You may believe your exhaustion is simply age catching up with you.
You may think your difficulty concentrating means you are becoming forgetful. Your dizziness may be blamed on stress, your aching body on arthritis, your shortness of breath on being out of shape, and your racing heart or trembling on anxiety.
But sometimes these seemingly unrelated symptoms are pieces of a larger puzzle.
Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, commonly called CIRS, is described as a complex, multisystem inflammatory illness that may develop in susceptible individuals following exposure to certain biological contaminants, often associated with water-damaged buildings. Because it can affect several systems at once, the symptoms may resemble many other conditions.
People may experience combinations of:
- Persistent fatigue and weakness
- Brain fog, memory problems, or difficulty finding words
- Headaches, light sensitivity, dizziness, or poor balance
- Muscle and joint pain
- Tingling, numbness, tremors, or unusual sensations
- Sinus congestion, coughing, chest tightness, or air hunger
- Sleep disturbance
- Temperature sensitivity or night sweats
- Digestive changes
- Mood changes, irritability, or a feeling of being constantly overwhelmed
The important question is not simply, “What diagnosis matches this symptom?”
It is also:
When did the symptoms begin?
Did they worsen after moving, renovating, experiencing a leak, or spending time in a damp building?
Do you feel noticeably better when you are away from a particular environment?
Are several body systems being affected at the same time?
Your symptoms are information. They deserve thoughtful investigation rather than dismissal.
You are not lazy.
You are not imagining what you feel.
And the explanation may be deeper than the label you were first given.
Test. Investigate. Look for patterns. Don’t guess.
Wheel of Wellness Coaching
Restoring Body, Mind, and Spirit.