by Lorelei Cohen

Created on: September 13, 2008

The saddest and most common misunderstanding of chronic fatigue syndrome is that the sufferer is just plain old fat and lazy. Nothing could be further from the truth and yet it is a stigma of this devastating illness that persists. Perhaps this image remains because people who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome look normal other than a few subtle differences that are separate them from the rest of the general population.

People with CFS are generally slightly overweight due to the decreased amount of physical activity that they are able to participate in. They can also be slightly underweight because the effort that it takes to eat on a regular basis sometimes is just more activity than they are able to accomplish. They are usually only able to accomplish a fraction of what other people are able to in their day to day living patterns. Others watching them view this decrease in meaningful activity as laziness. But that is a fallacy, people who suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome often just no longer have the energy in them that is needed to maintain employment, function in groups or clubs, exercise, or even to perform the functions that basic day to day living requires.

The fatigue which accompanies this illness is so severe, many of the people who suffer from it find themselves forced to give up their employment. Even very part time employment can be difficult to maintain and without a viable source of income, they find themselves suffering not only from the stressful effects of financial hardship, but also an increase in depression. The misunderstandings surrounding their illness only serve to increase these feelings of depression and frustration. So there is a definite snowball affect that follows the onset of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

People with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are not lazy. They suffer from a physical fatigue that is so extreme that many find it difficult to force their body to do the simplest of basic tasks. Rising from bed, cooking a simple meal, or the very act of having a shower once a day can seem like astronomical chores to accomplish.

Many find their memory, concentration and attention span dramatically affected. Concentrating on a simple conversation or trying to understand a book or article that they are attempting to read can be difficult, if not impossible. The fatigue is often accompanied by a syndrome that is often termed as "brain fog". Envision the dopiness that you felt when you suffered from the worst head cold that you have ever

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