RE: Re: Deb's experience with needing adrenal support-- comments/LaCretia

[Guest guest]

Hi Kathy!

I'm weaning off Cortef due to being treated for Adrenal fatigue. I was on

treatment for one year and last week was the beginning phase for me to wean

off and see if it fixed my adrenals or not! So far, I'm getting the adrenal

symptoms back very quickly. This will happen though as the Cortef

surpresses the adrenals and puts them to sleep. The doctor said it would

take up to 3 months for the adrenals to wake up and reach full capacity

again. Until then, I have to avoid as much stress as I can and what little

I have had showed me real quick to take it easy... I crashed last week

pretty hard due to going to a party for my fiance. So, I have delegated all

the house work to the kids and my fiance and I'm taking it easy for the next

3 months. I still do a few things but overall I'm trying to get the rest of

my family to do the work until I'm off the meds.

It really should not scare you. I think in the beginning I was scared

because I didn't know what to expect. The more educated I got, the less

scared I was. After you research and become more familiar with your body

and the meds, you will learn how to control the disease a little better.

Everyone here is right when they say listen to your body... it will tell you

way before any labs will that it's sick. I've belonged to the Hashi's group

for many years and now many other groups too! I joined the 's group,

hypopituitary group, natural thryoid group, etc to get others perspective

and learn as much as I can. I was very scared in the beginning when the

doctor told me that I would have to go on steroids for a year but after

educating myself and listening to the wonderful folks on the news groups, I

feel confident in what the doctor is doing and feel that I'm on the right

track. Before I was so unsure that I even went to get a second opinion.

So, the best advice I can give is to learn all you can and share with the

others and they will always help you the best they can. Hang in there... it

will take time and patients to get where you need to be to over come your

symptoms.

Be well!

LaCretia

>

>

>Hi LaCretia,

>

>Well, alrighty then...misery loves company! LOL

>Even though you probably already covered this, I am too lazy to look

>back....why are you coming off the Cortef?

>All this is starting to scare me...maybe because I'm not too sure of

>myself these days and can't trust my own decisions.

>Kathy

>

>

>

>

> > > > I know some out here think Tish is over exagerating the adrenal

> > >issue but,

> > > > join the 's group and you will see why. They will tell

>you

> > >it can

> > > > kill you and will warn you to be extremely careful with any

>kind of

> > >steroid

> > > > treatment. Not to mention nearly everyone on the board has

>osteo

> > >due to the

> > > > steroids robbing their body of calcium. You have pretty severe

> > >muscle

> > > > waisting that occurs also when taking steroids. If it were not

>for

> > >me

> > > > spending time listening to other patients on the board,

>I

> > >would not

> > > > have realized just how dangerous it can get. A couple have

> > >seriously nearly

> > > > died from not getting enough Cortisone. Like Tish said, it is

>rare

> > >but does

> > > > happen. If you look at 's disease as a whole it is

>labeled

> > >a rare

> > > > disease and there are not that many diagnosed with it vs.

>thyroid

> > >patients.

> > > > I also have been on treatment for adrenal fatigue for a year

>and I

> > >can say

> > > > there were a few times that I thought I would have to go to the

> > >hospital

> > > > from it. If you go interview some of the folks on the

> > >board they

> > > > will inform you that they will not give you adrenal dosage

> > >information...the

> > > > first thing they will emphasize is to get a doctor who KNOWS

>how to

> > >treat

> > > > the adrenals first due to how dangerous it can be. I think Meg

>on

> > >the yahoo

> > > > addisons board can tell you first hand how many times she has

> > >nearly died

> > > > due to steroids. Again, it is rare but like Tish said it

>doesn't

> > >hurt to

> > > > provide folks with this information and although rare, it does

> > >happen. I

> > > > can say that I have had several close calls where my body burned

> > >the little

> > > > 20mg you get so quickly that I went into a hypoglycemic episode

> > >followed by

> > > > 3 days of pure exhaustion and severe symptoms. To the degree my

> > >doctor

> > > > doubled my steroid dose for 3-4 days so I could recover without

> > >going to the

> > > > hospitol. Certainly I don't want to scare anyone, but I think

>it's

> > > > important to share our expieriences though and my expierience

> > >is...don't

> > > > self dose the adrenals...it's dangerous. Hope this helps ....

> > > >

> > > > Be well!

> > > > LaCretia

> > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >I started out on just on 25 mcg of Levoxyl and if I had not had

> > >such

> > > > >devastating effects from just that tiny amount without adrenal

> > > > >support, I would not be so paranoid and cautious as I am.

>Because

> > >it

> > > > >did such terrible things to me, I do not want to make light of

>the

> > > > >dangers. If the person was older and had been hypo many years

>and

> > > > >had developed cardiovascular disease, this sort of self

>medicating

> > > > >could cause serious problems and even death in my opinion. So,

>Ok

> > >it

> > > > >is probably rare, but I sure do not want that guilt on my

>concience

> > > > >from someone not taking the risks seriously and me making too

>light

> > > > >of them.

> > > > >

> > > > >Tish

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >