Unable to work with ME/CFS, now working full time from home despite brain fog
- Condition
- ME/CFS
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 3.5 years
- Last post
- May 2021
In their words
- Condition: ME/CFS
I have been affected by CFS for almost 2.5 years now
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
I am mostly playing video games at home and try to go for a walk every day ... even taking a shower costs me a lot of effort
In context ↗ - Now: Much better
I was unable to work for a very long time ... I am working full time as a customer service representative since March this year
- Began after: stress or burnout
started with anxiety (panic attacks on a daily basis) and mild depression
Read from 7 of their posts and comments; links to the 5 this page draws on
Summary
He developed unrefreshing sleep and severe weakness in 2018, aged 23. He was unable to work and struggled with study, and later stayed home and walked briefly each day. Diagnosed with mild CFS, he tried antibiotics, T3, a keto diet and many supplements without much effect. From March 2021 he worked full time from home, still limited by brain fog, PEM, breathlessness and never feeling rested.
Ask Miruvor AI
What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Ritalin and later Dexamphetamine · Helped
I tried Ritalin and later Dexamphetamine and I was, for the first time, capable of focusing
In context ↗ - antidepressants · No change
The antidepressants did not help and I tried almost 10 different ones back then.
In context ↗ - benzodiazepines · No change
I tried some benzodiazepines before going to bed to see if its gonna get better but with no success at all.
In context ↗ - CPAP · Worse
I tried CPAP for a potential UARS-cure but I cannot tolerate it.
In context ↗ - antibiotics for SIBO · No change
even after taking the two most appropriate antibiotics, I do not feel very diffrent
In context ↗ - B12 injections · Helped
these things do improve my condition a bit
In context ↗ - T3-Thyroid-Hormones · No change
T3 tablets (I do not think that they have helped at all)
In context ↗ - Keto-/Paleo diet · Helped
Keto-/Paleo diet (helped a little bit but did not make a huge difference)
In context ↗ - gluten and dairy free diet · No change
I decided to go gluten and dairy free but I dont think that it makes a huge difference.
In context ↗ - cannabis · Worse
I tried to smoke pot again (I got extremely anxious and I felt depressed - overall I wont smoke weed again).
In context ↗ - Doxycycline · Helped
-Doxycycline for 16 days (I had no real bad PEM in that time and I felt slightly better but it could also be placebo)
In context ↗ - GET · No change
I tried GET as my CFS is mostly mild compared to others and I am rather young (did not help
In context ↗ - Vortioxetine (Trintellix) · Not said
Vortioxetine (which I could not take because of the insane nausea I got)
In context ↗
Approaches: Diet · Hormones & thyroid · Supplements
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. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | unrefreshing sleep and energy loss began after daily panic attacksmy sleep started to get unrefreshing as hell and my energy and motivation decreased to a point where I can't barely moveIn context ↗ | Moderate |
| 2020-03-29 | signed off work, at home, one short walk a daySince then I am mostly playing video games at home and try to go for a walk every day.In context ↗ | Moderate |
| 2020-07-02 | supplements and hormones helped a bit but sleep unchangedThe thing is that these things do improve my condition a bit but the sleep quality and the morning still feel the same so far.In context ↗ | Moderate |
| 2021-05-13 | working full time from home since March 2021, still limitedI am working full time as a customer service representative since March this year (tbh, I did not think that this was possible anymore).In context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- Antidepressants (unspecified)“The antidepressants did not help and I tried almost 10 different ones back then. I felt extremely numb” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
- Vortioxetine (Trintellix)“Vortioxetine (which I could not take because of the insane nausea I got)” In context ↗ Gut side effects
- Cannabis (THC, marijuana)“I tried to smoke pot again (I got extremely anxious and I felt depressed - overall I wont smoke weed again).” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Sleep problems
Never do I feel rested when I wake up in rhe morning even if I slept more than enough.
In context ↗ - Brain fog
Sometimes its really hard for me to even answer easy questions because of my brain fog.
In context ↗ - Post-exertional malaise
For me PEM starts directly after exertion.
In context ↗ - Muscle weakness
extreme physical weakness all over my body
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
heavy and sore legs (and sometimes neck and back pain)
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
I wake up with teeth pain from clenching them, headache and a bit breathless
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
I get really bad shortness of breath from doing some slight cardio or even walking fast.
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
POTS (29 instead of 30 bpm difference)
In context ↗ - Gut problems
problems with my stomach (IBS I guess)
In context ↗ - Light & noise sensitivity
sensory overload
In context ↗ - Temperature regulation
feeling cold most of the time
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I am highly anxious about the impact of this illness on my life
In context ↗
Ask Miruvor AI
Similar stories
-
Long COVID with PEM after overdoing it, much better after pacing and time
He was a fit gym-goer in London who never recovered from a fifth COVID infection in March 2024. After about 18 months he improved to about 80-90% by walking daily, cutting sugar and alcohol, and taking mirtazapine, electrolytes, CBD oil and using red light…
-
Not enough detail to draw a path
Housebound with ME/CFS, now nearly back to normal after antibiotics
Nightjar 30965 became ill with CFS in their teens after a postviral onset and was housebound at their worst with muscle pain, brain fog, tingling and dysautonomia. Triple antibiotics for a Blastocystis hominis gut infection at a Sydney clinic produced…
-
ME/CFS for 40 years with crippling fatigue, now recovered after fluconazole
Tulip 49887 had CFS for 40 years with crippling fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, diarrhoea, sinus pain and anxiety. After a doctor found a massive fungal infection, three weeks of fluconazole 200 mg daily cleared their symptoms, though a Herx caused sinus pain…
-
ME/CFS after mono, now somewhat better with diet and pacing
Prairie 82972 caught mono in summer 2010 six months into a new job and kept working hard, which they and their CFS doctor believe contributed to their CFS. Six years on they were much better but still struggling to keep their job, helped by a low-sugar,…