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Does a cold/flu make m.e symptoms worse? Will they settle again? Feeling intense fear that it could be relapse...
Cold/flu and feel terrible
- Thread starter Hopeful1976
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Yes, very definitely for me. I haven't gotten viral infections often since ME, but several times I felt my ME symptoms get much worse, and later realized that I'd gotten a cold, or one time, viral meningitis. It should pass, after the normal time for a viral infection. T-cell activation in general seems to make ME symptoms worse, at least in my experience.
Does anyone have counter-experience: getting viral infections or other t-cell activation without worsening ME symptoms? What about the other immune systems: IG response to normal allergens?
Does anyone have counter-experience: getting viral infections or other t-cell activation without worsening ME symptoms? What about the other immune systems: IG response to normal allergens?
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Thanks @Wishful for your reply. The fear that m.e brings is intense at times. I feel terrible, got a virus off my sister on Saturday which appeared by Monday. But the weird thing is I don't present with normal cold symptoms like a runny nose ect - instead intense weakness, pain and exhaustion and dizziness with the odd earache. My low blood pressure has gone crazy too! It must be a horrid bug as my sister had time off when which she never does
It's been many years since my last viral infection, but I don't think I had normal viral infection symptoms either. My regular ME symptoms increased dramatically though. It is kind of hard to tell the difference for some of them. Even before ME, my colds tended to be three sneezes, and feeling just a bit off for a couple of days. Colds with many days of congestion are something I vaguely remember from my youth. I always felt that my mature immune system was above average in dealing with viruses.
There was an oddity pre-ME: sometime in my early 20's, I noticed that whenever I drank some orange juice, a day or two later, I'd feel like a cold was coming on, and maybe I'd sneeze a couple of times, but next day I'd feel fine again. It was a minor thing, but it was consistent enough to finally catch my attention. I assume now that it was a bias towards type IV reactions. Something in my t-cell system was not quite normal. Maybe that's part of my susceptibility to ME.
Also, yes, I sometimes fear that I've done something that has pushed my ME into a permanently worse state. It's a reasonable fear. However, in my 18 years of ME, that hasn't happened. Any periods of much worse symptoms have been short term. Others here haven't been so lucky, so don't go too crazy on overdoing activities.
There was an oddity pre-ME: sometime in my early 20's, I noticed that whenever I drank some orange juice, a day or two later, I'd feel like a cold was coming on, and maybe I'd sneeze a couple of times, but next day I'd feel fine again. It was a minor thing, but it was consistent enough to finally catch my attention. I assume now that it was a bias towards type IV reactions. Something in my t-cell system was not quite normal. Maybe that's part of my susceptibility to ME.
Also, yes, I sometimes fear that I've done something that has pushed my ME into a permanently worse state. It's a reasonable fear. However, in my 18 years of ME, that hasn't happened. Any periods of much worse symptoms have been short term. Others here haven't been so lucky, so don't go too crazy on overdoing activities.
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Thanks @Wishful
This world of m.e is a scary place. I long for a normal cold, normal viruses. Whatever my body is trying to fix in its own m.e way, I wish it would hurry up. My limbs burn, my head hurts, my blood pressure is so low. Eurgh!!
This world of m.e is a scary place. I long for a normal cold, normal viruses. Whatever my body is trying to fix in its own m.e way, I wish it would hurry up. My limbs burn, my head hurts, my blood pressure is so low. Eurgh!!
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The symptoms may not be the same as a cold for a normal person, but you can give chicken soup a try. It's probably more effective if you can get your mom to make it, regardless of how old you might be. Some things just work. 
I use to get what I thought were colds or flus for years. I have learned in the last year or 2 that they were actually a type of PEM but felt exactly like a cold or a flu.
I use to treat them with immune boosting herbs, like echinacea, astragalus, reishi mushrooms, etc. Thinking they were colds or flus. I finally realized that my CFS was causing these symptoms by stimulating my immune system.
Me taking the herbs I did, to get rid of what I though was a cold or flu, actually made my symptoms last longer! I stopped taking the herbs to boost my immune system when I got these flares and they went from lasting 4-5 days, down to 1-2 days.
I started taking high dose fish oil (4 grams of Epa/Dha a day) back in October of 2018. I have only had 1 flu like flare since then and it only lasted 1 day! In fact, my PEM never lasts more than 24 hours now.
I use to treat them with immune boosting herbs, like echinacea, astragalus, reishi mushrooms, etc. Thinking they were colds or flus. I finally realized that my CFS was causing these symptoms by stimulating my immune system.
Me taking the herbs I did, to get rid of what I though was a cold or flu, actually made my symptoms last longer! I stopped taking the herbs to boost my immune system when I got these flares and they went from lasting 4-5 days, down to 1-2 days.
I started taking high dose fish oil (4 grams of Epa/Dha a day) back in October of 2018. I have only had 1 flu like flare since then and it only lasted 1 day! In fact, my PEM never lasts more than 24 hours now.