WIBU To ask the Dr to sign me off for this ?

[FakeItMakeIt]

I am under investigation for CFS; my appointment is not until June as there's a long waiting list .

I've been poorly lately with a bad cold and now I am so so exhausted . I can manage an hour or two out of bed and then I am too tired to do anything so go back to bed

My doctor isn't the most sympathetic and i am sure she thinks I am just lazy

It has been nine days now and my project manager is expecting me back in this weekend.

If I ask my dr to sign me off will she just laugh me out of her office ? Or am I perfectly reasonable to ask?

What can I ask her to put on my note to make sure the project manager doesn't just think I am lazy too !

Neck pain, that should say, rather than nack pain, whatever that is!!

I have diagnosed CFS. It's shit. From your posts, it sounds like you may have it too - in which case, my sympathies and I hope yours never gets worse.

It also sounds like post-viral syndrome, though. I certainly wouldn't ask your GP to put 'fatigue' before you've seen the specialist! But it sounds like you need some more rest, so see your doctor (or go in and come home again) and she'll put whatever is most relevant on your cert.

Do people with CFS also get post viral syndrome following an illness ?

I have it all the time Getting a virus just makes things more shitty for a week or two.

Oh good

That's probably why I feel shitter than when I normally just feel like shit

OP I'm wondering something

Combination of crap GP and possible diagnosis of CFS which can't be established for ages makes me wonder if your doctor has in fact missed something

I once had a virus for the better part of three months, if you can only get out of bed for a couple of hours a day, I'm wondering if you still have one? My doctor signed me off saying they were investigating but I was clearly not fit for work. Why should CFS go on the note if not confirmed?

Also, crap GP makes me wonder if she looked at your bloods properly? Pernicious anemia, deficiency in B, D, possibly borderline results on thyroid, would she flag any of these up? Could you have an auto immune issue? Sorry to harp on but the fact that you say the GP is a bit crap just made me wonder.

When you see her and ask for a note, tell her you want her to write your symptoms and that it's still being investigated. I know it's hard but my doctor took the view that if I needed to lie down for two hours after putting washing on, I was ill! Just because we didn't have a name for it didn't mean we urgent,y had to find one. Oh, I was tested for Epstein Barr too.

I really hope you recover soon

garlic what tests did you have at your appointment for CFS ?

Were you diagnosed the same day or did you have to keep going for more tests?

If there are all these restrictions on timing of sick notes, and they don't even exist any more, how come I got one when I was in hospital before Christmas? Without any of the time restrictions?

lorele thank you

My current dr is new . My old doctor did all the blood tests for thyroid , vitamins etc . These were then repeated at another clinic who then thought I might have something else so they did tests and repeated those tests . All were normal .

Fake - Loads of blood tests done by GP (they don't "believe in" CFS but are conducting a more professional service than many fellow sufferers seem to get.) Once a raft of possible other diagnoses had come back void, I went to see the specialist who referred me for a liver & kidney scan. The most likely scenario seemed to be liver disease, as I used to drink a lot. Nothing wrong with either organ, though (pats liver appreciatively) and I asked the radiographer to look at my ovaries & uterus as well; I've a history of problems there.

I didn't get a letter or anything after the consult. My status simply changed to "Has CFS". GPs still do a full set of bloods every year: these showed up a dairy intolerance and low thyroid on separate occasions so I cut out dairy () and am taking levothyroxine.

This is not a diagnosis you want. It's not 'an illness', it simply means you have a bunch of horrible symptoms and all you can do about it is learn to manage your spoons. Mine's extremely life-limiting, but many people work and have social lives, with good management. If this is what you have, I hope it settles at a level which doesn't hold you back too much. Meanwhile, get well soon!

I forgot to add - the initial suggestion that I have CFS came from my psychiatrist. This is normal It is the only physical illness that's routinely diagnosed by psychiatrists.

If there are all these restrictions on timing of sick notes, and they don't even exist any more, how come I got one when I was in hospital before Christmas? Without any of the time restrictions?

Certificates of inpatient stays are different.

I have CFS/ME and my symptoms are very similar to yours OP. I was diagnosed after lots of tests which ruled our pretty much anything else.
If you do have CFS then you really need to make sure that you don't push yourself too much and rest as much as you can. I know how hard it is, especially when you have a job, family etc. but you will make yourself worse if you ignore the symptoms and keep trying to do too much.

There's a support thread for those with CFS in the general health topic, which might be worth you taking a look at. If you post some questions on there then you'll get responses from those of us who already have the illness.

Fingers crossed it's something else though OP.