Throwback Thursday: Treating Virally-Induced Crashes in ME/CFS

Virus in the house!

Just a quick post today because I am very, very sick - the sickest I have been in years, in fact. My son with ME/CFS was home sick last week with a cold, but he was back on his feet and moving back to his apartment after just one week, which is pretty amazing for someone with ME/CFS! Unfortunately, I've got it worse (if it is even the same virus). My doctor said there is a really nasty coughing infection going around, which seems to be what I have. Given my susceptibility to bacterial infections and especially bronchitis, I have that, too. I started antibiotics immediately (knowing my history and tendencies), but it's been 6 days now, and I am actually worse today. The chest congestion and cough are still horrible but now it's in my sinuses, too. For the first time this week, I spent the day in bed.

So, this blog post, Treating Virally-Induced Crashes in ME/CFS explains:

• Why viruses make us (people with ME/CFS) crash
• Why we are more prone to bacterial infections and how to prevent them
• The kind of immune dysfunction that is central to ME/CFS
• How to prevent virally-triggered crashes by improving/normalizing your immune system
• How to treat viruses and virally-triggered crashes when they do occur so they won't last long or be as severe.

That post was just written in April, so it is fairly up-to-date and complete, but I would add a few things to it:

• In addition to the immune system treatments mentioned in that post, I would add Increasing Glutathione to the list. I used to get bronchitis 3-5 times a year, causing a severe crash each time (the why is explained in that above post). Since starting glutathione injections in Fall 2016, this is the first time I've had bronchitis! That is a truly stunning improvement - in all, I went more than 18 months without getting bronchitis once.
• That Virally-Induced Crashes post explains how to self-treat viruses when you have been exposed to one or catch one; however, there is one type of virus that should get you to your doctor immediately: the flu. The flu can knock a normal, healthy person down for 10 days to two weeks, so it can affect people with ME/CFS severely. My husband and son both caught it two Thanksgivings ago...my husband was sick for two weeks, but my son (with ME/CFS) was badly crashed and non-functional for more than two months, until early February. The best approach when someone with ME/CFS gets the flu is to start Tamiflu (an antiviral specific to the flu) immediately - the trick is to start it in the first couple of days for it to be effective. How do you know if it's the flu? It helps to know your own body, but the flu usually comes on very hard and suddenly - with high fever, sore throat, aches, and congestion right from Day 1 and cough soon after. For my son and I, as I explained in that virus post, we rarely get fevers, so now if one of us suddenly spikes a fever in the 100's (F) with the accompanying symptoms, we go see the doctor and ask for Tamiflu immediately.

Ok, that's more than I meant to write, but I hope this will help others who are struggling this time of year with all sorts of infections. 'Tis the season!