PCS or CFS - Infection/Pneumonia
 

Dear All

It's been a while, but I've been completely free of pcs (though still have alcohol intolerance, can't run and very stress-sensitive). During my fight with PCS, this forum has been a life saver (especially thanks to Mark in Idaho)

But now I have deteriorated again. A month ago I got pneumonia with high fever (bacterial) after a trip abroad. Broad-spectrum antibiotics helped in 4-5 days and then I felt better, but not back to baseline (I was still feeling tired).

It was a busy time at work, so I worked hard for the next 2 weeks. But one week ago I got pretty bad with a combination of fatigue/heavy head/headache and aggravation with physical activity. And big problems with concentration. This has now lasted over a week and has not improved, which worries me a lot.

Are there others who have experienced something similar after a infection or virus? And should I consider it a new condition such as CFS, which worries me the most (a lot of sad stories online), or is it "just" a kind of relapse in PCS?

All experiences and thoughts are extremely welcome because I am very nervous.

Hi TheNorwegian,

I am sorry to hear about your relapse, but glad to read that you had made some progress with PCS before.

Something similar happened to me after suffering from food poisoning while traveling and not getting proper rest. I had strong symptoms which were a combination of PCS and issues which seemed related to chronic fatigue syndrome - I was incredibly tired and experienced "post-exertion malaises" following mild effort levels. Fortunately the problem disappeared within a few weeks with some good rest and I went back to my baseline.

A doctor told me that resting when one is sick is very important to prevent fatigue from becoming chronic. Apparently many instances of CFS follow a gastrointestinal virus of infection during which the patient did not rest properly. Doctors don't know why, but some suspect that this is an inappropriate reaction to stress.

Since then I had a few other infections (e.g. gastroenteritis) but made sure I took enough rest, and everything went fine.

I haven't heard about cases following a pneumonia but I am not an expert. In any case I would recommend that you take some rest now, and perhaps some time off work if you can.

I totally understand why you are feeling nervous, but I hope you will feel better very soon. Good luck, and please keep us posted.
Vania

It took me more than a month to recover from a high fever event, well above 104.7 F 40.4 C. I was a space cadet and need to drop a class in college (Zoo) and almost failed the class (Physics 100B)I did not drop. I was fine a few months later. This was my second high fever as a college freshman. High fevers can be rough on a struggling brain.

But, I think your anxiety contributes to your sensitivity.

Thanks
 

Thanks for taking time to answering me, Vania and Mark.

What really worries me is that it's slowly getting worse. And I can't understand, that the 2 first weeks after the antibiotic had worked, I was more or less ok and worked far too much (although I felt a little weird), but then my health started to deteriorate.

Besides you guys, I can't find descriptions here on NT of the same situation as mine. So I'm freaking out and very nervous that this is in fact a new disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, and not a relapse of PCS.

Vania, how was the fatigue you experienced? Mine is eg. that if I talk to someone, go to the grosery store or concentrate on some work, then my system can't handle it, and I get mentally fatigued, physically tired and a headache.

Mark, I agree, my ocd is definitely not making my situation better, but I just felt I got my life back, and now I really fear that it is gone, and that I have CFS, which is probably a worse diagnosis than PCS. Have you heard of others, who had a similar situation? And do you think its a relapse of PCS or?

Thanks again and best regards

[QUOTE=TheNorwegian;1279262]
Vania, how was the fatigue you experienced? Mine is eg. that if I talk to someone, go to the grosery store or concentrate on some work, then my system can't handle it, and I get mentally fatigued, physically tired and a headache.
/QUOTE]

My issues were very similar. When I experienced these malaises I had to lie down and close my eyes as anything else (even talking to someone) was too demanding.

If that can reassure you a bit, I also freaked out about CFS, and it took me a good 2 to 3 months to go back to baseline, after also deteriorating in the first month. I think it is too early to self-diagnose as CFS: many infections create fatigue and require a few weeks of rest, without developing into CFS. I am crossing fingers that this will also happen to you.

Are you able to take some rest now?