This week I’ve had a semi good week until last night when the dreaded Adrenal Insufficiency monster appeared once more.
I have chronic illness and suffer from chronic fatigue amongst other things and many of my conditions and can and does affect my Adrenal Insufficiency.
My Adrenal glands do not produce enough cortisol and so I have to take replacement hydrocortisone daily. Without the correct medication I can head toward Adrenal crisis which leads to death.
Adrenal Crisis Untreated Leads to Death
Sadly I’ve lost around 20 friends to Adrenal Insufficiency over the past five years and the reality is the condition can be life threatening. It needs to be managed constantly.
Well last night things went downhill for me. I began to feel unwell earlier in the day with a headache. I wasn’t sure if it was related to another condition so I monitored it and took pain medication.
You see at the moment I am still recovering from a painful dry socket as I’ve recently had two teeth extracted. I’m also dealing with a period (which naturally places a lot of stress on the body) and I can feel something in my lungs like a chesty cough.
You may want to read: Can Women's Periods Cause Adrenal Crisis? The Answer Is Yes!
Waking up Low in Cortisol
So I went to bed early feeling a little unwell. Then at 3am I woke up I’m a state.
I had to call my husband to help me. I’d gone to sleep in the spare room with Sylvia as we had been trying out some essential oils to help promote sleep and crashed out together on the spare bed.
Friday night is girls night at our home!
Anyway I could not move. I could not life my arms or legs. They felt like dead weights. That for me is a sure sign that I am getting dangerously low in cortisol.
Next I noticed my headache was worse. I felt dizzy and nauseous and had stabbing pains in my thighs legs and feet.
Stabbing pains is another of my Adrenal Insufficiency symptoms and a real tell tale sign for me.
I took an emergency bolus of medication to try and give my body the cortisol I needed.
We checked my pump and cannula line to make sure it was not leaking and I waited to see what would happen.
After half an hour I felt the same. I took some more emergency medication and eventually I went back to sleep.
Preventing an Adrenal Crisis by Stress Dosing
I’ve woken up this morning feeling unwell but stable. I’ve averted a crisis and prevented getting to a point where I would need an emergency injection or to call an ambulance.
However I am feeling weak and exhausted. I can still type my feelings and write what happens! Yep, I have the strangest ability to type after an emergency dose of steroids. You become wired and I don’t need to lift my arms as I’m using my iPhone.
But yes! The Adrenal Insufficiency monster popped his ugly head up last night. There is a reason and I think it’s a combination of having strong period pain and catching Sylvia’s chesty cough.
I’ll have to rest up in bed for a few days and recover. It will take time and I’ve increased my medication to triple dose which is what I needed to do.
Hopefully I can get through the next week of extra stress on the body although I have a sneaky feeling things are going to be pretty tough.
Angela
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