News Report: 1 million Americans suffer with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

[me/cfs 27931]

Corpus Christi local tv news segment about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

http://www.kristv.com/story/34165187/1-million-americans-suffer-with-chronic-fatigue-syndrome

Do you feel like you're tired all the time, to the point that you are starting to worry that something is seriously wrong? Have you begun to wonder if you could have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ?

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a chronic illness characterized by extreme fatigue that lasts for more than six months.

Currently, over 1 million Americans are suffering from this debilitating illness that manifests with a lack of energy and motivation, and women are 2-4 times more likely than men to be diagnosed.

The news report video is even worse than the article. The medical "expert" calls it "Chronic Fatigue".

After the expert interview, the news anchors are all laughing, saying they have those symptoms too.

 

[IThinkImTurningJapanese]

After the expert interview, the news anchors are all laughing, saying they have those symptoms too.

They do seem to be suffering from "a lack of motivation". /s :thumbdown:

 

[Jessie~]

Ugh, that was disappointing to watch. Do those people really expect to be taken seriously in their professions? Argh!!!

I guess some of the things they said were correct, but they did not seem to be taking the topic or information very seriously. The way they were acting was inappropriate and ridiculous.

*They did a good job... at making a serious illness look like a joke, and ruining an opportunity to present an informative and helpful news segment.

 

[valentinelynx]

Someone should send them the Washington Post article about Whitney Dafoe. And the KPIX TV news story about Ron Davis' efforts to learn how to save his son.

See how much they laugh after that...

 

[aaron_c]

These aren't the ones you shoot. These are the ones you talk to.
-James SA Corey, Caliban's War

I know that won't mean anything to, like, anyone.

The newscast wasn't great, but I don't actually think it was that horrible. The reporter covered the major symptoms (if somewhat vaguely in some cases) and never once suggested that the disease was psychological or mentioned that it used to be called "yuppie flue."

It seems like the root problems were: 1. The doctor was a local expert, who still uses the CDC criteria and 2. The anchors are typical local TV anchors who tried to both relate to the story and keep things light. Unfortunately, because the CDC criteria are so broad and at times vague, and the severity of this disease is so difficult to communicate for all but the sickest of us, the tone they set missed the mark.

While I don't think this reporting did much for the cause, I do think we might want to reserve our ire for truly obnoxious work. Trashing every mediocre piece on ME/CFS seems to me like a good way to discourage reporting on us in the first place. And given the tone of local news--puppies and buildings on fire--I have to wonder why the reporter decided to give us a 2-minute lecture on CFS. Does he know someone with ME/CFS? Is he a potential ally?

If anyone lives in Corpus Christi maybe they want to contact the reporter and educate him? Maybe he would want to do a follow-up filming that person?

 

[IThinkImTurningJapanese]

These aren't the ones you shoot. These are the ones you talk to.
-James SA Corey, Caliban's War

I know that won't mean anything to, like, anyone.

I like it a lot, and I believe it is important to consider that it may be the best attitude to approach this with.

However, in this case, I don't think so.

Well, the news anchors are paid to be clowns, so I wouldn't expect much else from them. But that Doctor, he sounds like he's hiding something. I get the impression that either he knows how serious this is and doesn't have the courage to express that and be ostracized by his peers, or perhaps he harbors disdain for patients he has grown tired of.

Either way, I think you would waste your time and precious energy, oh so precious, trying to get understanding from them.

But I could be wrong.

I hope so.

 

[me/cfs 27931]

In my opinion, if those reporters had been laughing about victims of cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, or AIDS, they would have been probably gotten a talking to by management.

But since it's just "Chronic Fatigue" (their expert's name for the disease), laughter is acceptable.

 

[Seven7]

We better start educating or we will have so many people cured it will not even be funny!

I had 2 friends in less than a month to call me that doctor told them they have CF. Since I am the "expert" I had to tell them both I am about 100% sure you do not have CFS to one friend, and the other might be possible a 10% CFS(gave her 10% because vit D was low, I saw it as possibility fatigue was coming from) but trust me this people did not have CFS (yes to CF). And I had slow onset and very slow progress and Even I can tell you they do not have it.

They can do any activity no PEM at all, and one got better w exercise ( and I mean heavy duty exercise).
(The one I gave the 10% ended up having cancer, I am glad I insisted her to go back).