Adrenal Fatigue has led to my first ever Kidney Infection

'When it rains, it pours' as they say...

My DH was so concerned about my health he forced me to visit the GP.  I'm glad I did, because after a clinical examination, he confirmed I had a kidney infection (on top of everything else!).

I had no idea my condition had deteriorated as much as that, as I presented with no fever or burning upon passing water, just lower backache.  It was only discovered upon clinical examination.  He put me on 250mg of antibiotics and sent me for a blood test.

As I said last time, I fully understand what's happening to my body.  Its trying to cope with TWO new eventualities:

1.  Adrenal Fatigue - probably caused by excessive bleeding and poor diet.  Anaemia was the first part of it, but now its a different kind of fatigue.

2.  Ovaries Stopped Ovulating - It's my belief that if my ovaries hadn't packed-up working, my endocrine system would not have put the extra burden on my adrenals to make 40% of my sex hormones, and in turn, this would not have compromised my general kidney function.

Adrenal Fatigue & Kidney Infection - Rolled into One
Looking back, I think I've been ill for about 6 weeks or so.  It was sort of, worse, than anaemia because it made me fall backwards, which I've never experienced before!

I felt really cold and even became a little incoherent.    But the really weird thing, as compared to typical anaemia, was that mental concentration was not as difficult to achieve as was physical  concentration.  Even maintaining my posture was almost impossible during the very worst of it.  Also, I kept fretting about and things I felt unable to do.  But looking back, I think the very worst symptom was that my legs just refused to do what I said.  I would try to stand up and it was like they were not getting the message from my brain.  I now realise it was chronically low adrenaline/cortisol that caused this.  It actually felt as if my legs were like lead or concrete, made of solid matter rather, than flesh and bone?  I was totally washed out!  

I never want to experience that kind of fatigue again, if I can at all help it!! 

So I decided I needed to get wise quickly to know how to get well, in the shortest available time.  I quickly found two things that have helped me a lot.  

1.  I started taking Adrenal Cortex Extract capsules (of Bovine origin), 50mg.  I take three a day.  I'm taking them as per the advice of Dr James Wilson, in his book Adrenal Fatigue: 21st Century Stress Syndrome.  His book does not specify whether you should take extract from Bovine or Porcine origin, but I note interestingly, that on his website, he sells the medication of Porcine extraction, only!  

The point of taking this medication is that it is supposed to help you recover from Adrenal Fatigue much faster than lying around resting, which is out of the question for most people.  It's recommended for moderate symptoms.  But for acute symptoms, you would need to take a much stronger composition in liquid form.

I wanted the liquid form but its not available in the UK and they wont permit shipping from the US for this product on amazon.com.    

From what I've read so far, if I visit my doctor with adrenal fatigue, he'll no doubt give me steroids - which I have NO intention to taking.  So, I'm self-medicating upon Dr Wilson's advice.    

2.  I also started taking Vitex Agnus Castus, two capsules of 400mg each, twice a day.  I'm taking this because, interestingly in contrast, it targets the pituitary gland and helps you to make more of your own progesterone as well as lowering prolactin levels.  A lot of women take this substance for fertility problems (presenting typically as low progesterone) and PMS, but also for menopausal symptoms (yippee!).  

Agnus Castus wont be a forever thing, but for the next few months, hopefully, it should help to level out progesterone levels, especially at night.  Because I'm finding that Natural Progesterone Cream is not really getting me through the night and I need to get up, pass water, then apply the cream, before I can go to sleep again.    

I've noticed two things happening while taking Vitex Agnus Castus.

a.  I perspire again!  Remember, I said I wasn't perspiring ages ago and that it worried me that I may be overheating because of this?  

Well, Agnus Castus seems to be correcting that situation.  It means I get less of those strange pulsating twinges across my head, which always remind me of a brewing migraine.  

b.  I've also noticed the reinstatement of slight panic attacks type anxiety symptoms in the afternoon.  

Its a wild guess, but I think Agnus Castus is helping me to make more testosterone again?  I need to read further into this, but always during my cycle, when I was making more testosterone, I would get quite anxious and have panic attacks.  This was very much part of PMS for me.

I'll monitor the situation regarding the increased anxiety, but I intend to persevere with Agnus Castus because I've thought for a long time that my pituitary was possibly not performing properly? even when I was really well, like 10 years ago?

So, you can see, I'm trying desperately to cope with several health issues at the same time:

1.  Adrenal Fatigue

2.  Perimenopause (last stages)

3.  Thyroid dysfunction (due to low progesterone production and low Iodine intake)

4.  Dieting (often at starvation levels)

5.  Possible pituitary dysfunction (since birth, no doubt)

6.  Oestrogen dominance (for the last 10 years)

7.  Low progesterone (definitely for more than 10 years)

8.  My first ever kidney infection

9.  Migraine (really bad last 14 months)

10.Ongoing stress (work and home)/

About the stress.  Remember I said I was suffering uncontrollable stress - mainly due to our dog's health?  Well I found out recently that the real reason I couldn't stop the stress, may have been because I was actually chronically deficient in magnesium.  

Since I read recently that 'magnesium puts the brakes on the flow of adrenaline'. 


I found that information out coincidentally, and was surprised that it was a subject that hadn't been covered in the book on Magnesium that I download a couple of months ago, called: The Magnesium Solution for Migraine Headaches
Well I suppose the emphasis of that book was really about pain relief from Magnesium.

Its a shame it wasn't covered, as the need for us all to have enough magnesium to prevent us becoming chronically stressed, is a wonderful preventative piece of advice, surely?  I wish I'd learned that when I was in my mid-thirties and going hammer and tongs at everything in my life: such as, organising charity events, bringing up children, working long hours, studying part-time, house renovations and alcohol consumption, to name a few...

Quite honestly, the life I've lived the past 15 years has really come home to roost during these perimenopausal/menopausal stages of the game.  I've had to ask myself: What kind of an old woman do you want to be?

1.  I want to remain slim
2.  I want to be fit - be able to walk 5 miles a day, if needs be
3.  I dont want to get Alzheimers - if I can supplement and avoid it, because I think it probably is a dietary disease.  
4.  I dont want Osteoporosis - my aunt had it, she died in a hundred little pieces, her deterioration was the most devastating thing to observe  - the poor thing, God rest her soul!
5.  I still want to do millions of things and have the energy for all of them
6.  I dont want my face or hair to deteriorate to the point of invisibility
7.  I want to balance my hormones and not end up an emotional wreck that buys crap from the internet to fill emotional holes.

(My GP confirmed: it is medically possible to come off HRT suddenly.  But reiterated that I should never have been prescribed it in the first place (by my private doctor), due to my history of migraine! - how comforting!!)

About DHEA
I've read that because I'm currently suffering Adrenal Fatigue, I wont be able to really notice the effects of DHEA until that's under control.   

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.