ME/CFS with daily naps and crutches, somewhat better with cannabis and implant
- Condition
- ME/CFS
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 7 years
- Last post
- Dec 2025
In their words
- Condition: ME/CFS
I'm only 21, developed CFS at 17
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
6 wake up, have a shower if I'm up to it ... 6:30 do as much housework as I can manage
In context ↗ - Now: Somewhat better
it's helped me regulate my eating and sleeping outside of flares which in turn has decreased my CFS flares
In context ↗
Read from 24 of their posts and comments; links to the 15 this page draws on
Summary
Pelican 63888 developed CFS at 17 and was still living with it years later. In 2019 she could manage a routine with a daily nap; from 2022 she used prescribed cannabis, which eased her insomnia, and she used crutches, a kitchen stool and cleared the week before and after events for prep and recovery. She also said her contraceptive implant improved her physical and mental health.
Ask Miruvor AI
What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- melatonin pills · Worse
I used to take melatonin pills but had to stop because they gave me super bad sleep paralysis.
In context ↗ - the implant (Nexplanon) · Helped
Yep, I got the implant to stop them so I don't have go worry about it and it's helped immensely with both my physical and mental health.
In context ↗ - licorice extract · No change
Yes and nope. Still feel the same only liquorice-ier
In context ↗ - crutches · Helped
I use crutches because they're easier to take on buses. ... They just make walking slightly less taxing and give me something to lean on when I'm feeling wobbly
In context ↗ - low impact physio exercises · Helped
It was mostly just stretches to do while sitting/lying down. Shoer gentle but it helped a lot
In context ↗ - cannabis · Helped
Cannabis has worked wonders for my insomnia, you can get a prescription for it through private clinics.
In context ↗ - antidepressants · Helped
I started antidepressants and that fixed it for me :(
In context ↗ - caffeine · Not said
Caffeine makes me sleepy. I have no idea why but caffeine naps just hit different
In context ↗ - pacing around events · Not said
I make sure to clear the week before and after for general prep/recovery.
In context ↗
Approaches: Sex hormones
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 9 months after onset: the story doesn’t say how ill they were before that. 2 steps say too little to place on the scale and are only in the table. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were |
|---|---|---|
| age 17 (around 2019) | developed CFS at 17I'm only 21, developed CFS at 17In context ↗ | Not stated |
| October 2019 | settled into a routine and could get through a day with one napI can now function in a day with only one nap so that's good :)In context ↗ | Moderate |
| May 2022 | first CFS flare in about six monthsHaving my first CFS flare in about 6 monthsIn context ↗ | Not stated |
| September 2022 | prescribed cannabis steadied eating and sleeping and reduced flaresit's helped me regulate my eating and sleeping outside of flares which in turn has decreased my CFS flaresIn context ↗ | Moderate |
| February 2025 | attending concerts with a week's prep and recovery, using crutches and a kitchen stoolI make sure to clear the week before and after for general prep/recoveryIn context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- Melatonin“I used to take melatonin pills but had to stop because they gave me super bad sleep paralysis.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Progestin-only birth control (mini pill, implant or shot)“I gained a bit of weight but I've not had a period in almost 10 years so it's worth it” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
I make sure to clear the week before and after for general prep/recovery
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
Cannabis has worked wonders for my insomnia
In context ↗ - Muscle weakness
give me something to lean on when I'm feeling wobbly
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
Still get a temperature and feel stupid nauseous and faint but less so
In context ↗ - Light & noise sensitivity
headphones and sunglasses in case it gets too much sensory wise
In context ↗
Ask Miruvor AI
Similar stories
-
Housebound with ME/CFS after Covid, somewhat better on naltrexone and antihistamines
They developed mild ME/CFS after glandular fever in 2008 and worked on site for years. A mild Covid infection left them housebound with new dysautonomia and probable MCAS, and job-hunting stress caused a further backslide. Low-dose naltrexone, built to 4.5…
-
Mostly housebound with ME/CFS, now much better on low-dose naltrexone and LDA
After COVID in June 2022 she developed POTS; after a cold in November 2023 came PEM, heavy painful legs, insomnia and brain fog. A postpartum exercise crash left her mostly housebound. Low-dose naltrexone, LDA, Mestinon, and pycnogenol with baby aspirin took…
-
Long COVID with dizziness and constant brain fog, now much better
Long COVID left this Reddit user with two months of blood pressure problems, dizziness and lightheadedness, then constant brain fog. Several treatments did nothing; low-dose naltrexone at 0.25 mg caused severe intestinal inflammation, a Crohn's flare and…
-
Mostly bedbound with ME/CFS, now somewhat better with supplements and time
Owl 53259 developed long COVID after a COVID-19 infection at Christmas 2021 and was severe, mostly bedbound, for about two years with PEM, brain fog and severe insomnia. She improved from mid-2024 but relapsed that winter. She credits supplements and time…