Rate Your CFS

Keeping a Journal of Activities

The severity of CFS varies greatly. Some people’s lives are touched lightly, while others have their lives disrupted moderately and still others are housebound or even bed bound. The bottom line: each person's illness is different. To treat your condition effectively, you need to understand the severity of your CFS.

Rate yourself on the CFS (below). Your rating gives you an idea of the severity of your illness and of the activity level your body can tolerate at present.

Your rating also gives you a baseline you can use to compare with later on.

100 Fully recovered. Normal activity level with no symptoms.

90 Normal activity level with mild symptoms at times.

80 Near normal activity level with some symptoms.

70 Able to work full time but with difficulty. Mostly mild symptoms.

60 Able to do about 6-7 hours of work a day. Mostly mild to moderate symptoms.

50 Able to do about 4-5 hours a day of work or similar activity at home. Daily rests required. Symptoms mostly moderate.

40 Able to leave house every day. Moderate symptoms on average. Able to do about 3-4 hours a day of work or activity like housework, shopping, using computer.

30 Able to leave house several times a week. Moderate to severe symptoms much of the time. Able to do about 2 hours a day of work at home or activity like housework, shopping, using computer.

20 Able to leave house once or twice a week. Moderate to severe symptoms. Able to concentrate for 1 hour or less per day.

10 Mostly bedridden. Severe symptoms.

0 Bedridden constantly. Unable to care for self