Currently, doctors are treating me and three colleagues for severe allergies, and one of the symptoms we all have is crushing fatigue -- the kind that makes getting out of a chair to walk a difficult process. We have all been very active in our lives; we all hold jobs that require mental sharpness. Other immune-response symptoms we've experienced include aching muscles and joints, temperature changes, concentration problems and depression. We've since had allergy shots and avoid allergens, so now we feel much better.
I believe that I would be bedridden by now had I not begun immune therapy three years ago.
Kate Borland
Charlottesville
As a person who has suffered from chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome for 25 years, I am saddened to hear a doctor is trivializing this horrible disease.
Many sufferers, including myself, have agonizing joint and muscle pain in addition to crushing fatigue. We have distinct neurological deficits, immunological dysfunction and metabolic changes. Researchers have found possible disease biomarkers. This illness affects every aspect of our lives.
Even after it's clear there is a medical basis for the syndrome, some doctors and scientists still insist the disease is psychologically based.
Lisa Parker
