Mystery

Before you knew about CFS, would you ever have believed there was an illness that made exercise BAD for you? I wouldn't have. It's just surreal sometimes, isn't it? We're surrounded with advice and admonitions - from TV, magazines, the internet - that we have to exercise more in order to be healthy. Not a day goes by that I don't read or hear of another benefit of exercise. It just seems insane to me that something that is so good for the rest of the population can make me so sick. Excerpt from today's blog post from Learning to Live With CFS (Sue)

It is the hardest thing to understand about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Exercise Intolerance. Please read the rest of the Sue's post; she manages to talk about this subject in a plain, matter-of-fact manner.

Sue, also, recently posted about a research study, which provides some justification in defining CFS as a mitrochondrial dysfunction. She highlighted this quote from the report:

"A useful analogy is to compare your body with your car. The mitochondria represent the engine of that car, the diet represents the fuel that goes in the tank, the thyroid gland represents the accelerator pedal and the adrenal gland the gearbox of that car. Using cognitive behaviour therapy or graded exercise to treat a patient with CFS/ME is akin to beating up the driver of the car when actually the car needs a re- conditioned engine, suitable fuel in the tank, resetting of the accelerator pedal, a new gear box or whatever."

This is a great analogy. Even though, I am confused as to where we fit in terms of a true CFS diagnosis, this describes how we feel after we've tried to get some good exercise (or any type of exertion that is "too much," for that matter). At first, even those who live with this disease, 24/7, will look to blame other causes for the resulting headaches, worsened fatigue, etc., that follow...but not for very long.