Early symptoms - Did you had good times in the beginning?
Hi, I’m not diagnosed with ME/CFS and currently getting checked by doctors, but I’m trying to understand whether my pattern sounds familiar to others here.
Since a bad infection last year, I’ve had recurring episodes of extreme exhaustion, pressure headaches/brain fog, and feeling completely wiped out. What’s confusing is that I sometimes have phases where I feel almost normal and can function pretty well. I‘m talking about a couple of weeks without any symptoms.
But then if I overdo it (stress, social events, exercise, travel, even sometimes just a busy few days), I often crash 1–2 days later and feel awful again for weeks.
It always feels like a VERY bad sinusitis or catching influenza as I often have a stuffy nose during those weeks - but according to my ent, there is nothing wrong with me. I also don’t have any fever. So I figured it must be something else. After hearing about ME/CFS my symptoms seemed similar but I‘m still not quite sure whether those good periods - where I can even climb a mountain or hang out with friends without any problems - are normal.
Did anyone here have a more “fluctuating” beginning like this before things became more consistent? Or periods where you questioned whether it could really be ME/CFS because sometimes you still felt okay?
Just trying to understand other people’s early experiences while I wait for further testing.
TLDR: I had an infection 9 months ago and have never recovered fully from it. But I have some very good phases with very minimal symptoms. I’m not diagnosed yet. Did anyone experience anything similar?