Through several years and trialling hundreds of medications/supplements/treatments, this is what has currently helped me progress from Severe to Moderate. I’m diagnosed with CFS/Fibromyalgia/Chronic Pelvic Pain & Crohns Disease
Medication
- x 2 Co-Codamol 30mg/500 ( 4 days out of 7) (morning)
- x1 100mg Modafinil (4 days out of 7) (morning)
- x2 0.15mg THC 25 Medicinal Cannabis Vaped (morning & afternoon)
- x1 0.5ml THC 10:CBD 10 Cannabis Oil (at night)
Meds that used to help me but had too many side effects were Amitriptyline and LDN.
I also use Saline Nasal Spray & Anti-Histamines regularly.
Co-Codamol is a risky medication considering that it can cause constipation, so it’s not appropriate for everyone.
Modafinil is also a risky medication as it can put stress on the heart and become ineffective due to tolerance quickly. It doesn’t give you any extra energy but it helps clear up fogginess and lethargy so the time on daily activities is more bearable. It’s important not to overdo things whilst on the medication.
Vitamins & Dietary Supplements – Daily
- 3k IU Vit D + K2 Mouth Spray
- Nicotinamide Riboside
- Coenzyme Q10 Ubiquinol
- Ashwagandha
- 300mg Magnesium Glycinate (night time)
- 5HTP Blend (night time, a low magnesium one so I don’t have too much total)
- Quercetin Complex
- PQQ
- Trans Resveratrol
- Broccoli Seed Extract
- Probiotic Supplement ( everyone reacts differently to probioticsso this is very personalised)
- Whey Isolate Protein / Oat Milk / D-Ribose / Creatine HCL . Blend together and drink throughout the day.
- S.Boulardii probiotic (for 3 days whenever I get more severe digestion issues.)
Other supplements I have but not every day : Zinc 50mg, Liquid Ginseng, Maca Root Complex.
Diet (introduced or increased /focused on)
- Eggs
- Blueberries / Strawberries / Banana / Pineapple / Mango
- Sweet Potato / Carrots
- Oatmeal, Quinoa & Chia
- Avocado, Mushrooms, Pok Choi, Runner Beans
- Tuna / Salmon / Beef
- Oat Milk
- Black Rice
- Kimchi
- Cut out processed meats
- Cut out juice / carbonated drinks
- Halved my carb Intake / increased protein and fats.
- Intermittently Fast – Eat between 12pm and 6pm – Meals at 12pm / 3pm / 6pm
- 1 x Coffee(morning), 1x Ginger Tea(12pm), 1x Black Tea(3pm), 1x Peppermint Tea(6pm), 1x Chamomile Tea(9pm)
This isn’t a strict diet, sometimes I have small bits of dark chocolate or goats cheese etc occasionally.
Therapies – once a week
- Acupuncture / Acupressure
- Massage
- Hydrotherapy
- Physio
These are expensive to keep up but build up in benefits over time
Helpful Additional Items
- Microwave Heat Bag (the one thing that everyone should have)
- Flexi Phone Holder
- Big Wedge cushion and lots of small cushions and pillows
- Comfortable Mattress that matches your needs
- Comfortable shoes
- Decent office chair
- Sit/Stand Desk
- Shower Stool
- Grab Rails throughout the House
- Smart Watch, alarm every 1 hr to do a few minutes light stretching and breathing
- Massage Gun
Other stuff that helps is normal stuff like journaling, making a daily plan/checklist & long term one for things to look forward to/work towards, meditation breaks, stretching routine morning and night, family helping with my self care (haircut/hair wash/skincare etc).
I monitor the CO2, Temp & Humidity in the house to maintain it at the correct values, which also helps.
None of this is a cure, I still get PEM if I overdo anything, my energy envelope has grown slightly but I can’t work normal hours yet again, do my old hobbies or socialise at all but at least I’m not bedbound or in constant pain all day, every day.
Now I spend most of my energy on attending therapies, being with family, writing, reading, a few chores a few hours of work.
I feel with so much self-care, I’m starting to access a positive cycle of improvement rather than a downward spiral, but it obviously takes years to reverse years of ill health.
