Does anyone know?

[Guest tearose]

Can anyone explain what the reason is we are so wiped out? Is it adrenal exhaustion? Cardiac overload? I just realized that I really don't have a clue as to what it is that makes the fog roll in and the body unable to sustain activity. I know when the baroceptor reflexes don't work, we get low blood pressure. But does oxygen deprivation come from that and cause our downward cascade? Are we suffering from insufficient oxygen? Just trying to figure out another piece of the puzzle...tearose

[EarthMother]

Good question!

I have read so much about this over the years as I have tried to trace down what causes "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome". There are interesting theories about amino acid deplection, adrenal burn out, and parasympathetic rebound. I suspect there are many roads that lead to our current states. No easy answer and no single cause.

Kat Duff wrote a book called The Alchemy of Illness, an autobiography of CFS, and in it she has this metaphore that everyone has this checking and savings account of energy. Those of us who develop chronic fatigue no longer have a savings account to draw upon. Instead we have to use our check book wisely. When we write a check ... we have to save up energy again and replenish our checking account before we can withdraw any additional funds.

We may never have savings accounts again. Don't know why ... yawn ... but my sleepy eyes are telling me that I've run out of funds for the day. I had better turn in.

Good thoughts and dreams,

EM

[MightyMouse]

Now that's a million dollar question! I'm not sure that's completely understood...

My cardiologist thinks that it's because our body runs through the fight/flight response way too many times in a day that it's like I've run a marathon in little sprints from the time I sit up in the morning til my head finally hits the pillow at night.

Just my docs 2 cents tonight

Nina

[denabob]

I was told that in comparison to "normal" people when they stand in one spot as apposed to when we stand our bodies respond like we are running in place. I tell my friends to run through their entire day every time they are on their feet and then they will understand why I get so tired!

Also I read that it takes so much effort just to provide blood flow for things as simple as maintaining body temp. that we cant handle much more than that. I know it ***** and I still dont know for sure but I cant seem to find much of a way around it.

I've noticed that I wipe out early in the afternoon and then I cant sleep at night, I'm not napping either ( 4 year old child and she no longer naps!) I have started taking an additional green tea capsule ( in addition to my weight smart vitamins) it raises my blood pressure enough to increase some energy without as much caffeine as actually drinking the tea.

[Roy]

I don't know if oxygen depivation has anything to do with symptoms or not. I don't think so, but this is just my uneducated guess. I have a pulse oximeter that I check my heart rate and oxygen levels with daily. Mine runs between 96-99% oxygen saturation. Which is normal for my age. I have noticed on days I can have O2 levels of 99% and I feel terrible. Other days O2 levels can be lower at 96% and I can feel great.

I tested out this idea one day while visiting my grandfather who is dependant on oxygen. I took one of his O2 tanks and spent several hours on it. I didn't seem to notice any difference at all.

I often wonder why we are so allergic to sugar. Sugar is energy. It would seem to be of a benifit. Some days I can feel just awful from eating just one or two cookies. Yesterday I ate two Oreo ice cream sandwichs and it didn't bother me a bit.

[hilfgirl33]

Roy, The sugar thing gets me too. I did see an endocrinologist who said that eating sugar raises adrenaline levels and that's why we feel so edgy at first after we eat it (or at least I do) and even get palps and tachy with it, then feel exhaustion afterwards. I really thought it was a blood sugar/diabetes type issue but I have tested negative (although borderline twice) for this.

Nina, your doc is a wise man , I believe this may be true, although along with other things as well, of course.

[futurehope]

Hilfgirl33, I also have a strange reaction to sugar, though I haven't tested positive to diabetes (yet). Whenever I ingest a simple sugar (including the kind in Gatorade) , I'll get hungrier sooner. I absolutely must ingest a protein with a simple sugar, or I'll get hungry too soon. Is that weird, or is there a logical explanation? If you don't know, maybe I'll post this question on it's own and see what everyone else thinks.

[hilfgirl33]

Future: Yes, absolutely. I cannot eat sugar alone because of the potential adrenaline rush (sometimes I get away with it - who knows why??) and yes, I definitely get hungry very quickly afterwards. For instance, my hubby can eat powdered donuts and soda for breakfast and go til mid afternoon. If I ate that, well I can't tell you what kind of trouble I'd be in. It really amazes me that people can actually eat sugar alone or as a meal (like muffins or donut for breakfast!!) Don't know either if that is a sign in itself of diabetes, but I've been tested a few times (a few years back) and like I said was basically negative.