Do all people with CFS commonly experience flu like symptoms

[Mary]

Thanks @whodathunkit - for your second detailed reply! More food (no pun intended!) for thought. I will definitely be taking a closer look at the resistant starch challenge. I really appreciate your help here

 

[wastwater]

I've noticed that when seasonal coughs and colds are going around I don't get them or so I thought,now I wonder if I'm fighting them off in an unusual way by sweating out at night becoming soaking wet.

 

[lansbergen]

Is anyone aware of research into memory B-cells malfunctioning in ME, or memory B-cells decreasing in ME? That would seem a rich avenue for research.

Don't know but the animals had low to zero seroconversion after vacination.

 

[ash0787]

I didn't get many noticable infections in the first year but now in the second winter I just had 2 really bad ones about 3 weeks separation, so I think my immune system might be weakening.

When I had these two infections it didn't really feel like what I describe as 'flu - like ' which is primarily a weird feeling in the muscles, these were more like a fever with pronounced mental effects ( loss of sanity ), would feel like I was in an oven while trying to sleep. So obviously what we describe as flu symptoms is not a viral infection, its just the closest comparison we can make.

 

[sorin]

I've noticed that when seasonal coughs and colds are going around I don't get them or so I thought,now I wonder if I'm fighting them off in an unusual way by sweating out at night becoming soaking wet.

I have also the same nocturne sweating, but this is also something which is not specific to a certain disease, but to many diseases. I think is also common to lymphoma. I am wondering if people with CFS also manifest, from time to time, some red irritations of the skin on the nose and around the nose as I experience these dermatological problems and have to treat them with a special cream usually recommended for Psoryasis (Blue-Cap Cream).

 

[Bookworm84]

The frequency cold/flu symptoms ended up being the thing that drove me to the doctor to get a diagnosis. I'd had CFS symptoms unknowingly for years but when I started a job in a call centre at 21 my body went haywire. I know now that it was a mix of stress, constantly changing shift and eating patterns and excessive talking that brought it to a head.

At the time I kept getting symptoms like sore throat, swollen glands, aches and sneezing every 6 weeks. After a year I'd been off sick for a few days in every other instance (vivid memories of being hunched over my desk with my eyes closed trying to sound jolly!) and my employer started taking me down a disciplinary route.

Luckily I'd been back and forth to the Dr with these symptoms for a long time so it got to the point where I went to each Dr in the practice to push for more tests/help. Eventually one of them brought up CFS, gave me a leaflet and said that if I was still having the same problems in 3 months we'd talk diagnosis!

I found it has got a bit better over time and not overdoing it is a huge part of that. Ironically I'm in bed at the moment with strep throat and a 10 day goodie bag of antibiotics!

 

[Barry53]

But, I get flu-like symptoms every time I over do it physically or mentally. The more I over do it, the worse the flu-like symptoms.

Likewise: PEM often includes flu-like symptoms.

This is often part of my wife's symptoms when she has overdone things just a bit too much. Not runny nose etc, but feels really ill, "limp rag" mode, etc.

 

[wonderoushope]

I no longer get the full on full-blown flu symptoms, but what I get is sneezing everyday (when I am under the weather) and then I feel very light headed and tired like you do with a flu. I have no raise in temperature or swollen glands. With aches and pains, I do sort of, but there not your typical aches that you get with a flu, I just find at night when I sleep I get strange sensations in my joints. I tend to now sleep too heavy on certain parts of my body (arms, shoulder) and then when I wake up those parts of my body, are sort of locked/stiff.

I don't think it is hay-fever, as I have no runny nose, itchy throat and watery eyes. I've never had hay fever before this CFS. Plus it's not hayfever season in Aus.

I too never get full-blown colds, but rather these symptoms when I am run down.