All in the mind? Please help!

[Keela]

Great rant Mallow! Yup I agree.... although my doctor has actually been incredibly understanding and helpful.

However a friend - who should know me better - has already told me off for not "pushing on through the pain"! She has health issues herself and does push herself too far (a bit of a martyr) but has no understanding that my illness is different to hers! Nor that pushing does escalating damage.

Nexus - I've still to see what the CF clinic is going to recommend after all the bloods they did, but will bear the MS therapy idea in mind.

I see the numbers on the petition are going gradually up - thank you to all those who have passed it forward - I guess it will either take off now or start to stagnate. Petitions are so hard to get off the ground.

Anyway thanks again for all the support - today has been one of my best days in weeks and we're having a small gathering tonight (BBQ) for my daughter's 18th birthday! Yay!

Keep well all!

[dudley]

My suspicion is that ME an autoimmune based disease that is related to the stress of modern living. What I mean by that is that stress reduces the body's capacity cope with physical diseases that may attack it due to an over production of cortisone. Cortisone basically kills white T cells whose job it is to protect you. The body basically begins to attack itself in response to to both physical and psychological stressors. Think anaphylactic shock by way of an extreme example. However, once such an inappropriate auto immune response has been triggered, the human body can then be put on a permanent hair trigger whereby even minor physical and psychological stressors can re-ingnite the autoimmune system to go into overdrive and for some people their bodies can get totally stuck in this cycle.

Quite possibly, although my cortisol levels are below the normal range right now.

The disease associated with low cortisone levels is Addison's Disease and the one associated with high cortisone levels is Cushing's Disease

I have Addison's disease, the full-blown version, in which the body doesn't produce any cortisone. The past few days I've had a cold and had to take extra cortisone. Addison's disease is thought to be an autoimmune disease in some cases or caused by tuberculosis in others. Extra cortisone is needed for either physical or mental stress. I teach and don't need to take extra cortisone for that.

If you have trouble walking because you get out of breath, and have to stop for breaks frequently to catch it, it could be because your cortisone level isn't high enough. That's been my experience.

I have a friend who had ME or something like it and had to take a year off work.

Here's hoping you have a quick recovery.

[Keela]

Now 470 signatures! Thanks all who helped.


Interesting about the Addisons's - Although I don't think my levels were worryingly low. There are so many things that can be interconnected though! I'm going to ask loads of questions at my next hosp app!