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Am sweating a little

Mary

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Southern California
I haven't sweated for many years and I've read that lack of sweating is one of the possible sequela of ME/CFS.

Anyways a few months ago I noticed that my underarms got very slightly damp - it was noticeable because it hasn't happened I so long, I haven't needed deodorant! but am starting to a little.

And now we are having a major heat wave (115 yesterday). I have a swamp cooler and fans so am relatively comfortable but even sweated a bit more on the back of my neck and my front a little, as well as underarms - not dripping, just damp, but I'll take what I can get! :woot:

I tried to find what bodily system controls sweating, I thought it might be the HPA axis - does anybody know? It seems that something is working a little better - I'm not really excited because progress with this DD happens excruciatingly slowly ... but at least it does seem to be a tiny bit of progress (I hope!)
 
Messages
93
Location
UK
I don't know but I wish I did- I have the opposite problem! I'm often cold and even in the dead of winter when I'm freezing, my pits will still be sweating like crazy, really uncomfortable as it instantly becomes freezing cold so I'm sat in cold wet clothes
 

Mary

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Southern California
I don't know but I wish I did- I have the opposite problem! I'm often cold and even in the dead of winter when I'm freezing, my pits will still be sweating like crazy, really uncomfortable as it instantly becomes freezing cold so I'm sat in cold wet clothes

We are all so different! I remember reading several years ago that stopping sweating was one of the weird possible symptoms of ME/CFS, such as fingernail half moons disappearing and red crescents in the throat. But a google search doesn't turn up anything that I can find re this, and the exact opposite actually, what you are experiencing.

I did just read that sweating is under hypothalamic control, and also has to do with internal as well as external temperatures. My body temperature seems to have gone up a little - I don't know if this is a one-time anomaly but this a.m. my temp was 97.6 - it's never that high in the morning, always 95 or 96. something. So maybe my body temp has gone up a bit and that could account for the sweating. Now what caused my body temp to go up is another question I don't have the answer for!

You say you're always cold. That and excessive sweating can both be symptoms of hypothyroid - have you had your thyroid checked?
 

PennyIA

Senior Member
Messages
728
Location
Iowa
I was thinking that hot/cold regulation can be a little off with ME/CFS (though don't know where) - but that whole freezing cold in a warm area is something that would explain it... and not sweating when you're hot would fit there as well.

When I was a child I could hardly ever get warm enough... always cold - always. And my youngest son is just like me.

But, then I also rarely sweated - even when hot and even as an adult. It takes ENORMOUS heat and activity before I'll start breaking out in a sweat... and honestly? The first time I sweat in a long period -- boy does it STINK. It's like the pores are collecting the things that are supposed to get excreted and it builds up and builds up - so when they finally sweat, it's heavy concentration of smell. If I manage to sweat again a few weeks later, I don't really smell. I also, regularly go without deodorant. I just don't sweat often enough to justify it. Of course, when I do break out in a big, smelly sweat - it's whole body sweating so underarm deodorant wouldn't help anyway. I have it and when I think I might get exposed to some crushing heat - it just doesn't seem to matter ...
 

Mary

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Southern California
@PennyIA - I'm the same, if I sweat even a tiny bit, it is not pleasant! And I've read it's because our sweating mechanism is supposed to help rid the body of toxins so if we don't sweat for a long time, lots of toxins buildup and then if we finally do sweat, it's going to stink! :sluggish:
 

Mary

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Southern California
I haven't been sweating for a long while. In my case I think it is due to iodine deficiency.

Interesting. I took iodine for a long time and it did not cause me to start sweating again. I wish I could find where I've read the link between ME/CFS and not sweating ---

Do you take iodine for your deficiency?
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,092
Do you take iodine for your deficiency?
No, because my antibodies anti-thyroglobulin are too high, so it is not advisable (I would probably had a bad reaction to it). My HRT dosage is sub-optimal, so I will try to improve it, perhaps also take LDN and then try iodine. I am having serious dificulties in finding a competent health pratictioner.
 

Mary

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Southern California
I am having serious dificulties in finding a competent health pratictioner.

I think we all are!

You know so much, you probably know more than most practitioners any way --- but it would be nice to find someone knowledgeable and competent to help. My primary MF/CFS doctor died recently (he was 84 - I didn't know he was that old). He couldn't help much with ME/CFS - PEM and so on - although no one can. But he was extremely knowledgeable about nutrition and supplements in general, as well as health. I'll miss him personally, plus he will be very hard to replace as a doctor!
 

valentinelynx

Senior Member
Messages
1,310
Location
Tucson
Ha! You can have my sweat. I sweat at the drop of a ... drop of sweat? Buckets of water leave me continuously. Very heat intolerant. This heat wave - over 110 for days, ugh! I don't think there's much credibility to the sweating out toxins theory. My sweat does smell quite odd, like onions. I find the Thai deodorant sticks are wonderful. I don't use traditional anti-perspirant anymore, just the Thai sticks. They kill the bacteria that cause odor but don't prevent you from sweating, unlike anti-perspirants, which close off your pores so you can't sweat. So, I still sweat, but don't stink!
 
Messages
93
Location
UK
I've had my thyroid checked, I once had a low reading but of course it was normal again when they retested, story of my life. TSH is usually on the high side of 'normal'. I'm quite underweight really (although I'm 'skinny-fat', slim build but no muscle, kinda wobbly) I do get yellow discolouration around my mouth too which comes and goes, apparently that's a hypothyroid symptom.

@valentinelynx what are Thai sticks? if I google that I get "strong cannabis in leaf form, twisted into a small, tightly packed cylinder ready for smoking" :lol: my sweat actually smells like cannabis sometimes, and I get that oniony smell too (usually during my period so there's probably some hormonal connection).
 

Mary

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17,335
Location
Southern California
Ha! You can have my sweat. I sweat at the drop of a ... drop of sweat? Buckets of water leave me continuously. Very heat intolerant. This heat wave - over 110 for days, ugh! I don't think there's much credibility to the sweating out toxins theory. My sweat does smell quite odd, like onions. I find the Thai deodorant sticks are wonderful. I don't use traditional anti-perspirant anymore, just the Thai sticks. They kill the bacteria that cause odor but don't prevent you from sweating, unlike anti-perspirants, which close off your pores so you can't sweat. So, I still sweat, but don't stink!

I read that dysautonomia can cause both not sweating and sweating too much - we can't win! The Thai deodorant sticks - those are the mineral sticks, right? I used to use them (even though I didn't really hardly need anything because I hardly ever sweated), but now am using baking soda. I use it for a face scrub and to brush my teeth too - the uses are endless :sluggish: but wait, there's more! (no, that's all for now)
 

Mary

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Southern California
@parabola - my TSH was way below "normal" using desiccated thyroid (Armour equivalent) and my doctor said it was okay. I think he would have considered yours too high. The doctors all look at the test results differently. so you might do some more reading on this, you still might need help with your thyroid.
 
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93
Location
UK
Do you still take Armour, any improvements on it? I wonder if my thyroid could swing both ways tbh, I have had the 'glassy stare' and jitteriness that would go with hyper, too. Thankfully not had that for a while, just get the peri-oral yellowness periodically which could be to do with calorie restriction when my crohn's is playing up and I don't eat enough! Endless factors to consider :bang-head:

Have you seen the thread I just posted about inositol and thyroid? It might be worth you trying it
 

Mary

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Southern California
Do you still take Armour, any improvements on it? I wonder if my thyroid could swing both ways tbh, I have had the 'glassy stare' and jitteriness that would go with hyper, too. Thankfully not had that for a while, just get the peri-oral yellowness periodically which could be to do with calorie restriction when my crohn's is playing up and I don't eat enough! Endless factors to consider :bang-head:

Have you seen the thread I just posted about inositol and thyroid? It might be worth you trying it

I take an Armour equivalent, called NP thyroid. I've been taking something like this for over ten years. They check my thyroid numbers and they're okay on it, though the TSH is quite low but my doctor told me that's fine, and he said that going by TSH alone is unreliable. The other numbers are okay. But my body temp is still low, I have ME/CFS, the thyroid med doesn't do anything for PEM. So I think I'd be worse off without it, that's all I know.

I did see your thread about inositol and thyroid, just looked at it briefly; actually I've been taking an inositol/choline supplement for 3 or 4 years at night to help with sleep. It didn't do anything for my thyroid but I think it helps with sleep so keep taking it.

I've never heard of yellowness related to thyroid, but it could be related I guess. I know very little about crohn's, sorry you have to deal with that as well!
 
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93
Location
UK
I'd settle for improved sleep, how much do you take for that effect? Has your doc ever tried you on hydrocortisone, i know the STTM book advocates that when thyroid meds alone aren't cutting it. The yellowness is something to do with being unable to process beta carotene when you're hypothyroid. palms, soles and underarms are affected too, although those areas cleared up on me quickly once I was able to eat more calories, so I guess my thyroid was just slowing for energy conservation
 

Mary

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Southern California
@parabola - No, I've never tried hydrocortisone. I don't think I need it. My cortisol levels are pretty good and the thyroid med does help my thyroid numbers.

I have taken adrenal glandulars off and on for many years. In the late 1990's my adrenals were extremely weak (found by my chiro who does muscle testing). He gave me an adrenal glandular and it made a huge difference for me, so I've taken them off and on ever since, though now only need a very low dose (had to take a lot initially, about 3 times the recommended dose because I was so weak)

I don't take thyroid for sleep, it's never helped with that (that I know of). What I have found is B12 helps a lot with sleep. I recently changed the form and brand I was taking, started taking Blue Bonnet liquid, 5000 mcg., twice a day, a.m. and p.m., and started sleeping better almost immediately. I also found that B1 helps with sleep, though I just take it in the morning.

I also take Theanine Serene, and a fair amount of niacin at night. Niacin stimulates GABA receptors. It makes me tired during the day, but I take 200 mg. after dinner and then 300 mg. before bed, and another 300 in the middle of the night. I also take glycine (very good for sleep though it caused a very strong detox reaction when I first took it, but it doesn't any more), and choline/inositol, and in the middle of the night 1 mg. lorazepam. I am sleeping noticeably better with the new B12 and hope I can cut back on the lorazepam.

I don't think PEM is caused by a malfunctioning thyroid. I think people with ME/CFS do have mitochondrial dysfunction as Ron Davis is saying, we don't produce energy properly. I think actually the ME/CFS may cause the thyroid problems, not the other way around. If the problem of ME/CFS could be solved, I think all our bodily systems would work better because they would have the energy they need to function properly.

Have you tried any thyroid meds or iodine or anything?
 
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93
Location
UK
Oh I've never taken anything in the night, I may try that! I assume you mean if you wake up, not setting an alarm?! I am almost guaranteed a wake-up somewhere between 2-4 am and it's rare that I'm sleepy enough to go back to sleep. I agree with you about whatever CFS is, coming before and causing the rest of the glandular issues. I've tried iodine, I don't think it made a difference either way. Thyroid I'm afraid would make me hyper or stress my adrenals but my GP did say that he would consider it, I have some heart issues I'm waiting on a referral for first though, I think thyroid meds can cause tachycardia? BTW I read somewhere (can't remember if it was this forum or another) someone saying that larger doses of inositol made them sweat!
 

Mary

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17,335
Location
Southern California
Have you ever had an adrenal stress index test done? It's a saliva test, you take a sample 4 times throughout the day/evening and it measures your cortisol levels as they rise and fall. My levels used to be very high in the middle of the night (12 years ago) causing severe middle of the night insomnia which nothing could touch until I got my levels normalized. I was told to take Seriphos (phosphorylated serine) and it was a godsend. I started sleeping better almost immediately. I had to take rather a high dose initially (6 or 8 caps a day, can't remember exactly, in divided doses in the morning). We found the dose through the school of trial and error. I also found it was crucial to take it in the morning. It totally screwed up my sleep when I took it at night.

Anyways, the adrenal stress index test will tell you if high cortisol in the middle of the night is part of your sleep problem. It will also tell you of course your a.m. cortisol etc., which is all important information.

I don't think the thyroid stresses my adrenals, perhaps because I have had them supported with adrenal glandulars. I think thyroid meds can cause tachycardia if your dose is too high, but it's never caused that for me. But you should get your heart issues checked out first.

I know it can get complicated trying to sort out thyroid and adrenal issues and they are intertwined. I just sort of winged it with help from my chiropractor (and doctor). The chiro got me on adrenal glandulars and the doctor got me on desiccated thyroid - I think both were very important for me.

Because your TSH is on the high side, I think it's quite possible you could use some thyroid support. But of course get your heart checked out first, and if possible get the adrenal stress test done too, and hopefully you'll know better what to do then.

If you do have adrenal issues, extra pantothenic acid can help and I swear by adrenal glandulars (though not everyone has had the same experience as me). As with anything, you start with a low dose to see how you do. If your doctor decides to try a thyroid med, again you can start low and see how you react.

I forgot - re middle of the night supplements - I take them when I wake up, I don't set an alarm!
 

valentinelynx

Senior Member
Messages
1,310
Location
Tucson
what are Thai sticks? if I google that I get "strong cannabis in leaf form, twisted into a small, tightly packed cylinder ready for smoking" :lol: my sweat actually smells like cannabis sometimes, and I get that oniony smell too (usually during my period so there's probably some hormonal connection).

LOL! Sorry, been out of internet touch for a while. I was referring to things like this. "Thai Deodorant Stone" is a more common name, though some are called "sticks" being shaped more like a traditional deodorant stick. The original Thai deodorant stones are a lump of crystallized alum that looks like a rock.