Not in my experience. I’ve been using them for about 18mos.

I think there might be an issue with some of the payment & ordering companies that run in the background in general, though. My extended family (on both coasts) has run into enough issues since yesterday it’s come up in conversation.

I told spool32 (aka Spouse) about suggesting this to you last night & he very gently reminded me that my info is probably out of date since the last time I dealt w/hospice or medical massage outside of palliative care was ~15yrs ago.
Getting old is weird, getting old w/brainfog is a ride!

Oof.

I can feel the impending PEM just reading your post!

Hoping it goes okay for you, you’re able to get some solid downtime, &, most importantly, don’t crash 🤞

100% this!

If it weren’t for the support I get from periodically screaming into the collective void this whole being super sick thing would be way harder.
Plus, if it makes people uncomfortable enough to say something that’s a great opportunity to remind them to wear a f’ing mask 😊

*side note - hospice isn’t just for end of life care & it’s hugely under utilized by the disabled community. The skill varies as much as it does w/any in home situation, but in my experience as a caregiver (aka before I was so ill) they’re usually more empathetic than standard home health.

I spent a lot of time around people who do medical massage work & I promise they don’t care about how messy your house or you are. Most of them work w/ppl who are in hospice* & ppl w/severe disabilities & they’ve generally seen it all & have an acceptance of the human condition most ppl just don’t.

It really is, I’m very lucky.

Remembering that is the hard part. Brains can be very rude that way!

It’s an incredibly unfair illness, & the lack of empathy in the medical community just compounds everything that comes with it.

For me, sometimes it’s just about getting through the next 5mins or making being here about my loved ones.

PEM is insidious.

The $ and is definitely a thing, but the health costs are way more concerning. That said, we’ll take it one thing at a time & lean into the joy & celebration - & there’s a lot of both! We adore their fiancé & get along really well with his family.
Plus, just seeing our kid this happy is wonderful.

*because of my health. Eldest always wanted me to officiate but now I can’t, they’ll be married where they live, 1900miles away from us & they want us involved which means extended travel (tbh they want us to move there, but it’s not feasible b/c of the dr situ for long covid & ME.)

Painfully accurate!

This is very handy, thank you. I’m well familiar with PEM, but hadn’t heard of PESE. My body distinctly does both, & I’ve been struggling to accurately communicate the difference.

My go-to for my parents is nostalgia stuff. Candy from their childhoods & CDs of music my mom played when I was young always go over well. I also only give them one stocking, which helps.
When my kids were young art & crafts from them were a big hit.