https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=6576.msg603495#msg603495B_Daniel:Hi, Demo!
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Recently, I've begun to believe that my symptoms align more closely with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome "CFS", than with POIS.
When I was 20, simply abstaining from sexual activity for a few days would have me feeling like a new person. But from about 24 and onwards, there has always been some degree of the flu-like symptoms that lingered. I'm 36 now. Sex still heightens my brain fog, lethargy, anxiety, etc. But the symptoms never disappear.
The main symptom I have, if I were to narrow it down to just one, is my lack of energy. Some days are better than others, but on the whole, I wear out quicker when taking on stress and need more rest periods throughout the day than the avg person. If I push myself too hard (can be mental or physical stress), I'll crash and be a zombie the next day.
I think I initially latched on to POIS as an explanation bc of how clear the connection was. 1-3 hours after sex, I felt awful nearly every time. But I'm now thinking that sex is just a very concentrated way of depleting my energy. And all forms of that push me over the edge.
Those with CFS often have low testosterone, gastro issues, and sensitivities to certain foods like wheat dairy and soy. Treatments that help include TRT/HRT, NSAIDs, LDN, B Vitamins, Magnesium and a few other supplements. So it's similar to what many have said have helped for POIS.
What I like most about characterizing my illness as CFS is that it's easier to talk to others about (physicians, family members), and there is a larger body of research, more established treatments, and a larger community to lean on. On the POIS side, we're kinda each inventing the wheel, trying everything under the sun. In this forum, we've all seen the posts of "If I stand on my head for 30 minutes and then scratch my belly really hard, my POIS goes away". In the CFS support groups, I haven't seen that. There's more discussion of the various established treatments. After you've tried those 20 things, you can rest knowing you've tried the bulk of what's likely to help, and then focus on stress reduction and improving your health overall.
Anyway, just wanted to share this, as I view it as a major insight for me. If I find anything that works for me on the CFS side I'll of course share it over here.
If this sounds like something you'd like to learn more about, here are a couple of helpful pages I've come across
https://www.healthrising.org/blog/2018/12/10/the-basics-a-guide-to-learning-sharing-and-making-a-difference-in-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-me-cfs/https://www.healthrising.org/blog/2018/12/01/tips-newbies-fibromyalgia-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-me-cfs/
