It’s time I admit it: I am useless at the end of a long day at work. Why do I bother making plans? How did I survive parenthood, let alone night school? I was much more energetic back then. These days I’m lucky if I can remember to put out the recycling.
It’s the adrenal fatigue, not a medical diagnosis but a collection of symptoms related to chronic stress. Stress causes the adrenal glands to pump out cortisol but it can only do so for so long before they crap out. At least that’s the theory. Since my premenstrual dysphoria (PMDD) can give me an acute adrenal crisis, I don’t care if “adrenal fatigue” is officially recognized by the medical establishment or not. Ignoring my adrenals can lead to repeat visits to the emergency room, which gets extremely expensive at $500 a pop, $1000 when an ambulance is involved.
Last weekend was borderline. I was alone, and managed to get some yogurt and chicken in my stomach and put myself to bed, fully dressed, shivering, under my blankets, to pray. On an 80 degree sunny day! I lost 2 pounds in 12 hours. Everything left me.
Yes, I’ve been to the doctor and I have a lab slip for a whole series of tests on this and that. I need to figure out what lab my new insurance will allow me to use. Meanwhile, I’ve finally connected the dots between my PMDD – which causes enormous stress – and my mystery trips to Never Neverland on the other side of my cycle. I can’t believe it took me this long to figure out. Crapped out adrenals, dammit. Or, if you prefer, plain old STRESS. All it took was super-imposing my food diary over my menstrual cycle, and voila: It always happens at the exact same time of the month, and always when I eat certain things, or neglect to eat other things, or forget to eat entirely. Dammit dammit dammit! Why didn’t I think of this before?
There’s even a “pupil test” one may do at home to determine whether or not one’s adrenals might be bugging:
To perform this on yourself, you’ll need a flashlight and a mirror. Face the mirror, and shine the light in one eye. If after 30 seconds the pupil (black center) starts to dilate (enlarge), adrenal deficiency should be suspected.
Why does this happen? During adrenal insufficiency, there is a deficiency of sodium and an abundance of potassium, and this imbalance causes an inhibition of the sphincter muscles of the eye. These muscles normally initiate pupil constriction in the presence of bright light. However, in adrenal fatigue, the pupils actually dilate when exposed to light.
I totally failed the pupil test on Saturday. By now I know exactly how an adrenal crisis feels, and what I need to do/NOT do, to make it better and keep myself out of the hospital: Eat salty proteins, and avoid potassium and stimulants. For once a trip to McDonalds for some beefy cheesy glory beats a banana and a cup of coffee.
Anyway, here I am, a few days later and I’m still recovering. I had a whole “to do list” to get through – I should have had my bedroom renovation finished by now – but I guess I should just cut myself some slack and say f*ck it. PHHHBLLT. It doesn’t matter.
7 responses so far ↓
Daniel // June 11, 2009 at 4:45 am |
Happy HNT to you as well!
It is nice to see you even if only for a Phhhhbblllttt.
I have to get back to my home work now.
I am sorry that you are not feeling well.
OKC // June 11, 2009 at 10:58 am |
A couple of times a year I’ll get slammed by an allergy attack that starts out with the shivers and shakes. I too end up under a pile of blankets. Just happens out of the blue. After a while the typical allergy symptoms catch up… It is funny though. When you’re sick and by yourself how quickly your mindset changes. That feeling of impending doom really sucks! Then, when it’s over, it’s like “WTH was THAT?”
Feel better, kiddo.
machinelf // June 11, 2009 at 1:51 pm |
A whole post about the perils of stress that ends with fretting over your to-do list? Classic!
Seriously, it sounds like you’re figuring things out (it’s amazing how simple our own stuff can be, and yet how blind to it we are), so congrats! I hope you feel better soon (just don’t start thinking of McDs as your savior!)
osbasso // June 11, 2009 at 6:39 pm |
Cutting one’s self some slack is the hardest thing to do. Take care of yourself!!!
Jason Rutberg // June 13, 2009 at 6:17 am |
Hello again. I enjoyed our email conversations about Advocacy Corporation and You Inc. last year.
I wanted to make you aware of this as you mentioned parenting and we really have a “parent” called the Central Banks and the other societies that as a “child” we have now grown up and now want to be independent.
So we are presenting a model of Holistic health – which we are prototyping in TX right now – to Barack Obama to present to the UN.
We are changing what Holistic Health means and I would love to hear your comments on what we are doing as you are one of the most intelligent women on the Internet. Most of all you are REAL.
Namaste
Jason Rutberg // June 13, 2009 at 6:27 am |
One more thing. Ever since encountering you on the Internet with your article on the Georgia conflict and how well you understood that before any pundits got involved I have felt that you really are a person who is very special.
I do not know people who are as real as you are and let it hang out… all of it…on the internet. That is taking honesty to a whole different level. Honesty is the most attractive quality of all and I suspect that’s how you got so much sex…
But back to the issue at hand. I read that you are in need of some medical help. Email me if you still have my email and I can put you in touch directly with some of the doctors who are helping us design our holistic health care package.
Perhaps you might even want to be involved in marketing it as you are one of the best journalists I am aware of.
Finally, this is the meet-up group forming in Dallas, TX as an initial prototype so you can get some more information for yourself about our progress and the doctors involved here:
http://www.meetup.com/thenewparadigm/
The Hedonistic Pleasureseeker // June 14, 2009 at 1:04 am |
Hello again Jason! So good to see you’re still “at it.”