Bedbound as a teen with ME/CFS, much better with progressive resistance training
- Condition
- ME/CFS
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 10 years
- Last post
- Aug 2025
In their words
- Condition: ME/CFS
my ME hit when I was 10 and I was bed bound for the majority of my teenage years
In context ↗ - At worst: Severe
I was bed bound for the majority of my teenage years ... I used to lift tiny weights in bed, exhausted out of my mind when i was bed bound
In context ↗ - Now: Much better
I'm definitely not severe as I used to be ... I still have general PEM day to day and have never not had ME
Read from 14 of their posts and comments; links to the 10 this page draws on
Summary
A 20-year-old in the UK whose ME began at age 10 and left him bed bound for most of his teenage years. He began lifting weights in bed and built up gradually, and by 2025 he was at college and in the gym four times a week, crediting progressive resistance training and eating lean meat and fibre. He still had PEM day to day, needed naps after workouts and said he had never had a remission.
Ask Miruvor AI
What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- weight lifting / gym · Helped
feel a lot better with the after affects when lifting and have had less PEM the more constant I've been
In context ↗ - eating clean, protein and fiber · Helped
I found that fiber really helped with my chronic pain recovery
In context ↗ - sprinting · Much worse
find sprinting which is also anaerbotic to absolutely destroy me physically and mentally
In context ↗ - Mididrine · Not said
In general, Mididrine for low blood pressure
In context ↗ - Pregabalin · Not said
Pregabalin for nerve pain
In context ↗ - Melatonin · Not said
Melatonin for sleep and Omarizol
In context ↗ - regular B12 · Not said
Supplements i take regular B12
In context ↗ - Huel black and optimal mass · Not said
drinks for calories and protein gain such as Huel black and optimal mass
In context ↗ - HRT · Not said
I'm on HRT so that contributed quite a bit
In context ↗ - playing football · Much worse
Tried playing football and was later bed bound every single time
In context ↗ - fasting · Much worse
God i feel much worst fasting
In context ↗
Approaches: Exercise and activity
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 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| age 10 | ME onset at age 10my ME hit when I was 10In context ↗ | Not stated | |
| teenage years | bed bound for most of his teensI was bed bound for the majority of my teenage yearsIn context ↗ | Severe | |
| first month of training | crashed after starting 5-minute weight sessionsthe first month of training was hard, constantly bed bound, in painIn context ↗ | Severe | |
| 2025 | able to go out, started college and gym four times a weeknow I am able to go out and do things again, usually have a crash nap after working out, but I'm definitely not severe as I used to beIn context ↗ | Mild | Everyday exercise and activity |
| 2025-08-22 | best he has been in a while but still daily PEM, no remissionI still have general PEM day to day and have never not had MEIn context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- Everyday exercise and activity“When I started working out, a 5 minutes session would knock me out for a week and I wouldn't be able to do anything” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Everyday exercise and activity“the first month of training was hard, constantly bed bound, in pain.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Intermittent fasting“God i feel much worst fasting” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
I still have general PEM day to day and have never not had ME
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
Melatonin for sleep
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
I found that fiber really helped with my chronic pain recovery
In context ↗ - Neuropathy & tingling
Pregabalin for nerve pain
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
Mididrine for low blood pressure
In context ↗
Ask Miruvor AI
Similar stories
-
Long COVID tremors and insomnia, improved on low-histamine diet, then relapsed after a cold
A person over 65 developed long COVID after a COVID infection in November 2020, with loss of smell, insomnia, tremors, myoclonus, burning mouth and severe alcohol and lanolin allergies. A low-histamine diet was the turning point, with mast cell stabilizers,…
-
Often bedbound with long COVID, now almost back to normal after diet and rowing regimen
Osprey 74759 fell ill with long COVID in October 2020 and after about 2.5 years was often bedbound, unable to walk 100 m without near-fainting. In 2023 a self-designed supplement, diet and rowing-machine regimen produced rapid gains: from bedridden to…
-
Long COVID with brain fog and gut problems, now recovered after HRT
A woman who got COVID in December 2021 at age 38 developed long COVID with brain fog, gut problems, SIBO, histamine reactions, hair loss, blood sugar crashes and blood pressure spikes. Fasting, a low-carb diet, supplements, guanfacine, DHEA and nicotine gum…
-
Long COVID with panic, gut problems and dysautonomia; somewhat better with rest and pacing
Prairie 75127 fell ill with long COVID in summer 2020 after a Covid infection in December 2019, with daily panic and anxiety, gut problems and dysautonomia, and could not keep working. They credited time, rest, pacing, meditation, quitting alcohol and…