ME/CFS
Moderate → near normalIll 3.5 years before improving
20 Years Sick… What Finally Helped Might Surprise You (Michele Flores) #mecfs
- Condition
- ME/CFS
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving
- 3.5 years
- Published
- No date given
Read the original ↗
In their words
- Condition: ME/CFS
in about 2020 I started my CFS journey
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - At worst: Moderate
within about 3 weeks I wasn't able to do yoga or Pilates anymore and I eventually became housebound from it
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Now: Near normal
now I'm moving forward and I'm not cross the finish line yet but I'm very optimistic and I can see the finish line and I'm just almost there
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions
Summary
Michele Flores had chronic migraine for about 20 years and developed mild CFS around 2020. A fourth COVID vaccine in July 2023 left her housebound. A 21-day water fast in late 2023 got her out of the house, and she then used about ten mind-body programs and coaches, cold exposure and gradual expansion of activity. By mid-2024 she felt almost fully recovered; a COVID infection set her back a little, and she said she was nearly there.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Gerson therapy· Helped · wore offsupplements· Helped · wore offmedications· Helped · wore offIV therapies· Helped · wore offmigraine medicines· No change · wore offstaying within limits; traditional pacing· No changeaggressively resting· No changetramadol· Worseheart rate monitors· WorseBotox injections· Not saidmigraine surgery (nerve endings severed)· Not saidtreatment for anemia / low ferritin· Not saidmoving out of the mouldy house· Not saidmeditation program· Not saidJan Roth's Reset to Thrive program· Not saidleaving a stressful job· Not said
Their words about each treatment
- migraine medicines · No change
eventually the medicines didn't work anymore
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Botox injections · Not said
i even got Botox injections and the medicines just stopped working on me
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - tramadol · Worse
that was another hurdle you know that I had to get over is getting off of that medicine
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - migraine surgery (nerve endings severed) · Not said
I even flew to Ohio to get migraine surgery where a doctor actually severed the nerve endings in my forehead
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Gerson therapy · Helped
I went down that route and actually got better for a short time was able to go back to work and then just got migraines again
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - DNRS · Helped
DNRs ended up um opening it up and within about 2 years I was able to eat all the foods again
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - treatment for anemia / low ferritin · Not said
they thought it was anemia or that I had you know low feritin low iron and so we treated it for about 2 years that way
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - staying within limits; traditional pacing · No change
what really got me stuck was really believing in um the mitochondria damage ATP theory issue that really kept me stuck as well as traditional pacing theories
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - aggressively resting · No change
traditional pacing theories um aggressively resting as well
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - heart rate monitors · Worse
it just fueled a lot of fear so heart rate monitors didn't work for me
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - supplements · Helped
any supplements medications or you know IV therapies temporary results but nothing longterm
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - moving out of the mouldy house · Not said
because my house was filled with mold and my husband was going to remediate it i ended up moving in with my son
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - 21-day water fast · Helped a lot
after that 21-day fast I was actually able to get out of housebound
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - meditation program · Not said
I eventually you know bought a meditation program from your channel
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - ANS Rewire and other mind-body programs (about 10) · Helped
what did work was just believing in the mind body um work
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Jan Roth's Reset to Thrive program · Not said
jan Roth's reset to thrive program did touch on it
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - somatics (stacked with brain retraining) · Helped
stack these different you know brain retraining and sematics
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - expansion therapy with a movement coach · Helped
enlist other coaches like a movement coach to help me with that so expanding your world facing your fears integrating back into life even while you have symptoms
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - cold therapy · Helped
cold therapy was um a really great tool that um helped me with symptoms and state shifting
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - deep emotional and personality pattern work · Helped
later on doing the really deep emotional work and personality pattern work is what helped
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - leaving a stressful job · Not said
it was always stressful and their deadlines were kind of a lose-lose situation and so I finally just walked away from it
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions
Approaches: CBT & mindset · Brain retraining · Diet · Mind-body practices · Physiotherapy and rehab · Trauma & somatic work
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. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| around 2020 | Fatigue began; mild CFS, still doing yoga and Pilatesmy fatigue journey started around 2020Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions | Mild | |
| July 2023 | Became housebound weeks after a fourth COVID vaccinewithin about 3 weeks I wasn't able to do yoga or Pilates anymore and I eventually became housebound from itWatch the video ↗From the video’s captions | Moderate | |
| Christmas 2023 | Out of being housebound after a 21-day water fast; most symptoms gonewhen I came out of being housebound a lot of my symptoms or almost all of them had actually just went awayWatch the video ↗From the video’s captions | Mild | Extended water fasting (3+ days) |
| last year about this time | Almost fully recovered; took a 16-day European tripI was feeling almost fully recovered and I was doing you know a lot more i was able to go on a 16-day European tripWatch the video ↗From the video’s captions | Near normal | Brain retraining programs (DNRS, Gupta, ANS Rewire, Primal Trust) |
| on the way home from the trip | Caught COVID for the first time and struggled for a whileI got it um for the first time so that was really uh something that shook my nervous system and I struggled with it a little bitWatch the video ↗From the video’s captions | Mild | |
| now | Recovered from the COVID setback; says she is almost thereI'm not cross the finish line yet but I'm very optimistic and I can see the finish line and I'm just almost thereWatch the video ↗From the video’s captions | Near normal |
Adverse events
- “are you sure that you know I'm not going to get dependent on this it kind of feels like I am” Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions Withdrawal problems
- Extended water fasting (3+ days)“during the fast all of my symptoms you know exacerbated I had insomnia had all these detox things going on” Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions Made symptoms worse
- Symptom-tracking apps and wearables (Visible)“it just fueled a lot of fear so heart rate monitors didn't work for me” Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions Mood or psychiatric effects
- “doing too many steps one day and laying down in the hotel” Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
BreathlessnessHeadaches & migraineHeart symptoms & palpitationsMast cell (MCAS) & allergiesPost-exertional malaiseSleep problems
Their words about their symptoms
- Headaches & migraine
I wasn't having many migraines but around the same time that's when fatigue set in
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Mast cell (MCAS) & allergies
severe food sensitivities
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Post-exertional malaise
any strenuous right um it would put me on the couch for days
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Breathlessness
feeling depleted fatigue shortness of breath
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Sleep problems
my restless leg syndrome was horrible insomnia
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Heart symptoms & palpitations
my heart rate monitor goes off and I have tacoc cardia
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions
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