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    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of, and finding treatments for, complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

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  1. Grampus

    Do people feel better in cooler temperature?

    Hate the heat and humidity! Sucks because I am in Houston and summer doesn't want to quit! I feel so much better when I visit cooler and dryer locales.
  2. Grampus

    natural or mild sleep aids?

    I've attempted a few things over the years and right now I'm using a combo of "Calms Forte" and one generic Benadryl right before laying down at night. I then proceed to pick up my Kindle and make an attempt to read. I usually get about one or two pages in and I start feeling the lights out...
  3. Grampus

    Who's trying to get to bed and get up earlier??

    I've had this problem (delayed sleep phase) for so long now that the daytime sleepiness is just part of my personality. All the doctors I've seen have said something like, "just keep at it, keep going to bed early and waking up early, and you'll get there." Okay, so I've been on the 630am...
  4. Grampus

    Heads Up about washers and mold

    I use Tide washing machine cleaner in my front-loader and always leave the door open when not in use.
  5. Grampus

    Mold or Oxygen? Feel better in Hawaii

    I just spent my 7 days on O'ahu and felt [mostly] good while I was there. I don't know if it was just the "vacation effect" or what, but I felt like I could actually go out and do things every day. Of course, at the end of the day I would be overly tired and barely able to put one foot in...
  6. Grampus

    Mold or Oxygen? Feel better in Hawaii

    My husband recently spent 3 weeks working in Singapore & Malaysia (very nearly on the Equator) and he said he felt good there the whole time, even though it rained a lot. Now that he is home, he is is sliding back into the "funk" with me. :Retro frown: I am on the 21 day countdown to our...
  7. Grampus

    Trying to taper off Lunesta

    I didn't want to take Ambien anymore, so my Dr. gave me Lunesta instead. Neither of these seem to work on me, as I generally wake up after one or two hours. I have been adding some melatonin, Benadryl, and a special night-time supplement from Vitamin Shoppe. I can't remember the name of the...
  8. Grampus

    Mold or Oxygen? Feel better in Hawaii

    Well, I don't know about Hawaii, yet. I am taking a trip there in December, so I'll let you know then. :winking: However, I did just get back from a trip to Northern Arizona and I felt pretty great the whole time I was there. I used to live in No. AZ a few years back and I currently live in...
  9. Grampus

    Anyone else improve at certain times?

    I chose "I feel like shit all the time" because generally I do. However, I do tend to have a little bit more zest for life late in the evening 10-midnight, if I'm allowed to stay up that late (like on weekends.) Since I have to go to work at O'dark hundred in the morning I try to take my...
  10. Grampus

    CFS, PMS and Perimenopause

    LOL it's Interview With the Vampire!!
  11. Grampus

    CFS, PMS and Perimenopause

    Spitfire, Well, I don't know if I have any suggestions for you, but I just wanted to let you know that I have been feeling the same way. My gyn did not say if I was perimeno, but my mom thinks I probably am at my age (38.) I have all of the same symptoms you describe, along with the...
  12. Grampus

    Drop in IQ

    I feel like I'm dropping IQ points left and right. I used to be a straight-A student, with high test scores and a fairly high (measured) IQ. Now I can't even find the right words to use when talking. I'm not talking about $0.50 words, just words like "cat" and "dog". Seems to happen a lot...
  13. Grampus

    How do you amuse yourself during the day?

    Well, as we are all aware, how much we can do on any given day is directly related to how we are feeling. :Retro cool: I work full-time still, so that takes up MOST of my energy stores. That being said, I am an avid reader. Before I got my Kindle, I would go to the library to check out...
  14. Grampus

    Ambien CR taking 3 hours to work?!?!

    I use/have used both the regular and CR versions (generic) and neither one really keeps me asleep. I find the regular to be more fast-acting, asleep in ~15 minutes or so, but still waking after 4 hours :Retro frown: The CR version takes longer for me ~30-1hr to fall asleep and waking after 4...
  15. Grampus

    Broken bone healing

    After my broken foot operation I got a nasty case of Staph. I had to do three rounds of antibiotics to get rid of it. Hospitals suck :Retro mad:
  16. Grampus

    My leg gave out

    On my Really Bad Days I also have left-sided problems. My leg will give out or my foot will drag. I thought it was just a Me thing :Retro frown: I also try to pay particular care to things I am holding on to, like a glass or plate of food. There have been so many times I just "blink out" (for...
  17. Grampus

    Broken bone healing

    Nope, and it's been 4 & 1/2 years since the The Broken Foot Episode :sad: I've had a gazillion blood tests and usually the docs just say "everything's fine" except for one who told me I had Adult Mono/Epstein Barr :Retro rolleyes:
  18. Grampus

    Broken bone healing

    My CFS symptoms worsened after breaking my foot. My bones mended just fine, but the rest of me suffered. The fatigue, sleepiness, brain fog, dizziness and other stuff increased ten-fold. I also suffered from a really bad staph infection too :Retro frown:
  19. Grampus

    how old are you?

    With this sickness I feel like I'm 37 going on 80 :Retro frown:
  20. Grampus

    Periods of ShutDown Fatigue

    I went through a period of this last year and it was awful. If I sat down for 5-10 minutes I would immediately feel my eyes closing like I was on some heavy-duty sleep meds! I felt drugged all the time. This was not good, as I have to work and work involves sitting at my desk in front of a...