Hey Knuffles -

I hear & get your frustration! Have you checked out Dr. Lapp online in Charlotte - the Hunter-Hopkins Center? A few months ago there was a discussion about that center by carriehope here on DS & her experience there. Might want to check in with her. I know she definitely got a diagnosis of CFS there & was starting their protocol.

Personally I'm giving the Gupta Program a shot. It has worked for a lot of people. The point to is use mind-body techniques to get the brain calmed down & out of fight/flight so then the body can heal. In a small trial by the Mayo Clinic it worked better than the "traditional" medical approach. (antidepressents, cognitive behavioral therapy, etc.)

Sending you a hug - Don't give up!

Dr. Nancy Klimas is the world wide expert on CFS and she is in South Florida. I don't know how long her waiting list is to be seen but she is starting a brand new Neuroimmune Center in Davie, Florida where I live. I want to go see her when it finally officially opens. South Florida is a wonderful place to visit or live too!

You can get good treatment on this side of the pond, my friend. I was diagnosed here in New Jersey. Then I found a wellness center in Quakerstown PA that deals with nothing but CFS. Awesome. I found out about it right here.....just the way you are doing it. I talked to people. I will PM you any info. you may need on the Quakerstown center.

I am getting excellent treatment from Dr. Lerner in Michigan. I went from being a long-distance runner to being in bed for nearly 3 years. It took about 5months for me to start feeling better after starting the antivirals and about a year to really start feeling well. Now I feel normal most of the time. The one thing I can't do is run, but I tolerate mild exercise well. We even took the kids to Disney this past year! I know some people think that if you get better you never had CFS to begin with, but please don't believe that. Recovery is possible. I meet people in Dr. Lerner's office all the time with amazing stories to tell. You can find him online, and his antiviral protocol for any physician willing to administer it. At the very least I would encourage you to watch the videos posted on his site. They are a little long but ful of good information. http://www.treatmentcenterforcfs.com/

I have seen a lot of mixed reviews about treatment for cfs - even in the same places. Consider checking it out for yourself before you move.

I don't believe there is a cure for cfs. However some means of making it more liveable can make a big difference...but we don't respond to treatment the same. Pacing seems to be the only universal thing that works.

I will tell you a little about my area to help you figure out if you would (or wouldn't) want to try this area out.

I am in the Seattle area. There is a chronic fatigue clinic in downtown Seattle. It helped me but I still needed to quit working...and now I can't go there. They gave me a diagnosis and suggested treatments that were working. There is a waiting list, but once you get in than you get regular appointments. They are associated with University of Washington Physicians which has clinics all over the general area. (Not just by the University.) So if you pick one of them for your regular doctor you don't have to wait for any transfering of information, they can just look it up off the same network.

If you do settle in over here the economy is not as depressed as in other areas of the country. As in not as many closed businesses and more help wanted signs.

Being so far up north we do get shorter days in the winter and longer days in the summer. Having less vitamin D from the sun than you are used to can make cfs symptoms worse. If you give this area a trial run, try May to September. Or for the best of our weather, June to August. In the Seattle area our summers are 65 to 95 degrees (Ferenheit). Our winters are 30 to 60 degrees. We get excited if it snows, we wear shorts when it's 70 degrees out. There is a lot to do in this area. From Seattle you can drive 2 hours to be on a mountain, minutes for a lake. The Puget Sound, the big inlet from the ocean, makes for lots of parks with sand and waves but less danger. There are lots of parks in the area surrounding Seattle. Also there is the other side, museums, movies, plays, ballet, opera, all sorts of urban stuff. It's just nice to be close to both.

But figuring you have little $ like me, we have a movie theater for $2 per ticket. Lots of places to hike or take a walk if you are up to it. Trails for bicyclists and people walking. For a little $ you can rent a conoe or other boat. There are also tons of groups to meet up with people. Both for singles and just for people out to have fun. Like board game groups, book clubs, etc.

Anyone "different" fits in here. This is a place where you are applauded for not being like everyone else. There is an effort to be accepting of people. So if your appearance is unique, you have an unusual way of looking at the world, you will get less "weird..." and more, "hey man, that's cool."

My nurse practisioner diagnosed me 3 years ago... and that was when I wasn't even at the worst....
She's not a specialist but she knew CFS when we saw it. I was diagnosed w/ rheumatoid arthritis at the same time.

Wow! Nice to read alot of positive news and info! Good for U folks that are getting satisfactory-good treatment.

However, I can symapthize and empathize with Knuffles experience, I have been to 15 MDs in NH and the Boston area and they barely seem to care and one even alluded to me being a hypochondriac.

Also, Knuffles, I spent a summer in England many years ago and experienced their socialized medicine MDs and they were aweful (were so old). Luckily, I had enough money to see a private MD in London and he was great. I have also been on support groups for my OCD/GAD and have heard so many complaints from UKers and Canadians about the long wait to see specialists in their country's.

Good luck finding a competent MD, seems like you got many good suggestions on this thread and could start with lynx49's MD right in your state.

here is the official "good doctor list" I hope there's one near you!
http://www.co-cure.org/good-doc.htm