very important question!

[notmyself]

i am 100 % sure that i have some health problems...before going to doctors again i want to ask you one question,,,Pem is what separate Me/cfs from other disease in my opinion so My question is : if you have pem and feel like shit would you be able to force yourself to play one hour of football?? i manage to do that today, even if i felt like shit..i was able to run and even score 4 goals..i

was dizzy and with muscle pain all this time, but i was able to perform with ambition ...i also play footbal 4 and 2 day ago...so i should definately have pem...i felt like shit today but i was able to play all the game and go for drinking and socializing afterwards...cand someone with me /cfs push trough pem like this??

 

[Diwi9]

I could not...my level of functioning/stamina greatly reduces during PEM along with an increase in all the symptoms that make me feel sick.

Have you had extensive autoimmune testing performed?

 

[Gingergrrl]

I do not get PEM but I would not have a chance in hell of running for an hour holding a football b/c I have POTS. I also have complete alcohol intolerance from MCAS and POTS. I think there seems to be a major difference in what people can do if they have POTS as part of their illness vs. those who do not have POTS (re: standing, running, etc). My limitations (while vastly improved now) are still instant and never delayed. I hope this reply makes sense!

 

[Dechi]

I don’t think I would last a whole hour, Maybe 20 minutes if not too intense, 10 if it’s intense running. And then I would be done for the day, I couldn’t go out drinking or socializing. If I pushed myself I would risk fainting.

I had 2 health tests done at high intensity and for both I had to stop at about 9 minutes. The last 2-3 minutes I was going at my maximum capacity. One took me 3 weeks to recover, the other one more than 6 weeks.

 

[Bettie77]

No, I would not be able to do that. I could force myself to take a shower OR (un-)load the dishwasher, but that's about it when PEM hits. Running up and down a field AND socializing afterwards would be impossible with a headache, stuffy nose, sore throat, muscle aches and (severe) brainfog.

 

[Moof]

I can force my way through things that are within my usual capabilities, but not things that aren't. So at the moment I could shower or see a friend; years ago I would have been able to get through my swim drills or a long walk. Unfortunately my ability to do that is what made me crash so badly I never recovered! I wasn't diagnosed with ME at the time, and I thought my body's unwillingness to train was just an attack of 'Oh, I really can't be bothered today', which everyone who works out experiences from time to time.

 

[valentinelynx]

Yes, I do this sort of thing all the time when I work. It leads to progressively greater exhaustion and longer recovery times. Athletes with ME/CFS do this, too. As @Moof said, it probably only is possible for something within your normal capabilities. Day 1 of the activity doesn't feel too bad. Day 2 feels bad, and each day after that is harder and harder. Not recommended unless necessary!

 

[PatJ]

if you have pem and feel like shit would you be able to force yourself to play one hour of football?

I think it depends on the severity of your illness. In the early days with ME/CFS I had less energy but could still exercise. Now I've deteriorated so much that I'm housebound (partly bedbound) and have to live within very strict limits. If I tried to push through my muscles would rapidly get muscle burn and then refuse to work, and then the PEM would hit rapidly and stay for a day or more. When I have severe PEM I can barely move or think.

 

[Learner1]

Listening to your body is important. It will tell you if you are pushing too hard. There are numerous stories of people exercising intensely and getting ME/CFS as well as those who have relapsed after overexertion.

I have exercised all the way through this illness, 5-7 days a week. I was in excellent physical shape when I got sick. But gfor a long time, exercise consisted of a highly modified weight routine napping on the gym floor after every 5-10 minutes snd a few minutes on a cardio machine at a stately pace.

As I improved, I added in 2 exercise classes a week modifyiing the activity to my ability and napping as I needed to during the class.

After trying NAD+, I was able to downhill ski for 5 hours (and spent the rest of the day in bed).

Three months ago, I began twice a week 2 hour dragon boating practices (20 people in a big canoe) with a team of female cancer survivors, many of whom are in their 60s and 70s. I have trouble keeping up with them and must rest and take 5 minute naps in the boat and I need to lay down for 20 minutes after.

To do this without provoking too much PEM, I pre-load with NAD+, glutathione, BCAAs, and take them afterwards. And I keep hydrocortisone with me for crashes.

I can't imagine an hour of football - it's the aerobic exercise that kills me. But I also have POTS, which can have an impact.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

 

[Wishful]

Yes, definitely. It's not just the severity of one's ME, but the sub-type. If you are in the subgroup that doesn't suffer from the severe energy limitation others have, you can do physical things even though you feel lousy. Some days I felt like my legs would handle a 40 km bike ride, but my head wanted a big fluffy pillow on the handlebars to flop down on. "Go ahead legs, pedal away. Let me know when it's over."

My PEM involves mental lethargy, malaise, and muscle aches. I could do something demanding, but I just can't be bothered to. I wouldn't be in the mood to socialize afterwards, and would probably just be too spaced out to hold a conversation, but it can certainly be different for others.

Whether it's a good idea to force yourself to do demanding tasks is another question...

 

[Sushi]

My question is : if you have pem and feel like shit would you be able to force yourself to play one hour of football?? i manage to do that today, even if i felt like shit..i was able to run and even score 4 goals..i

In the early days of the illness I could force myself to do things like 25 mile bike rides but I would have terrible PEM afterwards (though I did not know that I had ME/CFS or what PEM was). Looking back, I think this pushing exacerbated the illness and I would not do it now (well, I couldn't do it now!)

 

[rwinsmom528]

i am 100 % sure that i have some health problems...before going to doctors again i want to ask you one question,,,Pem is what separate Me/cfs from other disease in my opinion so My question is : if you have pem and feel like shit would you be able to force yourself to play one hour of football?? i manage to do that today, even if i felt like shit..i was able to run and even score 4 goals..i

was dizzy and with muscle pain all this time, but i was able to perform with ambition ...i also play footbal 4 and 2 day ago...so i should definately have pem...i felt like shit today but i was able to play all the game and go for drinking and socializing afterwards...cand someone with me /cfs push trough pem like this??

If you think there is even a possibility you might have ME/CFS, please don't push yourself to do any physical activity that makes you feel bad, even though you can push through it.

My first doctor recommended exercise for me, convinced it would make me feel better. I pushed myself by running around the block and doing normal everyday activities and within a few weeks I had such a bad relapse that I was bedridden, having to lie down in a dark room 24/7, was diagnosed by a neuro-psychologist with dementia, was unable to even sit propped up in bed for more than 10-15 min at a time, and that only able to do that a few times per day. My brain felt like it was boiling, I had pain from the top of my head to the tip of my toes 24/7 for almost 2 months. I couldn't read because the words would swim around on the page. I couldn't talk to people other than family members because I was afraid they might talk about something that I couldn't understand and I wouldn't be able to find the words to answer them.

I lost my job. My children 4 children, ages 10-13 at the time, lost their mother. I had a hard time remembering their names when I would talk to them. My husband lost the wife he knew.

I remained bedridden for 5 years. Eventually through the help of Dr. Amy Yasko's genetic testing and other testing and following her program (which involves addressing gut issues and more) along with my (new) local physician who helped me with supplements, it took about 1 1/2 years, but I was able to start sitting up in bed eventually was able to be up around the house a little as long as I used a mobility chair.

So, please, try to avoid crashes and relapses-they have the potential to cost you and those who love you, dearly. The risk is enormous. You stand to lose much more than you can imagine.

 

[Mel9]

In the early days of the illness I could force myself to do things like 25 mile bike rides but I would have terrible PEM afterwards (though I did not know that I had ME/CFS or what PEM was). Looking back, I think this pushing exacerbated the illness and I would not do it now (well, I couldn't do it now!)

Yes, that is something many of us learned the hard way.

 

[RHazra]

@notmyself I also think the severity of your symptoms has a lot to do with what you can or cannot force yourself to do. If you are having mild symptoms you may be able to force yourself to do stuff even when you feel like shit. That does not mean you don’t have me/CFS. It may be at a milder phase. My son was able to hold down a part time job and go to school full time while he experienced the symptoms. Now he can do neither.

 

[Wolfcub]

i am 100 % sure that i have some health problems...before going to doctors again i want to ask you one question,,,Pem is what separate Me/cfs from other disease in my opinion so My question is : if you have pem and feel like shit would you be able to force yourself to play one hour of football?? i manage to do that today, even if i felt like shit..i was able to run and even score 4 goals..i

was dizzy and with muscle pain all this time, but i was able to perform with ambition ...i also play footbal 4 and 2 day ago...so i should definately have pem...i felt like shit today but i was able to play all the game and go for drinking and socializing afterwards...cand someone with me /cfs push trough pem like this??

I don't know. It's possible. It's amazing what can be done with will and determination alone. And some peoples' PEM isn't on the same scale as other peoples'.

Before I was sure what was going on with me (I'm still not 100% sure!) I would go for a long walk and go fast up a hill and bring home trolleyloads of firewood for winter -thinking I might just shake off the weird malaise that way!
(I've usually been able to walk off or work off many "funny turns". It didn't work of course and that in itself dismayed me.

CFS is very variable it seems. There are some people who can barely get off the bed even to the bathroom. There are others who seem to function not too badly maybe for days or more, then have to rest up a while.

But it also seems that pushing through doesn't help. It might be a case of listening to your body and that need to rest isn't just a suggestion when it comes, it can be an order, or the PEM can be prolonged.

It is hard especially when you're used to an athletic active life especially involving friends because they see you "not so bad" and wonder what the heck is wrong that you suddenly call off a football game,...or whatever.

Me? I'm on my own, 65 years old, retired, and can do what I like when I like. If I hear my body say "no". I cool it until I feel better energy, an dthen take it fairly respectfully and steady, but am lucky enough to be able (at this stage anyway) to live a modified but fairly normal life give or take a day or so here and there when I feel queer and rest more.

And as for drinking alcohol....there are times it really doesn't suit me, and I can tell by that first sip. And there are other times it seems to do me no harm at all and doesn't even exacerbate anything or PEM. There are times when a glass of Brandy or Champagne has really helped. And other times I absolutely cannot go near it.