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Hello everyone,
I'm wondering how you feel when coming out of a crash? Do you ever feel very energetic or optimistic - essentially, hypomanic?
I am trying to figure out if my crashes are actually PEM or from bipolar. My state fluctuates so much that it's difficult to figure out what's what - I do have food intolerances (so sometimes symptoms can present if I eat the wrong thing for me), POTS, fibromyalgia, etc. However, when it comes to "crashes", I'm no longer sure that they're really PEM brought on by exertion. For instance, I can have periods of feeling semi-okay - not completely normal, but less brain fog because I've been eating well. Muscles may hurt, but could be due to fibro flares? Sometimes GI symptoms, sometimes other symptoms and cycle also plays a role. However, is that really my baseline state? I then experience some days of feeling absolutely normal - no symptoms whatsoever. No brain fog, no fatigue, no pain. I also have periods where I cannot sleep for a few nights in a row, but when I do wake up, I wake up completely alert (not my usual experience at all) and sometimes feel irritable in the morning and just annoyed at everyone, but then it progresses to joy, extreme confidence, productivity, energy, dancing around happily and thinking that I'm cured (sometimes it will be because I've "finally figured it out" with regards to avoiding a food I'm sensitive to or perhaps a new supplement). I now recognise that this may be hypomania. In fact, I think that I had a full-blown manic episode a couple of years ago. The hypomanic states can also sometimes make me feel wired but tired. I assumed that this is due to more recent worsening of dysautonomia.
However, looking back on life, I have had periods of severe depression. I thought that it may be due to PMDD, and symptoms are definitely more pronounced during lutal phase, but I have noticed lately that I can get 3-4 days of feeling hypomanic even during luteal phase. And sometimes I feel super angry towards the start of my period, and sometimes super depressed. Perhaps there is underlying bipolar disorder, but also hormonal imbalances on top of that?
When I've crashed in the past, it has been suggested to me that it's definitely PEM. Since I run around a lot and/or work a lot during the hypomanic phases, I then think that the crash is PEM due to overexertion. This causes so much confusion regarding pacing, my baseline and what I can and cannot do. For instance, if I go out for a walk one time and have no symptoms/crash for a few days, but another time go for a walk and feel worse the following day - perhaps it's not PEM and it was something else that triggered it on the other occasion, such as food, POTS triggers or "just" bipolar cycling? Perhaps this is why I cannot understand if I really have a baseline. So in true ME/CFS, would you have such wild fluctuations?
What's interesting regarding sleep is that sometimes I don't sleep for more than 1-2 hours night for several nights, yet feel alert and energetic the following day - seems like it could be hypomania. Sometimes I "crash" and then feel so exhausted that I can sleep through the night, but if I get 6-7 hours of sleep (often due to neighbours waking me, not me waking up) I feel pretty exhausted, yet if I sleep for 8-9 hours I can feel okay-ish energy wise. I guess it doesn't sound like me/cfs, even if I can feel more refreshed with more sleep? Then I have periods where if I sleep for 8-9 hours without waking up at all, I wake up feeling much worse - more muscle pain, joint pain, general malaise and crushing fatigue.
I have started getting recurring UTIs around twice a month, and that's when I really feel like it's PEM. It could be oxalate dumping, too.
It's really hard to decipher what's what. During the "crash" periods, it doesn't seem like depression because I don't feel tearful, nor do I feel apathetic. It feels mostly like fatigue and lethargy, and I feel motivated to figure out how to get out of this. However, when the hypomanic states start, I tend to think "ah, I was depressed, because this is what normal feels like".
I also have PCOS, insulin resistance and other issues. I have SIBO and gut dysbiosis. I am tempted to try carnivore or ketovore again, because keto can be helpful for bipolar and could also help to treat the gut dysbiosis. I'm just so worried that somehow my body won't be able to burn fat for fuel. Last time I tried, I felt great for two weeks and then horrible for a few weeks and quit. However, it could have been due to electrolytes, could be because I introduced dairy, could just take more time. Could be low acetyl-l-carnitine, etc. So I'm tempted to try again, but was always wary of stressing out by body too much if I'm not sleeping consistently. Then again, what if the sleep issues are bipolar-related and it could help?
Another thing is that my mood is SO dependent on the climate. It's just crazy. I can feel okay mood-wise if it's mildly sunny outside and I'm indoors and just see that it's bright and sunny. When it's overcast or gloomy the following day, I do feel depressed. All of this is just from the weather changing and me remaining indoors. In general, I definitely feel better in the summer, too.
I recently posted a thread about my shift in symptoms from taking B vitamins. It has happened 3-4 times already. Perhaps I was always overdoing it and going from undermethylation to overmethylation - not sure if that still implies underlying bipolar or just severe reactions to ramping up methylation (incorrectly - went way too fast).
Does anyone have any thoughts? Thanks a lot!
I'm wondering how you feel when coming out of a crash? Do you ever feel very energetic or optimistic - essentially, hypomanic?
I am trying to figure out if my crashes are actually PEM or from bipolar. My state fluctuates so much that it's difficult to figure out what's what - I do have food intolerances (so sometimes symptoms can present if I eat the wrong thing for me), POTS, fibromyalgia, etc. However, when it comes to "crashes", I'm no longer sure that they're really PEM brought on by exertion. For instance, I can have periods of feeling semi-okay - not completely normal, but less brain fog because I've been eating well. Muscles may hurt, but could be due to fibro flares? Sometimes GI symptoms, sometimes other symptoms and cycle also plays a role. However, is that really my baseline state? I then experience some days of feeling absolutely normal - no symptoms whatsoever. No brain fog, no fatigue, no pain. I also have periods where I cannot sleep for a few nights in a row, but when I do wake up, I wake up completely alert (not my usual experience at all) and sometimes feel irritable in the morning and just annoyed at everyone, but then it progresses to joy, extreme confidence, productivity, energy, dancing around happily and thinking that I'm cured (sometimes it will be because I've "finally figured it out" with regards to avoiding a food I'm sensitive to or perhaps a new supplement). I now recognise that this may be hypomania. In fact, I think that I had a full-blown manic episode a couple of years ago. The hypomanic states can also sometimes make me feel wired but tired. I assumed that this is due to more recent worsening of dysautonomia.
However, looking back on life, I have had periods of severe depression. I thought that it may be due to PMDD, and symptoms are definitely more pronounced during lutal phase, but I have noticed lately that I can get 3-4 days of feeling hypomanic even during luteal phase. And sometimes I feel super angry towards the start of my period, and sometimes super depressed. Perhaps there is underlying bipolar disorder, but also hormonal imbalances on top of that?
When I've crashed in the past, it has been suggested to me that it's definitely PEM. Since I run around a lot and/or work a lot during the hypomanic phases, I then think that the crash is PEM due to overexertion. This causes so much confusion regarding pacing, my baseline and what I can and cannot do. For instance, if I go out for a walk one time and have no symptoms/crash for a few days, but another time go for a walk and feel worse the following day - perhaps it's not PEM and it was something else that triggered it on the other occasion, such as food, POTS triggers or "just" bipolar cycling? Perhaps this is why I cannot understand if I really have a baseline. So in true ME/CFS, would you have such wild fluctuations?
What's interesting regarding sleep is that sometimes I don't sleep for more than 1-2 hours night for several nights, yet feel alert and energetic the following day - seems like it could be hypomania. Sometimes I "crash" and then feel so exhausted that I can sleep through the night, but if I get 6-7 hours of sleep (often due to neighbours waking me, not me waking up) I feel pretty exhausted, yet if I sleep for 8-9 hours I can feel okay-ish energy wise. I guess it doesn't sound like me/cfs, even if I can feel more refreshed with more sleep? Then I have periods where if I sleep for 8-9 hours without waking up at all, I wake up feeling much worse - more muscle pain, joint pain, general malaise and crushing fatigue.
I have started getting recurring UTIs around twice a month, and that's when I really feel like it's PEM. It could be oxalate dumping, too.
It's really hard to decipher what's what. During the "crash" periods, it doesn't seem like depression because I don't feel tearful, nor do I feel apathetic. It feels mostly like fatigue and lethargy, and I feel motivated to figure out how to get out of this. However, when the hypomanic states start, I tend to think "ah, I was depressed, because this is what normal feels like".
I also have PCOS, insulin resistance and other issues. I have SIBO and gut dysbiosis. I am tempted to try carnivore or ketovore again, because keto can be helpful for bipolar and could also help to treat the gut dysbiosis. I'm just so worried that somehow my body won't be able to burn fat for fuel. Last time I tried, I felt great for two weeks and then horrible for a few weeks and quit. However, it could have been due to electrolytes, could be because I introduced dairy, could just take more time. Could be low acetyl-l-carnitine, etc. So I'm tempted to try again, but was always wary of stressing out by body too much if I'm not sleeping consistently. Then again, what if the sleep issues are bipolar-related and it could help?
Another thing is that my mood is SO dependent on the climate. It's just crazy. I can feel okay mood-wise if it's mildly sunny outside and I'm indoors and just see that it's bright and sunny. When it's overcast or gloomy the following day, I do feel depressed. All of this is just from the weather changing and me remaining indoors. In general, I definitely feel better in the summer, too.
I recently posted a thread about my shift in symptoms from taking B vitamins. It has happened 3-4 times already. Perhaps I was always overdoing it and going from undermethylation to overmethylation - not sure if that still implies underlying bipolar or just severe reactions to ramping up methylation (incorrectly - went way too fast).
Does anyone have any thoughts? Thanks a lot!
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It's very helpful.
