Cognitive issues prior to ME/CFS

[SmokinJoeFraz93]

When I was 15 years of age (and didn’t have ME), I went through a VERY rough emotional stage in my life. A stage where I couldn’t handle any of my emotions.

It got to the point where my emotionally instability caused something inside my head to change permanently. And I could feel inside my head, a constant thick/thumping feeling that I feel to this day.

Anyway, since this emotional outbreak and change happening inside my head, it’s really compromised my cognitive functioning.

For example, I’ve never been able to work, because doing the tasks in work cause this dysfunctional feeling inside my head to arise. Another example would be helping a family member outside in the garden. I just can’t bring myself to do it because of this feeling inside my head.

It’s a hard feeling to describe. Using the term ‘dysfunctional stress’ is the term I like to use. Opinions please guys?

 

[IThinkImTurningJapanese]

And I could feel inside my head, a constant thick/thumping feeling that I feel to this day.

Opinions please guys?

See a Doctor.

 

[SmokinJoeFraz93]

See a Doctor.

I’ve spent the last eight years seeing doctors and therapists. What else can I do or request?

 

[lauluce]

well, I also had quite severe anxiety before my first symptoms started to appear, namely paresthesias and the memory impairment. "fatigue" and generalized muscle and joint pain only appeared one and a half years after these first symptoms, being this two symptoms what mark the beggining of ME, maybe. I believe the human body and the agressors to which it is exposed are tremendously complex and varied. one explanation to what happend to me was that anxiety diminished my immune system and I was infected by a nerve infecting pathogen, causing the firs two neurolonogical symptoms, and subsequently this infection triggered me. But that is just one explanation, another one could be that the anxiety itself was responsible for the paresthesias and memory loss and that Me was actually triggered by anxiety, which is something that, despite we like it or not, is posible. Infections, fisical trauma, poisoning, mold, etc are not the only triggers of ME. Maybe this is what happened to you? your me was triggered by anxiety?

 

[ukxmrv]

Is it like a pulse of maybe blood pressure type feeling in your head or a sensation of pressure ?

 

[IThinkImTurningJapanese]

I’ve spent the last eight years seeing doctors and therapists. What else can I do or request?

An MRI?

 

[SmokinJoeFraz93]

An MRI?

And what would they be looking for? Whats the excuse for an MRI?

 

[lauluce]

I’ve spent the last eight years seeing doctors and therapists. What else can I do or request?

since what you describe is a "mental" symptom aside from your ME symptoms, you should see a psychiatrist for it, sadly. However as I said before, the human body is extremely complex, so your phisical symptoms and your mental ones might share a common cause. To give you the simplest examples of how this can happen, think of sifilis, it causes both severe phisical symptoms culminating with death and also severe mental ones, all due to a single pathogen infecting the brain along with the rest of the body

 

[lauluce]

And what would they be looking for? Whats the excuse for an MRI?

many things... and MRI could be used to check for multiple sclerosis, infections, autoimmune diseases, poisoning, structural abnormalities, tumours, etc... they're many other test a neurologist could use to check your bran, like a simple electroencephalogram, an SPECT (shows the levels of activity in different areas of the brain), a computer tommography,a FUNCTIONAL mri, etc. You should relly visit a neurologist and tell him all your symptoms

 

[SmokinJoeFraz93]

Where I live, if a neurologist doesn’t think my symptoms are neurological, they won’t see me. The endocrinologist told me that.

 

[IThinkImTurningJapanese]

And what would they be looking for? Whats the excuse for an MRI?

This,

And I could feel inside my head, a constant thick/thumping feeling that I feel to this day.

This scares me, but it is your life, and your choice.

Where I live, if a neurologist doesn’t think my symptoms are neurological, they won’t see me. The endocrinologist told me that.

You asked for opinions, I say fight.

 

[pattismith]

it could be a kind of brain fog?

Mental symptoms can have organic origins, and every possiblities should be ruled out, either metabolic or auto-immune, or malformation.

I agree it's difficult to find specialists that investigate deeply, but maybe a CFS doctor may be helpful?

 

[cmt12]

When I was 15 years of age (and didn’t have ME), I went through a VERY rough emotional stage in my life. A stage where I couldn’t handle any of my emotions.

It got to the point where my emotionally instability caused something inside my head to change permanently. And I could feel inside my head, a constant thick/thumping feeling that I feel to this day.

That sounds like a low resolution description of chronic headache, which is a common symptom of CFS. A higher resolution description would be feeling like your head is in a vice.

Anyway, since this emotional outbreak and change happening inside my head, it’s really compromised my cognitive functioning.

Brain fog. Another common symptom.

For example, I’ve never been able to work, because doing the tasks in work cause this dysfunctional feeling inside my head to arise. Another example would be helping a family member outside in the garden. I just can’t bring myself to do it because of this feeling inside my head.

Exertion/stress will increase symptoms.

 

[lauluce]

That sounds like a low resolution description of chronic headache, which is a common symptom of CFS. A higher resolution description would be feeling like your head is in a vice.


Brain fog. Another common symptom.


Exertion/stress will increase symptoms.

EXCELENT INTERPRETATION, I concur, @SmokinJoeFraz93 , but I mantain what I wrote earlier

 

[lauluce]

That sounds like a low resolution description of chronic headache, which is a common symptom of CFS. A higher resolution description would be feeling like your head is in a vice.


Brain fog. Another common symptom.


Exertion/stress will increase symptoms.

by the way friend, do you think that phisical activity like moping a floor vigorously can cause, along with extreme lasting fatige and generalized whole body joint and muscle pain, headaches? do you believe it can exacerbate POTS, which I have?

 

[hangininthere]

That sounds like the feeling I get in my head when I'm upright.

The first thing that came to mind is Orthostatic Intolerance, which means essentially 'trouble being upright'. POTS is one form of it.

I have it, and have to lie down all the time except for when I absolutely have to be up for a brief while. It's a part of my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Does that feeling in your head happen the strongest when you're upright, sitting up or standing?

Another possibility comes to mind, if it's not related to being upright.

Maybe it could be Executive Functioning Disorder.

There are some other possibilities that come to mind.

Such as the burnt-out feeling of Attention Deficit Disorder at having to do the least little activity, whether mental activity or physical activity.

I hope reclining and resting help your symptom when you lie down. Does it it help to lie down?

You can google these things, and see if any of their symptoms fit you.

Orthostatic Intolerance
Executive Functioning Disorder
Attention Deficit Disorder

I've never been able to hold down a job because I mentally burn-out so fast.

Patti

 

[pattismith]

When I was 15 years of age (and didn’t have ME), I went through a VERY rough emotional stage in my life. A stage where I couldn’t handle any of my emotions.

It got to the point where my emotionally instability caused something inside my head to change permanently. And I could feel inside my head, a constant thick/thumping feeling that I feel to this day.

Anyway, since this emotional outbreak and change happening inside my head, it’s really compromised my cognitive functioning.

For example, I’ve never been able to work, because doing the tasks in work cause this dysfunctional feeling inside my head to arise. Another example would be helping a family member outside in the garden. I just can’t bring myself to do it because of this feeling inside my head.

It’s a hard feeling to describe. Using the term ‘dysfunctional stress’ is the term I like to use. Opinions please guys?

Do you feel pressure in your head? head pressure heart palpitation

 

[hamsterman]

When I was 15 years of age (and didn’t have ME), I went through a VERY rough emotional stage in my life. A stage where I couldn’t handle any of my emotions.

It got to the point where my emotionally instability caused something inside my head to change permanently. And I could feel inside my head, a constant thick/thumping feeling that I feel to this day.

Anyway, since this emotional outbreak and change happening inside my head, it’s really compromised my cognitive functioning.

For example, I’ve never been able to work, because doing the tasks in work cause this dysfunctional feeling inside my head to arise. Another example would be helping a family member outside in the garden. I just can’t bring myself to do it because of this feeling inside my head.

It’s a hard feeling to describe. Using the term ‘dysfunctional stress’ is the term I like to use. Opinions please guys?

I would also suggest an MRI of the head. Your head issue may very well have been related to what triggered your CFS/ME... but even if it isnt... it could still be potentially dangerous.