That's a good guestion. And maybe if we rally in DC we could put the question to someone who might be able to answer it or not. It should be added to the causes of fatigue. PEACE, NONILV

Maybe your Doc needs to rule out everything except the extreme, maybe he didn't know enough his self. My Internal Doc told me I could teach him about Hep C.

OK I don't know where you looked for articles but I just did my usual google and for the search of "causes of fatigue", the first item pulled up had hepatitis mentioned in it.

Unfortunately, it was listed amongst a gazillion other possible causes. You have to admit that fatigue is one of the vaguest symptoms that just about everyone has had at some point in their lives. It's like saying I am really really tired lately.
the link:
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/fatigue/article_em.htm

In most cases, fatigue is just an also ran in the list of symptoms for so many things. People say I have this and this and fatigue. When it's the most prominent, what do most people thing? CFS of course - I know I did! It's just another thing that I did not know much about but its name said it all to me.

Before I was diagnosed, I too, was getting more and more tired to the point of my being able to fall asleep sitting up. Every single thing was a difficulty for me, even just breathing, that I just dragged myself everywhere. And my joints ached like they were on fire!

I went to the dr and they did test after test after test. I worked and went to the drs and slept, and that was my life for about a month until I literally passed out in the street, just stepping up a curb. That did it for me.

I literally flew into the drs office and started swearing at every single person I encoutered; I was ballistic. I told them in no uncertain terms that I was not leaving their fucking office until the found the fucking problem.

There. That felt good. The had to give me a shot and repair my knees because I had hurt both my legs in the fall. They sent me to another specialist = this time for joints. I suspected that they were just trying to get rid of me but I had calmed down and said I would give them the benefit of the doubt and go to this other dr.

Well, it was she who finally tested me for hep and that's where it all began. What triggered her to test for hep?
Aching, burning joints .... and the fatigue.

You see how important fatigue is to everyone? Mine was so bad that I took 3 months off work because I could NOT stay awake! I had super extreme fatigue and still it was not the sypmtom that triggered the hep testing.

Hepatitis is out there, it's mentioned, it's just not often suspected when it should be.

Dammit, I do have an old phamplet from 1999 that Extream Fatiugueness is one of the symptoms of Hep/C Chronic, Alone with your eyes hurting too. Give me a minute or a day to dig it up, I think I got it from thee ol HEP/C niegborhood I use to belong too way back when. I cant spell worth a shit can I

Yeah....the vague-ness of the fatigue....that's gotta be the reason docs don't automatically think HCV when we tell 'm we're tired.... For most of us, though, we have OTHER SX at same time... including the ache in our joints.... like JustBlue, it was the joint pain that was key for me... My local md sent me to rheum. doc...his workup for RA uncovered the HCV...
As the numbers of Heppers grows, though, testing for Hep MAY need to be one of those ANNUAL tests we get done! After all, there are 4 times MORE Heppers than AIDS people even now! And your mention of CFS made me think of friend in FL who has CFS---may need to be tested for HCV...I'll give him a call. Thanks for motivating me to reach out to someone I love.
Keefer

I WASN'T FATIGUED WHEN I WAS DIAGNOSISED. I'M OCD AND I'VE ALWAYS BEEN THE ONE RUNNING AROUND TRYING TO DO A MILLION THINGS AT ONE TIME,SO I NEVER NOTICED FATIGUE,UP TO THE DAY I WAS DIANNOSISED, BUT MAYBE THAT NOT SO STRANGE EITHER....LOVE...HELEN

Well the doc didn't take my fatigue as seriously as he should have until one evening when the clinic was closing and we left at the same time. He saw how hard I was struggling just to make it up one small flight of stairs. I had to rest after three steps!
That's when he decided to test me for hep!
I never have had joint aches as much muscle aches and joint fatigue and weakness.
For the last month or two my symptoms had abated somewhat but starting Thursday night, they started coming back again full force.