Woman faces battle with fatigue

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Woman faces battle with fatigue

August 3, 2008

Poughkeepsie Journal - Poughkeepsie,NY*

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate between

1 million and 4 million Americans have chronic fatigue syndrome. It

is a condition marked by extreme fatigue that cannot be remedied

with rest. At least 25 percent percent of those are unemployed as a

result of the disease. Less than 20 percent of people with chronic

fatigue syndrome in the U.S. have been diagnosed, according to the

CDC. As with other autoimmune disorders, the cause is unknown. This

is the story of one woman's struggle with the condition.

When Virginia Mold of Pawling could not seem to get enough sleep,

her husband thought that maybe caring for their three young children

was just wearing her down.

But a doctor's visit and a subsequent blood test revealed the real

culprit behind her lethargy and weight loss: chronic fatigue

syndrome and mononucleosis.

Mold said she was glad to be diagnosed with something but not so

happy with the remedy.

" I was not so glad that there was no medication for it - only rest.

I had three kids under the age of 7, and 'rest' was difficult. I

really wanted to be fixed with medication, " Mold said.

Chronic fatigue syndrome causes severe fatigue, weight loss or gain,

chronic cough, muscle and joint pain, abdominal pain, nausea,

diarrhea or bloating, cognitive dysfunction, sore throat and

sleeping problems.

As Mold, 49, worked to regain her quality of life, she took

safeguards to protect her body.

" I read a lot about these conditions and took the advice in a

book " Nutritional Healing " and purchased lots of supplements and

drinks to help improve my energy and immune system and preserve my

liver, " Mold said.

Mold said she also got plenty of rest and watched her diet. She ate

healthy foods, eliminated alcohol and supplemented her diet with a

green algae drink, a protein drink and lots of vitamins. Still, it

was a long road back to normalcy.

" I tried to get back into exercise, and it took a long time, " she

said. " I could not even walk on the track for a quarter-mile without

being exhausted. "

" All told, it took about five years for me to feel better enough to

go back to work full-time, " said Mold, the managing editor of a

weekly newsletter. " I gained some weight and now exercise and can

eat more normally now. My doctor still says this is something that

will always be with me, so I try to avoid stress and stay healthy

and well-rested. "

Mold's doctor told her an earlier episode of mononucleosis and Lyme

disease may be to blame in her developing chronic fatigue syndrome.

Today, Mold finds peace in how she refused to succumb to the

condition.

" I'm very grateful for my health, " she said.

— Alleyne