College Students/young adults/early 20's sufferers

Hey, I'm 21 years old and was wondering if there was any other people around my age on this forum? I've never met anyone my age who suffers with CFS, and so I would really like to meet some people who are also going through what I'm going through.

If you're really desperate to make contact with someone and share ideas on how to cope with uni etc, perhaps you'd like to pop over to the fibromyalgia forum and talk to some of the young people there. As I'm sure you know, fibro and CFS patients share many symptoms and issues. There are some uni students on the fibro forum, so I'm hoping that you might be able to find someone to talk to there.

All the best,

Ivy.

Hi There! Welcome to HW! This is a great forum and you will get to meet a lot of people who you probably can relate to...I am usually in the Lupus/Kidney Forums but I saw your post and wanted to comment on it! I am so sorry you have CFS. I can't say I do but I do have really bad fatigue associated with Lupus. I am 21 and I am doing everything I can do to stay a full time student and hold a full time job as an accountant. It is extremly challenging. I am actually going to be starting Chemo on Friday to try and get my Kidneys and Lupus back under control, I am hoping this might also help with my fatigue. You also might try the Lupus forum, I think there are quite a few young people on there that suffer from chronic fatigue.

How do you manage school with CFS? Do you have any tips to share? I too am looking for ideas and also people around our age that suffers from these type of conditons and wandering how they cope with them. Look forward to hearing back from you!

I just realised that when i responded to this post (i was diagnosed at 15yrs) that you all might actually think im too old! I mean, im nearly 30- i forget that so often cos i still feel like im 17 at times! and my students all guessed that im 23.. wow were they wrong!

Maz XX

It was so great to read all your replies. I have developed cfs in the past year after having mono. I am trying to adjust and have found it very hard because so few people my age (26) seem to understand. I decided to start a blog about my experience in the hope that other young adults with chronic illness can come together and help each other. Please subscribe and comment on my blog. I will post new topics everyday.

http://hopehelphealth.blogspot.com/

My son is only 16 and we are now supposing he has CFS.    Up until he got sick, he was in amazing shape, a highly trained athlete who was working out every day.    He go a really nasty flu-like virus late last Spring, which knocked him out for about 11 days (he missed a lot of school).   it wasn't EBV/MONO or CMV, as he has now been tested for everything under the sun.    Immediatly after he recovered from his illness, he began noticing some muscle weakness in his arms (just slightly).   He ignored this because it wasn't too significant at that point.  Then he realized it was more of a muscle fatigue and was gradually gettting worse.    He became ill again by July and noticed the same muscle fatigue in his legs, in addition to his arms.   Eventually it became really debilitating andhe had to quit excercising all together.    Eventually this escalated to overall fatigue.   He came down with a horrible case of strep in September, just before school started, which had him in bed for about 12 days.   He has recovered from the strep, butthe underlying severe fatigue and muscle fatigue has persisited, along with several other symptoms now which are blured vision and concentration and memory problems.   We are trying to help him to hang in there this semester (his very important junior year) and not drop out of school.   The problem is, if he stays, he may completely screw up his good GPA because he is having a hard time functioning.   If he drops out, he may get worse and just spiral....    We are so worried about him, and his doctors don't have any idea how to help him.   They are just caling this a "post-viral syndrome" which they hope will just go away on his own.   In the meantime, his life is falling apart and he is becomeing angry and frustrated, not just because he can no longer participate in any sports, or any physical activities (because it kills him to do so) but also, now, because he can't even think straight.   He can't even concentrate enough to play video games, which is pretty pathetic      My husband, who is a physician, whose specialty is not related to treating these types of illnesses, thinks CFS is definitely autoimmune and has wondered about the benefit of a Prednisone taper.  Has anyone else out these had success with steriod treatment?  Thanks so much, in advance.

What a great post we have here, I definitely needed to hear the different stories of what people are going through, because I have been having a rough time also. I'm 25, and I was diagnosed with EBV about a year or more ago...the doctor reported that the virus was common and nothing to be concerned about. Then about 3 months later I started getting symptoms in my body, and even in my skin, but I ignored it. Then 6 months later, I noticed that I was sleeping more, had loss of energy, and was starting to get irritating pains in my body. To make a long story short, I suffer from light headedness, tiredness, internal pains and aches, sore throat, muscle fatigue, and more, and the doctors are doing little to help. I've been testing myself for other possible causes, but so far, all has pointed to my EBV diagnosis. This virus is something else, I can't believe there is no real medicine regiment to try and deal with it.

I did make it through college and I'm working a full time job. I am greatly blessed, and trying to cope with what I'm going through. B-vitamins help, try not smoking, take vitamins everyday and eat healthy. If you are doing all that, and still you can hardly function then see if the doctor can perscribe something or look for natural vitamins/mineral/ medicine. I wish everyone the best, I know it is hell to be young and in the most vital time of your life, and to face such chronic health problems.

If anyone wants to email with me, you can find me on yahoo. My screen is jay23kean. I would really like to chat with Yosemite Sam, because I feel that I have the same symptoms as your son, and so I would like to know what he has, if your family ever finds out. Or, you might want to have him tested again for EBV, because the way his nervous system and muscle systems are being affected, I went through the same thing. Well, hopefully I can serve as good news, that yeah...I was able to get through it....but I did not like when my lymph nodes became inflammed...I think when that happened, I was demonstrating signs of mono. But my doctors refused to test for it, even though I had EBV....I just don't understand doctors sometimes.

All I can say is W0W! I am 20 and I have fybromyalgia and lovly CF. You all inspire me so much!! I had to drop out of school for this year due to my new medical issues being at a constiant flare. Hearing from college students pushing through...W0W. Good for you guys you give me such hope!

Im usually on the Fibro forum.. and yes we share very similar symtpoms. Im 18 and in my freshman year of college. It has been a difficult task managing the way I feel vs. school. I have missed classes and missed tests and everything else.. but I just keep doing my best so in the end I know I tried.. and I am passing so, thats good.

Its hard to manage college and any kind of illness... so dont give up and know that you are NOT alone! If you ever want to talk you can email me... I would be glad to listen and help if I can.

Take Care,
Christi

I actually have not been officially diagnosed with CFS, but for the past 4 years I have been searching for the cause of my fatigue (other things in my health keep popping up that make the doctors believe that there is something else going on). For the most part, I face the same symptoms as someone with CFS (I very well may have it). I have one last semester left at college, but I began being unhealthy when I was 15 (beginning in 2003 I had difficulty walking and terrible head pain following meningitis and pneumonia) so I too wish I could message Yosemite Sam because I faced the same decisions regarding high school/gpa/etc.. This is probably a really unhealthy thing to post, but does anyone else use stimulants to get a few hours of minimal energy each day?

Hey guys,

I have been slowly getting chronic fatigue as a permanent part of my life for over the past 5 years. It started when I was 20 but I only really had a few odd symptoms like getting sick once a month and getting really severe sugar lows which may have lowered my immune system a lot at the time. Then a few years later I got really bad CFS for a total of 5 or 6 months and it was the worst thing ever. Thankfully I finished my BA but I worked full time and it was near impossible. I usually worked out 5 days a week but that had to stop because it only made things worse. Oddly enough i started taking vitamin C and it went away. Then about a a year later it came back full fledged after a deep tissue massage (***?) and its been back ever since (at least I think). I started seeing a homeopathic doctor who placed me on adrenal supplements and another one that I cannot remember and it has helped greatly. I don't have my brain fog anymore which was honestly the worst part about the whole thing but I still get exhausted pretty quickly after a day or even half a day where I need to just lie down and zone out. I really don't want to be on these supplements forever because I just hate taking things in general except for vitamins. My entirely life has changed and so has my personality in good and bad ways. I am back in school to become a nurse and will need omega prayers because this is going to be one hell of a ride, but its my dream so I can't simply pass it up. I really hope that you guys find peace and comfort knowing that things CAN change and get better.