DannyJ,
I am sorry for your issues. I read all your comments within this post, but I am unaware of your history.
Here are some thoughts.
Chronic Fat Deficiency:
One thing I have read (not experienced myself or in those I know) is that long-term fat deficiency (due to caloric or fat restriction and/or malabsorption) can led to de-myelination. What then happens UPON REINTRODUCING FAT IN THE DIET is that the re-myelination can cause tingling and nerve-type pains. This is reportedly not uncommon in recovering anorexics.
http://www.youreatopia.com/faq/specific-recovery-questions/are-fats-saturated-fats-bad.html
http://www.youreatopia.com/blog/2013/5/25/why-is-there-so-much-pain.html#comment20052176
In this second link, carefully read the comments from Gwyneth (bunny avatar), who is the site creator.
I think that if your history involves restriction, then your chronic fatigue MAY be simply a terrible manifestation of the chronic undernourishment. There MAY OR MAY NOT BE other ‘autoimmune’, ‘infectious’, or other issues involved. I would personally recommend not getting too specific with testing and witch hunting until you’ve tried serious refeeding.
http://www.youreatopia.com/blog/2011/9/14/i-need-how-many-calories.html
If you do not have the apatite to eat, enzymes and betaine hcl may help. You may find just EATING helps improve your apatite.
Copper Deficiency, and its relationship to Zinc
Some also find that zinc, which is known to help regulate apatite, helps them eat more as well. But be careful, since nerve pathologies can be induced by copper deficiency. So, I STRONGLY recommend, in light of your symptoms, to supplement copper with zinc.
http://www.ajnr.org/content/27/10/2112.full
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/3/855S.full
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15762288
IF you wanted to test for copper deficiency (which I have a feeling may be involved in the nerve damage effects of anorexia), you would need to know the following:
Most common low copper manifestations in blood:
Low neutrophils (neutropenia)
Low blood cerulopslamin
Low blood copper
High blood ferritin
I am not necessarily suggesting testing these, but if you had previous blood work over the past handful of years, it may be beneficial to re-analyze these tests.
If your diet has been high in zinc (supplemental and/or high in ruminant muscle meat) and low in copper (low in liver, supplements) then you may have induced a relative copper deficiency with such high zinc. I think the modern interpretation of a ‘paleo’ diet is asking for this. I think something like 15-20 mg zinc and 3-5 mg copper supplemental would be a worthy experiment. One ounce of beef liver is about 3-4 mg copper. So, if you eat a lot of liver, forget the copper supplement. And if you eat a whole bunch of muscle meat, forget the zinc. Oysters typically have a good amount of both.
I hope these thoughts help you some. I have had severely debilitating fibromyalgia and a concomitant ‘chronic fatigue’ (and other things) the past 3 years. I cannot imagine any more suffering. Your years of struggle are as hellish as can be. But let’s see if you can beat this! Please keep us updated on your thoughts/progress/new information/questions.
