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Upper body and head feel hot and overheated and feel weak and shaky from even low level of exertion

knackers323

Senior Member
Messages
1,625
Does anyone else experience these?

The weak and shakiness is how I think you feel with low blood sugar but that tests ok.

Is there a condition where the glucose is in the blood but can't get into the cells or they are damaged and can't use it properly?
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
It sounds to me like OI symptoms, make sure you dont have dysautonomia causing it, various types can cause weakness/shakiness.

Hot head or hot flushes can also be caused by it (I find my orthostatic hypertension can make my head feel hot or me hot in places).
 

knackers323

Senior Member
Messages
1,625
It sounds to me like OI symptoms, make sure you dont have dysautonomia causing it, various types can cause weakness/shakiness.

Hot head or hot flushes can also be caused by it (I find my orthostatic hypertension can make my head feel hot or me hot in places).

Is a hot flush something that comes and goes quickly?

My heat comes on and gets worse the more exhausted I am and stays around. It kind of feels like Inflamation or something.

Do you know if Inflamation or infection in the body could cause this?

Or if either of these things can actually make the skin warm to touch?

Thanks
 

Sparrow

Senior Member
Messages
691
Location
Canada
Sounds very much like what happens to me when I've been overexerting myself really badly. One of my specialists believes it to be related to inflammation of my spine and/or brain (the encephalomyelitis part of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) . Often the skin on my face especially gets feeling really hot, in a very distinctive way, and my whole body gets super weak and shaky, like you described. My skin does tend to actually get overly warm to the touch sometimes when it's happening, but I don't register as having a fever so I think it's probably just extra blood close to the surface of the skin (which makes sense, since I often get visibly flushed). I also often get sweaty when this is happening or about to happen, and sometimes I'll have a concentrated burning along my upper spine and into my head as well if it's bad enough (usually if I try to push on with what I'm doing rather than stopping as soon as I notice the heat).

For me, I've now learned it's a sign that I've done WAY too much (usually mental activities, like watching TV or using the computer or talking with someone - I've gotten a lot better about not overdoing it physically, but mental still gives me trouble sometimes). I find a little bit of relief from drinking lots of cold water and putting an ice pack along my spine and the base of my head. And I definitely need to stop the mental activities entirely for a while to let it calm down some. But once I've gone far enough to trigger the problem it tends to linger around at at least a low level no matter what. Trying to avoid triggering it in the first place has been far more effective, and if I can manage to avoid going too far that way, then the amount I can do without problems seems to gradually improve over time.
 

rosie26

Senior Member
Messages
2,446
Location
NZ
These symptoms are on my most regular appearing list of symptoms that I get with ME deterioration from having overdone (and it sometimes doesn't take much to overdo).

I don't know what is causing it. The weakness and shakiness forces me to my bed and I rest until it improves. I use a cold compress to my forehead to get as much heat out of my head as possible. They are usually accompanied with other symptoms, headache and nausea, sinuses also flare, heart..... as happens with ME, lots of symptoms !
 

knackers323

Senior Member
Messages
1,625
I've been doing some searching and two prof. Nicolson and Roberts say that intracelular bacteria get in the cells and damage them so they can't take up glucose or use it properly to produce energy.

This is what creates lack of energy and weak and shaky, hypoglycaemic symptoms.

The treatment is attack the infection and something called NT factor cell lipids and/or amino acids to help rebuild the damaged cells. Anyone tried these things?
 
Messages
15,786
Shakiness/hot flushes may just be anxiety symptoms
Pretty much anything can be anxiety symptoms. But since such symptoms come in response to physical exertion, and usually in the absence of anything that "feels" like anxiety, I would say it is highly unlikely that common ME symptoms are due to anxiety.
 
Messages
47
I would say it is highly unlikely that common ME symptoms are due to anxiety.

read my post again. I didn't say CFS/ME is caused by anxiety. I was responding to the symptoms in question. Now you want to discuss the causes of CFS/ME? Please open another thread. Thank you.
 
Messages
15,786
read my post again. I didn't say CFS/ME is caused by anxiety. I was responding to the symptoms in question.
They were asking in the context of ME/CFS, being as this is an ME/CFS forum. Anxiety is not common in ME/CFS, but Orthostatic Intolerance certainly is. Hence it seems very odd to assume there's a psychological cause of symptoms, when the physical cause is much more likely.
 

Sparrow

Senior Member
Messages
691
Location
Canada
Shakiness/hot flushes may just be anxiety symptoms

True. But it's definitely an ME symptom as well. I have them related to my ME and unrelated to any anxiety issues. Being nervous about something doesn't cause that stuff for me, but calmly watching too much television or reading does. My mood and physical functioning aren't connected.

It's also a very particular kind of "heat" for me, unlike anything else I've experienced in my healthy life. And the consequences if I keep trying to push through with whatever activity I'm doing don't fit with any description of anxiety or panic attacks.

Don't mean to jump on you. It's a fair initial suggestion, but the specifics being described by the poster sound very much like what happens to me, and I know that mine is not anxiety-based. I've heard similar things from others with this illness, and my specialist has seen it as well, so I think it's probably safe to assume that it goes along with the illness sometimes. I also find that most people I know who have anxiety issues severe enough to cause strong physical problems are aware they're feeling some kind of anxiety, or tend to have some type of emotional trigger for it. No nervousness was mentioned here.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
Is a hot flush something that comes and goes quickly?

yes for me when its caused by a sudden orthostatic hypertension flare, it can be.

My heat comes on and gets worse the more exhausted I am and stays around. It kind of feels like Inflamation or something.

Do you know if Inflamation or infection in the body could cause this?

Or if either of these things can actually make the skin warm to touch?

That doesnt sound so much like OI stuff but more of the other ME kind of stuff.
 

knackers323

Senior Member
Messages
1,625
Just bumping this. Anyone else feel something similar?
I pushed myself yesterday to do something that would be insignificant to a non me patient and today as well as feeling weak and exhausted my body is burning.

The heat feels internal. It is an unnatural feeling that I hadn’t experienced prior to cfs.

My skin feels normal and I took my temp and it’s actually 1 to 1.5 degree Celsius lower than the ‘average’

It’s primarily in my head and torso

Sign of infection, inflammation or damaged nervous system?
 

rosie26

Senior Member
Messages
2,446
Location
NZ
@knackers323 I know what you mean about the abnormal heat production. It's something I have experienced all the way through my ME. It is abnormal. And unfortunately menopause has made this symptom worse for me the last few years. It feels like a sterilizing heat to me.

Since menopause I have become sensitive to antibiotics.
The last time I was on antibiotics one of my lungs hyperinflated - really scary and I was in a lot of pain. I had what felt like fungal issues in my lungs, esophagus - very very sick for a long time. Could barely walk. I think the abnormal heat production + menopause changes + antibiotics were all too sterilizing. sorry I can't explain it any better. I feel at huge risk with antibiotics now. I used to always feel better on them, not now.

I think the abnormal heat production could be metabolic. This increased heat production could also be making our vascular stuff worse as well. I don't understand the science of it though and am just guessing what seems more likely.

I can't think of anything to suggest that helps except for to try and keep as cool as you can. Lots of fluids, rest, keep emotions even keeled. Protect yourself from as much stress as you can and people who stress you.