Addisons and Diabetes anyone?

[suki]

Hi, Im new to the forum and am an old timer regarding diabetes, (42 years) but I have been very very tired and exhausted for several years now, and its getting worse.
I have been tested frequesntly for Addisons, I have a low cortisol level in the morning but after having an intravenous stress hormone test, the result was just below normal. i am therefore not being treated with cortisol.
i have dark patches on my legs over the bony areas and have low blood pressure which plummets down with the stand up sit down test.

I also have other auto immune conditions, vitiligo and hypothyroidism, which the latter has been tested and is fine on tablets.

Can anyone advise me on what sort of symptoms Addisons may bring?
My life has stopped on many occasion because I am exhausted, and then I find that occasionally I can feel fine before going back to exhaustion again I have given up work and am not able to commit myself to anything for fear of letting others down due to this exhaustion. to put you in the picture sometimes I cant hold back clothes in my wardrobe because I am too tired in my arms, or find walking upstairs a real challenge. It sounds pathetic I know, I wonder if it is due to night hypos?

Can anyone advise me on this? I have been told by the Endocrinologist that they expect me to deveop Addisons during my lifetime due to the other auto conditions that i have.
Also, I am on a very low dose of insulin and have inulin sensitivity and frequesnt hypos.

I think thats it, quite a meaty first post but if you can help then much appreciated.😱

 

[Northerner]

Hi Suki, welcome to the forum 🙂 I don't have any personal experience of Addison's but I know we have members who do, so hopefully they will be able to share their experiences with you when they look in 🙂

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Hi, Im new to the forum and am an old timer regarding diabetes, (42 years) but I have been very very tired and exhausted for several years now, and its getting worse.
I have been tested frequesntly for Addisons, I have a low cortisol level in the morning but after having an intravenous stress hormone test, the result was just below normal. i am therefore not being treated with cortisol.
i have dark patches on my legs over the bony areas and have low blood pressure which plummets down with the stand up sit down test.
These are classic symptoms of having addisons. I can not understand why you are not being treated with replacement steroids.
I also have other auto immune conditions, vitiligo and hypothyroidism, which the latter has been tested and is fine on tablets.

Can anyone advise me on what sort of symptoms Addisons may bring?
My life has stopped on many occasion because I am exhausted, and then I find that occasionally I can feel fine before going back to exhaustion again I have given up work and am not able to commit myself to anything for fear of letting others down due to this exhaustion. to put you in the picture sometimes I cant hold back clothes in my wardrobe because I am too tired in my arms, or find walking upstairs a real challenge. It sounds pathetic I know, I wonder if it is due to night hypos?
Been there and worn the Tshirt Your night hypos would I suspect be due to low cortisol levels
Can anyone advise me on this? I have been told by the Endocrinologist that they expect me to deveop Addisons during my lifetime due to the other auto conditions that i have.
If I was you I would ask your GP to refer you to an endo that specialises in Addison's disease. Your team is playing with your life. IMHO you aready have Addisons and should be being treated before it causes your death.
Also, I am on a very low dose of insulin and have inulin sensitivity and frequesnt hypos.
This is all to do with having very low cortisol levels. I suspect you are also having problems in righting the hypos as well.

I think thats it, quite a meaty first post but if you can help then much appreciated.😱

Hi Suki,
welcome to the forum.
I do infact have Addison's disease, so hopefully can help you out.
You have a lot of symptons that indicate addison's you do not have to have everyone in the book.
Addison's can sometimes be very sudden onset but other times it's slow onset where it can take many years to develope.
Before my diagnoses I was having 56 hypos a month felt like death warmed up. Like you some days I could not get out of bed as so exhusted and I did get to the stage where I could not climb the stairs.

If you can sum up the energy to do so write down a list of what is going on and give it to your GP and ask if this is an acceptable way to exist? Point out you are not living just existing.
Also tell him point blank you do not want to have an addison's crisis to confirm diagnoses.
Perhaps also copy your consultant into the list.
I have had a few addison's crisis in my time the last one nearly killed me so can assure you, you def do not want to go through one like that for a diagnoses.

Any questions or help you require just ask 🙂

Sue

 

[Ellie Jones]

Hi Suki

Glad you could make find your way here or should I say reliefed

Jo

 

[AlisonM]

I've had Addison's for many years, although there is an ongoing debate about whether it's Addison's or merely an adrenal insufficiency - at the moment it's Addison's. I'm currently on pills to replace the missing cortisol. The main worry for me has been occasional sudden and drastic drops in my red cell count. Until recently I had consistenly low blood pressure but the combination of drugs I'm on seem to have taken care of that for now. Other symptoms are very similar to those for diabetes, including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and pain in the legs and back.

From what you say, it certainly sounds like Addison's to me.