Guest guest Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Hi Donna, glad to have you here. What a wreck! No wonder your poor adrenals are pooped! You ADHD son need s FULL thyroid panel if not all hormones as well. Thyroid is known to cause this kind of issues in children as cn weak adrenals which EVEN children can have too. I take it oyu have done slaiva cortisll testing? Can you post those labs ? How about thyroid labs as these DO go together and being IN RANGE is not good enough. -- Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/ http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Hi , thanks for the welcome! I've done prolly 7 ASI's, if not more, but I do not have the most recent one with me. Since I moved twice last year, it's somewhere in storage, along with my other medical records. I think it was done in July 2006, and I was in Stage 7 then. The last thyroid test I had done was... way back in 2001, I want to say. I don't think I have any thyroid symptoms... hair is full, growing and thick, my eyebrows are full and growing, no constipation... I had invested in a couple of thyroid books way back when, and the symptoms didn't really fit as well as the adrenal symptoms did. I do have an appointment with my MD on the 14th; my insurance covers that, so I'm sure she'll want to do some blood testing. I go to the CFS/AF MD (who I pay for OOP), so she may have some creative notions about blood testing. Donna > > Hi Donna, glad to have you here. What a wreck! No wonder your poor > adrenals are pooped! You ADHD son need s FULL thyroid panel if not all > hormones as well. Thyroid is known to cause this kind of issues in > children as cn weak adrenals which EVEN children can have too. I take it > oyu have done slaiva cortisll testing? Can you post those labs ? How > about thyroid labs as these DO go together and being IN RANGE is not > good enough. > > -- > Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV > > http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ > http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/ > http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Welcome to the group Donna. You are gonna find this a great place with lots of wonderful people here. Gale > > My Story > > I was born in 1967, and my parents divorced when I was 8 or 9. We > moved to our summer house on Cape Cod, and I grew up in a small > town. My mother was very controlling (still is, LOL!) and critical > of me. I went through puberty at age 11 (I looked like I was 18 when > I was 12), so middle school was a nightmare for me. > > When I was 18, I met my now ex-husband in the summer of 1986. I got > pregnant pretty quickly, and we were married in November, 1986, a > week after I turned 19. I had my first son when I was 19 ½. My > husband was 6 years older than me, and he liked to party hard. It > turns out that he came from a family of alcoholic drug abusers (I no > experience with such a thing in my life before him), and he was an > emotionally abusive alcoholic himself. We moved 60 miles away from > where we grew up. Sometime after we were married, he hit me one > night when he was drunk. As he didn't recall it happening, then to > him, that means it never happened. A couple of times he wet the bed, > he was so drunk he couldn't get up to use the bathroom. He blamed it > on our baby, who slept with us. > > In 1990, we bought a house, and things sort of improved. I was > healthy, our son was healthy, and we were busy getting settled into > our new place. Hubby still boozed it up, and the only " friends " we > had were his drinking buddies. The friends that I made didn't seem > comfortable around my house (hubby was a bit bombastic, in a Ralph > Kramden sort of way), so I basically just had a few close friends 60 > miles away in my hometown. > > Around 1994, I started with a hobby that I found that I adored: > genealogy. It got me out of the house, and I was wicked good at it. > Also around that time, my mom was having a problem with her boyfriend- > - he was a lowlife, and my brother and I were upset that she was > allowing him to do illegal activities in her house. I started > getting B-vitamin deficiencies, and I was not taking care of myself, > to be honest. I was living on coffee, Pepsi, and cigarettes. > > In 1995, we decided to have another baby, and our second son was born > in 1996. From the beginning, he was a handful and a challenge… he > never slept, and when he did it was for just 20 minutes at a time. > The only naps he took were in the car seat, so I never really got any > rest. After son #2 was born, hubby's drinking escalated, and he > seemed to be more verbally abusive. Of course, at the time, I didn't > think of it as verbal abuse, just hubby acting like a twit, and if I > could keep the kids out of his hair, then he'd be fine. Ha!! > > I had been a stay-at-home-mom, and I enjoyed that immensely. In the > summer of 1996, I started working with my Aunt on Cape Cod, cleaning > summer rentals on the weekends. It kept me super-busy (like I wasn't > overspread already!?), and brought in some extra money. Took the > kids with me every weekend (traveling with a tiny baby and a 9 y/o in > summer traffic from April to October from 1996-1999), and hubby went > drag racing when I was working on the weekends. I also worked with > hubby in our business, and had a home-based business of my own. To > hubby, I wasn't " contributing " to the household; only HE > was " working " . > > Son #2 was still not sleeping, and would be up each night until after > 10, sometimes until 11 p.m. As he didn't sleep during the day, I > could not get anything done unless someone watched him, or until > after he went to bed. Sometimes I was up until 3 a.m., doing > laundry, and trying to unwind with Internet surfing and genealogy- > related online activities. Hubby was asleep every night by 8, 9 at > the latest. To try to get my son to take a nap, I would lie down > with him, and *I* would fall asleep! Of course my IL's said I > was " neglectful " and " lenient " . > > We were having problems with hubby's family… them accusing me of > being a slacker, and not contributing to the family. LOL During > this time (1999), I quit smoking (hubby said smoking was a strain on > the family budget, but he still bought a case or 2 of imported beer > every week), and I was experiencing strange episodes of fatigue, and > episodes of just feeling like I was coming out of my skin-- like a > raging mania. I was always very healthy as a kid-- just chickenpox > and 1 or 2 ear infections. Now, I was flat on my back for no reason, > it seemed. I just pushed onward… Since quitting smoking, I'd put on > 30 lbs., so I embarked on a mission to get healthier and lose the > weight. I began doing aerobics 3-5 times a week, and did not lose > any weight. Strange. In 2000, I was feeling a bit tired, so I told > my Aunt that I was retiring from summer traffic wrangling and > cleaning. That summer, I had mono, which put me out of commission > for most of the summer. By fall, I was given the go ahead by my doc > to start exercising again, so I started my program again. By > September, I was flat on my back for a couple of weeks. I went to > the doctor for a follow up, as I was so tired. He examined me, and > told me my thyroid seemed enlarged, and ran thyroid panels. > Everything came back in the normal range, and I began looking online > for answers. I was told about Hashimoto's antibodies, so I asked doc > to test for that. He did, and nothing. I was in the picture of > health, according to him. > > I had visited a couple of thyroid support groups online during this > time, and the posters urged me to find a new doctor. All during the > winter of 2000-2001, I experienced bouts of exhaustion and saw an > endocrinologist, as I was still wondering about the thyroid > possibility. The endo said I wasn't hypothyroid, and sent me on my > way. I found a new PCP, and he ran some new tests, and said I was > depressed and had CFS; his cure for this was antidepressants. I felt > like I was being dismissed, so I got another doc, who told me the > same thing. The people on the thyroid board told me my symptoms > sounded like adrenal fatigue, and suggested I have my DO test me for > that. When I went to my DO and asked him about adrenal testing, he > openly laughed at me and told me I was a hypochondriac. During 2000- > 2001, I'd also experienced some weird tingling in my face-- my lower > cheeks felt like they were being zapped. Dr. Wonderful told me > that " The Zoloft literature says you can have tingling. I can write > you a scrip for that. " When I said no thanks, he said, " Call me back > when you want the scrip " . > > The thyroid board people urged me to see a naturopath, so in June > 2001, I went to an ND. I never mentioned the adrenal possibility, > but she suggested it. She ran an ASI, and sure enough, I was in > Stage 3 adrenal fatigue. WOW! I sent the results to the DO, who > basically told me " people like you want to have something wrong with > them because they are depressed. You don`t have bronze skin, so your > adrenals are fine " , and he was dismissive and disrespectful. The ND > put me on licorice and 5 mg. of DHEA. She told me I would be fine, > and sent me on my way. By September, I was flat on my back, > exhausted again. The ND never told me about the " mechanics " of the > condition; I thought I could still do 1000 things a day, and expect > to get better. Ding-dong, you're wrong! > > Right before September 11th, I found the Clymer website, and ordered > Dr Poesnecker's book. Reading it was like reading the story of the > last few years of my life! I consulted him, and he put me on > Seriphos, Pregnenolone, a glandular supplement, and adrenal cortex > extract.. After several months, I began to see improvement! I had > more energy, and understood the hows and whys of the condition. I > thought I had my life back! > > On the home front, hubby was still drinking-- he would go from > accusing me of malingering to not understanding, to blaming me for > his problems. The kids were not well-behaved, and it had been hard > on them to see their mom so sick. In addition, hubby would come home > after having a few beers, and tell the kids, " don't have kids, they > are a burden " . He'd fly into rages over son #2 using too much > ketchup, making a mess, or just being a kid. Nothing made him happy. > > In 2002, my ND married, closed her practice, and moved out of state. > I had to find a new ND, so I interviewed a guy in a city about 30 > miles from me. The guy struck me as kind of fishy… he was a DC/ND, > and told me I had " crush injuries " . He wanted to sell me all sorts > of fancy pills and seemed kind of smarmy, so I called my mom's best > friend, whose hubby happens to be a chiro in the town next to Dr > Smarmy. Ursie (mom's friend) told me to never go back to that doc, > and that her hubby wanted to see me ASAP. examined me, > took X-rays, and diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. He found a fracture > in my lower back, which had twisted my pelvis, and the vertebrae in > my spine were all out of alignment. I never mentioned the cheek- > zapping pain to , but after my first adjustment, the pain was > lessened by 90%. I mentioned it to him at my next appointment, and > he gave me a book to read about trigger points and FMS. I found that > I had trigger points in my platysma (neck) muscle, and the pain was > referred to my cheeks! I'd endured that pain for almost 3 years, and > had been told it was all in my head by the DO. It lifted my spirits > to see that it WAS a physiological problem, and NOT in my head! > Also, one of the vertebra was pinching the adrenal nerve, so after > that was adjusted, I felt so much better. > > Son #2 was having trouble in school, and we've since learned that he > has ADHD. Oh, and the not-sleeping thing? That was obstructive > sleep apnea. His adenoids were so huge that they blocked his > windpipe when he slept. In 2005, he had his adenoids out, and his > loud snoring stopped. He still stayed up until all hours of the > night, though. > > In 2003, older son got his learner's permit, and told me, " Now I can > drive dad home from Uncle Al's (drinking buddy) when he's too drunk > to drive. Yikes. That was a knife right through my heart, so I > called my MD (I'd fired the DO, and found a great MD), and she > suggested a family discussion with older son and hubby. Did that, > and the result was hubby saying that he thought he'd " cut down " , and > sort of laughed off our concerns. I stared therapy for myself, and > that was a great help. I got my sons into therapy as well, and > that's when we began exploring ADHD treatment options. We went the > natural route with my ND, but that didn't help much at all. > > In the meantime, hubby decided to expand our business (without > bothering to get my input), and committed us to a 100K business > expansion… This business was to be " my baby " (like I didn't have > enough to keep me busy?), so I ended up doing all the research for it- > - laws, software, etc. I did the invoicing; he deposited the checks, > and I wasn't allowed to see the books. > > In 2004, hubby finally agreed to go to therapy. I thought we were > FINALLY on the road to a better life! Wrong again. Somehow I found > out that hubby had told his counselor that he drank because of " the > kids " . I had called a divorce lawyer, but just to ask questions. > Somehow, I got hubby to agree to marriage counseling, or I was going > to file for divorce. We went to a counselor, but that didn't help. > When the counselor told hubby that she felt the main issue was his > drinking, he ridiculed the therapy, and refused to go back. > > I'd been working at an ice cream shop near my home, and by the fall > of 2004, I collapsed again. This time I was in Stage 7 adrenal > fatigue. WHAT!?!? I was stunned. I HADN'T been overdoing it > physically that year-- in fact, I'd accidentally severed the tendon > in my toe, and was laid up for most of the summer. All the stress on > my was in fact emotional, and I was a mess. By early 2005, I decided > that hubby was probably the main reason I was sick, and that he was > toxic to me. I moved out of our bedroom, and called the divorce > lawyer. Somehow, hubby knew that I was " planning something " , and he > moved out in May 2005. Even the cat was happy to see he was gone! LOL > > My health was in the dumper, my house was a wreck-- hubby was a > mechanic, not a carpenter, and his " house repairs " were a joke. I > later found out that my house had black mold in it. More joy! > > After going to a wedding in October 2005 in my childhood hometown, I > decided that I wanted to be back near my family-- hubby had isolated > us 60 miles away. So I planned to fix up the house, sell it, and > move back to the Cape. The house went on the market in November > 2006. > > After hubby moved out, he lawyered up and decided not to pay me any > child support. He paid the mortgage, but that was it. I was too > sick to work, but I had to go out an get a job to feed my sons. By > summer 2006, I was exhausted again. And in Stage 7 again, down from a > Stage 4 earlier in that year. Over that winter, I slowly regained > some strength. My divorce was final in November (on what would have > been our 20th anniversary, ha ha!) , and I looked forward to selling > the house and being back among my family, friends, and support > network. > > During this time, son #2 was shuttling back and forth between hubby's > place and mine. He was acting out, setting fires, and going into > rages, threatening to kill himself if hubby and I didn't get back > together. Hubby wasn't giving him his meds, and was allowing our > unmedicated ADHD son with NO impulse control to drive a car! With > the help of son's counselor, I got DSS (Department of Social > Services) involved, and they got us in touch with a group of social > workers who worked intensively with the entire family. The SW's > could see IMMEDIATELY that hubby was a drinker; that he used the kids > to gang up on me and manipulate me. They also saw my son when he > came home from his father's place unmedicated, and in their > professional opinion thought son should be on meds 7 days a week. > The SW's were such a help, and my son is doing much better. > > In April 2006, hubby decided (after the SW's knew he let son drive!!) > that he wanted custody of son. They were stunned! Hubby accused me > of neglecting and abusing our kids, so the court appointed a GAL > (Guardian Ad Litem) to oversee the investigation. Like I said, the > SW's couldn't believe it, and they told me, " you don't think he'll > actually WIN, do you? " So, I went about gathering evidence: reports > from son's counselor; the DSS report from son's pediatrician, who > also knew about the driving; the three SW's reports; the report from > my counselor; interviews with me, hubby and sons by the GAL; and the > GAL's own opinion. The GAL found that hubby was the inconsistent > parent, and ought to seek professional help for his drinking problem > and " the impact it has had on his family. " The final opinion that > was our son should remain with me, and if I moved, that my son should > remain with me also. Well, when the report came in from the GAL, > hubby thought that I had " fooled all the people involved " , and that > everyone had " stabbed him in the back " . DUH. > > Later that year, I decided to try my son on melatonin, as suggested > by the child psychiatrist we had consulted. It worked! For the > first time in my son's 9 years, he told me, " mom I'm tired, I think > I'll go to bed. " He gets up in the morning fresh and relaxed, and > his MOOD has improved 100 fold. > > In April 2007, hubby decided he wanted my car (driven by me for 10 > years, but in HIS name), so he took the plates off and left me > without a vehicle. My divorce lawyer turned out to be an idiot, and > told me to rent a car. It cost me over 4K, and I never got my car > back. To make a long story longer, I soon found out that my lawyer > had cost me over 100K in errors. She'd undervalued our business > property, missed a 50K line of credit that hubby had sneaked into the > household debt (it was used entirely on the business, which HE got)… > > Then, Ursie was diagnosed with leukemia, and asked me to work > for him. I agreed, and managed to get back and forth with the rental > and using one of my son's cars. Soon, though, I was exhausted > again. I'd tried to get my lawyer to reopen the settlement, which > she refused to do: " It's only 50K " , she told me. LOL Only 50K. > She told me that she never knew about the 50K, but then backtracked > and said she never got the documentation from hubby's lawyer, and > settled for oral explanations. She never got all the proof!! So, I > ended up with ALL the marital debt (including ALL the business debt > too!!), and hubby got our 3 businesses. To top it off, when I asked > the divorce lawyer for a statement of services, she told me that she > would charge me a flat fee of 25K, " for if I itemized it, it would be > double that. " DOUBLE. My hubby and I were NOT wealthy. > > The summer of 2007 was spent working like a dog; trying to get the > divorce lawyer to admit she screwed up; trying to get another lawyer > to take my legal malpractice case against the divorce lawyer; getting > deeper in debt; having to deal with a psycho ex-hubby & his whacko > girlfriend & her kids; son who was acting up again because he was > spending more time with his father; trying to sell my house; and > moving to get my son started in school in September. > > The upshot is that my house finally sold last October; son is doing > better, although it is like living with a toddler still; I have some > money to live off of while I try to get my health back; and I am > divorced from that… person. I've found great alterative > practitioners, and my energy worker does something called BodyTalk; > acupuncture; chiropractic, of course; massage… The energy worker and > the acupuncturist both say my problems are adrenal. Alica, the > energy worker, does a body scan with the BodyTalk, and adrenal comes > up all the time, never thyroid. But since all the systems wok > together, who knows. > > I have a decent primary MD, but she sort of takes the adrenal fatigue > as most MDs do-- she doesn't openly reject it, but she's not 100% > with it either. For court, I had to find an MD who treated AF… found > a great one in Newton, MA, and she treats AF. I will see her in > Tuesday, and ask her if she can put me on Hydrocortisone. > > I've begun counseling to deal with the issues relating to my mom, and > from living in such an abusive relationship. However, the counseling > has been SO hard-- I'm flat on my back again, and I know I'm in Stage > 7 yet again. Now I'm starting to have problems with wheat, corn, > oats, dairy… it's such a nightmare, and I feel like I will never be > well again. > > I'm currently taking Pregnenolone, DHEA, an adrenal glandular, > Vitamin E with selenium, B-5, magnesium, and the ACE. It feels like > it is not nearly enough. Having been in and out of Stages 4-7 for > nearly 4 years, this is the worst I've felt…ever. > > Sorry to be so long-winded!! My new friend here, Helen Trimble, said > to write my story, so that's what I did. There's tons of abusive > stuff that I didn't go into, but you get the idea. I'm feeling so > broken and hopeless; sometimes the only thing keeping me from ending > it all is knowing that my son would have to live with his father, and > that would be horrible for him. That, and him and his brother not > having me around as a foil for their nutty father. I'm so thankful > for clicking on Helen's YouTube video-- I think she's my guardian > angel now, or something'. I spoke with her for quite a while last > night, and she's given me a bit of hope that things might be ok. > > Donna > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 I would make certainthey test Free T3 nd Free T4 as adrenal; fatigue seldom runs alone and usually has a thyroid component as well. Believe it or not in een very stressful lives adrenals still usually can function until there is some other hormone messed upo that drains them, this is why I would suspect hypothyroidiosm as it is ususlly in there too. And being a little bit hypo can prevent your adrenals from recovery so it is very important to knwo about it and treat it as well as the adrenals. -- Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/ http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 I'll urge the doctor to run a bunch of blood tests next Friday. Right now, I don't have ANY energy at all... my left had and foot are a bit numb, and it just became that time of the month, which is NOT good for me, energy-wise. My original ND, way back in 2001 thought that there may be a thyroid component, but she didn't really know how to treat the adrenals to begin with; I remember having another ASI in April 2002, and still having quite a bit of fatigue. The diagram showed the black square in the Stage 4/bordering Reference Range section. My ND said, " I don't know why you're still tired, you're in the reference range now. It must be because you refinished your furniture, and the fumes poisoned you. " When I consulted with Dr Poesnecker at Clymer about the same ASI, he said, " You're CLEARLY in stage 4. That is why you're still so tired. " Whew. If thyroid IS a factor, then it is... if the doc allows me to go on hydrocortisone, will it make the thyroid crap out? > > I would make certainthey test Free T3 nd Free T4 as adrenal; fatigue > seldom runs alone and usually has a thyroid component as well. Believe > it or not in een very stressful lives adrenals still usually can > function until there is some other hormone messed upo that drains them, > this is why I would suspect hypothyroidiosm as it is ususlly in there > too. And being a little bit hypo can prevent your adrenals from recovery > so it is very important to knwo about it and treat it as well as the > adrenals. > > -- > Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV > > http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ > http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/ > http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 I forgot to add that my dad battled colon cancer for 3 1/2 years, and passed away in December; I moved twice in the span of 2 months; went through 4 buyers for my house, which all fell through; almost 2 years' worth of home renovations to get the house ready; ex-hubby used OUR business lawyer as his divorce lawyer; the new lawyers I hired to represent my against my idiot divorce lawyer; the DAILY major stress dealing with my ADHD son; my ex-hubby trying to run me over with his truck 2 years ago, and not being able to get a restraining order against him; while still being married the daily horror of not knowing what he was going to be like when he came-- was he going to be a jerk to us, or nice?; being constantly blamed for my ex's problems and his family's problems; being threatened by my ex-BIL, and having to get a RO against HIM; my then-8-y/o son's best friend dying in a car accident, and having to get my son through that in 2004; Ursie being sick, and having to deal with , who is really like a spolied kid, and didn't take care of himself OR his diabetes... it seems like it was just one thing after another after another. > > My Story > > I was born in 1967, and my parents divorced when I was 8 or 9. We > moved to our summer house on Cape Cod, and I grew up in a small > town. My mother was very controlling (still is, LOL!) and critical > of me. I went through puberty at age 11 (I looked like I was 18 when > I was 12), so middle school was a nightmare for me. > > When I was 18, I met my now ex-husband in the summer of 1986. I got > pregnant pretty quickly, and we were married in November, 1986, a > week after I turned 19. I had my first son when I was 19 ½. My > husband was 6 years older than me, and he liked to party hard. It > turns out that he came from a family of alcoholic drug abusers (I no > experience with such a thing in my life before him), and he was an > emotionally abusive alcoholic himself. We moved 60 miles away from > where we grew up. Sometime after we were married, he hit me one > night when he was drunk. As he didn't recall it happening, then to > him, that means it never happened. A couple of times he wet the bed, > he was so drunk he couldn't get up to use the bathroom. He blamed it > on our baby, who slept with us. > > In 1990, we bought a house, and things sort of improved. I was > healthy, our son was healthy, and we were busy getting settled into > our new place. Hubby still boozed it up, and the only " friends " we > had were his drinking buddies. The friends that I made didn't seem > comfortable around my house (hubby was a bit bombastic, in a Ralph > Kramden sort of way), so I basically just had a few close friends 60 > miles away in my hometown. > > Around 1994, I started with a hobby that I found that I adored: > genealogy. It got me out of the house, and I was wicked good at it. > Also around that time, my mom was having a problem with her boyfriend- > - he was a lowlife, and my brother and I were upset that she was > allowing him to do illegal activities in her house. I started > getting B-vitamin deficiencies, and I was not taking care of myself, > to be honest. I was living on coffee, Pepsi, and cigarettes. > > In 1995, we decided to have another baby, and our second son was born > in 1996. From the beginning, he was a handful and a challenge… he > never slept, and when he did it was for just 20 minutes at a time. > The only naps he took were in the car seat, so I never really got any > rest. After son #2 was born, hubby's drinking escalated, and he > seemed to be more verbally abusive. Of course, at the time, I didn't > think of it as verbal abuse, just hubby acting like a twit, and if I > could keep the kids out of his hair, then he'd be fine. Ha!! > > I had been a stay-at-home-mom, and I enjoyed that immensely. In the > summer of 1996, I started working with my Aunt on Cape Cod, cleaning > summer rentals on the weekends. It kept me super-busy (like I wasn't > overspread already!?), and brought in some extra money. Took the > kids with me every weekend (traveling with a tiny baby and a 9 y/o in > summer traffic from April to October from 1996-1999), and hubby went > drag racing when I was working on the weekends. I also worked with > hubby in our business, and had a home-based business of my own. To > hubby, I wasn't " contributing " to the household; only HE > was " working " . > > Son #2 was still not sleeping, and would be up each night until after > 10, sometimes until 11 p.m. As he didn't sleep during the day, I > could not get anything done unless someone watched him, or until > after he went to bed. Sometimes I was up until 3 a.m., doing > laundry, and trying to unwind with Internet surfing and genealogy- > related online activities. Hubby was asleep every night by 8, 9 at > the latest. To try to get my son to take a nap, I would lie down > with him, and *I* would fall asleep! Of course my IL's said I > was " neglectful " and " lenient " . > > We were having problems with hubby's family… them accusing me of > being a slacker, and not contributing to the family. LOL During > this time (1999), I quit smoking (hubby said smoking was a strain on > the family budget, but he still bought a case or 2 of imported beer > every week), and I was experiencing strange episodes of fatigue, and > episodes of just feeling like I was coming out of my skin-- like a > raging mania. I was always very healthy as a kid-- just chickenpox > and 1 or 2 ear infections. Now, I was flat on my back for no reason, > it seemed. I just pushed onward… Since quitting smoking, I'd put on > 30 lbs., so I embarked on a mission to get healthier and lose the > weight. I began doing aerobics 3-5 times a week, and did not lose > any weight. Strange. In 2000, I was feeling a bit tired, so I told > my Aunt that I was retiring from summer traffic wrangling and > cleaning. That summer, I had mono, which put me out of commission > for most of the summer. By fall, I was given the go ahead by my doc > to start exercising again, so I started my program again. By > September, I was flat on my back for a couple of weeks. I went to > the doctor for a follow up, as I was so tired. He examined me, and > told me my thyroid seemed enlarged, and ran thyroid panels. > Everything came back in the normal range, and I began looking online > for answers. I was told about Hashimoto's antibodies, so I asked doc > to test for that. He did, and nothing. I was in the picture of > health, according to him. > > I had visited a couple of thyroid support groups online during this > time, and the posters urged me to find a new doctor. All during the > winter of 2000-2001, I experienced bouts of exhaustion and saw an > endocrinologist, as I was still wondering about the thyroid > possibility. The endo said I wasn't hypothyroid, and sent me on my > way. I found a new PCP, and he ran some new tests, and said I was > depressed and had CFS; his cure for this was antidepressants. I felt > like I was being dismissed, so I got another doc, who told me the > same thing. The people on the thyroid board told me my symptoms > sounded like adrenal fatigue, and suggested I have my DO test me for > that. When I went to my DO and asked him about adrenal testing, he > openly laughed at me and told me I was a hypochondriac. During 2000- > 2001, I'd also experienced some weird tingling in my face-- my lower > cheeks felt like they were being zapped. Dr. Wonderful told me > that " The Zoloft literature says you can have tingling. I can write > you a scrip for that. " When I said no thanks, he said, " Call me back > when you want the scrip " . > > The thyroid board people urged me to see a naturopath, so in June > 2001, I went to an ND. I never mentioned the adrenal possibility, > but she suggested it. She ran an ASI, and sure enough, I was in > Stage 3 adrenal fatigue. WOW! I sent the results to the DO, who > basically told me " people like you want to have something wrong with > them because they are depressed. You don`t have bronze skin, so your > adrenals are fine " , and he was dismissive and disrespectful. The ND > put me on licorice and 5 mg. of DHEA. She told me I would be fine, > and sent me on my way. By September, I was flat on my back, > exhausted again. The ND never told me about the " mechanics " of the > condition; I thought I could still do 1000 things a day, and expect > to get better. Ding-dong, you're wrong! > > Right before September 11th, I found the Clymer website, and ordered > Dr Poesnecker's book. Reading it was like reading the story of the > last few years of my life! I consulted him, and he put me on > Seriphos, Pregnenolone, a glandular supplement, and adrenal cortex > extract.. After several months, I began to see improvement! I had > more energy, and understood the hows and whys of the condition. I > thought I had my life back! > > On the home front, hubby was still drinking-- he would go from > accusing me of malingering to not understanding, to blaming me for > his problems. The kids were not well-behaved, and it had been hard > on them to see their mom so sick. In addition, hubby would come home > after having a few beers, and tell the kids, " don't have kids, they > are a burden " . He'd fly into rages over son #2 using too much > ketchup, making a mess, or just being a kid. Nothing made him happy. > > In 2002, my ND married, closed her practice, and moved out of state. > I had to find a new ND, so I interviewed a guy in a city about 30 > miles from me. The guy struck me as kind of fishy… he was a DC/ND, > and told me I had " crush injuries " . He wanted to sell me all sorts > of fancy pills and seemed kind of smarmy, so I called my mom's best > friend, whose hubby happens to be a chiro in the town next to Dr > Smarmy. Ursie (mom's friend) told me to never go back to that doc, > and that her hubby wanted to see me ASAP. examined me, > took X-rays, and diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. He found a fracture > in my lower back, which had twisted my pelvis, and the vertebrae in > my spine were all out of alignment. I never mentioned the cheek- > zapping pain to , but after my first adjustment, the pain was > lessened by 90%. I mentioned it to him at my next appointment, and > he gave me a book to read about trigger points and FMS. I found that > I had trigger points in my platysma (neck) muscle, and the pain was > referred to my cheeks! I'd endured that pain for almost 3 years, and > had been told it was all in my head by the DO. It lifted my spirits > to see that it WAS a physiological problem, and NOT in my head! > Also, one of the vertebra was pinching the adrenal nerve, so after > that was adjusted, I felt so much better. > > Son #2 was having trouble in school, and we've since learned that he > has ADHD. Oh, and the not-sleeping thing? That was obstructive > sleep apnea. His adenoids were so huge that they blocked his > windpipe when he slept. In 2005, he had his adenoids out, and his > loud snoring stopped. He still stayed up until all hours of the > night, though. > > In 2003, older son got his learner's permit, and told me, " Now I can > drive dad home from Uncle Al's (drinking buddy) when he's too drunk > to drive. Yikes. That was a knife right through my heart, so I > called my MD (I'd fired the DO, and found a great MD), and she > suggested a family discussion with older son and hubby. Did that, > and the result was hubby saying that he thought he'd " cut down " , and > sort of laughed off our concerns. I stared therapy for myself, and > that was a great help. I got my sons into therapy as well, and > that's when we began exploring ADHD treatment options. We went the > natural route with my ND, but that didn't help much at all. > > In the meantime, hubby decided to expand our business (without > bothering to get my input), and committed us to a 100K business > expansion… This business was to be " my baby " (like I didn't have > enough to keep me busy?), so I ended up doing all the research for it- > - laws, software, etc. I did the invoicing; he deposited the checks, > and I wasn't allowed to see the books. > > In 2004, hubby finally agreed to go to therapy. I thought we were > FINALLY on the road to a better life! Wrong again. Somehow I found > out that hubby had told his counselor that he drank because of " the > kids " . I had called a divorce lawyer, but just to ask questions. > Somehow, I got hubby to agree to marriage counseling, or I was going > to file for divorce. We went to a counselor, but that didn't help. > When the counselor told hubby that she felt the main issue was his > drinking, he ridiculed the therapy, and refused to go back. > > I'd been working at an ice cream shop near my home, and by the fall > of 2004, I collapsed again. This time I was in Stage 7 adrenal > fatigue. WHAT!?!? I was stunned. I HADN'T been overdoing it > physically that year-- in fact, I'd accidentally severed the tendon > in my toe, and was laid up for most of the summer. All the stress on > my was in fact emotional, and I was a mess. By early 2005, I decided > that hubby was probably the main reason I was sick, and that he was > toxic to me. I moved out of our bedroom, and called the divorce > lawyer. Somehow, hubby knew that I was " planning something " , and he > moved out in May 2005. Even the cat was happy to see he was gone! LOL > > My health was in the dumper, my house was a wreck-- hubby was a > mechanic, not a carpenter, and his " house repairs " were a joke. I > later found out that my house had black mold in it. More joy! > > After going to a wedding in October 2005 in my childhood hometown, I > decided that I wanted to be back near my family-- hubby had isolated > us 60 miles away. So I planned to fix up the house, sell it, and > move back to the Cape. The house went on the market in November > 2006. > > After hubby moved out, he lawyered up and decided not to pay me any > child support. He paid the mortgage, but that was it. I was too > sick to work, but I had to go out an get a job to feed my sons. By > summer 2006, I was exhausted again. And in Stage 7 again, down from a > Stage 4 earlier in that year. Over that winter, I slowly regained > some strength. My divorce was final in November (on what would have > been our 20th anniversary, ha ha!) , and I looked forward to selling > the house and being back among my family, friends, and support > network. > > During this time, son #2 was shuttling back and forth between hubby's > place and mine. He was acting out, setting fires, and going into > rages, threatening to kill himself if hubby and I didn't get back > together. Hubby wasn't giving him his meds, and was allowing our > unmedicated ADHD son with NO impulse control to drive a car! With > the help of son's counselor, I got DSS (Department of Social > Services) involved, and they got us in touch with a group of social > workers who worked intensively with the entire family. The SW's > could see IMMEDIATELY that hubby was a drinker; that he used the kids > to gang up on me and manipulate me. They also saw my son when he > came home from his father's place unmedicated, and in their > professional opinion thought son should be on meds 7 days a week. > The SW's were such a help, and my son is doing much better. > > In April 2006, hubby decided (after the SW's knew he let son drive!!) > that he wanted custody of son. They were stunned! Hubby accused me > of neglecting and abusing our kids, so the court appointed a GAL > (Guardian Ad Litem) to oversee the investigation. Like I said, the > SW's couldn't believe it, and they told me, " you don't think he'll > actually WIN, do you? " So, I went about gathering evidence: reports > from son's counselor; the DSS report from son's pediatrician, who > also knew about the driving; the three SW's reports; the report from > my counselor; interviews with me, hubby and sons by the GAL; and the > GAL's own opinion. The GAL found that hubby was the inconsistent > parent, and ought to seek professional help for his drinking problem > and " the impact it has had on his family. " The final opinion that > was our son should remain with me, and if I moved, that my son should > remain with me also. Well, when the report came in from the GAL, > hubby thought that I had " fooled all the people involved " , and that > everyone had " stabbed him in the back " . DUH. > > Later that year, I decided to try my son on melatonin, as suggested > by the child psychiatrist we had consulted. It worked! For the > first time in my son's 9 years, he told me, " mom I'm tired, I think > I'll go to bed. " He gets up in the morning fresh and relaxed, and > his MOOD has improved 100 fold. > > In April 2007, hubby decided he wanted my car (driven by me for 10 > years, but in HIS name), so he took the plates off and left me > without a vehicle. My divorce lawyer turned out to be an idiot, and > told me to rent a car. It cost me over 4K, and I never got my car > back. To make a long story longer, I soon found out that my lawyer > had cost me over 100K in errors. She'd undervalued our business > property, missed a 50K line of credit that hubby had sneaked into the > household debt (it was used entirely on the business, which HE got) … > > Then, Ursie was diagnosed with leukemia, and asked me to work > for him. I agreed, and managed to get back and forth with the rental > and using one of my son's cars. Soon, though, I was exhausted > again. I'd tried to get my lawyer to reopen the settlement, which > she refused to do: " It's only 50K " , she told me. LOL Only 50K. > She told me that she never knew about the 50K, but then backtracked > and said she never got the documentation from hubby's lawyer, and > settled for oral explanations. She never got all the proof!! So, I > ended up with ALL the marital debt (including ALL the business debt > too!!), and hubby got our 3 businesses. To top it off, when I asked > the divorce lawyer for a statement of services, she told me that she > would charge me a flat fee of 25K, " for if I itemized it, it would be > double that. " DOUBLE. My hubby and I were NOT wealthy. > > The summer of 2007 was spent working like a dog; trying to get the > divorce lawyer to admit she screwed up; trying to get another lawyer > to take my legal malpractice case against the divorce lawyer; getting > deeper in debt; having to deal with a psycho ex-hubby & his whacko > girlfriend & her kids; son who was acting up again because he was > spending more time with his father; trying to sell my house; and > moving to get my son started in school in September. > > The upshot is that my house finally sold last October; son is doing > better, although it is like living with a toddler still; I have some > money to live off of while I try to get my health back; and I am > divorced from that… person. I've found great alterative > practitioners, and my energy worker does something called BodyTalk; > acupuncture; chiropractic, of course; massage… The energy worker and > the acupuncturist both say my problems are adrenal. Alica, the > energy worker, does a body scan with the BodyTalk, and adrenal comes > up all the time, never thyroid. But since all the systems wok > together, who knows. > > I have a decent primary MD, but she sort of takes the adrenal fatigue > as most MDs do-- she doesn't openly reject it, but she's not 100% > with it either. For court, I had to find an MD who treated AF… found > a great one in Newton, MA, and she treats AF. I will see her in > Tuesday, and ask her if she can put me on Hydrocortisone. > > I've begun counseling to deal with the issues relating to my mom, and > from living in such an abusive relationship. However, the counseling > has been SO hard-- I'm flat on my back again, and I know I'm in Stage > 7 yet again. Now I'm starting to have problems with wheat, corn, > oats, dairy… it's such a nightmare, and I feel like I will never be > well again. > > I'm currently taking Pregnenolone, DHEA, an adrenal glandular, > Vitamin E with selenium, B-5, magnesium, and the ACE. It feels like > it is not nearly enough. Having been in and out of Stages 4-7 for > nearly 4 years, this is the worst I've felt…ever. > > Sorry to be so long-winded!! My new friend here, Helen Trimble, said > to write my story, so that's what I did. There's tons of abusive > stuff that I didn't go into, but you get the idea. I'm feeling so > broken and hopeless; sometimes the only thing keeping me from ending > it all is knowing that my son would have to live with his father, and > that would be horrible for him. That, and him and his brother not > having me around as a foil for their nutty father. I'm so thankful > for clicking on Helen's YouTube video-- I think she's my guardian > angel now, or something'. I spoke with her for quite a while last > night, and she's given me a bit of hope that things might be ok. > > Donna > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 >>Whew. If thyroid IS a factor, then it is... if the doc allows me to go on hydrocortisone, will it make the thyroid crap out? << No but blood levels of T3 can look very good when you are low in cortisl as the body can;t USE thyroid hormones right withotu cortisol, so when you add cortisl the blood thyroid levels can fall showing the actual deficiency that was there all along. -- Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/ http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 Hi , thanks for posting the link-- Mickel Therapy sounds similar to what I'm doing with the EMDR therapy with my counselor. I was diagnosed with PTSD, so certain events, people, phrases, etc., will set off the fight-or-flight reaction, which drains my adrenals even further. The EMDR desensitzes (sp?) the brain to the trauma, so that the brain doesn't freak out each time a trigger occurs. The EMDR has helped me a great deal, but I've had to stop it for a while, as it takes me a long time to process things emotionally (typical for the Scorpio!) and it was a bit too much with my adrenals being so low. For example, my #2 DS is very similar in temperament to my XH. When DS does certain things, it sets off the trigger for the f-o-f that was initially started by my XH doing something similar to what DS is doing now. I've found an EXCELLENT book called " What To Do When Your Therapist Isn't There " , by Nina son MSW (she has a practice here on Cape Cod ;-) ), which goes into PTSD and the f-o-f response. It made more sense to me than anything else I've ever read. She said (I'll try not to be as vulgar as the way she termed it, LOL) that a trigger is like a piece of doodoo. The f-o-f reation is the flies that are attracted to the doodoo. A normal f-o-f reaction would only bring 20 flies, but with PTSD, 500 flies come out, and you end up with a broken fear thermometer that no longer funtions properly. Then you get overreactions to things that should only trigger 20 flies, and you end up living with wolves chasing you constantly. It's exhausting! So, the EMDR is a way of treating the brain so that the fear thermometer (for that particular event) is... calmed. It works with both sides of the brain, so that the entire brain can process the trigger, and not be stuck in the original event-- which could have happened as a child, when one doesn't have enough life experience to process the trauma in a healthy way. Donna > > Donna, > You might consider looking into Mickel Therapy. I know several people > here have used it. I am just finishing up my sessions with it. Go to > mickeltherapy.com to find out more. I really does help. > > Best wishes, > K > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 Donna, Where do you live? Maybe someone can help you find a good Dr to treat the adrenals. Gale > > > > Donna, > > You might consider looking into Mickel Therapy. I know several people > > here have used it. I am just finishing up my sessions with it. Go to > > mickeltherapy.com to find out more. I really does help. > > > > Best wishes, > > K > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 Hi Gale, I live in Massachusettts, on Cape Cod. I have found a CFS MD who treats adrenal fatigue here in MA... Dr Jeanne T Hubbuch, in Newton, MA. Dr Hubbuch is familiar with ASIs, and is open to alternative treatments. She spends a lot of time with her patients (I think my 1st appointmen with her was over an hour! And follow ups were at least 30 minutes), and is super-smart. As I'd been following the Clymer all-natural protocol since 2001, and trying to just let the adrenals heal on their own, I believed that anything not-natural would be bad for me. Now I'm of the position that Hydrocortisone may be a good method for me. I have an appointment with Dr Hubbuch on Tuesday, to ask her about HC treatment, as I think I'm in Stage 7 again for the 4th time in 4 years. I've been to her a few times before, but as I said, was following the Clymer treatment, but that seems to not be working for me. Donna > > > > > > Donna, > > > You might consider looking into Mickel Therapy. I know several people > > > here have used it. I am just finishing up my sessions with it. Go to > > > mickeltherapy.com to find out more. I really does help. > > > > > > Best wishes, > > > K > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 Let us know how the appointment goes. You really need HC if you are in stage 7. I tried to heal my adrenals for 1,1/2 yrs without HC & made no progress at all. I wish now that I had not wasted all of that time. Gale > > > > > > > > Donna, > > > > You might consider looking into Mickel Therapy. I know several > people > > > > here have used it. I am just finishing up my sessions with it. > Go to > > > > mickeltherapy.com to find out more. I really does help. > > > > > > > > Best wishes, > > > > K > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 Let us know how the appointment goes. You really need HC if you are in stage 7. I tried to heal my adrenals for 1,1/2 yrs without HC & made no progress at all. I wish now that I had not wasted all of that time. Gale > > > > > > > > Donna, > > > > You might consider looking into Mickel Therapy. I know several > people > > > > here have used it. I am just finishing up my sessions with it. > Go to > > > > mickeltherapy.com to find out more. I really does help. > > > > > > > > Best wishes, > > > > K > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 Let us know how the appointment goes. You really need HC if you are in stage 7. I tried to heal my adrenals for 1,1/2 yrs without HC & made no progress at all. I wish now that I had not wasted all of that time. Gale > > > > > > > > Donna, > > > > You might consider looking into Mickel Therapy. I know several > people > > > > here have used it. I am just finishing up my sessions with it. > Go to > > > > mickeltherapy.com to find out more. I really does help. > > > > > > > > Best wishes, > > > > K > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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