News from Austria and Switzerland

[Chandelier]

Nach der Tour der France - Reusser: Enttäuscht, frustriert – und vor allem ratlos

Marlen Reusser fiel auf der letzten Etappe noch vom Tour-Podest. Eine Erklärung dafür hat sie nicht.

www.srf.ch

Rob Wüst might have answers for her I guess.

With Reusser I never know what to feel: Anger for being a PBS model super spreader. Envy and sympathetic joy that she's recovered. Fear that she's going to relapse and end up on disablilty.

Thank for posting, I share your complex sentiments regarding her.

Machine translation:

Unexplained Setback​

The day after the final, she spoke to the media: “The disappointment is, of course, extremely great.”
Alongside the frustration of missing out on a podium place that had seemed secure before the final day, Reusser was above all left perplexed.
The Swiss rider does not know why she dropped back so early on Sunday: “It’s a mystery to me why my legs can do it on other days and then suddenly can’t.”

She can completely rule out the “classic explanations” – such as poor nutrition or inadequate cooling.
As a possible reason, Reusser cited lingering effects from her crash at the Tour of Flanders in April: “The harder we ride, the more strength I lose in my left leg.”
In other words, her pedalling becomes less smooth as the effort increases; “there’s a problem somewhere.”

 

[Chandelier]

Zeichen für unsichtbare Krankheit gesetzt

Bozen - Die Rheuma-Liga Südtirol hat am Samstag den Blick auf diejenigen gerichtet, die von ME/CFS besonders schwer betroffen sind. Severe ...

www.suedtirolnews.it

Rheumatism League Raises Awareness of ME/CFS
Making a Statement for an Invisible Illness
Sunday, August 9, 2026

The South Tyrol Rheumatism League also wants to make visible those people who have little opportunity to stand up for themselves and their concerns. For this reason, a further sign of solidarity was set on Saturday, with buildings and landmarks across South Tyrol illuminated in blue—the color associated with “ME/CFS.”

These included the miniature “Three Peaks” at the roundabout in Dobbiaco, the “Kurhaus” in Merano, and Bruneck Castle. “For everyone whose world has become smaller and smaller because of ME/CFS. For everyone who must not be forgotten,” emphasizes the South Tyrol Rheumatism League. It is campaigning for greater recognition, better care, and tangible improvements for people with ME/CFS.

 

[Felis Catus]

If the prevalence of a disease went from 0.5% to 1%, i.e. doubled, would people going about their life notice it, though?

Coincidentally, my GP told me today that in the past they'd have a patient with this type of post-viral condition in the surgery every now and then, but with COVID the problem has become hard to ignore. I don't think he's misdiagnosing people because he surprised me with how much he knew about PEM, amongst other things.

 

[Chandelier]

Tweet by the WE&ME Foundation:

Machine Translation:

We are very pleased to invite you to the second ME/CFS roundtable for physicians and selected researchers.

The event was initiated by Christoph Ströck and Dr. Michael Stingl and serves as a forum for professional exchange, personal networking, and the development and strengthening of the medical ME/CFS community in Austria.
The evening will focus on getting to know one another, informal discussions, and interdisciplinary dialogue on current developments and challenges in ME/CFS.

Date & Time:
Thursday, September 17, 2026, at 8:00 p.m.

Ströck-Feierabend Restaurant, Burggasse 52–54, 1070 Vienna

Attendance is exclusively in person; online participation is not available.

To provide as comfortable an environment as possible, air purification measures will be implemented and FFP2 masks will be provided.

Refreshments will be provided free of charge by Ströck.

 

[Hutan]

Posts about Dr Michael Stingl have been moved to a clinician thread
Austria: Dr Michael Stingl

 

[Chandelier]

Petition in Switzerland, already 502 of 600 signatures collected:

In the canton of Nidwalden, the IV office is forcing people with severe ME to attend external appointments.

Those who do not attend are deemed to be uncooperative and, according to the cantonal court as well, forfeit their right to a formal procedure.

A complaint against this is now underway.

Please support it by signing this petition! It can also be signed from outside Switzerland:

Wir fordern faire IV-Verfahren für ME/CFS Betroffene in Nidwalden!

Die kantonale IV-Stelle Nidwalden hat teilweise keinen adäquaten Umgang mit Menschen, die von ME/CFS betroffen sind. Dies führt dazu, dass die soziale Absicherung von Betroffenen und ihren Familien teilweise nicht gewährleistet ist. Dies möchten wir mit dieser Petition aufzeigen und die...

act.campax.org

Machine Translation:

The cantonal IV offices are required under federal legislation to conduct their assessments in a manner that is reasonable and proportionate for the persons concerned. It must therefore not be the case that someone has to risk a lifelong deterioration in their health in order to undergo an IV medical assessment.

The legislation provides the IV offices with various alternative ways of carrying out assessments, for example by making a decision on the basis of the usually already comprehensive medical history, targeted questions to the treating physicians, and information provided by other specialists, or by conducting assessments in the homes of the persons concerned.

This issue is currently being addressed throughout Switzerland: In autumn 2025, the Federal Council, the National Council and the Council of States also acknowledged that the situation regarding healthcare and social security for people with ME/CFS is inadequate and needs to be improved. An important point explicitly mentioned in this context is the need for adequate support and recognition by the social insurance system and its medical assessors. SRF also reported on the issue in May as part of a 10 vor 10 segment. The motion and the SRF report are linked below.

It is therefore important that the IV office of Nidwalden adapts its practice for people with ME/CFS and takes seriously both their sometimes limited ability to travel and the risk of a temporary or permanent worsening of the disease following overexertion. ME/CFS is a specific disease, not nonspecific fatigue.

 

[Chandelier]

Stumbled upon this post from 2 years ago.
It’s fascinating to see how the neurologists in both Germany and Austria are fixated on the notion that ME/CFS is a psychosomatic malingerer‘s dream:

Post in thread 'News from Austria and Switzerland'

Jun 4, 2024

Training with side effects
ME/CFS and post-Covid are new territory for many medical professionals. This makes continuing education all the more important. But sometimes the content taught can be harmful to patients.
https://www.dossier.at/dossiers/aktuelles/fortbildung-mit-nebenwirkungen/

For a long time, the disease was not part of medical training. That is why continuing education for doctors is crucial: doctors should learn how to properly treat sick people in practices and outpatient clinics and accurately assess their state of health. After all, they sometimes have to assess...​

• rvallee

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