constantly tired

And I'm trying to figure out why. OK, so the obvious, I'm 540 pounds. Getting out of bed takes a lot of energy and effort. But there is more to it than that. For many years it was sleep apnea screwing with my sleep. I apparently was having over 75 disturbances an hour. That's impressive.

Another contributing factor for most of my life has been, and still is to some extent, the depression. It will always be a part of my life. Most of my meds cause "drowsiness". But to not take them is not an really an option. I now know my vitamin D levels are low, that can affect energy levels, as well as mood and contribute to depression.

All of that aside, it feels like there is something more to it. A deeper cause. I can't yet figure out what it is. I am working on changing what I eat in hopes that will help with more energy. I'm becoming more aware of what I am putting in my body. I'm working on exercising more.

And yet, I am still constantly exhausted. And I want to know why. I want to know what is causing it and what I can do to change it. Losing weight and becoming a healthy person requires movement and exercise. Movement and exercise require energy. I need energy.

Chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, is a debilitating and complex disorder characterized by profound fatigue that is not improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity. Persons with CFS most often function at a substantially lower level of activity than they were capable of before the onset of illness.

That pretty much describes how I feel.

In order to be diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, a patient must satisfy two criteria:

1. Have severe chronic fatigue for at least 6 months or longer that is not relieved by rest and not due to medical or psychiatric conditions associated with fatigue as excluded by clinical diagnosis; and
2. Concurrently have four or more of the following symptoms:
   • self-reported impairment in short-term memory or concentration severe enough to cause substantial reduction in previous levels of occupational, educational, social, or personal activities
   • sore throat that's frequent or recurring
   • tender cervical or axillary lymph nodes
   • muscle pain
   • multi-joint pain without swelling or redness
   • headaches of a new type, pattern, or severity
   • unrefreshing sleep and
   • post-exertional malaise (extreme, prolonged exhaustion and sickness following physical or mental activity) lasting more than 24 hours.

The fatigue and impaired memory or concentration must have impaired normal daily activities, along with other symptoms that must have persisted or recurred during 6 or more consecutive months of illness and must not have predated the fatigue.

Hmm, close, but I don't know, not quite.

The cause or causes of CFS remain unknown, despite a vigorous search. While a single cause for CFS may yet be identified, another possibility is that CFS represents a common endpoint of disease resulting from multiple causes. As such, it should not be assumed that any of the possible causes listed below has been formally excluded, or that these largely unrelated possible causes are contradictory. Conditions that have been proposed to trigger the development of CFS include virus infection or other traumatic conditions, stress, and toxins.

People who are overweight and inactive are more likely to develop chronic fatigue syndrome. Stress also appears to be a factor.

Hmm, well, I'm overweight, largely inactive and stressed out. Maybe I'm on to something here. The problem is, they don't know exactly what causes it, they have no idea how to treat it and they know almost nothing about it. Well aint that helpful.

Well, since they don't seem to have a clue I suppose I'll have to find the answers on my own. I only need to gather the energy to get that done.