I found the returns department for my body

[Betty]

As you all are more than well aware, I've gone from illness to injury to illness to injury............ for well over a decade. We now know why.

I've got a form of Addison's disease. It's a general term for your brain not telling certain glands in different systems of your body to produce the hormones you need. It affects different people in different ways. Some people only one system, some people multiple systems.

I have tested as not producing ANY epinephrine. In about two weeks (when my doc comes back to the country), we will test the other systems we suspect are affected, such as nervous, lymphatic, reproductive, and digestive. The doc will probably test additional systems as well. Sucky part is that it took a month for the bloodwork to come back saying that I'm not producing epinephrine. So that's a lot of waiting and wondering.

It was four hours of horrendously painful testing for the bloodwork I've already had. But I'm ready for whatever needs to be tested. I've been off of bedrest for about four months now, but before that, was on bedrest for almost two years. So I'm very much looking forward to getting back to life. And climbing non-jug-hauls. And cycling fast again. And working (I know that sounds crazy, but I miss being around people sooooo much!). Basically, I miss living, and having fun.

So thanks everyone for listening to my bitching and moaning over the years. Once I'm on replacement hormones, I should be healthy. After that, all I'll need to do is carry an epi-pin in case if I use up all of my synthetic epinephrine hiking or climbing or whatever and I suddenly get exhausted. I was exhausted while hiking out of Reimer's Ranch the other day, slipped, and bruised up a knee and got road rash on a forearm. That doesn't need to happen, and this will all be behind me really soon. Again, thanks for the support (for those of you who have been here for me).

[toivo]

oh my gosh betty. i hope you bounce from all this. sounds like you've been thinking it through. i hope you get feeling better! bouldering.

[Betty]

I'm not complaining. I'm freakin psyched that I'll be able to climb again soon. And my own family is so exhausted from the past two years that they don't want to get their hopes up. But the doc told me this is 100% treatable with zero side effects (cause we're just replacing what my body isn't making), so I'm PSYCHED!

[malachi]

modern science is amazing

congrats

[Betty]

Thanks malachi. JFK had a form of Addison's, and was the main cause of his exhaustion and hyper-sensitivity to pain and anxiety. But medicine understood this so poorly back then (before he was in office and while he was in office) that he struggled to get by with painkillers and speed from Dr. Feelgood. I never really understood that he had a disease that was doing this to him, so I just thought it was yet another one of his spoiled-brat things that he did. Having lived this for the past two years makes it make a lot more sense. (Not saying he wasn't a spoiled-brat though.)