You know that old adage, "Feed a cold, starve a fever"? Well, I feed my CFS crashes! For reasons I don't understand, when I'm badly crashed, I want to constantly EAT. I spent the past two days on the couch with a classic CFS crash - sore throat, achy, exhausted - and I noticed again that I have an urge to eat when I'm that sick. Is it a biological thing, like my body isn't producing enough energy so I crave more fuel? Or maybe it's just an emotional thing, that I want to eat favorite foods for comfort? Or maybe I'm just bored! I don't know. Anyone else crave food (or certain foods) when they crash?
Anyway, I'm feeling a lot better today. I think this was "just" a regular crash and not a new herx from Lyme treatment. Both boys had some congestion earlier this week, so there was probably a virus lurking around to trigger my crash. This is one of the biggest improvements I've seen in the past year - fewer crashes and when I do have one, it doesn't last very long, thank goodness.
Time for my nap. We have a busy weekend coming up, with my mom and her husband coming to stay with us and celebrate Superbowl Sunday (no school on Monday, so the kids get to stay up for the whole game for the first time ever!)
Have a nice weekend!
I have had Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) since March 2002. Both of my sons also got ME/CFS at ages 6 and 10. Our younger son fully recovered after 10 years of mild illness. Our older son still has ME/CFS and also has Lyme disease plus two other tick infections. This blog is about how our family lives with chronic illness, with a focus on improving our conditions and enjoying our lives in spite of these challenges.
Too funny - I am herxing bad today after IV treatment at the Fibro center and right after the IV yesterday, all I wanted to do was eat!! And I craved steak and buttery baked potato. mmmmm.. All I need is heating pad and food today. It might be a comfort thing as you said. This is so rough.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your party Sunday..
Maybe it is a comfort thing -- because when I crash, I play computer games all day! For some reason, I can't justify staying in bed all day no matter how yucky I feel.
ReplyDeleteGlad it was a "little" crash! Do you think your improvement is from LDN, better management, or just plain luck? I'm always curious! Thanks!
Shelli -
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely doing better due to LDN, plus anti-virals. I saw a significant improvement last year (before I got Lyme).
When I crash, I can't handle any computer time at all. Yesterday, I couldn't even manage the laptop, even though I really wanted to check blogs at least! When I'm that bad, I have to just lie down completely, plus being on the computer tires me even more, if I'm already feeling bad.
Glad to hear you have your own comfort mechanism - games are probably better than food!!
Sue
Paula -
ReplyDeleteHope you were able to enjoy that steak and baked potato! For me, it's cereal. I love cereal and usually try not to eat too much of it, but when I feel bad, I can reason that I really NEED the extra energy!
Hope you're feeling better soon -
Sue
Glad you're feeling better!
ReplyDeleteI have intense sugar and/or salt cravings during crashes - I think my body just believes that it needs more 'fuel'.
But the funny thing is that on most days I tend to forget to eat. I only remember I haven't eaten when I feel the sudden drop in energy. I actly have to set times and alarms to remind myself to eat properly through the day!
Ms. F -
ReplyDeleteha ha - I never have to remind myself to eat!! I have low blood sugar (like many people with CFS, though I've always had it, I think). I can't go more than a few hours without eating or I start to feel sick. My husband makes fun of me because I always carry food with me!
Sue