Dealing with Chronic Fatigue after TBI Recovery

I developed cfs from pots/covid and the first doctor I visited prescribed my physical therapy. it seemed nice at first because I enjoyed exercising and feeling stronger but I soon realized the pattern that for three days after physical therapy, I would be absolutely exhausted and unable to do anything—turns out this was post exertional malaise. I switched doctors and the new one told me to drop physical therapy because it was making me worse. he says that if I feel worse afterwards it means my body isn’t ready for the challenge yet and needs more rest. It’s been really frustrating feeling like my strength is withering away further but I have felt so much better since I stopped physical therapy. I’m not sure how applicable this is to your situation but I guess what I’m saying is that if exercise or other activities tire you out a lot then maybe consider taking a break from them and seeing how you feel. it’s so frustrating, but the most helpful treatment for my cfs has been to do nothing and wait, because even with pacing my body isn’t ready for the little things yet. from my experience and online research, doctors have many different takes on exercising with cfs—some say it helps, others say pushing yourself that much hurts. it seems that the second school of thought has been more accurate for my situation but of course that probably doesn’t apply to everyone. and just because one doctor recommends that you exercise doesn’t necessarily mean that another doctor would agree. another thing that’s helped me a lot is modafinil (aka provigil). it’s a medicine advertised for sleep apnea but my psychiatrist prescribed it to me for cfs and it’s done wonders in keeping me awake. prior to taking it I was sleeping all day, and although I’m still exhausted, this medicine gives me the energy to make it through the day without napping. I’ve also heard that taking the otc supplement niacin in small doses can help a lot with chronic fatigue. ofc you’d probably want to clear that with your doctor first though. good luck with everything!! this stuff sucks so much but you’re not alone you’ll get through it <3