Adrenal Fatigue

Hello. My name is Manda. I have ill-functioning organs.

One of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with to date is the fact that my adrenal glands and thyroid do not function normally – at least, not all the time.

In fact, most of my life has been made up of dealing with the fact that I don’t function normally or even consistently.

Background
Back in 1996, I knew something was wrong. I just couldn't, for lack of better words, keep up with everyone else. By 1998, I was visiting doctor after doctor and specialist after specialist to find some reason – some reason that I couldn't walk up stairs, I couldn't exist without crippling pain, I couldn't remember my own thoughts.

By 2007, I finally had my diagnosis of a blend of blood-borne illnesses including Lyme Disease, Bartonella and Babesia (walking phenomena, thrush, absent immune system, etc)

A diagnosis that almost came too late – my heart had been damaged and struggled to function, my spleen was enlarged, infection had seeped into my central brain causing damage as it slowly pushed my brain against my skill and toward my spinal column (the only exit for your brain from your skull) and the years of inflammation had created calcium deposits on my bones where tendon rubbed.

I made the choice to engage in aggressive treatment – a treatment that would buy me a 40% chance of survival if I made it six months.

For five years I went through course of treatment after course of treatment. Some treatments didn't work, some came with permanent side effects, some came with horrible side effects and then the strains of my illnesses became resistant to them.

And life went on. I worked. I took classes. I slept a lot. I used the Internet a lot. I worked endlessly to keep up with the world. I worked through the happiness of five “all clears” and the depression of five relapses. I simply worked around life and life worked around me.

On December 20, 2012 I was given my last all clear.

Sorta. ‘Cause you never know. . .

Me & Adrenal Insufficiency

I have adrenal glands that don’t always work I have the documentation and testing because I saw the right doctor! You got to remember, even with all these tests and everything I have gone though, these conditions are viewed as "not real." Or at the very best, controversial.

I have Adrenal insufficiency but thankfully nothing as bad as Addison’s Disease. I can do something about this through treatment but I do deal with fatigue due to a lack of cortisol and aldosterone. 

I generally suffer from fatigue. 

Fatigue is funny, sometimes. I think it is best described as being too tired to sleep. Too tired to have feelings. Too tired to function. Too tired to breath.

The world, however, does that see that. They can’t see the sickness. It is very hard for people to understand – and understanding inconsistency is hard. How could I have completed a century bike ride but be until to attend a happy hour. How could I have been functioning the day before but not the present day?

I will myself through a lot of things. I have mental procedures and policies for almost every situation to ensure no one knows something is wrong.

What is Adrenal Insufficiency (according to common practice)? 
First off - adrenal fatigue is a syndrome - a sort of non-specific collection of things going wrong.

Wikepedia states:

Adrenal insufficiency is a condition in which the adrenal glands do not produce adequate amounts of steroid hormones, primarily cortisol; but may also include impaired production of aldosterone (a mineralocorticoid), which regulates sodium conservation, potassium secretion, and water retention. Craving for salt or salty foods due to the urinary losses of sodium is common.

Even with this type of information, it’s often regarded as a fake illness - advertised under the term adrenal fatigue.. To prove you have, testing needs to be given over a 12-24 hour period for cortisol.  Some labs (like ZRT and Genova Diagnostics) allow patients to order tests directly. 

What is Cortisol
Cortisol is the substance your adrenal glands produce that maintains homeostasis.

Cortisol is a steroid hormone, in the glucocorticoid class of hormones, and is produced in humans by the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex within the adrenal gland. It is released in response to stress and low blood-glucose concentration. It functions to increase blood sugar through gluconeogenesis, to suppress the immune system, and to aid in the metabolism of fat, protein, and carbohydrate. It also decreases bone formation.

No, it doesn't make you fat. And, yes, you want a normal level in your system.

When you are stressed, your adrenals will produce more cortisol to help keep you from a total mental breakdown. In fact, a lot of mental breakdowns start with a lack of cortisol.

This little guy does a lot!

Stress, by the way, is anything from being excited and happy for something or even being worried or scared about something.

When my adrenals crap out – I can’t even deal with happiness. Anticipation of a happy event can cause as much damage as worry over a bad one.

People who suffer from adrenal issues normally do because of a very intense demand leveled against the body for a very long time.

Soldiers and athletes can suffer from it because of the prolonged stress of combat (fear) or physical stress (exercise). Those who have been through a long illness can have the same long-term damage.

The Silence of Chronic Illness

I lost 15 years of my life to sickness. It makes me a little bit of an unconventional person because I simply didn't exist for 15 years. 

But . .it's never talked about. 

It’s still an uphill battle for most of us. And one shrouded in mystery. 

After all, it’s not cancer. 

Click my tag to to back home!

Image Credits

Graphic from www.adrenalfatigue.co.nz.