Anxiety , long-covid , ME and Chronic fatigue syndrome .

What a strange mixture I hear you shout … what are you on about now ? Is this just another excuse to sit in a coffee shop pretend to work and drink overpriced milky coffee whilst downing a large almond croissant the was probably made a week ago? Well , you might be right , it’s freezing outside , Im not back to work in school for another two days …what else am I going to do …housework ? …no thanks .

The reason I mention covid together with anxiety is that I have heard so many people , very vocal people state that long covid is just in the mind , as is ME and its the same people who moan that anxiety is just the same .

Well , not that, this type of person will ever listen or change their minds but today January 4th 2024 , Dutch scientists ( Rob Wust , assistant professor VU University, Amsterdam UMC ) have found a measurable change in the muscles and general cells of people suffering from long covid. The main symptoms of LC is brain fog and Fatigue , now this paper has found that the mitochondria ( the power house of the cells) function less well in those with LC . So their claim that exercise makes them tired is actually biological . The researchers are hopeful that the results will also show that individuals with ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis ) will also have the same problems identified in the cells . The point is when you choose to belittle patients real symptoms with “its all in the mind ” you cannot really call yourself a scientist with an open mind following research results and not your own prejudices.

Now there are more connections between fatigue syndromes and anxiety than just peoples opinions about mental health issues. The anxiety centre ( www.anxietycentre.com ) shows that chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers have many common symptoms with anxiety sufferers like us. These include , but not limited to : feeling burnt out , could sleep all day , unable to function at work or home , brain fog, lack of stamina and so on … The explanation according to the site is that anxiety taxes the boys energy resources much faster than in normal , stress uses more energy that a calm state, this is not sustainable for long periods. A recovery period is required after stress , this might be lengthy depending on the duration of the stressed . No wonder that those constantly stressed are also exhausted for long periods , exhaustion is a natural process after the stress response has been activated. Add to this that stress can innterupt an individuals sleep patterns and you can easily see how street can mimic chronic fatigue syndromes. Lets face it , your stressed , your not sleeping so what do you eat ? trash probably . The body however needs replenishing , we have seen in previous posts how stress depletes magnesium , vitamin B( in its many forms) iron , Zinc , but your feeding it with fast carbohydrate and fat heavy fast food , comfort food , you can see how a cycle of stress and fatigue is easy to get into.

Look Im not suggesting that chronic fatigue is caused by anxiety , but I am suggesting it can be mistaken as such on occasion . At the very least I am saying that some symptoms of Long Covid , ME and other fatigue sufferers share, experience common symptoms , even if they are caused by different factors.

A paper published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Wright et al ( volume 140 , Jan 2021 , 110322 ) looked into why individuals with CFS and ME ( Chronic Fatigue syndrome / Myalgic Encephalomyelitis ) experience high levels of anxiety and depression . Their approach , slightly different than you might think , they looked at perfectionism and its role in CFS/ME and anxiety . They found that there was a constant association with maladaptive perfectionism , depression and those suffering from CFS/ME . The link with anxiety is suggested but has been under researched . They found that 32% to 57% of patients suffering from CFS/ME experienced clinical levels of anxiety. I have seen papers ( can remember the exact ones I think it was on PUB MED and the British Psychological society that showed that CFS/ME sufferers commonly show health anxiety symptoms , that seems understandable .

It is very difficult for healthcare specialists , anxiety sufferers can show symptoms of fatigue syndrome and visa versa . Also of course other conditions such as POTS ( a group of symptoms resulting from the dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system , perhaps caused by the brain cardiovascular communication ) . Sufferers also suffer from fatigue , brain fog but also dizziness when standing , headaches , lightheadedness . POTS are frequently misidentified as Anxiety , CSF/ME ADHD or even IBS. Oh and POTS sufferers are often told ” it’s all in your head”. The syndrome is difficult to diagnose , usually involving a table individuals are strapped to ( I kid you not ) and the table is tilted .

So , what exactly am I saying here ? Im actually trying desparatly to get to a point ( as usual ) . The point is getting closer , conditions that ignorant people might say ” it’s all in your mind ” , ” pull yourself together “. can be caused by real , biological conditions . The conditions that might attract the attention of these ignorant individuals have many shared symptoms . Anxiety , Depression , POTS , CFS/ME , but also by much more serious conditions such as Cancer or medications , infections , heart and lung problems ,autoimmune conditions, hormone imbalances and diet deficiencies.

Now for the point ! Yes I got here …..

It is always better to not self diagnose . What ? all of the above and you come out with that ? Well yes , we have seen that Anxiety , ME / CFS , long Covid share some similar symptoms . You may self diagnose with ME but perhaps its anxiety . Perhaps you feel you have anxiety and it’s actually ME, . We all look up our symptoms on Google ( yes you do ……..) . We of course know best , ok we haven’t been to medical school for six years , we haven’t specialised and treated hundred of patients , but 30 minutes of scrolling through Google has made us experts …………( no it doesn’t ). We have seen those websites , they diagnose us , they offer us a solution ( you will have to have your PayPal account handy ) and they will cure you . Just how do they know what you are suffering from, when we have seen that common symptoms are shared across many conditions.

Google is great to find self help , to contact others , to find out more information , but it’s not great at diagnosing what is wrong with you . If only there were places you could go to that had fully trained professionals that had access to tests and the latest medicines that could safely diagnose you . Wait Ive just searched it on google , they are called Drs and they all meet up in a place called a hospital.

The point of this whole post is to prove that the internet is not safe for diagnosis . Im aware DRs can be dismissive , they can misdiagnose , they too can say its all in your mind . But there is more than one Dr out there , you can go to another , be insistent , be a pain , ask for tests and yes back up with internet research , but get your diagnosis at a DRs .

Wow , this post was a whinge , sorry for that , but a misdiagnosis can ruin lives and can be dangerous. I have had little help from healthcare professionals , they just offered me tablets , but at least Ive been diagnosed, I’ve had tests . I can then look for treatments elsewhere , information on the internet with the knowledge that I started off with a diagnosis.

Well Im back to school on Monday , kids will arrive in their droves , I will try to post in between the chaos . I hope as ever I find you in a good place , remember you are not alone .

Update: Covid and Anxiety

Hi ,I really want to try and keep my posts current , and so sometimes I go over them with a little update …Ive just read the above and I did have a bit of a rant ……I just hate online sites that diagnose people then charge for a cure …so sorry about that.Below is a quick update , it doesn’t flow into the work above so it’s a bit of a stand alone.

Anyways …a study by the New York Medical College reported at the end of 2023 highlights the mental toll of sufferers of Long COVID . The lead scientist Stephen Ferrando M.D ( Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry ) was quoted as reporting . “We found substantial psychiatric impact after acute COVID-19 , with one on three suffering clinically significant anxiety months later and 29 percent meeting the criteria for PTSD”. “Based on our findings , screening patients at the time of the acute illness …is essential in identifying patients at risk ,for the continuation or development of anxiety and PTSD”.

The World Health Organisation ( perhaps you have heard about them !) published a report from Dr Sarah Elgin , a consultant in respiratory medicine at the Imperial College London . She talks about COVID and anxiety , actually I think this might be useful to all us anxiety sufferers . She talks about how ” A disordered breathing pattern is when the amount of breath people perceived they need is out of kilter with what they actually need “. So when stressed we tend to breathe a bit faster or in a different pattern , if this stress continues the brain adapts to this way of breathing. This seems to be the case for post COVID sufferers , it seems to leave some sufferers with disordered breathing and this can initiate anxiety . Imperial College are conducting trials of their EVO Breathe Programme . Using a multi professional approach ( Physios , Language therapists, National Operatic singers ! and others ) they are attempting to return participants to a more normal pattern of breathing . So far ” 80% of participants are saying that their levels of breathlessness have improved by the end of the programme , we are seeing similar improvements in levels of anxiety “. This trial is also being followed in other countries who have started their own programmes , Germany for instance are using professional voice coaches.

This is a very interesting area and one to watch .

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