THE Adrenal Fatigue Thread - Page 3

[chlobo]

Originally Posted by Metasequoia

Ugh. Freaking out about Lyme is what got me here. Ds was 7 or 8 weeks old & Dd2 was 3 1/4 yrs, tandem nursing. I felt good for the first 8 weeks & then had some crazy symptoms pop up - like burning skin all over my scalp, neck & upper arms - felt like a really bad sunburn. Could barely walk because the bones in my feet hurt so much (felt like all of the padding was gone & I was walking on bones.) My knees hurt like crazy, I suddenly had more floaters in my vision. This was spring of 2006.

Then, I started Googling. Biggest mistake EVER. The only places my symptoms matched up were the Lyme boards (which are scary as hell) & the menopause board (Power Surge.) I found out Lyme could be passed through breastmilk.
Knowing what I know now, it probably makes sense that hormones (or a lack of) could explain my symptoms.
I weaned Dd2 in June at 3.5 yrs so I might not pass to her whatever was wrong with me (my Lyme obsession.) I wasn't ready, she wasn't ready & it was really painful, emotionally. I laid in bed & cried, nursing my newborn, hoping I wasn't passing Lyme on to him.
By fall 2006, I had *severe* muscle pain & weakness. It hurt to push a shopping cart & was nearly impossible to do so.

But I had so many good reasons for my symptoms - like, my knees & feet hurt because I wore my heavy Ds in a front carry all day every day & my body wasn't used to that.

My chiro did x-rays & my neck was a mess which could explain burning from a pinched nerve or something.

The only think I couldn't explain was the floaters. I've always had a couple, but it became like a spider web. My ND says it's from adrenal fatigue & I've found some info about it possibly being from low blood pressure, so maybe it is?

My holistic doc treated me for Lyme, 8 wks of Amoxicillin & during the last 2 weeks, we added Biaxin (which really messed with Ds' gut, but not mine.)
I didn't feel any different.

Then I paid $650 OOP for an IGeneX western blot & co-infection panel. It was overall negative with some suspicious bands. I saw a LLMD who said I didn't have Lyme. So I still don't really know the answer to this one, but I don't know if I can handle the stress of digging any more. I don't think I'd take abx for it since I would have had it for so long.

Sometimes I think, it MUST be Lyme. I used to be a garden designer & worked in tall grasses pulling weeds & planting. I was completely ignorant about the severity of Lyme & how debilitating it could be. I live in a HIGHLY endemic area, right up there with parts of NY state & CT.

But nothing is cyclical for me. Nothing. I still have the floaters & they seem to be worse when my adrenal symptoms are worse (like dizziness upon standing, feeling tired, stronger sensitivity to carbs). I still have the muscle pain & weakness, but it's hard to say, after 3 years, if it's gotten better or if I've just gotten used to it. This is also a symptom of adrenal fatigue.
So every time I remember that nothing is cyclical for me, nothing has gotten worse, I feel like it can't be Lyme. I have ZERO joint pain. My initial joint pain only lasted maybe 2 months or so & could easily be explained by wearing Ds in a front carry with crappy Birkenstocks (I'm really flat-footed & my ankles pronate inward without super arch support, which affects the knees & everything else.)

SOOOO...I feel like I can't beat that horse any more.

Heavy metals - I dye my hair, but that doesn't matter because I don't have to use head hair, right?
I am still nursing though. I think that will skew the results, no?

Is Epstein-barre a simple test? I think it often cross-reacts with the Lyme bacteria, making the diagnosis difficult. Do you know how that works?

I don't know. My ND isn't surprised that it's taking so long. I DO feel better than I did. I need to email him anyway, so I'll ask some questions. Part of me is feeling like I could use a new (professional) perspective. Not that I don't adore my ND & I think he's fabulous at healing adrenal fatigue, but sometimes a fresh perspective is useful. I've been thinking of TCM for a while.

Hey Tanya, have you read Primal Body, Primal Mind yet? I just finished the chapter on leptin & am very much intrigued. Turns out leptin is THE king of hormones, it controls *everything* - insulin, adrenals, ACTH, and everything on down. I have to read more, but this is interesting to me.

So, (big sigh), I don't know. You're absolutely right. I've been working hard at this, still have stressors (can I send exdp to the moon?) but I feel like I should be out of zone 7 by now.

Thanks for the perspective.

Wow Meta. You sound just like me except you've been at it slightly longer and I haven't seen a LLMD yet. Where did you find one?

[balancedmama]

Hi all. I could use any support/advice you have to give.

I think I suffer from adrenal fatigue. Many years ago I had some tests which supported this but not much was done about it. I was tested and my pregnenolone was almost 0. I took supplements for a few months and noticed no difference...then other things happened and it kind of fell off my radar.

Right before I got pregnant with my daughter, I went to a naturopath who said no doubt I had AF (didn't do any testing, said why bother because she was sure ) and then prescribed me a bunch of bovine hormones. Sigh.

I really need some help here. I am so extremely fatigued that I can barely function and it just seems to be getting worse. I'm happy to share any other details you need. But I just want to know where to start. I don't want to see another crappy doctor. I need help and I don't have any energy to help myself.

FWIW, I've also recently been to see a neurologist and was told I have possible MS. We are going to repeat a brain MRI in 6 months. So my fatigue could be related to that, but truly I think there is more to it.

[Metasequoia]

Originally Posted by chlobo

Wow Meta. You sound just like me except you've been at it slightly longer and I haven't seen a LLMD yet. Where did you find one?

LymeNet.org DON'T READ THE FORUMS!! They're very scary, at least to me. Go to "Finding a LLMD" post your general whereabouts & say you need a LLMD. Someone will PM you some names. It's done this way to protect LLMDs who lose their licenses for "overtreating" Lyme.

I have quite a few around here, but was only able to find one holistic one. I didn't see him because an appt was $300, no insurance accepted.

You should get some good responses on their.

[tanyalynn]

Originally Posted by balancedmama

Hi all. I could use any support/advice you have to give.

I think I suffer from adrenal fatigue. Many years ago I had some tests which supported this but not much was done about it. I was tested and my pregnenolone was almost 0. I took supplements for a few months and noticed no difference...then other things happened and it kind of fell off my radar.

Right before I got pregnant with my daughter, I went to a naturopath who said no doubt I had AF (didn't do any testing, said why bother because she was sure ) and then prescribed me a bunch of bovine hormones. Sigh.

I really need some help here. I am so extremely fatigued that I can barely function and it just seems to be getting worse. I'm happy to share any other details you need. But I just want to know where to start. I don't want to see another crappy doctor. I need help and I don't have any energy to help myself.

FWIW, I've also recently been to see a neurologist and was told I have possible MS. We are going to repeat a brain MRI in 6 months. So my fatigue could be related to that, but truly I think there is more to it.

After I figured out what the symptoms are, I realized I didn't need to test. But the big things I've done are lifestyle changes (difficult, I'll admit, I still struggle with getting to bed on time--I'm Central time zone, so you can see that) and figuring out _why_ my body's been stressed and I have adrenal issues. I found out both at once, and with MS symptoms, I'd be looking into reasons for that, and considering that as a cause for both. One thing to rule in or out is mercury; mine came from my amalgam fillings. I've never had MS symptoms, I had other problems, but I understand some people have MS symptoms. I'm sure there are other causes, but with such serious symptoms, it's something to research--mercury's treatable.

[Junegoddess]

I have read most (I think) of the old thread... and made some great strides toward improving my unproven AF about a year ago. I used Dr. Ron's dessicated adrenal, other good supplements, getting myself to bed sooner, lots of salt in my water, and always tried to get some zucchini when I could (I think TCM says zucchini is good for the adrenals.) I didn't give up coffee... but for a long while I cut back. The salt seemed to be my biggest helper, and the biggest clue that I was right about the AF. I basically declared myself all better, or at least better enough to get pregnant. I really thought I was fine.

Now I'm 32 weeks pregnant, and ever since I had the H1N1 flu in late September, I'm feeling progressively more AF-y. I think. Maybe it's something else. But I sure can hardly get enough salt. I'm also a bottomless pit for magnesium, which I've been pouring down my gullet to try to relieve my sudden-onset constipation. I've never really been constipated before... in my whole life. I always ran the other extreme, thanks to undiagnosed gluten intolerance. Since going gluten-free 2 years ago I've been enjoying being NORMAL. But, for the last 6-7 weeks I seem to be cycling through horrible nothings-gonna-move-without-tearing-something constipation. UGH.

I am also getting waves of... don't even know what to call it. Muscle exhaustion. I feel painfully tingly, as if I have danced too long because the music was that good. But I haven't been dancing. I've been sitting. Or standing. Standing AND talking at the same time seems to be right out. But not always... sometimes I feel just fine. Yes, I know I'm pregnant, but I am not anemic and I've never been prone to weakness like this just because I'm gestating. When I feel good I feel better than ever. No joint pain, no back pain... my best pregnancy ever. But then I get whopped with the wave of Whatever, and it's like I'm holding my breath. I can, and am, breathing just fine. Baby is not squishing my lungs. But breathing doesn't seem to do me any good... still tingly and still exhausted, until the wave passes.

Does any of this sound familiar?? And... if this is my adrenals... what can I do about it while pregnant? I am dealing with a lot of stress... trying my best to chill out... but I am going to end up with a c-section that I do not want at a hospital that refuses (so far) to compromise on any of their protocols in order to make it family-friendly. I'm having a hard time with that.

I've read that one of the #1 things to avoid with AF is letting yourself get hungry. Well... I am required to let myself get hungry, and it's very possible that the worsening of these symptoms correlates to when I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I have to wait 2 hours after each meal in order to test my blood sugar, and sometimes, like now, I get hungry before it's testing time. Really hungry. I feel a little weak and cranky, and normally I would have munched some nuts 15 minutes ago. Not sure what I can do about that.

[simplykate]

sorry for the lack of caps, nak!!
hi all, glad to find this thread. i recently sstarted seeing a great nd who diagnosed me with adrenal fatigue and hypothyroid, as well as a toxic level of copper in my system.
i'm wondering about a few things and i thought maybe some of you who have been dealing with this longer may have some insight.
the first is that i was really really sick when preg (currently five months pp)
it was completely debilitaing the first five months then got better but was still pretty bad fir the second half. i planned a homebirth but literally didn't dilate past 4 so after three days i had to have a c section.
i guess i'm wondering if any others have had a similar experience and/or could it be related to the af?
also wondering if anyone has had their copper levels tested? i've heard this can be related to af........

btw, junegoddess , what you're experiencing sounds similar to how i felt when pg, but maybe not as severe. it was so hard to describe but a totally awful feeling!

[Metasequoia]

I get nauseous & throw up daily until 20-22 weeks every time. I was never pg & GF together though...I am curious.

[tanyalynn]

Junegoddess, would someone be willing to test your B12? Wondering if that could be low and causing those odd symptoms. And I assume your vitD is good? It can do odd things too. Congratulations on your pregnancy by the way.

I don't know how to deal with the testing issue. Would 1.5 hrs and different cut-offs be a workable compromise with your doc, if you tell them that due to the expanding stomach, you can't eat at once (or whatever excuse you think they'll be ok with) and you're getting hungry/shaky/weak?

I don't suppose you could get in to see an acupuncturist? Pregnancy is draining on the adrenals, I didn't handle my last pregnancy well, so I don't have concrete suggestions except to be easy with yourself, go slow when you can, extra rest. The usual. I think adrenal supps are fine while pregnant, we're using Allergy Research Group and Priority One. Read a bit, I know my HCP thought they were fine while nursing and she's pretty big on wanting adrenals well-supported during pregnancy--so I'm not sure if it's ok during pregnancy but it seems like it would be.

Simplykate--heavy metals can cause a lot of problems. For me it's mercury from my amalgams, I understand copper causes basically the same symptoms. But from my reading, it's also easier to normalize body levels of copper. You'd want to look into _why_ your copper levels are high, sometimes it's an odd environmental exposure, but sometimes something like gallbladder issues are involved. Our gallbladders, when functioning properly, can mostly regulate copper levels well, but if they're impaired, copper can build up. I like hair testing from Doctor's Data lab, the Hair Elements test, to look at metals. It's a good lab, the data's well-normed, repeatable, like that. What testing did you do?

FWIW, I've read a few places that liver function being impaired can cause prolonged morning sickness. Since the liver and the gallbladder work together, I'd investigate that. My morning sickness in my 2nd pregnancy was significantly worse than my first, and liver issues were involved for me.

[nichole]

Do you guys feel like it takes you forever to get over a cold? I had one two weeks ago, and I still feel tired a lot. I went to get some ginseng at gnc yesterday, but all they had was panax ginseng and siberian root. Is siberian root the same thing as siberian ginseng? I ended up just getting a kelp supplement instead and going outside all day. I think the sun coming out really helped me. The kelp supplement is 100% rda iodine. I think it is better than nothing until I read more about iodine supplementation. It seems very complicated. I'm plowing through the iodine thread now.

[simplykate]

l I think adrenal supps are fine while pregnant, we're using Allergy Research Group and Priority One. Read a bit, I know my HCP thought they were fine while nursing and she's pretty big on wanting adrenals well-supported during pregnancy--so I'm not sure if it's ok during pregnancy but it seems like it would be. [/B]

FWIW, I took adrenal extracts while I was pregnant as well as a physiological dose of cortisol and my baby girl is healthy as can be. I did it under the supervision of my day who's an M.D. It was the only think that made me at all able to function.
I was reading James Wilsons Adreal Fatigue book and he said that pregnancy usually makes you feel BETTER because the baby is producing extra adrenaline? Was that anybody's experience?

Simplykate--heavy metals can cause a lot of problems. For me it's mercury from my amalgams, I understand copper causes basically the same symptoms. But from my reading, it's also easier to normalize body levels of copper. You'd want to look into _why_ your copper levels are high, sometimes it's an odd environmental exposure, but sometimes something like gallbladder issues are involved. Our gallbladders, when functioning properly, can mostly regulate copper levels well, but if they're impaired, copper can build up. I like hair testing from Doctor's Data lab, the Hair Elements test, to look at metals. It's a good lab, the data's well-normed, repeatable, like that. What testing did you do?

It was a hair test, though I'm not sure what lab she sent it to. She did say that It's casing liver toxicity and some gallbladder problems, and I'm doing a cleanse right now.
Do you know of any reason why my copper level would be high? I've heard BCP's and copper IUD's but I've never used either. Could it be all the soy milk I drank growing up?


[I]
FWIW, I've read a few places that liver function being impaired can cause prolonged morning sickness. Since the liver and the gallbladder work together, I'd investigate that. My morning sickness in my 2nd pregnancy was significantly worse than my first, and liver issues were involved for me.[/QUOTE][/I]

That makes sense, I never thought of that!

Thanks Tanya, your post was very helpful!

[balancedmama]

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez

After I figured out what the symptoms are, I realized I didn't need to test. But the big things I've done are lifestyle changes (difficult, I'll admit, I still struggle with getting to bed on time--I'm Central time zone, so you can see that) and figuring out _why_ my body's been stressed and I have adrenal issues. I found out both at once, and with MS symptoms, I'd be looking into reasons for that, and considering that as a cause for both. One thing to rule in or out is mercury; mine came from my amalgam fillings. I've never had MS symptoms, I had other problems, but I understand some people have MS symptoms. I'm sure there are other causes, but with such serious symptoms, it's something to research--mercury's treatable.

Thank you Tanya. I have been tested for mercury and my levels were WNL. I was actually concerned about it because I played with mercury a lot as a child. Yep, you heard that right. My brother brought a jar of it home from a chemistry lab and I took it out of his drawer and had it for several months before he found out.

[tanyalynn]

Originally Posted by balancedmama

Thank you Tanya. I have been tested for mercury and my levels were WNL. I was actually concerned about it because I played with mercury a lot as a child. Yep, you heard that right. My brother brought a jar of it home from a chemistry lab and I took it out of his drawer and had it for several months before he found out.

When you say tested, may I ask how? Some of us (like me and my parents and my daughter) don't excrete it well. I don't think my circulating blood level would've been unusual, it was all settled in various tissues causing problems, and for us, the amount in our hair was average/low.

http://www.mercuryexposure.org/index.php?article_id=133

This discusses the topic a bit, and it's been accurate for us. I got my amalgams out 1.5 yrs ago and have chelated Cutler-style since and am feeling much, much better.

[Marnica]

Wow....this thread is so helpful.
The old one is Sooooo long...I have waded my way through about half of it so far.
I suspect I may have AF
Symptoms are:
(These I have had for a while now)
*feel tired most of the time
*hard time getting out of bed (even after 8 hrs of sleep)
*NO sex drive whatsoever (this preceded having my son who is now 18months old)...let me tell you this doesn't do my marriage any favors
*low tolerance to stress
*anger easily
*easily overwhelmed
*dark bags under my eyes
*bad skin
*moody

These sxs are more recent
*forgetful
*dizziness...weird feeling like I am floating or on a sky walk at the airport when i walk)
*Getting sick alot with colds etc
*skin is worse

I sleep fine, I have ok BP and my thyroid tests are normal (although I know this doesn't mean much)

Could this be AF that is getting worse now?? I will be talking to my ND about doing a saliva test at my appt on Friday. Also should I get my sex hormones tested as well??

[lil_miss_understood]

bringing my constant stress, likely metals problems and sugar addiction to join the party

[MyLittleWonders]

Originally Posted by JacquelineR

bringing my constant stress, likely metals problems and sugar addiction to join the party

Shh ... if we never speak of those things, then maybe they will go away!

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by MyLittleWonders

Shh ... if we never speak of those things, then maybe they will go away!

we need an ostrich emoticon

[linguistmama]

simplykate, I had bad HG with both pregnancies. I'm hoping that by supporting my adrenals and thyroid, good diet and homeopathy I can avoid it next time. I saw a homeopath midway through my second pregnancy and it completely went away. I was able to get off the medication which was nice!

[balancedmama]

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez

When you say tested, may I ask how? Some of us (like me and my parents and my daughter) don't excrete it well. I don't think my circulating blood level would've been unusual, it was all settled in various tissues causing problems, and for us, the amount in our hair was average/low.

http://www.mercuryexposure.org/index.php?article_id=133

This discusses the topic a bit, and it's been accurate for us. I got my amalgams out 1.5 yrs ago and have chelated Cutler-style since and am feeling much, much better.

Wow. I had no idea. I was only blood tested. I will read the article and see if I can get more testing. The amount of mercury exposure I had was tremendous.

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by linguistmama

simplykate, I had bad HG with both pregnancies. I'm hoping that by supporting my adrenals and thyroid, good diet and homeopathy I can avoid it next time. I saw a homeopath midway through my second pregnancy and it completely went away. I was able to get off the medication which was nice!

Chalk me up as another one with HG, though I'd consider my case borderline/mild. I got a homeopathic about halfway through my last pregnancy and had very few problems following.

[savvygrrl]

tinnitus & floaters

I've read through some of the posts on the forum and wondered if there was any update on people's experience getting rid of tinnitus and floaters in the eye? I'd love to hear some stories of success! Anything to hold out hope that it will all go away.

Also, has anyone tried Licorice to help the adrenals? If so, would love to hear that experience.

Thanks.