Confirmed: My Sudden-Onset Adrenal Fatigue is the result of Suddenly Coming off  HRT 

I'm suppose to be ending my cycle this week.  Well that didn't happen, instead this did...

Weekend From Hell

I cannot for the life of me believe how suddenly and how low my energy levels dropped.  I stopped applying Natural Progesterone Cream about a week ago and since then I have gradually felt the full force of life without HRT.

(Biologically speaking, the work of my ovaries has been taken over in large part by my (personally depleted) adrenal glands.  They now have to pump out 40% of the sex hormones oestrogen, progesterone & testosterone that were previously pumped out by my ovaries.  Needless to say, my adrenals are struggling to cope.  The resulting fatigue, I find, is much worse when I'm at rest, as the body will always put the stress response before sex hormone production.)

Bloating

First I got really bloated.  My womb is very engorged and of course its pressing on my bladder.  Then I got very slow cervical pain, not really period pain, but it was a little 'uncomfortable' and persisted.  

Emotional Imbalance

Then my emotions went off the roof and I was crying about emaciated slave donkeys and their ill-treatment.

Low Grade Migraine

Then I got a painful but not agonising migraine, that lasted about 9 hours.  I took one dose of 500mg soluble paracetamol and had to get through a very emotional funeral and wake.

Muscle Weakness

Then I started to go downhill with extreme muscle weakness in my legs, fatigue like nothing you have ever seen.  I had all the symptoms of having done a half marathon and my lower back ached on either side (a sure sign my adrenals were enlarged). I couldn't do anything until 4pm yesterday.  The house was a mess and I hated that!  I was walking like an invalid.  I grew more and more distressed at my weakening state.

Shocking Bags Under the Eyes

Then at around 10.30pm I looked in the mirror and saw these enormous dark circles under my eyes and awful puffy skin underneath.  I thought what is this?  Plus, there was weird swelling under each eye??  I don't usually have bags under the eyes.  

Polyuria

I peed about 25 times, a weird colourless stuff that remained like that all day, even though I made sure I ate as well as I could yesterday. This symptom did not surprise me so much, as that's what happens when I get a migraine.  The migraine had ended but this symptom persisted.  Makes me wonder which came first, chicken or egg, because I realise now that my kidneys are receiving a knock-on effect and have been for some years?

Tremors

Then, something very strange happened, I kind of keeled over, went into a ball and shook.  The slight trembling I'd noticed in my legs earlier, just kind of washed all over me and by then, I was shaking all over.  

At that point I knew exactly what was happening to me and I finally knew what to do.

Crashing-Out

Basically I was having a terrible crash.  This meant that the more I tried to relax, the more toxins and waste products were being flushed out of me, from way back when I'd been tense all week and before.  Remember, I'd had 5 sleepless nights preceding this episode.  The only other time this has happened to me, as badly as this, was when I had to decorate an entire house, ceilings, walls, stairwells and hall all by myself within a week's deadline.  I remember coming home and all my muscles aching, keeling over, then starting to shake uncontrollably.

The difference this time is that I've not exerted myself at all this last week, except for the sleepless nights.  

I know understand that what actually must have taken place is that my adrenals finally got the message that they have to take over from my dried out ovaries.  

Last Remnants of HRT Washing Out of Me

In other words all the HRT that was washing around me has now, finally, been flushed out and my own endocrine system is picking up the pieces.  No wonder I felt so overwhelmed by the process?  If I'd stopped HRT gradually, I feel sure I wouldn't have had such an extreme response.  

Adrenals Have Taken Over from my Ovaries

The adrenals have obviously now taken over "40% of sex hormone production" from my (dead) ovaries.  That's why I couldn't actually pinpoint the centre of my problems, because they were systemic and nothing to do with what I had or hadn't done, in terms of exertion.

I also read that the body will always put the Adrenalin/Cortisol stress response before the manufacture of sex hormones.  Its my guess, that because I was trying to rest-up, the adrenals got the message that they could switch operations and finally had the chance to pump out oestrogen, without any stressful interruptions.  This meant that all my aches and pains were louder and louder.  Then the more I rested, when I tried to get up, not even a tiny bit of adrenalin/cortisol was sent my way to help me to get up!   

Feeling Very Cold

The worst part was the fact that I couldn't warm up.  I had two thick blankets across my legs and yet they were like ice.  I was freezing cold for many hours, until my energy levels finally normalised, at around 4-6pm.     

Honestly, I was so shocked at how awful I felt I found myself toying with a packet of HRT and started wondering if I should take it again??  Can you believe how far gone I was?

Progesterone Cream

Then I said to myself, 'look love, face it, this is your body getting old.  No more babies, no more periods, get with the programme!'  So I went over to my drawer and took out the tub of Natural Progesterone Cream and applied it to my aching thighs and tummy.

The pain went after about 10 minutes.  I was then able to sit down and watch Joan Rivers perform her comedy sketch where she talks about ageing and 95-years olds taking viagra, having sex and almost setting each other on fire with the dry friction - lol!!!

Conclusions

My DH was very concerned at my deterioration and felt I should call or visit the doctor next week.  I then had the problem of pacifying him, on top of everything else!  I told him if I went to the doctor, he would try and cover himself by having me take all kinds of kidney lab tests.  I could be in the system for months, with no solution.  I told him I understood what was happening to me and that this is the result of being an adrenalin junkie when I was younger.  I also realise that my kidneys were very involved in my cycle, probably from the age of 35, when my PMS got a lot worse.  I can see now that the elusive 'electrolyte crisis' that was mentioned as the probable cause of my migraines, in all likelihood started in my kidneys!  Fascinating.

Here is the little video that helped me to understand what's happening to me.   I've since downloaded this doctor's kindle book (OMG, another kindle book - don't tell my DH!)

JAMES WILSON - AUTHOR OF ADRENAL FATIGUE - THE 21st CENTURY SYNDROME

Here is a great interview with the author of the above leading book on this endocrine crisis, which he names simply, as 'Adrenal Fatigue'.  The section that's of particular interest in the video is from 14.29 minutes onwards, where he discusses perimenopausal hormonal imbalance leading to adrenal fatigue.  (Personally, I never realised the adrenals had to take over as much as 40% of sex hormone production after your ovaries have dried out - that's a lot of work for my little worn out walnuts!)  

A Word More About Adrenal Problems

Addisons Disease is the very extreme end of low Cortisol production.  Low Cortisol production is the result of longterm stress.  Cortisol protects us from the short term stress response, by giving us anti-inflammatory protection etc, but when the adrenals are depleted, Cortisol production tails off, hence the overwhelming feeling of fatigue sets in.  

The thing that worries me most about longterm adrenal fatigue is how it can also be a precursor of diabetes.  This is why even though in this condition I know eating sugary things would give me a much needed lift, I have to resist the temptation to do that, as I really don't want to get Diabetes, if I can avoid it.  After all, Diabetes is a Western Disease.

Cushing's Syndrome: When there is a high amount of Cortisole in the body, it can lead to a condition known as Cushing's Disease. This is one of many hormonal disorders that is related to type 2 diabetes,

Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/enlarged-adrenal-gland.html

All this serves to show that longterm stress is very bad for us and taking time out to relax and do nothing is not a sin or a bad thing to do.  

Funny though how when we do NOTHING, you end up feeling a lot worse than if you were actually doing something.