H E A LT H I N V E S T I G AT I O N
SICKENING TRUTH NOELLE HARRIS HAS LEARNED TO LISTEN TO HER
body, even when it means making sacrifices like cancelling coveted vacation plans. For an upbeat, self-confessed Type A person, it’s been a challenging realization that’s come after a long, hard battle with two chronic conditions that affect hundreds of thousands of Canadians: chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia. Harris’s story begins in 1986, when she developed mononucleosis, followed by bronchitis three months later, then pneumonia and a bad flu several months later. When Harris initially became sick, her doctor was suspicious. “There’s something wrong with you, but I don’t know what it is,” she told Harris. But after her doctor read about the Epstein-Barr virus on a trip to Germany, she sent Harris for a blood test that revealed the presence of the virus, which has been implicated in some studies in the development of conditions like CFS. However, even though she received a formal diagnosis, she wasn’t treated for it. By 2007, crushing fatigue had set in, causing her to be so tired, she could no longer teach her kindergarten class. She left her job. She was 53.
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Harris’s journey to a diagnosis is a common one among those who’ve found themselves suffering from ill-defined conditions like CFS, fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and Morgellons disease (think Joni Mitchell). Many sufferers – a disproportionate number of them women – are beset by symptoms like fatigue (in CFS), muscular pain, poor sleep and exhaustion (in fibromyalgia), an inability to tolerate certain chemicals of any kind (in MCS) and skin lesions and neurological symptoms (in Morgellons disease). Many are disabled, confined to their homes, with only a handful of doctors in Canada who will treat them. Though it’s changing and many GPs are seeing more patients with these conditions, patients often still have their symptoms dismissed by doctors. They also face a shortage of specialists trained in these conditions and a lack of easy access to treatment options. And then there’s the belief among some that these types of conditions aren’t real or legitimate. “There’s a phenomenal stigma not only for people who have the condition but also for physicians who work with them,” says Varda Burstyn, a writer and environmental
besthealthmag.ca
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What’s worse than feeling ill? Having no one believe that your condition exists. That’s the reality for many Canadian women living with a slew of diseases that the medical community is slow to recognize as legitimate. Could you be suffering from something serious that your physician has dismissed as “all in your head”? Read on for information that could change your life. | by ANNA SHARRATT
