Name: Rose* Country: Australia

Many years ago, when I was only moderately ill with ME/CFS I tried a series of graded exercise therapy at a highly regarded private hospital down here.

The first time I was inpatient for 4 weeks and then an outpatient for about 6 months. This occurred directly after a long series of debilitating infections had finished, and I did indeed appear to get somewhat better. At the time I was very excited and positive about it all and thrilled at what seemed like it could be the start of getting my life back. I gave it all I had and the practitioners were supportive and helpful most of the time.

Unfortunately, after that first success I kept sliding back down the slippery ME/CFS slope to illness and four further attempts gave me ZERO further relief.

My personal theory is that I was debilitated after the infections to a greater degree that the ME/CFS was acting, and it was this short-term weakness that I overcame with the GET. Certainly when I tried again and again afterwards, working just as hard and with just as much enthusiasm (after all - it had seemed to work the first time!), nothing at all happened.

Actually, after it became obvious that I *wasn't* improving on subsequent visits the staff at the facility got quite nasty, telling me I needed to have "a good hard think about my motivation" and similar idiotic bull**** implying and flat-out stating that I wasn't trying hard enough, basically.