Adrenal Fatigue

Kelekat · May 2011

Even though I've exercised and restricted my food intake to 1,200 calories or below, I've been gaining and losing the same two pounds for about a week now. This is, as you can imagine, an extremely frustrating situation.

But I've also had some other things going on that makes me wonder if I don't have something else happening in my body and I wondered if anyone else has battled the same symptoms, and whether or not you've received an actual diagnosis of a physical problem.

1. Weight gain in the mid-section that won't go away.
2. Waking up in the mid-portion of the night or
3. Unable to fall asleep
4. Mid-day fatigue
5. Reduced tolerance for stress
6. Sweet and salty cravings

I've been battling all of these for some months now. I don't remember the last time that I actually slept through the night. I wake up and stay awake for 30 minutes or more EVERY night. Most of my weight gain has been in my midsection and I'd never tended toward that sort of weight gain in my entire life. And now, after a relatively easy eight pound loss (four pounds before I joined the site) I've been regaining and losing the same two pounds for a week or more.

I've been doing some internet research and these symptoms seem to point to adrenal fatigue. I've seen two general practioners though and they completely poo-poo the idea of adrenal fatigue. I'm not sure how to go about finding a doctor who will listen to me in the San Diego area.

So, I'd appreciate any feed back y'all might have.

misskimlilac · May 2011

Hmmm well I have two thoughts and I know they are conflicting so bare with me. First of all I am of the mind set that we seek medical help when we need a professional opinion , if you don't believe or trust the opinion then why go in the first place.... I have to remind myself on a occasion that they have alot more experience than I do and I pay them to know more about my health also. Self diagnosis and the internet are not the best advise out there, not that it hurts to educate yourself but leave it to a trusted practioner. That said and this is where it gets conflicting... If you feel in your gut something is really wrong with a diagnosis then listen to your instincts, you only know truly how it feels in your body. I know that didn't help huh? How old are you? I have all of the symptoms you listed also but my MD warned me about 9 years ago that as I age those things could happen, she also said because of these things losing weight would increasingly become more difficult over the years, she was absolutely right. Thankfully I am getting it all back under control. For me the hardest thing to deal with is not sleeping... for this I have tried many different sleep aides but in January I went off of those meds when I started exercising a lot, it has made all the difference! I hope you figure this out, I know you must be frustrated. If you need support pleas feel free to add me, I can offer you support

diverdi · May 2011

Loking at your signature you mention hot flashes, so I assume you are menopausal, and most of those symptoms could be attributed to the menopause too. As oestrogen levels drop you weight pattern changes from the female hourglass deposition type to the male central, or apple shape. It would also explain the night waking and tiredness.
Now I'm not a fan of HRT generally as I think the risks outweight the benefits and that as it's a natural process we should just try to ride it out. there are various herbal remedies around that may help or if you're truly desperate you could talk to your MD about HRT.
Obviously if you are not menopausal ignore all that!

Kelekat · May 2011

I'm peri-menopausal--thus the hot flashes--not much fun.

I do expect weight loss to become more difficult with age and I am working toward a more strenous work out schedule to further prod my weight loss--I was in a car accident in 2003 that ruptured some discs in my back, so I have to go at new stuff slowly--which I am doing with weight training three times a week (which I hope to increase).

I have some thyroid symptoms as well which have led me to believe that I am suffering from adrenal fatigue and I agree that my fluctuating hormone levels are likely adding to the soup which has become the chemical imbalance in my body.

I have a feeling though, that unless I find a doctor willing to listen to me, I'm not going to overcome some of the problems I'm having.

takingbackmylife · May 2011

Kelekat, Just wanted to add my two cents.. The fact that you are peri would definately contribute to the hot flashes... and from what i have been reading, sounds like that is also a sign of low progesterone~or Estrogen Dominance which happens as we age and prepare for Menopause. Now, i have also been reading that Hormones play a huge part in not only messing with the thyroid function, but also then weight. Yes, as we age these things change and yes this can be why our weight shifts so low gear. However, i also am fighting with adrenal fatigue and understand where you are coming from. Im guessing that you had your cortisol checked? Did you start seeing a shift after your car accident with issues with weight loss? Has is gotten slower and slower to lose and faster to gain it back after the wreck even if you have worked out hard or well and eaten right?

I agree with Misskimlilac,about going to doctors for an expert opinion and trusting it, but i also feel that too many doctors are not trained in areas outside their main interst, so if you happen to have some symptoms that dont mean anything to them in the way they have been trained/schooled, then they might not recognize what is going on. And in that situation, either wont be able to help you, or might not even know what direction to send you for a specialists opinion. So, go with your gut, but also be willing to think outside of the box yourself so that you can continue to try new things til you get it right

I also agree that its very important to be getting exercise for the benefits it provides for sleep and mood boosting. Here is a paragraph i pulled from an article i read:

Dopamine is the neurochemical that is responsible for sleeping and waking cycles. While we may not recognize when dopamine is correctly balanced, we certainly know when our sleeping and waking cycles have been disrupted. Commonly described as “jet lag”, a disruption in our sleeping and waking cycle is caused by an imbalance in the dopamine level. Dopamine stores can become depleted with chronic stress, or anxiety, and intense trauma, starvation or low carbohydrate diets. Dopamine can also be affected by serotonin levels, becoming depleted when serotonin is depleted. Likewise, dopamine levels can be elevated by elevating the serotonin level. Therefore, performing long duration exercise at moderate intensity can elevate dopamine levels.
Its also very important for weight loss to make sure we have strength! Muscles equal burning power when we are not even moving! For every pound of lean muscle we burn 50 cals a day... that would be like running at a 10min/mile pace for 20 mins.. 2 miles. This would equal 200 cals burned without even doing anything.

There is a great site i would like to share with you about the different chemical responses in the brain and how they work on our moods and sleeping. It is: clairedorotik.com I found it very interesting, even more so for those of us struggling with adrenal issues. It mentions not going "all out" on exericse cardio.. that it can actuallly hinder the adrenals the same way as stress, being scared, or even as i dealing with a real trauma. Hmmm.

I'm not sure where you live but take a look at the website: wisonssyndrome.com it talks about low body temp and the correlation between low/high body temps and the way we feel. There is a place where you can enter where you live by state and it will pull up a list of doctors that think outside of the box as well.

Lastly, i also enjoyed the book "Adrenal Fatigue, the 21st century stress syndrome" by Doctor Wilson. And you can see about it on: adrenalfatigue.org Best of luck to you! Another avenue i would question if you havent looked into it is the thyroid function and if it has been normal, maybe look into Reverse T3. Just a thought.

I am so on a mission to get myself out of this rut. Its been 2 years of testing, hurting, and wondering if ill ever figure out whats going on inside of me. Hope you don't mind me sharing what i have been looking at.

Have a great night.
Michelle

Adrenal Fatigue

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