Posted by KaraS on July 25, 2004, at 2:52:18
In reply to Re: Supplements for brain fog?- Larry » KaraS, posted by simus on July 25, 2004, at 0:44:47
> Hi Kara,
>
> I hope you don't mind if I butt in again. It's just that I opened your post, and the words "adrenal fatigue" caught my eye. I had to read on. You could have been describing me! Well, there are a few differences, but let me tell the similarities:
Hi Simus,From your name, I pictured you as a male. We have so much in common that I was going to ask you to marry me ... that is until I read that you're also experiencing menopausal symptoms!
I don't mind at all if you share your story. It's very comforting to know that someone else is experiencing some of these same things. Misery does love company. (I've written more below interspersed with your comments.)
>
> > I mentioned to you about how I start the day so slowly and how I don't usually come alive or feel normal until late in the afternoon.
>
> Mornings are not my friend. I start to feel better as the day progresses, and then around 9:00 at night I am at my best, physically and mentally. Then I can go strong well into the night. It's hard to live that way in a "daytime" world, though. I have tried to adjust my sleeping times, but my best sleep is always after 5:00AMish.
>I've always felt oppressed by the morning people of the world. When I was a lot younger, I used to think that everyone was like me and hated getting up early. I remember wondering why they didn't offer those standardized tests for college or graduate school at a time when people could actually do some thinking. I figured it was part of the intentional torture of the whole thing. It was such a shock to find people who preferred the early morning hours - people who would choose to work a 7:00 AM - 3:00 pm shift when they had other options. Later on in years I would hear people talk about doing something at work at 8:00 am while they were "fresh". I couldn't believe it.
> > I've always been a night owl.
>
> I have too. I remember when I was younger and worked so hard that I would be exhausted (but not sleepy) at the end of the day. Then I would go to bed around 10:00PM and lay there sleepless and watch the clock roll around to 11:00, 12:00, 1:00... day after day after week after month after year. When I had to get up at 6:00AM to get ready for work, I would be absolutely exhausted. It was sooooo frustrating. But now, on sick leave, it really doesn't matter that much.
>Definitely. I would be like a zombie all week and then Saturday I would sleep until at least noon. I'd spend the weekend recovering from the work week and then I'd start the whole thing all over again on Monday.
Do you mind if I ask what you are on sick leave for? Is it related to the adrenal fatigue and urticaria? If you'd prefer not to talk about it, I certainly understand.
> > If I don't sleep much, I come alive much sooner in the day. I'm not as groggy and brain dead. I have more energy and I'm not nearly as depressed. Unfortunately, I can't do that very often as I end up feeling sick a day or two later.
>
> Yep, yep, yep, and yep.While I'm reading about your situation and keeping mine in mind, I'm starting to get more of the big picture here. I'm becoming more convinced that I do have adrenal fatigue and I'm seeing more of the interrelationship among the various illnesses. The constant stress on my body of working the 8-5 and not sleeping, many years of depression, lots of other major stress in my life, along with the candidiasis all contributed to my immune system dysfunction. The immune dysfunction manifested in the thyroid condition (Hashimotos is an autoimmune condition), the allergy problems and the urticaria. The CFS fits in to that as well - I was susceptible to it because of my immune dysfunction and the CFS then became an additional stressor on my body.
>
> > I probably have an overabundance of candida yeast from antibiotics and too much sugar.
>
> That comes and goes for me, depending on my sugar intake.
>
> > I was diagnosed with CFS almost 20 years ago. One day when I was incredibly worn out, I got a horrible flu that included stomach symptoms, nausea, swollen glands, sore throat etc. It got better gradually and then a few days later I'd get it again. This went on for years. There's no doubt in my mind that it's viral. (I've known of 3 other people with exactly the same symptoms.) As time went on, the "attacks" started to occur less frequently. I would even go months without it. Now, it only seems to happen if I get really run down.
>
> I have never been diagnosed with CFS, but I had mono among other viruses that have had this effect on me.
>
> One difference is that I don't have thyroid problems.Thank goodness for that.
>
> > Some other issues of mine that might also be important are that I've had a lot of allergy problems
>
> Absolutely - the more worn out I get, the worse the allergies.
>
> > cholinergic urticaria
>
> I had chronic hives - every day for over two years. It was triggered by a time of very high stress. At the beginning, I was taking 4 Benadryl at a time, several times a day to keep my sanity because of the intense itching. But since half that dose is taken as a sleep aid, you can imagine what my life was like. My doctor wanted to try to "shock" my system with a heavy dose of steroids, but that didn't go well. Then he prescribed another antidepressant, thinking that it was just from nerves. That didn't go well either, so I just decided to live with it. Fortunately, since treating the adrenal fatigue, the hives diminished. Now I get only a few maybe once or twice a week, and they just quickly go away.
>Wow. That's horrible and here I am complaining about itching when I exercise which can be prevented by taking a Zyrtec!
> One other disturbing thing I experienced was severe edema in my legs. It was to the point that my lower legs were bright red and hot and very, very painful. I even had trouble bending my legs very far at the knee because of the swelling. That has diminished too since I started treating the adrenal fatigue. (My family doctor prescribed "walking" more, which didn't help.)
That's very strange. Is that a result of the adrenal fatigue or do you know why you got that?>
> > I'm menopausal as well.
>
> I'm only 43, but I have been showing signs of starting menopause for about 6 months now.
>Unfortunately it does tend to start earlier than we think it's going to. There are a lot of years of progressive symptoms. It's not nearly as quick as I thought it would be.
> > I must sound like a mess to you but surprisingly, I still present well. Ironically, I still look like I'm in good shape and I look younger than I really am.
>
> Hey! Since I have all the same symptoms, I want the "present well" too!!! But sadly, after years of Paxil and then double-dosing on Benadryl all day long for two years on top of that, I now have a LOT of weight to lose.After I posted that paragraph, I was sorry that I sent it. I thought that it might have come off as bragging. My intention, however, was to show that no one understands what I'm going through because they look at me and I can appear normal - happy, healthy, younger and in shape - when the truth is the complete opposite. I often hear from my family and friends that "you have so much going for you" and they're thinking (and sometimes saying) "why can't you get your act together and make a success out of yourself"? Then I really feel like a total loser. Well, maybe I do have a lot going for me but it's not of much use if I can't drag my butt out of bed in the morning and I have so little energy and motivation!!
To get back to your comment about the weight you want to lose. I recently dropped about 15-20 pounds once I stopped taking a small amount of a tricyclic antidepressant in order to sleep at night. Maybe once you're completely off of the meds that were contributing to the weight gain, you'll find it easier to lose it. Having a lot of extra weight on you can be a huge depressant in and of itself - but then I'm sure I don't have to tell you that.
>
> >My sense of humor is still intact.
>
> That is how I have survived all of this.
>
> >All of this deceives most people (esp. my family and friends) who think that I'm just lazy. They don't get it that I just don't have the energy or the motivation to get a job or take care of my apartment.
>
> I know this all-too-well. I even thought of myself as lazy. Looking back now, I see myself as having been a very sick person. But the energy level is coming up, as is the motivation, thanks to a med change and adrenal fatigue supplements.
>What did you change your medication to instead of Paxil and is it helping? What are the supplements you are taking for adrenal fatigue?
> > At any rate, I know that it's critical for me now to diagnose this correctly because otherwise treatment of the wrong condition could make things so much worse. I had been planning on trying everything noradrenergic and/or dopaminergic until I found relief. However, if adrenal fatigue is a major factor here then I'd, in effect, be whipping a dead horse (or a very sick one), wouldn't I? (metaphor not simile, right?)
>
> Can I recommend a very good book, "Adrenal Fatigue The 21st Century Stress Syndrome" by Dr. James L. Wilson? It has been a tremendous help to me.
>I don't know where I've seen the title of that book but I had written it down recently as something to look into. Now I'll DEFINITELY check it out - sooner rather than later!
> Again, sorry to interrupt. I hope all goes well for you.
>Don't hesitate to interrupt again! Thanks for your input.
- Kara
> God bless,
>
> Simus
poster:KaraS
thread:359642
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040718/msgs/370192.html