Back in 1976, I had a bad reaction to the swine flu shot, which (IMHO) eventually resulted in my CFIDS. I was able to function, and live a “semi-normal” life (working, enjoying friends and family, etc.) until 1983, when I first started drinking lots of Aspartame-loaded soft drinks, a few months after Aspartame was approved for this use, and made available on the market.
My health-status dropped as if it had fallen from a cliff; doctors knew something “neurological” was wrong, but they couldn’t find anything official. At the time, no one suspected the Aspartame, and I continued drinking the stuff until 1989, all the while watching helplessly as I descended into bedridden-ness. By the time a new doctor took me off Aspartame, there was already permanent damage. But I’m not bedridden anymore, no longer have the kind of headaches that make one pray for doctor-assisted suicide, and I am gradually incorporating “normal” activities (going to movies with friends, etc.) into my life.