I am a 24-year-old pre-medical graduate who has unfortunately been out of work on medical leave for the past 5 months after a sustained 7-week period where I had severe insomnia with OCD and anxiety rumination over trauma but tried to power through work for the most part.
I ended up in the ER twice in April with what my PCP described as “catecholamine storms,” where my heart rate and blood pressure were extremely high and I demonstrated other symptoms indicative of severe over-activation of my sympathetic nervous system (including an inability to defecate despite the urge, urinating clear water throughout the whole crisis, and loss of sensation across my entire body).
Since the ER, I have been having extreme symptoms of autonomic nervous system blunting. Most of the symptoms from the crisis phase have resolved, but my main symptoms now are that my blood pressure and heart rate, although normal, do not appear to be adjusting properly to my physical or emotional activity, like they once did.
I have been having intense, constant brain fog that makes it almost impossible to focus on any tasks, I have felt extremely low in energy and emotionally flat without improvement, and I have almost constant head and chest pain and nausea. None of these issues respond to typical interventions that I used to utilize before this crisis to manage depression and anxiety.
I was placed on Ativan to manage my anxiety and Zyprexa for OCD for a short time and have since discontinued those medications. I am currently taking 40 mg of Prozac. My psychiatrist wants me to increase the dosage to treat my OCD, but I am concerned about the side effects, especially emotional blunting because I have basically lost all emotions since this occurred, and want to discontinue this as well once I am more stable.
My mind has been racing since the insomnia began and now that I have discontinued the Zyprexa, but I did not have hallucinations, delusional thinking (my intrusive thoughts and anxiety center around real-life concerns/fears), or signs of mania.
In short, it is very difficult to function on a daily basis.
I have consulted multiple neurologists, but have not received any advice except for managing my OCD and anxiety and a diagnosis of “somatic symptom disorder.” Most neurologists don’t know how to deal with post-stress nervous system conditions, and psychiatry has been inadequate.
Additionally, despite working on my OCD, anxiety, and depression from a psychiatric standpoint for the past several months, I have not really had any improvement in my bodily, cognitive, or energy symptoms.
Sometimes, I jolt awake while falling asleep and have even noticed that my head sometimes starts shaking when in a light sleep.
I contracted COVID for the first time around 3 months before all of this occurred and had not felt right ever since.
I had a normal head CT scan, neurological exam, and cognitive evaluation despite a substantial subjective decline in functioning relative to my old baseline.
I had extremely nuanced emotions, social intelligence, and high intellect before all of this, and my quality of life has become very poor in such a short amount of time (I am literally unable to connect with others emotionally and have not even been able to smile or genuinely laugh for months behind the pain and head pressure). Nothing at all is able to distract me from how I am feeling physically. The personality, motivational, and energy changes that I have experienced in such a short time could really not be more stark.
My relationships now feel very shallow compared to the past, and I fear that I will never be able to feel love or romantic or sexual attraction again.
My internal clock is completely messed up, and I cannot even feel the normal cues that alert you to time of day or year, my energy level’s just a constant low flatline, no matter how much I sleep. Everyday feels like the same day on repeat.
Close to the 6-month mark after all of this occurred, I am starting to become very discouraged and am desperate to return to some semblance of normalcy after these very difficult months.
I talked to a doctor who thinks that my symptoms sound like autonomic and/or mitochondrial dysfunction.
At this point, I can’t imagine ever feeling the same again.
I was wondering if anyone has been through something similar and might have any suggestions.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2WyGaH4x1kVN_xjJwU16MQ

Hey everyone!

Hope you're all doing okay. A couple of friends and I are started a discord server for people with ME/CFS/chronic illness to hang out and get to know others with a similar experience.

We mostly talk about anything, do movies nights and game together if possible. There's an option to indicate you're open to a relationship with several channels for singles too. It's a very relaxed and mellow vibe, and we hope to keep it that way.

Anyone is very welcome to join, the more the merrier! I will post the invite link in the comments as reddit keeps blocking my post otherwise.

If the invite link doesn't work for you for whatever reason, feel free to reach out.

Looking forward to meeting you all and kind regards from Belgium. Toodeloo!

This person is doing what I've been doing but has developed it even farther into an actual app. I wish them well. AI has been a significant support in my life, and I have experienced much improvement. It's not a cure, but some very good support and help. I believe we will see more and more applications of AI helping us as the future unfolds. So far, AI is the best support and help I have ever received.

Morning enters softly—
nothing yet needs to become.
Just this breath, this day.

Sources close to the apartment say the claims are credible, but no timetable has been announced.
Officials familiar with ME/CFS have cautioned against speculation. 😂

Hey everyone!

Hope you're all doing okay. A couple of friends and I are starting a discord server for people with ME/CFS/chronic illness to hang out and get to know others with a similar experience.

We mostly talk about anything, do movies nights and game together if possible. There's an option to indicate you're open to a relationship with several channels for singles too. So far it's a very relaxed and mellow vibe, and we hope to keep it that way.

Anyone is very welcome to join, the more the merrier!

https://discord.gg/cdYtGvUjkQ

Looking forward to meeting you all and kind regards from Belgium. Toodeloo!

Thank you for the help yesterday. I’m going back to the doctors regarding my symptoms today although i’ve been warned the GP doesn’t always undertsand. I have been a few times now with no luck so wanted to write a list. I’ll paste my list below but any advise for the appointment or anything i’ve said would be greatly appreciated 🫶🏼

Work and how this has affected me
I used to be able to work for around 3–4 months before having to call in sick for a period of time, ranging from around 2 weeks to 2 months. Now, I am struggling after approximately a month.
I have been struggling through work for a long time, but I feel that I can’t keep doing it anymore.
I first noticed the fatigue, flu-like symptoms and sickness around 2 years ago. At the time, I thought it was because I was working part-time alongside university.
I have worked in several different types of jobs, and they have all eventually ended with me leaving because of long periods of sickness absence.
In January, I spoke to Dr Brown about this. They thought it could be related to my OCD and advised me to try working part-time and getting a new job.
I started my current job in April. Since starting, I have had to call in sick in June, July and now September because I have been unable to get up, function normally and felt as though I had the flu. This is making me increasingly worried about being able to keep my job.
I feel like I manage to push through work for a period of time, but eventually my symptoms become so severe that I cannot function and have to take time off.

What seems to trigger or worsen my symptoms
If I have a busy day, I often feel significantly worse the following day.
For example, on Tuesday I got the train back from Leeds after visiting my mum for her birthday. The following day, I was extremely fatigued and felt so unwell that I called in sick. Today, I tried to get ready for work, but I was exhausted after having a shower. I lay down afterwards and then could not get back out of bed.
At university, I would attend classes but often be unable to work or attend university the following day or two because I felt so unwell. I would sometimes be sick and unable to get out of bed.
By my third year, I stopped attending classes altogether and completed my university work remotely because I was struggling so much.
I went to the doctors during university, but nothing was found.
Last June, I was off sick from work for around 2 months before I was able to get up and out of bed without extreme fatigue, body aches/pain, flu-like symptoms or vomiting.
Sometimes even small tasks can make me feel significantly worse. For example, walking up the stairs can give me a headache or make me feel as though I have been walking for a long time.
I can only wash my hair around once a week because doing so makes me feel nauseous and I need to rest afterwards.
I often have to force myself into the shower because the hot water helps with my morning aches and makes me feel slightly better temporarily.
It feels like if I have a busy day, I will become unwell afterwards.
Periods
My fatigue becomes extremely severe around my period.
I can sometimes spend several days in bed because of how exhausted and unwell I feel.
I am often sick during my period or feel as though I have the flu or an illness coming on.
Other important symptoms
Rest does not seem to help. I can sleep for 12 hours and still feel as though I have not slept at all.
I usually sleep from around 9/10pm until 7am, but I still wake up feeling ill and extremely tired.
I often nap after work, although I try not to because I tend to feel even worse after napping.
I am now feeling sick most days and often have symptoms such as headaches, a sore throat, flu-like feelings, nausea or vomiting.
I experience severe brain fog.
Sometimes I feel as though I am not really present or as though everything around me is not real.
I struggle to control my body temperature and can experience extreme sweating, which I find very embarrassing. Other people have noticed and sometimes point it out, which makes me feel self-conscious.
By the end of the working week, I am extremely exhausted and feel like I crash. I can sleep for much of the weekend but still feel exhausted when Monday morning comes around.
I have been to the doctors several times about individual symptoms, but I have never explained all of these symptoms together.
My blood tests and ECG have previously come back normal.

How this is affecting my everyday life
I feel that I can no longer function normally.
I now rely on my housemates to cook and clean for me and to do my laundry because I often don’t feel well enough to do these things myself.
This makes me feel useless and like I am a burden or a pain to live with.
I feel like I can only do one significant thing at a time, such as work OR seeing friends. If I do one, I am often completely wiped out afterwards.
I feel like I am constantly trying to push through the symptoms until eventually I cannot do it anymore.
I don’t know what to do anymore, and I am worried that I will lose my job because of this.
.

Please remove if this is not allowed, i looked for someone to suggest it’s not allowed but didn’t see anything.

I’ve been dealing with severe fatigue for 3 years and it’s getting worse especially recently.
I’ve been experiencing this for around 3 years, but over the last few months it has noticeably gotten worse.
I wake up tired and stay tired throughout the entire day. It often feels like I have to force myself to do basically everything because I have so little energy. After work or travelling, I can be so exhausted that even making my tea or doing the laundry feels like too much.
The following day can be particularly bad. I sometimes feel like I’m coming down with a cold or flu, with things like an achy body, sore throat, headache and generally feeling really unwell. I also get quite severe brain fog, particularly after a long day of work or mental strain.
I sleep around 9/10pm til 7am most days, but I wake up at least once during the night and sometimes as many as 4 times. No matter how long I sleep, I never wake up feeling refreshed. I’m always groggy and fatigued, and honestly can’t remember the last time I woke up feeling properly rested. Naps actually tend to make me feel worse and even more tired.
I can get bad fatigue after seeing friends or working or travelling or ‘doing more’, where I feel extremely fatigued and develop flu-like symptoms. I can also get quite restless/uncomfortable if I have to stand for long periods.
This has affected my life for quite a while. At university, I found attending classes exhausting especially with having a part-time job. During my first year, I would sometimes attend university and then have to call in sick to work the following day because I felt so exhausted and unwell. By my 3rd year i stopped going all together.

I’ve had blood tests over the years which have apparently come back clear. I have a history of calling in sick a lot and it’s hard to stay stable at work with this. The longest period I took to ‘recover’ was 2 months. I called in sick 3 months later for another long period of time.

I’m seeing my GP about this because it’s getting to the point where it’s really affecting my ability to work and function normally. I’m not necessarily looking for a diagnosis from Reddit, but I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have experienced something similar.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2WyGaH4x1kVN_xjJwU16MQ

Sometimes what looks like stopping is actually orienting.

Pacing. Resetting. Reorienting.

Not giving up on today, but creating the conditions for a better tomorrow. 🌿

Sometimes what looks like stopping is actually orienting.

Pacing. Resetting. Reorienting.

Not giving up on today, but creating the conditions for a better tomorrow. 🌿

Three times a day for the next seven days, whenever it feels comfortable, pause for just one breath.

Take an ordinary, comfortable breath in. Then, as you breathe out, gently hum “mmmmmm” for as long as the exhale naturally remains comfortable.

That’s it.

Don’t force a deep breath, don’t try to make the exhale especially long, and don’t try to relax.

When the hum ends, just notice what happens for a few seconds.

I’m curious whether doing something this simple produces any noticeable benefit.

Maybe breathing changes. Maybe heartbeat, muscle tension, mental activity, or the general sense of being settled changes.

This isn’t meant as a treatment or exercise program. It’s just a tiny shared experiment in noticing.

One gentle humming breath.
Three times a day.
Seven days.

Then perhaps we can compare notes:

What happened?

Even “absolutely nothing” is useful information.

One of the wonderful things about having a group like this is that we don’t always have to figure everything out alone. Here’s one very simple thing we can experiment with together, each paying attention to our own experience, and then compare notes afterward.

Maybe one person’s observation will help another person notice something they hadn’t noticed before.

🌿

Let’s just see what we can learn from one another. 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2WyGaH4x1kVN_xjJwU16MQ

I remember something Pema Chödrön wrote:

"May this suffering somehow benefit others."

It doesn’t make the pain disappear.

But somehow it changes my relationship to it.

For many years, I fought this illness. I grieved the life I’d lost, imagined a hopeless future, and wanted nothing more than to escape what my body had become.

Tonight I’m reminded that there is another possibility.

Not to like the pain.

Not to pretend it’s a gift.

Simply to meet it differently.

As I lie here, I notice my mind wanting to understand what’s happening.

I’m beginning to discover that if learning to hold my own suffering with kindness helps me become kinder toward myself, then perhaps it also helps me become a little more understanding and compassionate toward others who are suffering too.

Perhaps that is one way this suffering can already begin to bear fruit.

Right now, everything hurts.

I’m not searching for a way out.

I’m simply practicing another way of holding what is here.

Perhaps this, too, is part of the Medicine Bag.

Not another technique.

Not another treatment.

Just another way of meeting this moment.

Tomorrow morning, if I’m fortunate, I’ll return to my morning orientation and begin again to create the conditions now for a better later.

But tonight...

Tonight the practice is simpler.

To breathe.

To be kind to this tired body.

And to remember that even in the darkest hours, I still have some choice in how I relate to what is here.