unprecedented fatigue.
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Fatigue that is not a result of ongoing or excessive exertion.
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Fatigue that does not ease with rest.
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Unrefreshing sleep.
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Worsening of symptoms after physical, emotional or mental exertion which would not have been a problem beforehand.
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Brain fog.
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New inability to process information quickly.
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Increase in brain fog, fatigue, nausea, dizziness and/or palpation when standing and walking.
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The words from one of the donors who suffers from ME/CFS for 46 years.
"I have had ME since a childhood hypothermia event, ... I am well aware of the masses of people who need help and have no resources to them ... your bold move puts others on notice that there are ways to "do medicine" that reach the most needy..."
This is what a gentleman who suffers from ME/CFS for 37+ years said.
"I only have a... functional medicine doctor... I like her a lot... but I do not feel she... truly understands how hard it is to live with ME... or how serious this really is... I am mainly homebound... I am almost 60 years old and... feel like my entire life is gone now... I am very low income due to living on disability (Medicare and Medicaid) and I cannot just go see any ME specialist around the country... because I live at poverty level..."