Many patients feel bitter about the trivialization of their suffering. CFS patients of the past, Nightingale's or Darwin's disease. Bad as it is, however, chronic fatigue syndrome isn't fatal, except when despair leads to suicide. In a well-publicized case last August, a Michigan woman bedridden with CFS and a painful, related condition called fibromyalgia became the 35th person to commit suicide with the help of Dr. Jack Kevorkian. In the aftermath, medical experts underscored the serious nature of CFS, while still offering hope for medical relief.
Recovery is slow and uncertain for many clients.
With no cure in sight, doctors can only treat the symptoms. They might prescribe small doses of antidepressants to reset sleep rhythms, or anti-inflammatory drugs for joint pain. Some patients seek out alternative remedies, with varying degrees of success. Many learn to live in the slow lane, avoiding any physical or mental stress that could set them back. Buchwald, who founded the Harborview CFS clinic in 1988, has launched a study to help clarify what predisposes people to the syndrome, what triggers its onset and how disabling it is.