Since many of you've been asking, here is an update on the health issue... it looks like we may finally know why I suddenly went from 125 lbs to 103 lbs in a few months, why my heart races so fast, the reason for the shakes, headaches, dizzy spells, muscles spasms, and let's not forget "swiss cheese brain", lol... but it's not looking very good... 

On Friday I had what my doctor called an "endocrine crisis"... It was very scary. I got out of bed in the morning, stood up and immediately found myself crumpling onto the floor as a wave of blackness washed over me... when I was finally able to stand up, I noticed my legs were aching, and when I looked down, I didn't have human legs any more, but elephant legs! They were so swollen I barely had knees or ankles any more. My arms were hideous too, with all the veins bulging out, and they HURT if I didn't keep them raised above my head. And my heart was beating a frantic 150+ bpm (for me, "normal" is around 70, although for the past few months it has been around 120 most of the time, but not in the 150's)!

I cancelled my clients in the city and spent the morning with my doctor. She finally got to see what I'd been trying to describe to her (although it was never this bad before) for the past couple of months. She called an endocrinologist right away and I ended up getting a whack of tests over the weekend. 

Today I had an appointment with her, and the first set of results had come in... I asked her when the others would come in and her words were: "I've got your cortisol results here... and after seeing them, that's all I need. I have never seen cortisol levels this low before. It looks like you were right all along, Susan."

Back in August when I first became concerned about the weight loss, I did some research and it seemed like I had a lot of the symptoms of something called Addison's Disease.  I first saw my doctor's partner and asked her about Addison's, but she just dismissed it saying it was really rare, and I didn't have the hyperpigmentation that usually goes with it (i.e., a tan in places where we usually don't tan, like palms of the hands, gums, scars, etc). She was sure it was a thyroid problem... and sure enough, the blood tests showed really high levels of TSH and thyroid antibodies (meaning my immune system is attacking my thyroid gland). 

But this didn't make sense because with those results, I should have hyPOthyroid symptoms and I had hyPERthyroid symptoms. I kept saying that I felt like there was something else going on that was over-riding the thyroid problems. On Friday, my doctor finally got to see what I was talking about. 

In Addison's Disease, the adrenal glands don't release enough cortisol and the result is the kind of icky symptoms I'd been having. Because cortisol is a stress hormone, the disease can be particularly dangerous when the person is under stress. Untreated, it can be fatal.

So I now have a tentative diagnosis... but it's more complicated that just that, unfortunately. 

There are two types of Addison's Disease -- in the first kind (best case scenario), the immune system attacks the adrenal glands and they stop producing cortisol. The treatment would be to take steroids for the rest of my life.

In the second kind (worst case scenario), more often referred to as "secondary adrenal insufficiency", the adrenal glands are working fine, but are not being stimulated by the pituitary gland (in the middle of the brain) to release their cortisol. The most common reason for this is a pituitary/brain tumor. 

I'm trying not to freak out here... but my uncle died of a pituitary brain tumor when he was about the same age that I am right now. 

Tomorrow morning, I am going to the hospital for an "ACTH Stimulation Test". They will inject me with ACTH (the hormone released by the pituitary gland to stimulate the adrenal glands to release cortisol) and see what happens. If my cortisol levels don't change, it means the problem is in the adrenal glands (best case scenario). But if my cortisol levels go up, it means my adrenal glands are working, and the problem is with the pituitary (very bad news). 

I am trying not to get worked up about this prematurely, but I keep finding my mind wandering into those dark places. I am a single mom with two kids... all I can think of is "who will take care of my boys if something happens to me?!?!" The weight of that is indescribable.

I already feel bad enough at not being there for my boys this past month as much as they wanted/needed me to because I was just feeling so physically shitty most of the time. But I suppose, on a positive note, if it is an adrenal problem, I should start feeling much better once I start the treatment. 

Anyway, this has turned into a book... I will stop here. Please send me your positive vibes! And thanks to my wonderful friends for your caring and support. I don't know where I'd be without you!
 
Indigo 

 
To learn more about Addison's & Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency click HERE