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More energy when bowel is empty??

Messages
42
Hey All,

So I've been wondering about this for a while, every time I get a stomach bug it strikes me that after the misery has subsided that I actually feel substantially better than prior? There's a couple of threads about having less energy after eating, I do have POTS and am aware that that is a factor, but I thought I'd remark on this phenomenon and ask around anyway.

It's not just that the fatigue lifts a little, I feel more focused and alert, I'm able to get started on tasks that were pulling teeth before and just generally have more energy to do more than just the minimum. I have to have just enough food in me to stave away the headache and low blood sugar, but life is generally much breezier and I feel like doing things again! Even despite the dehydration which normally makes my POTS worse, I still feel cognitive symptoms improve and am generally able to get things done easier with my thinking back to normal speed. (My executive function is usually horrible and I often can't remember what I'm supposed to be doing.) In fact I felt great even despite the fact that I hadn't taken my medication today, even walking/standing around (normally a pain when i'm not very well hydrated, rested and medicated - of which i was none today).

I am already off gluten and lactose, and am aware of a soy and fructose sensitivity plus taking curcurmin which always eases my symptoms a little, and am now looking into what else could be triggering symptoms. Current theory - grains and seeds upsetting a leaky gut or other trigger, or too much food/fibre to digest giving my POTS trouble (but this seems unlikely as even when my POTS is well under control the fatigue is still an issue).

Any feedback or thoughts would be much appreciated.


(There is a possibility of a crash tomorrow, but I don't feel like I'm hyped up on adrenaline as my heart hasn't been racing - we'll see.)
 
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42
[Extra personal info - My fatigue just seems generalised while also sometimes worsened with exercise which confuses me, but the rheumy has already given up and gastroscopy/colonoscopy earlier today (which led me to current energy to write this post and start researching and wanting to do things) showed nothing. So because of the memory issues etc I'm booking neuro but am looking to explore the gut symptoms since they clearly have a big impact. I'm only concerned because every time I fix one thing and feel better, something else seems to cause problems and the positive effects from the last change fade.. I'm on a mild immunosuppressant for autoimmune markers just to confuse the issue more.]
 

percyval577

nucleus caudatus et al
Messages
1,302
Location
Ik waak up
In my case I figured out (by accident) that the manganese in food is the major bad influence. So I was/am improving by avoiding high manganese foods. I tried a thread on the issue. I was worse in thinking meanwhile though. Now I figured out that I need to reconfigurate other metals in my brain (chelating them by citrate acid // taking them in by chocolate, both together with vitB12).
 

fredam7

Senior Member
Messages
153
Big GI issues here too. These pathologists and ordering dr's should look for mast cell concentration and there are different methods and the tissue should be from a certain area etc and they don't do it .

So a negative colonoscopy is not that accurate . Also, get the breath tests for sibo and fructose .

I'm doing the no food diet starting today as I can't take the severe mental confusion and anxiety. However , I drank a glass of water and feel horrible . I don't get it

Check for fructose intolerance which if severe , means all fructans need to be cut . I have to do that as I got a positive breath test on the fructose one but all food makes me feel like hell .

See if they will stain for mast cell concentration.
 
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42
Coolio thanks for all your input! Sensitivities seems the most logical explanation, going to go to the dietitian armed with all this and see how I go. I had never thought of manganese so I will have to do my research into that. :thumbsup:

Yes it seems crazy that they keep coming up with negatives when I am clearly having reactions to things; all the classic tests for inflammation like C-reactive came normal too. But at least hopefully it rules out crohns etc..? :/ Now faced with the classic dilemma of the possibility that it's endo but an invasive surgery is required to rule it out. :bang-head: Anybody else notice how it's almost always the majority-female diseases that have no cure or reliable/non-invasive diagnosis method?

Anyway thanks hive mind, keep em coming! I'll have to look into more food-sensitivity topics on here. (And ignore the semi-judgy vegans I run into at the store as it's not possible for us to be completely socially/environmentally responsible when we're sick! No offence to empathetic/informed vegans...)
 

sb4

Senior Member
Messages
1,654
Location
United Kingdom
Food in the gut requires decent blood flow. If you already have poor blood flow like many of us do, it is likely pulling blood from other parts of your body to get to the gut.

Could also be that the longer food is in your gut, the more stress it "generates". This could be through fermentation, bacterial interactions, or just your body donating too many resources to it.
 

valentinelynx

Senior Member
Messages
1,310
Location
Tucson
Have you ever watched a dog or cat after it has a nice BM? Phoom! there she goes, zipping around the room! :pThere's definitely something rewarding about clearing out the bowels. I've had the same experience as you: what should be debilitating diarrhea often makes me feel better. Less pain, too.
 

percyval577

nucleus caudatus et al
Messages
1,302
Location
Ik waak up
... I turn over the crystal ball and topic floats out. So: MANGANESE....seems intriguing
Good luck.
As I said in the Depression/CFS thread, Manganese would relate to Nitric Oxide, high Manganese would implicate higher Nitric Oxide. Reading through all the influences @Judee wondered if it couldn´t be the case that some of us are high, and some of us are low on Nitric Oxide. In the last case lower manganese intake would/ might turn out to be the wrong choice.
"Might" because, if it is true that Nitric Oxide is too low or high, the question nevertheless arises if it were due to manganese, and if not, how much of an influence a manganese mangament would allow (probably only a minor one).
Again good luck!


But beside of being happy because of this citrate/chocolate thing I am even a bit proud of it (though the citrate idea came again only by accident, stupid human). Maybe when feeling better - e.g. when not having eaten for some hours - then doing the chelation and after a while the intake (or the other way round) might serve for a more healthy configuration of these metals in the brain (with hopefully some subsequent influences as well). And at least one might not get worse over the time or even could improve to some extent.
 
Messages
42
You say you 'feel great despite not having taken any medication today'. If you usually feel better without the meds maybe its to do with that?

Hey Andy, wish it was that simple however it's only blood pressure meds that I meant, and as they definitely do help things it was interesting that i wasn't dead on my feet as to my knowledge i hadn't had a drip or anything and was still quite dehydrated.
Didn't realise I made it sound like a no-brainer 'it's the meds' conclusion but if I did I obviously badly explained things, I certainly would know if the meds were the problem.