Well, just to give you examples of what I’ve learned in my research and experiment in the last year, and I don’t mean to say I’m right. I’ll just mention how what your describing translate to me:
“I’ve had complete androgen shutdown. Steady, spasmic twitches in my muscles”: Low GABA resulting in unregulated Hypophysis, which resulted in androgen shutdown. “skin problems of all sorts”: Some enzyme not being produced as a result of the endocrine / neuronal system being imbalanced. “horrible smelling gas, lots of stomach rumbling”: obviously an imbalance of the biodome, Serotonin and Acetyl-Choline involved. Vagus nerve deregulated. “Most of the things I eat, I have a neurological reaction to”: need for a restrictive diet until things get better. “Brain fog, derealization especially with especially sugars and carbs”: The diet need to restrict sugar and carbs. Overall symptoms translate to me in: Lack of Tyrosine, Dopamine, GABA, Serotonin, Choline (and Acetyl-Choline).
If you also have the following, it would further confirm, IMO, this hypothesis:
Lack of GABA: you also have anxiety, problem sleeping.
Lack of Dopamine: You have lack of motivation, you feel like procrastinating all the time, no sex drive.
Lack of Serotonin: You’re feeling depress, unsure of yourself. Maybe also insecure when around people and not assertive with people.
Lack of Tyrosine: Low focus, simple tasks become complicated and already mentioned brain fog.
Lack of Acetyl-Choline: Food doesn’t go down easy, stay in stomach. Bowel movement is slow.
Now I’m not saying all of this is true, I’m just expressing, according to what I believe I have learned in the last year, what I think is the cause for all the aforementioned symptoms. I might be wrong.
But if there’s truth into that and I would have the same symptoms, I would know what kind of diet and supplements to try. I can’t say it would cure me, but I believe I could get myself to feel better and have less symptoms.
So I still believe diet, exercise, attitude and supplements, in that order, are powerful tools to alleviate pfs symptoms. One thing for sure, if I was you, I would stop sugar and limit carbs as much as possible and replace the calories missing with saturated fat or coconut oil, as well as lots of protein. If you try go easy into it and see how you feel along the way.
I’m now leaving to a birthday party where I will have plenty of carbs. 10 months ago, this would have triggered lots of symptoms. Today I probably won’t have any (although I will not stuff myself with sugar)
Update: I had too much sugar and had some anxiety, but it was very mild. Later on, I took Ashwagandha and Bacopa along with 5-HTP, L-Dopa and Tyrosine and I’m now focus, clear minded confident and motivated. A bit tired but it’s 7:30pm and I will sleep in 2 hours.