Harmful approach to CFS
Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 1:41 pm
Dear Dr Shepherd in a post entitled "GP advice" you mentioned the advice given was potentially harmful.
We were given very similar advice to the person who posted that question regarding our son. He was 6 when he had glandular fever (confirmed by a blood test), then he had 6 months of requiring iron supplements for iron deficiency anaemia. After 9 months from the initial glandular fever onset he was, we now know, showing clear boom and bust in the extreme, repeatedly left by his school collapsed in exhaustion in the classroom, and medically our GP told us that the best thing for him would be to push through. The GP even used the words chronic fatigue and said "Well, even if he has chronic fatigue the best thing will be to push through." As you rightly say the advice is potentially harmful. He was severely affected for over a year following this and is now still severe cognitively although thankfully with regards to other symptoms they are more on the moderate scale of things. He has had so much unnecessary extra pain and suffering due to the wrong advice. And I wonder if permanent harm has been done by this wrong approach. We hope that due to his young age that with a better approach now in place he will recuperate.
Can I ask why there is so little understanding of CFS/ME in the medical profession? Particularly with GPs who are a patients first port of call? I know the ME Association have recently produced a booklet for GPs written to them as clinicians and we have requested a copy for our current GP - not the same GP as above. Are GPs trained to spot the signs? I will always be shocked by the first GP's advice, especially having now learnt so much more about the condition including glandular fever being recognised as a trigger for CFS/ME. And will always feel sad and let down. It seems our situation is not an isolated case and I wonder why is it so hard to get the medical recognition and support.
We were given very similar advice to the person who posted that question regarding our son. He was 6 when he had glandular fever (confirmed by a blood test), then he had 6 months of requiring iron supplements for iron deficiency anaemia. After 9 months from the initial glandular fever onset he was, we now know, showing clear boom and bust in the extreme, repeatedly left by his school collapsed in exhaustion in the classroom, and medically our GP told us that the best thing for him would be to push through. The GP even used the words chronic fatigue and said "Well, even if he has chronic fatigue the best thing will be to push through." As you rightly say the advice is potentially harmful. He was severely affected for over a year following this and is now still severe cognitively although thankfully with regards to other symptoms they are more on the moderate scale of things. He has had so much unnecessary extra pain and suffering due to the wrong advice. And I wonder if permanent harm has been done by this wrong approach. We hope that due to his young age that with a better approach now in place he will recuperate.
Can I ask why there is so little understanding of CFS/ME in the medical profession? Particularly with GPs who are a patients first port of call? I know the ME Association have recently produced a booklet for GPs written to them as clinicians and we have requested a copy for our current GP - not the same GP as above. Are GPs trained to spot the signs? I will always be shocked by the first GP's advice, especially having now learnt so much more about the condition including glandular fever being recognised as a trigger for CFS/ME. And will always feel sad and let down. It seems our situation is not an isolated case and I wonder why is it so hard to get the medical recognition and support.