confused about difference between CFS and M.E?

I believe I have CFS along with my fibromyalgia, as have all the symptoms of CFS...though I am confused as to when it becomes ME? I know some people who have M.E have CFS also, but how does a doctor know whether you have CFS or M.E?

I found the following info from the CFS forum resource centre and hadn't realised that they were separate conditions.


B. Similar Medical Conditions

A number of illnesses have been described that have a similar spectrum of symptoms to CFS. These include fibromyalgia syndrome, myalgic encephalomyelitis, neurasthenia, multiple chemical sensitivities, and chronic mononucleosis. Although these illnesses may present with a primary symptom other than fatigue, chronic fatigue is commonly associated with all of them.

Hi Wackers, this is a very confusing topic because some articles you read on ME say it is not CFS but most Drs in the US think of them as one and the same. The Dr who dx'd me said I have CFS/ME & told me they were the same thing, that patients & Dr's were trying to change the name from CFS to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. I have read this on many sites as well. I know in Europe it is called ME & seldom called CFS, whereas, here it is the opposite. My belief is that they are one & the same illness with just a confusion of the name. I would like the name changed to ME because CFS doesn't garner much support & people think we are just fatigued & need to get over it. They don't know or understand that we have many more symptoms & things we deal with. Hugs, Denise

Wackers, I have both fibromyalgia and CFS, the symptoms of which really overlap. Sometimes it's hard to tell which one is flaring. But for me CFS is really the most pronounced of my illnesses, so I always say it is my primary illness. This is always been a very confusing and hard to understand illness, everything about it even the name is confusing. LOL! No wonder the medical community has such a hard time understanding it. I hope the new research will clear up some of the confusion.

As for whether you have fibromyalgia and/or CFS, that's up to your doctor. I will say though, that I was first diagnosed with fibromyalgia but I knew that there was something else going on. So I just kept looking and it took about six months to get diagnosed with CFS. I think the statistics are that about 60% of people with fibromyalgia have CFS but only about 30% of people with CFS have fibromyalgia. So the chances that you have fibromyalgia and CFS is pretty high. Keep looking!

I have been having good days and bad days, I feel like I do have more energy than I have in a long time. I have started taking hempseed which is very high in protein and a kind gives me a boost of energy. Nothing amazing but I do notice it. Also, it helps with my cholesterol as my cholesterol is very high. The weather changes have been getting me down, today there was a cold front went through and I have really paid for. All in all I'd say I'm doing okay. I hope you are doing fine, I hope you find the answers you're looking for. Hugs, Denise

Wackers, I have thought about becoming a forum moderator, as I know they are still looking for moderators, but I just don't have the energy and I am not always available because I'm sick. We have a moderator, Recoveryme2day, she is here as often as she can be and I think she's doing a good job. I thought about helping her out but this is not a very busy forum. I, too, go to the fibromyalgia forum, I read there a lot but usually just don't post. I may post more because now I am using Dragon's Naturally Speaking. Posting has always taken a lot of energy and now that I'm using this Naturally Speaking, it is so much easier. I can now post even when I am resting. This is so cool! This is only my second post with it so I'm kind having fun right now. LOL!

I do a lot of reading on the Depression forum, as I also have that problem, and again, I don't usually post. That is a very active forum as well, lots of really good support. I have learned a lot there and maybe now I can also participate. Take care of yourself, hugs, Denise