Originally Posted by
BettyP 
Rothmaninc - the anhedonia hung on for me for a long time. So long that when I started to not feel it it was like a surprise to me. Like I was like "oh am I feeling excited about going out to see a movie and I'm not just forcing myself to do it?" That lasted for me well into 18 months and during waves in my second year. It'll come back.
I also had tons of GI problems and if I have a wave even now I'll have what you're describing - the back and forth between extremes. Remember that your whole GI is nerve tissue, and it's healing just like your brain. I knew I was getting better when I could eat certain foods again and just have some peace in my digestive tract. This also took more than 18 months - more like 2 years.
Anxiety was just a chronic constant for me, but I'd find I'd have outbursts of irritability and anger - I think it was PAWS but also just general frustration with being "this way" for so long. I think you get a little resigned to it at times.
Heat intolerance - I was really really sensitive to sunlight, and would find myself happy when it was a rainy day so that I wasn't overstimulated by the sun. I had a very hard time regulating my hot and coldness in my body, too, and if I got too hot I'd be sort of freaked out - I'm not sure if that's what you're describing.
********I do not feel well if I spend extended time in sunny /hot weather, even when I drink lots of water. I usually get very bad headaches, and have depleted energy in the evening after being out in the sun. I have also noticed that if I wear a hat and sunglasses the headaches are not as bad.
I believe that due to my longterm exposure to prescribed pain meds, and PAWS my immune system is a bit diminished. I am a pet owner and have had dogs and cats for 25 years, but I have noticed that this past spring and during last spring I experienced what seem to be allergic reactions. My eyes are water, slightly swollen, and I have little to no energy. Some days I drink 3 (k) cups of coffee, but still have no energy. I am not sure as to the catalyst for all of this, but I believe that PAWS magnifies what may have been smaller issues. I have scheduled an appointment with the allergist but they are so busy it will be mid sept before I can get in. Betty I really appreciate the concern that you have shown for others here. I stopped taking pain meds 23 months ago, but I did so without tapering. This caused the beginnings of PAWS which was misdiagnosed, as panic attacks, anxiety/depression for almost a year. I ended being prescribed even more meds, and decided to seek professional assistance in removing myself from all. That was 14 months ago, so it is hard for me to evaluate my situation. I had more than a dozen surgeries, over the course of 20 years. Most of that time I was in a pain management program, so I was on prescribed meds for a long time. I feel significantly better than I did but it has been a process, and I am still attempting to understand where I am in this PAWS nightmare, because I stopped the pain meds 23 months ago, but the other has only been 14 months. Thank you so much and I always appreciate any/all information and/or experiences that you share.