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Remission -untraceable cause

For the past few days I have been in another "remission".

Which I am grateful for indeed. Things feel pretty normal again. I can relate to things with my (more or less) complete attention. Symptoms haven't been there. Nor has there been any peculiar extreme exhaustion. I have felt naturally tired at the end of the day -but that's okay -that's different. I am back up to about 80% or even more of my normal function.

Now, far be it from me to look a gift horse in the mouth or be cynical about it....but....

I can't trace why. I keep a detailed small journal of progress, and nothing I do has changed. I eat the same, sleep the same, am not on any exclusion diet, haven't taken extra supplements, or pro-biotics, my stress levels are the same (nothing I could remotely call stress.) I haven't rested particularly or even given up alcohol and caffeine totally.

Basically I am doing exactly the same things as when I am not too good. By the way it's not as a result of bed rest or even more profound rest while going through a relapse. Because my relapses are just unpleasant symptoms and dreadful tiredness. I never was bed-bound or house-bound. Except at the very beginning, and for the most part I have just kept ticking over the same come rain or shine. I have been physically able to (unlike so many others.) So I have kept to the same steady routine whether feeling not too well, or feeling better.

So this has once again, happened quite randomly. There are no clues.

I haven't pushed myself while feeling this remission starting. Though I have been for short walks which I was doing anyway. I am the sort of person who doesn't like to be stuck inside if it is even possible to get out in the countryside.
But I haven't thrown myself about in any way.

Of course...I know that as randomly as a remission comes -it randomly goes away again. Or at least that has been the pattern for 6 months.

But what I cannot understand is ....WHY? What has triggered this, and what will undoubtedly trigger a regression in time? It might be days like this, or it might be weeks. I might be ill again at any time.
I cannot for the life of me trace any triggers. And believe me I have searched for clues.

It seems this illness just does what it wants with me, when it wants, on a whim and a fancy.

Now I am not what I'd call a control freak about things, but it can be hard to handle the utter loss of control about this situation.

Maybe I'm over-thinking. Maybe I just need to be jolly well grateful and leave it at that....
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Comments

Judee
Of course others will probably make suggestions too but I'm wondering if one of two things could be happening.

A) Could it be some kind of hidden biological cycle? One non-medical author I've read said our thyroids reset every four days, like when someone starts taking thyroid hormones feels better for a while and then doesn't, it means their body adjusted to the new dose and is making less thyroid.

Another member said he found that taking iodine or T2 every 21 days helped him. Maybe there's some type of body clock setting that your body is cycling through. Can you count days in your diary and see if there is a pattern with the number of days?

B) Maybe something is happening in your environment. I was diagnosed with natural gas sensitivity back in my teens but still we had gas stove and gas heat. At the time we lived in an apartment so we couldn't do anything about it so I kinda shrugged it off.

By the time we moved into our own home, I had forgotten. Lo and behold, we had a situation where we couldn't use the stove for about 6 months and when the plumber got it connected again, I became so sick.

We don't use the stove anymore but still have to use gas heat. Well heating season is coming. Always around October, I get sicker. We used to think it was winter doldrums but I've come to believe it is because of the heating season and the natural gas sensitivity.

So is there something in your environment that is happening on a regular basis even without you knowing it like someone in the area doing something in a somewhat cyclic pattern that is affecting you?

Anyway, please don't feel bad about wanting to find the reason. You're like most of us. We keep trying different things in order to feel better and get disappointed when something doesn't work or works for a a while and then stops.
 
Wolfcub
Really interesting thoughts Judee. Thanks.
I have also heard that the immune system goes in cycles.
The thing is I haven't been able to trace any repeated "pattern" all the way through. The only thing I recall is when I first became unwell, I would have half a day now and again when I felt suddenly spontaneously normal! Then that expanded into a day or so, and eventually a few days at a time as weeks went on. Then got 3 weeks in July, then nothing much better until now.
So the only pattern of any kind I can see is there seems to be a slow increase in better days....but really really slow, and always with some malaise/exhaustion coming back.
Can't rely on it. I never know what's next.

I don't have gas or any fumes. In winter I do have a stove lit and a wood fire. But I was super-fit in the winter! haha Haven't had stove/fire on all year now since early Spring.

Other environmental things? There have been positive changes this year! I have not once heard them spraying in the orchard or the fields (why??) But you'd think that would have a positive effect. They spray every year. The year they don't -I get sick!! So I can't blame that.
I can't think of anything else toxic/questionable in my environment right now. I don't drink the tap water unless it's boiled..coffee, teas, soups and stews, cooking etc. I always drink bottled..(oddly the first thing my doctor thought about was my tap water maybe poisoning me! and whether I was on mains or a well/spring.

I hope you will be okay through the winter, as you have gas heat (?) That must be tough if it's your only heating and you are sensitive to it.
 
Judee
It's so good that at least the length of your remissions are extending each time. I hope that they keep doing that until you are completely well. I guess that is the most important part.
Thanks for your kind words about the heat situation. I'll get through it and maybe someday we can have our house retrofitted with in-the-floor radiant heat or something similar. Anyway, a girl can dream. :)
 
Wolfcub
Well...that was a four day remission this time. Crashed badly today. Woke up feeling fine. Went to get my morning coffee (not even strong) By the time I'd drunk 2" of it I completely crashed and struggled through the whole rest of the day. (If this was just caffeine intolerance -why was it fine for me to drink that the last few days?) No, it's a symptom of the general malaise
So that blows my theory of the pattern being slowly more and more positive.

An Aga Judee! It's a pity you can't get one of those, maybe run on oil? Unless you might be sensitive to that also... They are lovely and warm and cozy, and you can get pipes run off them to warm up other rooms.
We used to have one which ran on logs. It had a back boiler. Unfortunately the plumbing only ran as far as the bathroom, but that bathroom was lovely and warm
 
Judee
Is there something you eat that might be acting like a medicine? I eat licorice candy with true licorice in it which helps recycle cortisol. Could it be something like that? Even certain spices--like pepper--have been used in Ayurvedic medicine. With that thought, are you eating something really spicy right before the remission?

Anyway, just a thought?

We have an oil heater that looks like a radiator but it raises our electric bill and doesn't really do that well at heating more than a small room. We bought it last year because it had very good reviews and we were hoping with one or two of those we could heat our small ranch house but alas... :(

Sorry about the crash. :( Hope the next remission is just around the corner. :)
 
gregh286
this is the way recovery starts in my case. The body is "poking" its head around the corner to see if danger still there,,,,,its testing the environment. But i agree its very spontaneous, but each remission i lasted longer. any minor cortisol spikes can put back the CFS, body hugely sensitive to stress (adrenaline). I stopped keeping diary, too random by nature this,
 
Wolfcub
Hi Judee...no I didn't eat anything extra spicy or "medicinal" before the remission. Just my usual morning fruit salad, then later on salmon sandwiches on grain/seed bread, then an egg/chickpea/avocado/bell pepper salad. Some choc. and almonds in the evening. I always put black pepper on most things, so that wasn't unusual. The food I listed I regularly eat anyway even when not in remission.
The licorice candy sounds good. I do love licorice and haven't had any for ages!
 
Wolfcub
Hi gregh286...yes I was wondering about the cortisol spikes too. I am sure mine isn't right. But a cortisol test I had recently came back normal.... That was for an early morning urine sample, and a late evening one. But I am sure it's not right. I get very very shaky and unwell when relapsing
It seems you also find these remissions/relapses unpredictable and no obvious cause?
 
T
that sounds very frustrating not to be able to figure it out. Its a long shot but I'll throw it out there.. your cleaning products or products other then food things.. have you brought a different brand? Maybe a chemical trigger could be involved
 
T
I saw your comment on cortisol test. My morning cortisol always fine on blood testing but if I get the doctors to order 24hr urinary cortisol test.. Im out of normal range and very low.
 
T
"Woke up feeling fine. Went to get my morning coffee (not even strong) By the time I'd drunk 2" of it I completely crashed and struggled through the whole rest of the day. (If this was just caffeine intolerance -why was it fine for me to drink that the last few days?)"

Food intollerances can be tricky things. One can not get a reaction till a certain amount of something in foods you react to is reached and be fine till things get to that level. Hence why somethings one may be ok with certain individual foods but say you then have these things you are usually fine with, all together, suddenly there may be a reaction. So take care that coffee isnt "a part" to issues.

Something like a coffee at a slightly different time in the morning or after someone hasnt drunk as much water during the night as they may sometimes do. Could also cause issues if one has low blood volume .
 
Wolfcub
Thanks taniaaust1....yes definitely coffee doesn't always suit me now, and I've had morning coffee 1 cup for many years. But sometimes it's fine and I feel OK (normal) on it, and other times am really very sensitive. usually during a crash I can't tolerate it then in remission I can.
I agree re:cortisol test. I think mine needs doing again more thoroughly.
Cleaning products....I only use two. The same laundry detergent I have always used, and a liquid for hand washing dishes. I use those two for every single cleaning job in my house. And I don't clean that often! haha!! Well....my house is okay, hygienic enough, tidy etc I am just not an OCD cleaner lol
I do generally drink plenty of water during day/evening. But never during the night as I'm sleeping then
 

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