Specific PEM symptoms for specific activities - anyone else?

[keepswimming]

I've noticed I get very specific PEM symptoms for different types of overdoing. I wondered if anyone else finds this?

These are mine

Overdone physically - physical exhaustion, flu like malaise
Overdone mentally - headaches, brain fog, can't concentrate
Overdone socially - emotional, the thought of speaking to someone makes me want to cry

I'm finding it quite useful to understand this, as depending on my symptoms I know what activities I particularly need to avoid while I recover!

 

[bensmith]

yes me too.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

Overdone physically - physical exhaustion, flu like malaise
Overdone mentally - headaches, brain fog, can't concentrate
Overdone socially - emotional, the thought of speaking to someone makes me want to cry

I do also notice some differences in PEM between these various sources of- overdoneness. But its not as clear cut in my case.

With socially- that means I was talking to somebody, and that will mean I develop the equivalent of laryngitis/strep level pain if the conversation is more than about 20 minutes. The thought of speaking to someone, for me typically results in- I won't make that call today. I just don't have - the energy to speak to somebody- for very long and something about the phone itself...is weakening almost Right Away.

I've had huge PEM crashes and malaise from: strictly mental. Doing mental work I used to do daily for 50 years- doing that same work now is a wipe out.

For me- things go along until at last I seem to have the one day I feel a bit better and slightly OK-ish. On the one day, I then- do a little something...more. somehow even those little efforts often lead to- overdoing.

Currently I mostly am avoiding physical crashes..or trying to still recover thru major rest, from the 7 months of guests, a toddler and doing too much every day for 7 months. I'm gradually crawling out of that ditch. But the day after the one day that was better - there are never 2 or 3 days of that.

The biggest improvement from all this resting I've done- about 2 months of- is my Gut. Its gotten WAY better. Not from food, not from probiotics, not from supplements, not from herbal teas. It just- got way better and it feels like I had a return of more energy required to defend the gut, reducing permeability.

 

[Pyrrhus]

Related discussion:

Different-feeling PEM depending on activities
https://forums.phoenixrising.me/threads/different-feeling-pem-depending-on-activities.6216/

 

[Emmarose47]

I can't seem to get it into my head why social creates such crash for me

 

[SWAlexander]

I thought I need to find out what PEM is all about. So I looked for the source.
This is how I found out that I had PEM even as a child at about age 10.
If anybody is interested I`ll post my collection.

 

[keepswimming]

I can't seem to get it into my head why social creates such crash for me

Social is my worst trigger too. I measure HRV and when I do any kind of socialising my HRV absolutely plummets (meaning my body's stress levels are sky high). That helped me understand why socialising crashes me so much - for whatever reason it obviously takes an awful lot of energy. I think it's mentally and emotionally more draining than we realise.

 

[SWAlexander]

I think it's mentally and emotionally more draining than we realise.

You're right. Me too.
The question is what is the faulty mechanism?

 

[Emmarose47]

Social is my worst trigger too. I measure HRV and when I do any kind of socialising my HRV absolutely plummets (meaning my body's stress levels are sky high). That helped me understand why socialising crashes me so much - for whatever reason it obviously takes an awful lot of energy. I think it's mentally and emotionally more draining than we realise.

What's HRV keep swimming ?

 

[Emmarose47]

Om this occasion I literally felt something switch in my brain whilst having the visit .
And when it did I then couldn't function well cognitively ...
That was nearly a wk ago and I'm in a proper crash ...
I figure m.e CFS is a neuro syndrome... Inflammation of the brain and spine so the exertion triggers ..
I mean I've always had raised stress around people ...

The good news is b4 this visit I got to the point I was doing 1 on 1 or 1 to 2 one visit ... Shorter times and it was fine .
I think for me there is also something about the anticipation that is stressful where as when my neighbour pops by its lighter

 

[Emmarose47]

It's my b day wed but don't have plans for visitors well my homehelp but that's fine ..
I am gettig baptised on Sunday although it's happening in my house and maybe on the bed

 

[Dysfunkion]

I have also had this as a child looking back, it just got worse as I got older. My PEM effects are also dependent on what I'm doing. With me I'm actually the least effected by physical exertion. My biggest are mental and social PEM. I actually think my energy crashes are the opposite of a loss of energy, it feels like my mind gets so over stimulated that it just can't do much of anything and shuts down. There's just too much uninhibited signaling going on that needs to settle down. My indicator of "the overload" is when mine mind goes blank but hyperactive and sensitive at the same time, and I start pacing around a lot more. The more it goes on, the more a distinct feeling panic-y dread kicks in. then I start feeling really claustrophobic and mind starts racing more with thoughts like "I gotta get out of here!". To where I do't know because a walk kinda helps but the only solution is just not doing much for a while till the thing calms down.

 

[Kailyn]

Josh, my husband, observes these too.


Specifically, he groups them as "headache PEM, nausea PEM, burning PEM, and energy PEM." By energy PEM, he means more of a restless, flight or fight kind of energy. So maybe it should be SNS PEM.


He's currently in a hole from a recent crash, but would love to post an update when I can communicate with him, about what kind of activities specifically trigger which kinds of PEM