Brain Misfiring

[ChrisD]

After improving in 1.5 years from Bed/Roombound to doing 30 mins walks each day without serious or heavy PEM, yesterday we felt it was time for me to do something special to reignite my spirit. I went for the first time in a couple of years to a football game, in total 3-4 hours out of the house and 90 mins of sitting up right watching the game. I managed okay and felt confident on the way home that things had got better.

However, at home before going to bed, I started to have that realisation that my body was very wired and it was going to take some time, tea and CBD oil to wind down. When I went to bed, I inevitably couldn't get to sleep but as many of you know, that's when the weird stuff starts happening. I had recently experienced horrible hypnic jerking which had improved but of course it came back, along with a sort of internal tremor that I have experienced on and off.

But the main symptom (title topic) was this real sensation that my brain was 'misfiring' as Jen Brea mentions in Unrest. I don't just mean the 'tired but wired' feeling as I would have commented under another thread, but the distinct feeling that neurons are misfiring and connecting randomly. For example, I could hear strange noises like humming, popping, cracking, buzzing and my brain would replay voices, sounds, music that I have heard over the past day or so. It's to the level that if I mention this to a doctor, they will inevitably jump to the mental health side of things and view it as some kind of mild scizophrenia.

The reason this has really hit home with me today, is because it has made me remember that when I wasn't pacing and resting, that I would experience this on a nightly basis, but it became the norm. My new norm is a more balanced, healthy one and so it really came as a shock and I am disappointed that this can still happen to me despite my progress - today I am totally mentally and physically exhausted but that was to be expected after trying such a big thing.

I should mention that I have had recent positive test results (Privately so not an official diagnosis) for Lyme, CMV, CPn, Myco Pn and I know that some of these can cause Neuropsychiatric symptoms and I have managed to get a referral to a neurologist soon.

But do those sort of strange neuro sensations resonate with anyone else?

 

[Wishful]

Yes, activities that involve a higher level of mental (emotional?) effort, such as socializing, make it hard to fall asleep, and replaying voices and events. I can't recall strange noises, but it does feel like my brain is making connections to memories. I wonder if it's a response to reduced input most of the time (social deprivation?), and my brain's 'dampers' or 'brakes' aren't used to functioning. I go for weeks without talking to anyone in person, which certainly isn't normal for humans.

I wouldn't mention this sort of thing to a psychiatrist either.

 

[ChrisD]

Yes, activities that involve a higher level of mental (emotional?) effort, such as socializing, make it hard to fall asleep, and replaying voices and events.

Personally its less emotional, but definitely a large mental and physical effort that the body gears up for and then as to be expected, something such as going to a football game is a total sensory overload with bright lights, loud noises. Maybe it sent my nervous system into disarray.

 

[place]

I worked with kids with autism and they get sensory overload. They often have to do counter soothing tasks to get them bAck to center. It was amazing to see the transformation back to center. Maybe limit your sensory to visual, with out auditory.

 

[MEPatient345]

Yes, those were some of my worst symptoms for years. A lot of pacing and rest, no mental “work” like computer work, has reduced them but I assume if I were to do something social they would come back. I think they are part of the cognitive disfunction of ME and wouldn’t assume they are linked to bacterial or viral infections.

 

[AdamS]

Yes a lot of this sounds familiar. When I was quite bad about 18 months ago I went to a game at Old Trafford, I was okay for most of the first half but the second half was horrendous, I could barely follow the game because of sensory overload from the fans cheering.

I’ve found that when this type of thing happens, my brain processes everything with a slight delay, for example when I talk or look at something, my brain won’t register it realtime and it’s an extremely scary/disorientating feeling.

With hypnic jerks/restless legs at night, the only thing that works for me is following my breath carefully for a few minutes until my brain slowly seems to stop registering the weird sensations in my legs as strongly, it kind of dampens the signal. If you can’t sleep, try keeping your eyes open for as long as you can while staring at the ceiling, persist for up to 5 minutes + until your eyes slowly begin to close, this tip has helped me a lot in the past!

Edit: I’m pleased for your progress btw mate, keep listening to your body!

 

[hmnr asg]

hi there.
sorry i have too much pem to read all the replies. But for me this also happens and it makes me very anxious when it does and it almost felt like a psychotic episode.
Times like this the only thing that helps me is a benzo like ativan or kolonopin but these drugs are very addictive and bring in a host of their own issues. I also tried lyrica for these episodes and it also helps (but not as much as klonopin).
Just to re-iterate: i am not recommending taking benzos. I am trying to wean myself off them and the withdrawal symptoms are no joke.