Chronic fever

[southernwonder]

I was diagnosed with CFS about one year ago after seeing multiple specialists for a chronic low grade fever. After all tests were negative, I was given a CFS diagnosis after researching the illness and speaking to my doctor about it. I have many of the other symptoms and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2009. I recently increased my exercise intensity too rapidly and was rewarded with fevers for over a week and the inability to function. Sitting up in bed to use a laptop is too hard so I'm pecking this out on a Kindle.

Does anyone else have intermittent chronic fevers with that flu like feeling? Do you know the mechanism behind it? I've had the fevers about 75% of the time for the past three years.

 

[Valentijn]

I was diagnosed with CFS about one year ago after seeing multiple specialists for a chronic low grade fever. After all tests were negative, I was given a CFS diagnosis after researching the illness and speaking to my doctor about it. I have many of the other symptoms and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2009. I recently increased my exercise intensity too rapidly and was rewarded with fevers for over a week and the inability to function. Sitting up in bed to use a laptop is too hard so I'm pecking this out on a Kindle.

Does anyone else have intermittent chronic fevers with that flu like feeling? Do you know the mechanism behind it? I've had the fevers about 75% of the time for the past three years.

Are they actual above normal temperatures on a thermometer, or just feeling feverish?

If you do have ME, the problem isn't increasing exercise intensity "too rapidly" - the problem is trying to increase the intensity at all. GET is a very good way to make ME patients much sicker. A much better approach is pacing - breaking activities into small manageable chunks, with plenty of rest in between. A heart rate monitor or pulse oximeter can be very helpful in making sure you aren't pushing yourself when you shouldn't be.

 

[ukxmrv]

My ME started as an acute viral illness (fever, sore throat, swollen glands etc) and for the first year this reoccurred after activity. I don't know if this is a virus reactivating or my immune system was stirred up by the exercise. Later on the fever dropped. I felt hot, my face was hot but my body temperature was below normal. In fact after exercise or activity my body temperature could drop even further. Still got the sore throat glands etc though and felt fluey

Have a search on the internet for the work of the Lights and exercise in CFS. Also any papers that you can find by Nancy Klimas on exercise. Research is suggesting that in CFS the immune system is different after activity than in well people.

This is an old paper but may give you an idea of what could be happening. There is a lot more recent stuff available now.

((start))

Immunological Changes After Both Exercise and Activity in Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome: A Pilot Study

Journal: J of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Volume: 12 Issue: 2, Cover Date 2004,
Publication Date 2005,Page Range: 51 - 66, DOI: 10.1300/J092v12n02_06

Authors: P. D. White, K. E. Nye PhD, A. J. Pinching, T. M. Yap, N. Power,
V. Vleck, D. J. Bentley, J. M. Thomas, M. Buckland, J. M. Parkin


Abstract:
Background: The chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is characterized by
post-exertional malaise and fatigue. We designed this pilot study to
explore whether the illness was associated with alterations in
immunological markers following exercise.

Methods: We measured immunological markers before and up to three days
after either a sub-maximal or maximal bicycle exercise test.We studied nine
patients with CFS and nine ageand sex-matched healthy but sedentary
controls. We also studied the same patients with CFS at home after a
night's sleep and then after travelling to the study center.

Results: There were no significant differences in any of the cell markers
after a sub-maximal exercise test compared to a maximal test. However, we
found elevated concentrations of plasma transforming growth factor beta
(TGF-ß), even before exercise, in subjects with CFS (median (IQR) of 904
(182-1072) pg/ml) versus controls (median (IQR) of 50 (45-68) pg/ml) (P <
.001). Travelling from home to the hospital significantly elevated TGF-ß
concentrations from a resting median (IQR) concentration of 1161 (130-1246)
pg/ml to a median (IQR) concentration of 1364 (1155-1768) pg/ml (P < .02).
There was also a sustained increase in plasma tumour necrosis factor alpha
(TNF-á) after exercise in CFS patients, but not in controls (P = .004 for
the area under the curve), although travelling had no such effect. CD3, CD4
and HLA DR-expressing lymphocyte counts were lower in CFS patients, but
exercise had the same effect in both groups, causing an immediate increase
in circulating cell numbers that lasted less than three hours.

Conclusions: These results suggest that the relationship between physical
activity and both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines merits
further investigation in patients with CFS. The results also emphasize the
importance of defining a truly resting baseline condition in such studies.

 

[southernwonder]

ukxmrv thank you for the info. I'll look into the exercise info.

Valentijn I didn't realize GET was harmful. That was my plan to increase my fitness. The fevers are measurable with a thermometer.