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Comment by script3r | Hacker News Reader

You should research Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Myalgic encephalomyelitis.

The medical community, from my experience, does not handle this type of diagnosis well.

I’ve experienced post-viral fatigue symptoms that lasted well over 8 months, and almost all doctors I visited (ranging from primary care to neurologists) suggested simply rest and/or believed it was depression related (even though I have never suffered from depression before).

I hope your wife gets better. Remission from these symptoms is possible, but sadly, I don’t think you’ll get more information out of the doctors.

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I'm a medical professional that had a post- viral syndrome following the flu. In retrospect, even though I didn't realise it at the time, it may have lasted for over a year. It easily fit the definition of depression, but less so the negative symptoms. Could also be classed as stress or anxiety. It went away when I cancelled all my commitments (at the time my director of studies said I was on a course to fail, and advised I handed over other responsibilities in the run up to the exams to other people). Turned out it was overkill and I had plenty of free time. During this time I returned to my normal self, and I'm more self-aware of the issue now.

In ME/CFS one of the treatments is 'graded exercise therapy'. Given my experience, I should have done something like this earlier on.

> The medical community, from my experience, does not handle this type of diagnosis well.

I've read some time ago that Stanford scientists developed a blood test. It'll be harder for docs to ignore once there's a proper diagnostic tool.

Yeah, in its initial study, the nanoneedle had a 100% specificity and selectivity, and according to Ron Davis - main author - the results have held up as they've increased the number of tested people. That said it might also give a positive result for other illnesses. Hopefully a follow-up will be published soon.

Be wary of anything that claims a 100% sensitivity and specificity. It usually indicates the wrong gold standard or poor methods.

Did you ever find a treatment other than rest?

Not an expert, but I suspect that if there were a treatment that makes a clear difference, the whole disease+treatment combo would be well known by most doctors and the treatment would be widely suggested.

I could be wrong though: are there common instances of diseases with solid cures or treatments that many doctors generally misdiagnose or believe lack treatments?

I wouldn't be surprised in either direction.

A huge number of healthcare systems around the world still use graded exercise therapy (and CBT) and that is known to actively hurt patients with the condition, so I don't think that is sure at all. You would have thought the basis of medicine where first do no harm might be their first instinct but it really isn't.

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