Thanks for the update.Hi all, I have a major update, and a massive relief for me, as now I have been diagnosed, and I am feeling better after just starting the treatment and just knowing.
I've been talking to my GP about going to Dignitas and ending it, but then a few days later, I couldn't believe I had said this to him. And now I have proper treatment, but it's a life-changing one, which I'm lucky for catching it before it was too late. So an answer for my many symptoms, low BM, very high lymphocytes, excruciating pain in my back gut and chest, immune system crashing, which kept giving my shingles, anxiety and panic attacks, hardly being able to eat at all at times, and only managing some basic foods after starting PPI, and losing around half of my body weight, low blood pressure, tinnitus hearing problems and on and off vision problems, falling over and hurting myself all the time, falling unconscious, steatorrhea and being sick on waking, confusion and anger, not being able to leave my home for weeks on end, losing teeth, ad now needing £10k in work and so much more. But first, I'll explain what happened and what freaked me out yesterday.
I went to my GP for another morning blood test, as the doctor didn't believe my test results from 2 weeks before, and the ones 2–3 weeks before that. The tests went well. So I went home and later went to bed, only to wake up at 11:30 PM with 10 missed calls that I did not recognise and 10 voicemail messages, so half asleep I started listening to them only to find out they were from two doctors and other NHS staff calling me, and they were demanding that I pick up the next call from them as my life could be in danger, this set my anxiety off thought the roof!! Then at midnight, a doctor rang me and said I need to get to the hospital immediately, and as I was talking to him, I could hear the police shouting they are about to break down the door, so I answered the door only to find the police with an ambulance & paramedics, so I had no choice but to go with them to the hospital, and they hammered it all the way there, the driver said he was doing 110MPH at times! Only then was I told why, that my 9 am blood test had shown my Cortisol levels was at just 18 nmol/L, and anything under 150 nmol/L is concerning, and under 50 nmol/L is life-threatening, as I could go into a coma or worse die.
So I had loads of tests and brain scans, seen loads of doctors, then the top Endocrinology doctor in the County travelled a long way just to see me at this hospital, and after injecting me twice and both times waiting 30/60 minutes, I was diagnosed with Addison's disease! Many other things were found to be caused by Addison's disease, too, like swelling in my brain, and my own antibodies were attacking all my organs. They had to give me some big injections, which I need every week now, and they put me on Hydrocortisone 4 times a day. Also, I'm now under this Endocrinology doctor, which is a pain as I will need to travel to his specialist clinic, which is 6+ hours there and back every other week, and I need daily checkups. So I was having an Addisonian crisis, they said.
I'm off to sleep, having been up with them sticking pins in me for 22 hours.
Your chart shows American A1c measurements, not in mmol/mol, which would be 48 (or 6.5%) for diabetes, or 42 - 47 for pre- diabetes, and under 42 as normal. I am also confused by a diagnosis based on one result of 48 mmol/mol, the others lower, but you'll have to ask your endocrinologist to clarify. Now that you are being treated for Addison's, does your CGM show spikes after carby meals? A1c is an average, so doesn't reveal extreme fluctuations. How are you feeling btw?Thank you for the positive feedback. It really does bring me happiness knowing that this forum is full of caring people, and I'm so glad I found this placeBut what do you make of this? This is A1c testing this year, every 3-4 weeks.
I've just read a letter from my endocrinologist to my GP saying I have diabetes, and something about how I'm not able to control it properly: "he has poorly controlled diabetes"
Can anyone explain to me how I'm diabetic, when my A1c levels range from 28 to 48 mmol/mol, when it looks like it needs to be much lower, like 6.7 mmol?
Also, mine changes from 32, 28, 30, 33, 38, 38, 32, 40, 38, 42, then just 2 days later it was 48, how can that be if it's meant to be an average of 12 weeks? And I'm getting tested every 3-4 weeks.
I know I'm seeing the endocrinologist in just 2 weeks. What should I ask him? I'm really confused now.
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I only saw your post now.Hi all, a little update, around 2 weeks ago I reduced my Hydrocortisone from 40mg to 20mg in one day like I was instructed by the hospital and next day started feeling unwell, and fell asleep missing my last dose, well I woke up in the start of an Adrenal crisis, luckily I had someone with me to call a doctor as I didn't know what was going on, but 20 minutes after taking an extra 20mg of Hydrocortisone I was feeling nearly normal again, and for the first time in my life I had a doctor have a really bad go at me about missing my dose! I mean, he was shouting at me. I now understand how serious my condition really is, and now properly learnt about the sick day rules and signs etc, and that I can't take any chances, the doctor put me back up to 40mg per day until I saw the endocrinologist, who I saw last week.
The appointment with the two endocrinologists went very well, but I was given the wrong instruction to cut the Hydrocortisone by 50% in one go, it was meant to be over 4 to 6 weeks, so now this is what I'm doing.
Now I've a new problem, my left leg from my knee to my hip lost all feeling about 4 days ago, it felt like it was asleep, so I think it's Peripheral Neuropathy, but last night it really started hurting, and today it's killing me, it feels like when a nurse hit my sciatic nerve when giving me an injection some years ago, tramadol and some diazepam stopped the pain for around 4 hours this morning so I could get a bit of sleep, but now I can't walk on it, as I have little feeling down to my foot, and my right foot has lost most feeling now too, I'm going to see my GP in the morning, that's if I can move, my sister who is type 1 gets Peripheral Neuropathy, and said it sounds like what she has had when her BG are high or something like that, but my BG is around 5 to 7 today.
I was thinking of taking an extra tramadol and diazepam tonight so I can get some sleep, but that will take me over what I'm prescribed. So, can anyone advise me what I can do that will relive the pain? I'm thinking of drinking some strong cider, just to help me sleep, but I don't want to start drinking too much again, but the pain is really killing me, it feels like my leg is on fire, and that tendons are snapping inside. Maybe a cool or warm bath? or is there any creams etc that can help?
It's not edema, lower leg and foot is normal, but I had a little swelling on my right ankle after starting hydrocortisone, but thats gone now. This was in the most pain I've ever thought possible this morning, it's like my nerve endings were on max pain, I was shouting and screening for about 2 hours after waking up, only after taking 200mg of tramadol, and 20mg of hydrocortisone did the pain ease away, but still felt like a blow touch was burning my upper front leg. A GP came and saw me, and said he was going to put me on Oramorph, but could not because I had taking tramadol, so he reminded me to take 10mg of Diazepam which really helped, I had forgotten to take it, as I just couldn't think with that much pain, I'm still in much pain, but at least I can now think and talk ect.if your not able to wait for your appt. i would suggest perhaps going to a&e at the hospistal where the specialist consulatant your seeing is based if at all possible. sending more hugs hoping you find something helps to ease the pain and hopefully a more perm solution is found quickly
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