Crashes lasting weeks to months with ME/CFS, somewhat better after rest and warnings
- Condition
- ME/CFS
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 3 years
- Last post
- May 2023
In their words
- Condition: ME/CFS
I did have PVF back in May of 2020 and still have some lingering/new symptoms now, namely post exertional malaise
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
I've had to switch that out for occasional gentle walks, restorative yoga, self massage, meditation, journaling, reading, and art
In context ↗ - Now: Somewhat better
I'm much better off than I was a couple of years ago thanks to you all
In context ↗ - Began after: another virus
I got an upper respiratory viral infection ("mono-like") last May that lasted four months.
In context ↗
Summary
In May 2020 Shore 84164 fell ill with an upper respiratory 'mono-like' virus lasting four months; they were back to 10-mile hikes by September, then crashed for six weeks in January 2021 after emotional stress. Since then exertion brought crashes lasting weeks to months, so they stopped hiking and rested. By May 2023 they were much better off than a couple of years earlier, crediting other patients' warnings about pushing through.
Ask Miruvor AI
What they tried
What they credit
Their words about each treatment
- reconditioned · Much worse
Every time I've "reconditioned" and paced myself back to where I was, it never lasts, and I always suffer a crash that lasts weeks to months at a time.
In context ↗ - rest · Helped a lot
The only thing that I think works with these symptoms is to rest as much as you can. ... I'm much better off than I was a couple of years ago
- physical therapy · Helped
I was able to work back up to my previous level of activity with little difficulty, especially after I got physical therapy for my hip impingement.
In context ↗
Approaches: Pacing
Their path
How ill they were on the ME/CFS severity scale, estimated from what they describe at each point, with time counted from when the illness began. Hover or tap a point. The chart starts 4 months after onset: the story doesn’t say how ill they were before that. 1 step has no time and sits in story order between the steps around it. 1 step says too little to place on the scale and is only in the table. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2020 | upper respiratory 'mono-like' viral infection lasting four monthsI got an upper respiratory viral infection ("mono-like") last May that lasted four months.In context ↗ | Not stated | |
| September 2020 | back to 10-mile hikes and hour-long yoga three times a weekI got better in September, I was active again - 10 mile hikes, Vinyasa yoga for an hour three times a week, the usual for meIn context ↗ | Recovered | |
| January 2021 | crashed for about six weeks after intense emotional distressthen in January I crashed for about six weeks following intense emotional distressIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2021 | flare-ups after moving their apartment alone and after a 10-mile hike, hiking again too soonI've had a few flare ups since then that followed over-doing physical exercise or laborIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| May 2023 | much better after stopping pushing through exercise, following other patients' advice to restI'm much better off than I was a couple of years ago thanks to you all.In context ↗ | Mild | Pacing and the energy envelope |
Adverse events
- Graded rehab and self-made programmes“Every time I've "reconditioned" and paced myself back to where I was, it never lasts, and I always suffer a crash that lasts weeks to months at a time.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
post exertional malaise, and everything the people on this sub say about exercise is true
In context ↗ - Brain fog
When I am rested, I can think more clearly
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I've been diagnosed with PTSD, depression, GAD, and SAD
In context ↗
Ask Miruvor AI
Similar stories
-
Unable to walk around house with long COVID, much better after pacing and antihistamines
A Canadian man with long COVID for about three years was unable to walk around the house for the first two years, with constant migraines, brain fog and PEM. From year three, pacing, rest, stress reduction, H1/H2 antihistamines, hydroxyzine for sleep,…
-
Mostly bedbound and housebound with ME/CFS, pacing and rest helped before a relapse
Valley 16092 has had ME/CFS and fibromyalgia for about 25 years; stress and lifelong health problems led to a crash from 60-hour workweeks. They never became severe but have been mostly bedbound and housebound, and pacing, rest and comorbidity medication…
-
Mostly housebound with ME/CFS, now a little better on Klonopin and low-dose naltrexone
Joseph, 47, in Los Angeles, developed ME/CFS in January 2024, about 18 days after a second COVID infection. He declined from mild to the bad end of moderate over six months, becoming mostly housebound. Klonopin, low-dose naltrexone, midodrine and propranolol…
-
Long COVID brain fog, somewhat better with nicotine patch and naltrexone
Pebble 25278 developed long COVID with brain fog, distorted smell, headaches, nerve pain and trouble sleeping. A quarter of a 10 mg nicotine patch restored much of their speech and thinking, and low-dose naltrexone further raised their cognitive and physical…