Quadriplegic after an ME/CFS crash, improved then relapsed to severe
- Condition
- ME/CFS
- At worst
- Very severe (bedbound, unable to do basic care)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 2.5 years
- Last post
- Jan 2026
In their words
- Condition: ME/CFS
And I got mine from the bivalent mRNA vaccine and am pretty sure I contracted mild-moderate CFS within a week.
In context ↗ - At worst: Very severe
It took me six months to pull out of my last crash when I was very severe, and that was with people changing my diapers, spoonfeeding me
In context ↗ - Now: Relapsed
I was better for several months but now have relapsed to the worse side of severe. ... I'm still severe as heck, and worse in some ways
- Began after: a vaccination
I got mine from the bivalent mRNA vaccine and am pretty sure I contracted mild-moderate CFS within a week.
In context ↗
Read from 13 of their posts and comments; links to the 10 this page draws on
Summary
Lynx 66597 developed mild-moderate ME/CFS within a week of a bivalent mRNA vaccine around 2023, aged about 39. A crash after cycling, walking and dancing more than six months later left them quadriplegic and needing diapers and spoon-feeding. Metoprolol ER, low-dose naltrexone, low-dose Abilify, nattokinase with bromelain, Ativan and pacing were followed by improvement to severe, though they were unsure how much was drugs versus time and pacing; overexertion caused a relapse, and they were still severe in January 2026.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Metoprolol ER · Helped a lot
Low dose extended released Metoprolol is the #1 medicine that has helped with my CFS ... It completely changed my experience of CFS
In context ↗ - Propranolol · Helped
Low dose Metoprolol ER helped me more than Propranolol.
In context ↗ - Ativan · Helped
After that Ativan provided a cushion for anxiety attacks/severe depression and times when I needed an escape.
In context ↗ - LDN · Not said
I don't know what helped with the sound sensitivity or screen sensitivity, although I started LDN, LDA, Natto & Bromelain, Metoprolol and occasional Ativan during the time.
In context ↗ - LDA (Abilify) · Not said
Abilify caused weight gain and compulsive eating at times
In context ↗ - Natto & Bromelain · Not said
I started LDN, LDA, Natto & Bromelain, Metoprolol and occasional Ativan during the time.
In context ↗ - Mestinon · Not said
Mestinon has some of its beneficial effects.
In context ↗ - Guanfacine · Not said
I believe both Metoprolol and the Guanfacine I take may lower pulse and BP.
In context ↗ - Midodrine · Not said
I cross over into hypotensive now and then but am working on that with my present Midodrine dosage.
In context ↗ - Zoloft · Not said
Also stopped the Zoloft I was on.
In context ↗ - pacing · Helped
I did see further improvement from time and pacing
In context ↗ - electric wheelchair · Helped a lot
I wouldn't be able to do anything without an electric wheelchair. I'd say after a beta blocker it's been the most useful thing I've ever gotten for CFS.
In context ↗ - liquid diet · Not said
I usually go on a liquid diet so I don't have to make, chew or digest food and sometimes eat under 700 calories a day.
In context ↗
Approaches: Beta-blockers · 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. 1 step has no time and sits in story order between the steps around it. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were |
|---|---|---|
| about 2.5 years before October 2025 | ME/CFS began within a week of bivalent mRNA vaccineI got mine from the bivalent mRNA vaccine and am pretty sure I contracted mild-moderate CFS within a week.In context ↗ | Mild |
| 6+ months into illness | major crash after cycling, walking and dancing; quadriplegic and needing diapers and spoon-feedingriding my bicycle, walking and dancing more than 6 months later eventually brought it all crashing down. ... when I hit rock bottom with CFS and was a quadraplegic | Very severe |
| 2025 | pulled out of the extreme crash, better for several monthsI did pull out of it once, and I am not sure it was wholly because of drugs, because I did see further improvement from time and pacingIn context ↗ | Severe |
| 2025-09-29 | relapsed to the worse side of severeI was better for several months but now have relapsed to the worse side of severe.In context ↗ | Severe |
| 2025-10-23 | slipping back to very severe cognitively after overexertionI am now slipping back to very severe cognitively even though I am on more drugs, because of overexertion.In context ↗ | Severe |
| 2026-01-27 | still severe and worse in some ways, on all the medicines they hoped forI'm still severe as heck, and worse in some ways, but I'm on all the meds I could hope to be on for CFS and it definitely helps.In context ↗ | Severe |
Adverse events
- Low-dose Abilify / aripiprazole“Abilify caused weight gain and compulsive eating at times” In context ↗ Side effects
- Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol)“I cross over into hypotensive now and then but am working on that with my present Midodrine dosage.” In context ↗ Low blood pressure or fainting
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
PEM from 30 seconds of radio
In context ↗ - Brain fog
I am now slipping back to very severe cognitively even though I am on more drugs
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
my legs are definitely not fit for walking or bearing weight any more because of severe POTS
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
Burning in head, headaches are the main symptoms.
In context ↗ - Light & noise sensitivity
I don't know what helped with the sound sensitivity or screen sensitivity
In context ↗ - Muscle weakness
I have been unable to safely stand for a very long time
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
Part of what keeps me going is that if I have pain and shut my eyes and stop thinking
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
Ativan provided a cushion for anxiety attacks/severe depression
In context ↗
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