Follow @beeheron Low Blood Volume, ME/CFS and Slow, Chronic Sepsis Summary A very common cause of sepsis is the leakage of bacteria into the blood from the gut. ME/CFS patients have signs of leakage of bacteria from the gut into the blood and our illness looks a lot like sepsis. Low blood volume and mast [...]

Follow @Beeheron Mast Cell Activation Syndrome & Low Blood Volume Summary Two symptoms occur frequently in people with ME/CFS: Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and low blood volume. What if these are not coincidental? Reading time: 4 minutes 27 seconds People with ME/CFS have less blood than we should. We have low [...]

Follow @beeheron Shock, Hypoxia & ME/CFS: Part II Summary Numerous lines of evidence implicate problems with blood flow or oxygen delivery in ME/CFS. HIF-1 is the master regulator of the body's response to diminished oxygen delivery and is upregulated under low oxygen conditions. HIF-1 downregulates mitochondrial energy production and upregulates glycolysis in an effort to protect [...]

Follow @beeheron Shock, Hypoxia & ME/CFS: Part I When I first got sick with ME/CFS, I was a teenager. I was quite baffled when I suddenly became too exhausted to make it to classes, stopped sleeping almost entirely and started sweating profusely. I sweat raindrops: huge drops of sweat rolled down my sides constantly. No antiperspirant was [...]

Follow @beeheron Part II: ME/CFS, Sepsis and Glycocalyx Summary To recap from the previous blog post "Part I: Blood Flow in Sepsis & ME/CFS", ME/CFS looks like a lot like sepsis and sepsis is an inflammatory illness of blood vessels. The blood vessel problems in sepsis interfere with oxygen delivery to cells.   The particular kind of blood flow [...]

Follow @beeheron Part I: Blood Flow in Sepsis & ME/CFS Summary A blood flow pattern known as heterogeneous perfusion is found in sepsis. ME/CFS bears a striking resemblance to sepsis. We share peculiar problems with low blood volume, low blood pressure and trouble with pulling oxygen out of the blood to use as energy. [...]

Follow @beeheron Why Does ME/CFS Look Like Sepsis? Summary ME/CFS looks like sepsis.  Sepsis on the surface is an illness caused by massive inflammation.  At its core, however, sepsis is an illness of blood vessels. In sepsis, inflammation wreaks havoc with the function of our tiniest blood vessels, impeding blood flow and interfering with the delivery [...]

On Autism & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome When I was in second grade, a little girl started calling me Weird One. I was elated. I felt that I had been knighted with some sort of public identity and it felt wonderful. I felt as though I belonged in some way and I hardly ever felt as though I [...]