“My experiences with the extremes of post-viral illness and brain retraining/mindbody work” by riceissa

LessWrong (30+ Karma) · Oct 30, 2026 · 1h 53m

Summary

Following an intense viral infection in 2019, I became ill with a mysterious chronic illness, which became progressively worse until mid-2024 when I became partially bedbound with dozens of debilitating symptoms that normal humans only experience in the months/weeks/days leading up to death. Over my years of being ill, I saw over 30 doctors/therapists/health coaches and tried well over 100 different treatments and palliatives. Most of these did nothing or made things worse, or at best provided slight relief. I try to give a sense of what it is like to live with such an illness.

In…