MamaTrain

The way she explained it was that my receptors are so low on progesterone that once I get some on board as she put it it's like the receptors get drunk on progesterone. It may take me a while to get past that tiredness. I am taking 12.5mg in a lozenge form. I'm supposed to start at like 50mg but that would have made me so out of it I just know it! I wont know until I start it again. I am going to start this Sunday. Just trying to give myself like a week on the adrenal builder to make sure I am not having any weird reactions to that. I know how frustrating this is but you just got to keep searching and keeping positive! You know your body and how you feel better than anyone so do what makes you feel best. Hope that helps some! :-) KC

I was just wondering if you have had your catchecholmines tested? I had them tested like 3 times cause they thought maybe I had a pheochromocytoma. They were all normal so it makes me wonder even more if my adrenals arent to blame. Like I said low cortisol levels are just as bad as high according the book. The new doc said even tho my morning level was in the normal range it wasnt good enough. The naturpath I had seen right before her with those same results said it's not too high so it looks like everything is good. He needs to do a little more reading apparently! All I can say is I'm going to try this and if it doesnt work than it doesnt work. I am only on day 3 of the adrenal builder and I know it's going to take awhile to start seeing results. I had a very stressful situation at work come up and I felt like I went back 3 steps...woke up with racing heart and all that 2 nights in a row. I think I just cant handle any additional stress right now. What are you doing to manage your symptoms?

If you are asking me I only tried Atenonol when this all first happened and it made me feel horrible so I never tried it again. I almost passed out in my laundry room cause I didnt realize it would lower my blood pressure. At the time I had no clue about all this dysauto stuff either!

Well when I actually read what all the adrenal glands do I was very surprised. The are vital in so many aspects. The play a part in blood pressure regulation, blood sugar regulation, sex hormones, anti-inflammatory responses, and there's alot more that I cant remember right now! :-) When I saw this new doc she looked at my cortisol test (saliva testing) and then saw my female hormone testing (also saliva) she said this is why you feel so terrible your adrenals are shot! My night time cortisol wasnt even on the chart for normal. Too high of cortisol causes as much havoc as too little. So she explained it to me like this: cortisol is the stress hormone and that is why your body is having a hard time dealing with stress whether it be from food, environment etc. Progesterone is the calming hormone...you have very little of either! Nothing to handle the stresses of life and nothing to calm you...recipe for disaster. I think that this has been going on for probably years. When I told her I had taken one of my son's ritalin pills once in a mix up of medication and that I was never the same since she said that was because the adrenals couldnt handle the stimulant. It was the last straw for them. I tend to agree since that was really when my life went to **** in a hand basket! The book recommends diet changes, alot of sleep and supplements. I believe that if my adrenals and female hormones were so low for a very long time it just fried my nervous system. I will only know when I get through the treatment. It will be a long time I'm sure. I will start bio-identical progesterone here in a few days. I just have to be patient....it's been 15 months so I'm getting pretty good at that! I have read in other places on the net that dysautonomia can sometimes relieve itself with in 1-3 years of onset. I believe that really it's probably the adrenals get rested and you start to feel better...for SOME PEOPLE. I know there are plenty of people on here that have other, more serious issues. I would try to find a naturpathic doc who will do the cortisol and female hormone testing. You can even buy some of them off the net and then send them in your self. The book is by James L. Wilson and it's called "Adrenal Fatigue-The 21st Century Stress Syndrome" if you want to check it out. Feel free to message me if you want to chat more about it! KC :-)

Sure! What would you like to know?

So I have posted before about adrenal issues that came up at my last visit with the new Doc. I have almost read the whole book "Adrenal Fatigue" that her office recommended and I am just amazed at how much this fits me. I am really beginning to wonder if severe hormonal issues have not caused my dysautonomia. When you read the book you can see how much it all goes together. Has anyone else actually read this book and found the plan to be helpful with their dysauto symptoms. The new doc started me on some adrenal builder. I love the fact that she is a "regular" doctor that practices homeopathic medicine when practical! I surely hope this is the beginning of a recovery! Hugs to you all today and everyday! KC :-)

I have noticed for months that when I lie on my left side my heart races more. If I turn over to my right side it settles down. Very bothersome! Ugh!! KC

I get these in the night also. It's really bad when I'm laying flat on my back and I think it has to do with my acid reflux. I am going to try taking some Mylanta before bed tonight and see if that helps. I know what you mean about not wanting to go to sleep knowing you're gonna wake up with one of these episodes! My husband is out of town right now and I hate going through them by myself! Hope you get some relief! KC

Hey there! I saw that new doc yesterday and it went really good. She is definetely different as far as understanding the alternative methods! She made a comment about how other docs cant think outside of the box and I just knew she was the right doc for me! She looked at my female hormones test and my adrenal cortisol test and said that is why I am not feeling well...my adrenals are shot! I am not making enough cortisol. My night time level was below the normal range. I guess that's not good. She gave me some pills that will help build the adrenals up. I think they are bovine adrenal extracts. I also need to start taking progesterone and just suffer through the drowsiness it will cause for the first few weeks. She explained that cortisol and progesterone need each other and I just dont have much of either! I have been reading that book on adrenal fatigue and it really all does make sense to me now. I thought me trying ritalin was the cause of all this since I had the horrible reaction and was never the same afterwards. Apparently it probably just tanked my adrenals that were already struggling so bad. This may not be it but it might just be it so I am looking at the positive end of things. Hope everyone is having a great day! KC

Thanks for sharing your experience Flop! I guess medical docs and holistic docs just dont see it the same way in 99% of cases! I have been just glued to the book since I got it. It's like reading my own story! I hope that I can manage to keep up seeing this new doc if I decide to go that route. She is a bit more expensive than the doctor I currently see but we are so sick of me feeling like this we dont care anymore! I will post after my visit with her on this thread for those who have expressed interest! :-) KC

PandyGirl, I was just curious as to if anyone has been able to tell you what the tine red pin prick spots are? I have those too and I have always wondered what they are! KC

Hey Yogini, I hate to post negative things but I had a terrible experience with acupuncture. I called it "accu-torture" after the 3rd visit. I would be so relaxed when I would be there and for about an hour afterwards but then it would throw me into a terrible episode. My nutritionist guy who did a heart rate variability test on me said that after seeing my ANS was out of whack the reason I probably responded that way was because my sympathetic nervous system is having a hard time regulating its self! I dont know but I gave up after 8 visits because I couldnt handle the episodes. I think others have said it has been a good thing for them so please dont take my experience as the norm! KC

I have had gallbladder removed from stones and have had 2 kidney stone attacks with some still "in there". Not sure how it goes together but I do know that those are some of the MOST PAINFUL attacks I have ever had and that includes giving birth! It's like you go through 10 hours of labor only to deliver a stone the size of a grain of sand! Ugh!!! KC

Thanks for your input Sue! I definitely am keeping a open and cautious mind. I already see a naturpathic doctor and then I have my regular doctor. The problem is they are not on the same page. My reg. doc poo-poo's the naturpathic way and that's why I was so intrigued by this new doctor. I believe that we need to try everything thing possible or affordable to help ourselves recover. The book I am reading has mostly discussed diet, life style changes and supplements. I do believe there was something in there about adrenal support supplements but not sure what they have in them. I think I have been told before it's like adrenal tissue from bovine or swine. I wont know til I go and see her but for now I am reading the book and learning what I can from it. It suggest getting alot of sleep...that is something that has eluded me for years! I just wish I could sleep the whole night through! Have a great day Sue! KC

Hey Everyone! I am going to see a new doc on March 2nd and I am actually looking forward to this one! Usually I dread seeing yet another doctor that will have no clue what to do with me but this time is going to be different because she is definitely different than anything I've seen or heard! She is a regular medical doctor who believes in and actively supports the naturpathic way of care also! She has a naturpathic doctor right in her practice. She specializes in womens hormones prescribing bio-identical hormones for those who desire replacement. Her brochure starts off with "I'm not the doctor you're probably used to"....God I hope so! LOL! When I made the appt. I told the gal who was taking my information a little bit about what had been going on the last year. She said she was confident I would be able to get the help I needed between the two doctors. She also said I should check out a book called Adrenal Fatigue by James L. Wilson. I got it at the library and I just poured through it last night. It is very scary how much of this stuff applies to me. There was even something in there about adrenal fatigue being called neurasthenia at one point and I know I have read that they called dysautonomia that too back in the early 1900's or something. Well anyway I just wanted to share this with you all because you people KNOW what it is like looking for and seeing doctors and then being horribly disappointed in the end! Thank you! KC

So good to see publicity on this very complicated subject! Most people, even doctors, dont even know what POTS is let alone what to do about it! Thanks for sharing. I have sent it to a friend whose daughter is having a very hard time right now with a possible dysautonomia/POTS situation. Blessing be to you! KC

Hey! Your hormones comment caught my eye. I was saying for about a year that I thought mine were messed up and when they tested my FSH they said oh it's fine you're not in menopause. Recently I had my hormones tested by my naturpathic doctor through saliva testing and they were all incredibly low! I think getting the right help is crucial in all of this!! Check out the saliva testing. You can even get tests over the internet that you mail in I have heard. Sorry you are having such a hard time...I know how it feels to be so frustrated and having no one who understands it! Keep your head up and in the game...you need to be the star player on your medical team! KC

Kexia, This is what I have to tell myself when I get frustrated with my medical care. The doctors are experts in medicine...I am an expert on my body! I have to live in it everyday they dont. Definitely calm down before you reply. If the caffeine makes you feel better than figure out what works for you. I do believe that caffeine is actually a diuretic so maybe that's why he doesnt want you to drink it. There are herbal remedies that give you the same effect but might be a better choice. Keep your chin up and your temper down...it's so bad for you! KC

How long has this been going on? I have experienced similar feelings when a situation arises but not just from people talking to me. I definitely feel like the crying helps too! I think that is from alot of nervous tension or something for me. I hope you get more responses and we can both learn something! :-)

You're not alone... mine does that too!!! I'm so glad I'm not the only one Caron!!

I went through a few months of if I laid on my left side my heart rate would go real high and then if I turned over it would settle down. I dont know why it happened but it definitely happened! Of course my doc looked at me like I was from Mars and I just chalked it up to the lovely world of dysauto! KC

This whole entire time I have been dealing with this I have said to every doctor I see that it does seem to be affected by my cycle. I dont have a period but I still have ovaries so I know when the time is coming. I would be so incredibly dizzy and more everything else bothersome around that certain week! They tested me last year in Feb. and my FSH came back normal. To be considered in menopause it has to be over 20. Mine was 5! I though I was ok. Then my naturpathic doc suggest testing the actual hormones and they came back saying I was post menopause. I did however find that the adrenal play a crucial role in the sex hormones. It could be that I have some adrenal issues. We will test for that this week. I am convinced after reading about it that I am suffering some sort of adrenal fatigue or exhaustion as they call it! I hope you get to the bottom of what is going on with you too. There is a company that will do a month long saliva test. It tests your hormones like every 4 days over a months time. I believe you have to have a provider order it for you. Do you have a good naturpathic doctor near you?

Just wanted to throw in that I am going to have my adrenals tested especially after reading about what they do and what it feels like when the are off! I haven't started the progesterone yet but am looking forward to seeing if it makes a difference for me. Have a good day! KC

Mirry I had that for the longest time too. It really is so very annoying! Mine has gotten alot better over time. It's been 14 months since my first major symptoms and I would say it was about half way through that it got to be tolerable! Good luck and keep your chin up! KC