If there is actually atrial going on it would be useful to know. But if this is just open label treatments then there is the usual problem of expectation bias. 'Feeling better' is ultimately what matters in ME/CFS, and we have nothing else to measure, so I am not sure in what sense it would be 'more than'.
As a person living with ME, I have to disagree with your statement that 'feeling better' is ultimately what matters.
To me better function, that my body is actually functioning (a bit closer to) properly, is much more meaningful to me than 'how I feel'.
I can still 'feel' absolutely shite as in fluish, nauseous, knackered and as if I've been concussed and/or hit by a bus or three, but if my very severe OI for some reason is less bad, meaning I can for example walk to the bathroom and brush my teeth without fainting, or walk to the kitchen to get a glass of water without getting horrendous presyncope that forces me to immediately lie down on the floor to avoid fainting, or if it allows me to sit up in bed long enough to eat a meal -- that ultimately matters much more to me than 'how I'm feeling'.
To clarify, from my perspective it's about my body actually functioning better (less badly). This is what ultimately matters more to me, and it's also what literally helps keep me alive. I still feel absolute shite, no change there. But days or moments when my body is functioning a little bit better than other times, that's what makes all the difference.
Also, in my case it's actually easily measured with a regular blood pressure monitor.
I'm obviously less severely affected than Maeve was. I'm just speaking from my own experience.
I've never had the chance to try IV fluids. But using for example compression stockings and oral rehydration fluids like Resorb do make a (small but noticeable) difference for me both in function and on the blood pressure monitor's data, especially when measuring orthostatic blood pressure.
I've seen return to work used in studies to measure function and treatment effects, that's why I picked that as an example (instead of listing reported symptom related improvements) in my previous comment when referring to the improvements people have anecdotally reported.
And yes, obviously we are all hoping the doctor prescribing the IV fluids that I mentioned in my previous comment will publish on it. He has done and published scientific studies before, so we will just have to keep our fingers crossed and wait and see. It's still early days.
