A new lifestyle magazine called, Harmony, is on the news stands in high end health food stores such as Whole Foods and Sunflower Market, as well as Wal Mart. Harmony, geared towards working women, gives tips on finding the balance in our lives to focus on body, beauty, fitness, family, and food. There is also a section on health, and I was interviewed to discuss my journey with Conn's disease.
Unfortunately, the magazine is not on-line, so you have to purchase it to read the article. On page 94, under the title "Medical Mystery Illness," I discuss my adventures with this rare and frustrating disease. It was great to be able to speak honestly about a hormonal illness so few doctors understand. Hopefully it will help anyone out there questioning their symptoms.
Buy it and spread the word!
http://www.foliomag.com/2011/source-interlink-expands-womens-market-new-magazine
Sunday 20 February 2011
Wednesday 9 February 2011
Two years after Surgery
It's almost two years since the adrenalectomy. I've received numerous inquiries about how I feel and handle stress, so I am dedicating this post to those questions.
I'll start by saying I have nothing but gratitude for having the opportunity for surgery. I am off ALL meds (I took 7), and my life has improved substantially. If anyone reading this is on the fence about surgery, I say do it. I may have one adrenal gland, but I am more active now than I was while I had Conn's. I feel like I have a second chance. And I intend to live my life cleaner, healthier and smarter, and so far, so I have been. Yet... there are limitations, and I believe I will have these for life. So I take the good with the bad as long as the bad doesn't involve a hormone called aldosterone.
Now about the stress... as many of you know there is little information about Conn's out there, but there is even less information on life after Conn's and surgery. I have asked doctors and visited all sorts of sites to see what a mono-adrenal life will be like, and guess what? No one knows for sure. Doctor's say there is no problem, but without medical documentation, they really don't know. We are indeed a special bunch.
Here's what I can tell you from my personal experience, emotional stress is harder for me to tolerate than physical. It may be the reverse for others, but I have found when dealing with irate people or those looking to pick a fight, I tend to walk away (flight is better than fight). The past few years were filled with stress, especially with my family. Last fall was a very difficult time for me, I was trying to fix up and sell a house in order to relocate to another state, all the while taking care of an aging parent who was ill. I had a sibling who insisted on making everyone's life miserable through abusive bossiness. After endless interactions left me completely fatigued, I realized I had to subtract myself from the equation in order to take care of my emotional and physical health. So I stopped dealing with her and focused on the care of my parent and my life. It saved me from further anxiety and losing more days catching up to a normal level of energy. Avoiding certain conflicts to survive is the best way after going through six years of stress in getting a diagnosis.
So, do we have to perpetually fly away from all of life's turbulent winds just to survive? I don't know. But I can say getting out of emotionally stressful situations is what I need to do NOW. As much as I want to handle stress and tell bullies off, I know my body can't take it. I also know this is a very isolating disease, most people simply can't understand the effects it has had on us. I am lucky to have a very special man in my life that has been there through thick and thin, when my family wasn't. Confiding in a someone you know you can trust is crucial to healing. I highly suggest this for anyone with Conn's. You NEED to have a supportive soul present.
Now the physical... I work out almost daily and feel stronger each week. The down side of this is: I relocated three months ago to a location 7000 feet above sea-level, so altitude adjustment has played quite a role. I started to feel like the old Conn's days and got very depressed. Sometimes, even just walking has been exhausting. But the longer I'm here, the better that gets! If I feel shaky on the treadmill, I simply get off and go home. But for the past month, I have had incredible energy and am feeling more and more like my old self. I still need to lose weight, but I attribute this more to the incredible food in New Mexico than Conn's!
Hopefully some of this helped those of you about to go through surgery or are on the mend. I hope and pray through time, I will be more equipped at dealing with emotional stress. It can be hard on the ego leaving in the middle of something that goes against your moral grain. But maybe that too is a part of the journey. Having this disease changed my life in ways I have a hard time expressing. I can only hope my words here help and something is learned by us all.
I'll start by saying I have nothing but gratitude for having the opportunity for surgery. I am off ALL meds (I took 7), and my life has improved substantially. If anyone reading this is on the fence about surgery, I say do it. I may have one adrenal gland, but I am more active now than I was while I had Conn's. I feel like I have a second chance. And I intend to live my life cleaner, healthier and smarter, and so far, so I have been. Yet... there are limitations, and I believe I will have these for life. So I take the good with the bad as long as the bad doesn't involve a hormone called aldosterone.
Now about the stress... as many of you know there is little information about Conn's out there, but there is even less information on life after Conn's and surgery. I have asked doctors and visited all sorts of sites to see what a mono-adrenal life will be like, and guess what? No one knows for sure. Doctor's say there is no problem, but without medical documentation, they really don't know. We are indeed a special bunch.
Here's what I can tell you from my personal experience, emotional stress is harder for me to tolerate than physical. It may be the reverse for others, but I have found when dealing with irate people or those looking to pick a fight, I tend to walk away (flight is better than fight). The past few years were filled with stress, especially with my family. Last fall was a very difficult time for me, I was trying to fix up and sell a house in order to relocate to another state, all the while taking care of an aging parent who was ill. I had a sibling who insisted on making everyone's life miserable through abusive bossiness. After endless interactions left me completely fatigued, I realized I had to subtract myself from the equation in order to take care of my emotional and physical health. So I stopped dealing with her and focused on the care of my parent and my life. It saved me from further anxiety and losing more days catching up to a normal level of energy. Avoiding certain conflicts to survive is the best way after going through six years of stress in getting a diagnosis.
So, do we have to perpetually fly away from all of life's turbulent winds just to survive? I don't know. But I can say getting out of emotionally stressful situations is what I need to do NOW. As much as I want to handle stress and tell bullies off, I know my body can't take it. I also know this is a very isolating disease, most people simply can't understand the effects it has had on us. I am lucky to have a very special man in my life that has been there through thick and thin, when my family wasn't. Confiding in a someone you know you can trust is crucial to healing. I highly suggest this for anyone with Conn's. You NEED to have a supportive soul present.
Now the physical... I work out almost daily and feel stronger each week. The down side of this is: I relocated three months ago to a location 7000 feet above sea-level, so altitude adjustment has played quite a role. I started to feel like the old Conn's days and got very depressed. Sometimes, even just walking has been exhausting. But the longer I'm here, the better that gets! If I feel shaky on the treadmill, I simply get off and go home. But for the past month, I have had incredible energy and am feeling more and more like my old self. I still need to lose weight, but I attribute this more to the incredible food in New Mexico than Conn's!
Hopefully some of this helped those of you about to go through surgery or are on the mend. I hope and pray through time, I will be more equipped at dealing with emotional stress. It can be hard on the ego leaving in the middle of something that goes against your moral grain. But maybe that too is a part of the journey. Having this disease changed my life in ways I have a hard time expressing. I can only hope my words here help and something is learned by us all.
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