Totally bed-bound with ME/CFS, now much better with duloxetine and therapy
- Condition
- ME/CFS
- At worst
- Very severe (bedbound, unable to do basic care)
- Ill before improving or writing
- Not stated
- Last post
- May 2022
In their words
- Condition: ME/CFS
After initially modest CFS I deteriorated gradually over a period of years until becoming fully bed-bound
In context ↗ - At worst: Very severe
At my worst in 2015 I was totally bed-bound
In context ↗ - Now: Much better
The contrast between myself and a healthy person certainly remains apparent, but for the most part I do now live a full life on the whole.
In context ↗
Summary
After initially modest CFS that worsened over years, the Reddit user was totally bed-bound at their worst in 2015. They credit a combination of duloxetine and therapy for substantial improvement: by 2020 they worked three months on an eco farm in Cyprus and backpacked, though they could not keep up with other workers. By 2022 they said they lived a full life overall, though a contrast with healthy people remained.
Ask Miruvor AI
What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Pushing through · Worse
the payback afterwards was far too great
In context ↗ - Duloxetine · Helped a lot
after a combination of Duloxetine and therapy
In context ↗
Approaches: CBT & mindset · SNRIs
Their path
What they say at each step doesn’t fit the worst point or outcome above on the severity scale, so the steps are listed as they describe them. Dates are when they posted.
| When | What happened | After |
|---|---|---|
| — | onset of initially modest CFS, then gradual deterioration over yearsAfter initially modest CFS I deteriorated gradually over a period of years until becoming fully bed-boundIn context ↗ | |
| 2015 | totally bed-bound at their worstAt my worst in 2015 I was totally bed-boundIn context ↗ | |
| 2020 | worked three months on an eco farm in Cyprus and backpacked the islandthis year I spent 3 months working on an eco farm in Cyprus and backpacking around the islandIn context ↗ | Duloxetine (Cymbalta) |
| 2022-05-13 | living a full life overall, still visibly below healthy peoplefor the most part I do now live a full life on the wholeIn context ↗ |
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
The payback is still rougher than I would prefer
In context ↗
Ask Miruvor AI
Similar stories
-
Housebound with long COVID, now much better and back at work after rest and acupuncture
An Australian academic in their forties got long COVID in May 2024 after a third infection: brain fog first, then crippling fatigue that left them housebound and crashing daily for months. Rest, time and treatments including acupuncture greatly improved…
-
Unable to work with long COVID, now somewhat better with pacing and inhalers
A woman in the Netherlands fell ill with COVID-19 in April 2020 and was left with brain fog, extreme fatigue, tinnitus, visual snow, neuropathic itch and severe asthma, unable to work. Rehabilitation ultimately failed, though pacing helped; antihistamines…
-
Bedbound then severe with ME/CFS, now mild-moderate with pacing and therapy
Lake 79689 became ill around 2020 aged about 16; after a mild start a traumatic event left them essentially bed bound for two months and severe for about a year. They credit therapy, pacing and medication for improving to a mild-moderate level, enough to…
-
Barely leaving bed with ME/CFS, improved on Vyvanse then relapsed
Marsh 24615 had ME/CFS for about 15 years; a traumatic period left them suicidal and barely leaving bed. Finding a workable Vyvanse dose was life-changing, letting them function at work and keep up chores while still pacing and resting. Emotional stress in…