I was diagnosed with CFS/ME 2006. Mostly bedbound for several years then improved such that I was able to work again. I figured out about pacing back then but it was always trial and error and never knowing if what I did or didn’t do was going to impact me positively or negatively. Got COVID a year ago and have slowly been relapsing getting worse. Is so bad I reduced work hours. I started using the app with the optical sensor a couple of weeks ago and being able to see how activity is using my energy envelope-how I am pacing myself- is so helpful. Actually seeing what an activity is doing to my heart rate in real time, being able to tag it and see graphs day to day and see stability scores is so helpful. Thank you VISIBLE TEAM!
Developer Response
Thanks so much Anne. Really glad to hear that you've found Visible a helpful tool to support your pacing.I live with daily pain, fatigue, and various other symptoms due to rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. I am a nurse- and rarely miss a day of work- but then crash when I get home, which takes time away from my daughters/family. This app has been life-changing for me. I have been able to use this data to alter my daily routine- to rest through out the day- and adjust my sleep schedule in support of improving my symptoms and preventing a crash. As a result, I am a more present mom for my girls. I am so thankful for this app and armband. While it has only been a few months of use for me- this program has allowed me to learn about my body— its need for breaks/rest, what over exertion looks likes for me, how good sleep leads to better/easier days, the heads up in the morning that my body is out of balance which allows me to proactively change up my days schedule, and the ability to share with my husband and teen that mommy needs to rest for ten minutes when the over exertion alarm goes off. My family has a better understanding of my chronic illness- they are helping more with chores because they hear the alarm telling me to rest. I could go on and on. Thank you thank you thank you.
Developer Response
Thank you for the review. It's awesome to hear that Visible has played a role in allowing you to pace more effectively, to take breaks when needed and most importantly to spend more time with your girls and family. Lovely to hear!I was recently diagnosed with POTS after years of trying to get some sort of diagnosis. But when my doctors wouldn’t give me anything more than “drink water, add salt to your food and electrolytes to your water” I was utterly hopeless. I had no way of even slightly predicting how my day would be. When I found visible, my life was changed. I’m able to plan my days accordingly and it’s something I now can’t imagine being without.
The ONLY thing I wish was possible was to update throughout the day. As we all know, chronic illnesses are so unpredictable that not even the smartest app can track by every minute. Some days I’ll get a 5, I’ll pace myself, and still end up in a crash. I’m not sure if this is a feature already, but if not, I think it could be incredibly useful!!
Developer Response
So glad to hear you're finding Visible helpful. I will pass your feedback on to the team. Appreciate you taking the time and energy to leave us a review.I tried this, thinking it sounds good, and might be nice to help pace myself. It is so much more! I highly recommend anyone with any chronic illness try it. Honestly, after so many years of living with the ups and downs, I would rather think of anything else except my symptoms, and I thought checking data regularly might annoy or even scare me.
However, Visible not only gives me information that I didn’t realize was affecting my body, but it also tracks it and lays it out and weekly and monthly reports that are focused on data. Instead of me emotionally trying to explain things in the moment, or to wonder why I’m crashing on a certain day, I can use the Visible app and get visual answers to my body’s needs. Plus, the physical and mental symptoms and energy usage trackers for specific activities have helped me plan better and be more aware of how to destress when I need it.
I became a Visible+ user six months ago, after using the free version for quite some time. It has been the only thing that helps me to pace well. I recently read a couple books about how to pace and realized much of their action steps weren’t needed, because Visible+ does all the work of figuring out energy in terms of activities and heart rate. I do not need to try to figure out where my energy is going! The app does it for me.
There have been several major updates since I started using the app, like monthly reports and breath work. The Visible team is definitely seeking to keep up with the challenges of long Covid and CFS/ME by offering practical helps through the app. I am truly grateful for the Visible team and their dedication to making these insidious & invisible conditions visible.
Developer Response
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review. We're grateful to you for being a Visible member!Having chronic illnesses is extremely exhausting and lonely, as I feel invisible and gaslit. Yet, I have found this app to be very helpful in tracking my symptoms related to fibromyalgia and PACS, as well as my activities and energy levels by measuring my HRV. It’s so validating, because I can show this to my drs and family. I have found their scientific claims to be accurate. It has been a useful tool for me as I manage my health, especially when I am overwhelmed and at risk of crashing or flaring. I’m also on the autism spectrum, and tracking symptoms like sensory sensitivities, activities and HRV helps prevent autistic burnouts that cause our bodies and brains to shutdown for months/years.
I recently experienced some difficulty opening the app, but after reaching out via email, I received assistance the same day. I truly appreciate the support.
I would love to upgrade to the premium version of the app, but unfortunately, my current financial situation does not allow for it due to my illnesses and pending disability approval.
Developer Response
Hey,
Please reach out to info@makevisible.com and we would be happy to help!
ThanksI originally was just going to try it with the arm-band for a month, but I fell in love! I am autistic with poor-proprioception (which for me, means a “high pain tolerance”) but also with Arthritis & Dysautonomia (of the POTS symptom variety). While this app can’t always anticipate an Arthritic flare due to weather or randomly, it at least helps me not cause the flare by “doing too much” and not being aware of it (poor proprioception) often until the next day! It keeps me from regretting my actions, because it can “read” and tell me when I’m “going over” or about to, even when I can not tell!
(Almost better then a Service Dog, who really only help the day-of, not the day-before, a flare by keeping the glare from even happening?!!)
This app with the arm band is Amazing! I can’t say enough!!!
Developer Response
Thanks so much! Glad you're finding Visible so helpful!Would love to use this app and actually help myself with my illnesses BUT I can’t. It doesn’t work with my phone’s cameras. I couldn’t even exit out of the measurement screen when I found out that I couldn’t use either of my cameras. This is really frustrating as I’m sure this app is really helpful but I’ll never know because even though Visible is compatible with my phone, it’s not actually compatible with my phone. After reading the reviews myself, I know I’m not the only one with this problem and only a handful of us have actually taken the time to write the review to tell others: DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME IF YOU HAVE TWO CAMERAS!!!! Maybe one day this’ll get fixed and the probably thousands+ of us that need to use an app like this will actually be able to. Only if they read the reviews though cause I’m not wasting my time with customer service over this just for them to tell me that my phone’s just “not right.” This was exhausting going through all the sign up just to find out it’s essentially broken for those of us with multiple cameras. I had really hoped it had been figured out and that was why I went ahead and downloaded it but it’s still an issue.
Developer Response
Hey there,We're sorry for your frustrating experience with Visible. Please feel free to contact info@makevisible.com and we'll do our best to get this sorted. A large number of our users have phones with multiple cameras and can use them to get good readings so we're confident we can get this sorted.TLDR: helps monitor pacing when I still feel ok before crash, great real time monitoring for what helps.
I’ve had post Covid for two and half years, and have struggled with fatigue and post exertion malaise the entire time, among other symptoms. Thankfully, I have recovered enough to return to some daily routine and even moderate activity but that makes pacing even harder.
Having an app like this is incredible. I can watch through out the day and the reminders help to note when I have been pushing myself for too long even if at the time I feel alright. It also helps me note when my nervous system has been going for too long and needs a reset, which is pretty common for my particular “brand” of post Covid syndrome, which I am not good at monitoring on my own.
Since I started using it, I have also been able to track real time which of my practices are most effective for relaxing my nervous system, which is vital information I have needed for a long time. Huge thank you to the developers, this is a long overdue and needed app.
Developer Response
Wow! Thank you very much for this incredible review. Huge thank you for taking the time to review and so glad that you're finding Visible helpful in managing your fatigue.Looks like it might be useful but I didn’t get past the terms of service. If it were a program I could download, pay a single fee for, and use locally I would have explored it further. Tired of making a million accounts to send data to health app companies, especially ones not covered by health privacy laws. Or losing my own data because the company shuts down and there’s no way to export it. Edit: looked through the reviews and yeah, *currently* they commit to not selling your data. If they get acquired or sell the company? All bets are off. Data is an asset.
Reply to reply: glad there’s an export function. But one of the options to track is menstrual data, and some US states are prosecuting harsh anti-abortion laws - and some period trackers are asking for location data as a result. These days it’s subpoenas, not just data sale or data breaches, that people have to consider when they store health data on other people’s servers.
Developer Response
Thank you for your review, and for your feedback. We understand the hesitation around creating another account. Visible requires you to create an account so that your health data can be securely backed up. This means that it is always accessible to you, even if you lose or upgrade your phone. We are committed to data privacy. We never sell your data and maintain strict adherence to privacy regulations. We also provide data export options, ensuring you have control over your information. If you need more information please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@makevisible.com.
Anne Darcy
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