Needing to dumb myself down, SNS activation

[Thinktank]

For the past 3 years i've really been unable to undertake anything, i constantly have to dumb myself down to keep my sympathetic nervous system from going haywire.
Any mental task or stressor that requires focus gives me an elevated heart rate, flu-like feeling, polyuria, diahhrea etc. The only thing to keep that from happening is just lying in bed watching TV shows (which i sometimes can't even follow) or reading some light material.
If i feel motivated and get excited the same thing happens! I have tons of work related ideas but can't do any of it.
The symptoms are less severe when inflammation and OI is low. So what's causing this? Catecholamines like epinephrine/norepinephrine and their receptors? Microglial overactivation?
I'm completely fed up and tired of it and desperate for some answers. I would be OK with just PEM, but this ANS/CNS torture needs to go.

 

[ScottTriGuy]

I use indica dominant strains of medical marijuana to calm my system. It is also an anti-inflammatory, anti-nausea.

 

[ahmo]

My SNS is also my most dominant problem. The last 4 years of healing have left me in a much better place. Started with diet: eliminating gluten, dairy. Detox and supplementing for pyroluria, and correcting methylation cycle hve given me a far better quality of life. Hope you find the help you need.

 

[jadam914]

I use indica dominant strains of medical marijuana to calm my system. It is also an anti-inflammatory, anti-nausea.

Interesting how it helps some. For me it would cause at least a short crash.

 

[Thinktank]

@ScottTriGuy, i'll look into it, but i've read that marijuana might also exacerbate the "fight or flight" response in some, causing paranoia, DP/DR etc.

@ahmo, i found that eliminating gluten and cassein has helped a bit. Gut / vagus nerve inflammation?

 

[justy]

If i feel motivated and get excited the same thing happens!

I'm generally ok ish with thinking - I've been studying for a degree through the OU for five years now and doing well - but I can only study about two hours a day so its a tortuous process to write and plan a 3,000 word essay. Some days I am just too sick, too much study and writing can crash me badly if I'm not very careful.

But the worse thing for me, and it happened last night, is becoming emotional about anything - either positive or negative emotions. I feel upset and allow myself to cry and get into the emotion then I can be crashed badly the next day and it can last a few days or even weeks before I feel back to my normal level. The exact same thing is true of positive emotions.

We had some friends stay and I stayed up till around 11pm and played a board game with them - I had a good time, it was really fun and we laughed a lot. That floored me to the point I couldn't speak the next day and spent two weeks in bed recovering. I mean we joked about it afterwards, once the bad time had passed - y'know like 'Oh Alex, he's such a blast that he'll put you in bed for two weeks'.

But really it is awful and I feel emotionally stunted because of it. I used to be quite an emotional person, and middle age has shown me how to be calmer and live in denial, but at times you just want to let loose and cry and laugh and FEEL!!

I don't know if this is common in PWME, or what causes it, but it gets me down.

 

[ahmo]

@ahmo, i found that eliminating gluten and cassein has helped a bit. Gut / vagus nerve inflammation?

Eliminating gluten/dairy was the first thing that helped my truly awful situation. Don't know whether it was about gut, vagus, or brain inflammation. Likely all 3.