About 2 years ago my Type 1 Diabetes was complicated by yet another endocrine nightmare. I had been getting more and more exhausted, lost weight again, constantly stayed out of breath and was aquiring an unusual tan.  During this transition I was moving from Alaska to Texas for the winter.  Normally I took 7 units of humulog with meals and lantus at night.  By the time I had been in TX a month I was taking a half unit of humulog and no medicine at night and barely keeping my blood sugars normal with that.  And I craved salt.  Constantly.  All day and all night.  If I was awake, I was eating salt!

I went to the Corpus Christi ER about once or twice a week, where they insisted I had heat exhaustion, since I was recently in from Alaska.  They couldn't explain how that could be so, seeing as I grew up in Florida and had lived in Arizona, south Cali, Hawai'i and Alabama.  My family had to drag me to Summit ER in Nashville, TN for me to be correctly diagnosed as having  a rare disease called Addison's.

It seemed as if life just may be over, with yet another very serious and life-threatening problem to deal with.  I wondered if I would ever be able to normally breathe or have any energy.  Then the meds started to go to work.  The fludrocortizone caused me to puff up with no much fluid that I would awake looking like a puffer fish.  When I woke up and could not see for the swelling I called my endo doc and he took me off the fludrocortizone (which I now take in very small doses with no issues).

I often have problems with the diabetes that are caused by the Addison's.  I just recently finally believed my doctor and have come to understand how to balance the two.  Day to day illness is very serious for me and this past winter's flu sent me to the hospital for a week, and to the ER 4 or 5 times.  I have been climbing back to health, though, the past few weeks.

I am headed on to a new adventure this summer, again working in Alaska.  I have learned to take it easy when needed, but I have also learned that I can still have my life, and I can have it mostly the way I like it.

The above symptoms are textbook for Addison's Disease.  If you have any of these issues please contact an endocrinologist!  It can sometimes take years to be diagnosed; the sooner you are diagnosed the less damage is done to your adrenal glands!  Also, many doctors overlook the symptoms since Addison's is rare and not well known.

Happy Adventuring!