Important Addison's Links

• National Adrenal Foundation
• Addison's Owner's Manual - print out 3. One for you, one for your spouse, one for your doctor. It's a great way to get to know this disease and how to live with it.
• How to Give an Emergency Injection - Something every Addisonian MUST keep in with your injection kit.
• Emergency Information Form - A form that tells medical professionals what to do with you in case of emergency. Keep one on file at home and one with my emergency injection kit. I also send one to the Medical Director of any race in which I participate. THIS FORM SAVED MY LIFE ONCE ALREADY.
• PubMed - a fantastic, free way to search for journal abstracts and medical information
• MedScape - another fantastic, free way to get legitimate medical information.
• AN EXCELLENT SUMMARY OF ADDISON'S DISEASE GEARED TOWARD THE MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. MedScape account (free) needed.
• Dusty's tips to getting a diagnosis when you're in Diagnosis Hell
• Hope Oasis - a supportive friendly forum for people with Addison's disease or people looking for a diagnosis.
• MedicAlert - one piece of jewelery that no Addisonian should be without. It could save your life.
• Spread your hydrocortisone doses to mimic the natural circadian rhythm of cortisol release:

o Evaluation of two replacement regimens in primary adrenal insufficiency patients. effect on clinical symptoms, health-related quality of life and biochemical parameters.

o An assessment of optimal hydrocortisone replacement therapy.

o Comparison of different regimens of glucocorticoid replacement therapy in patients with hypoadrenalism.

o Improvement of treatment of primary adrenal insufficiency by administration of cortisone acetate in three daily doses.

o Replacement therapy in Addison's disease.

o Management of adrenal insufficiency in different clinical settings. (My favorite journal abstract!)

o Therapeutic strategies in adrenal insufficiency.

Migraines and Addison's disease

Here's where I'm going to put some commentary. This will be boring if you're not affected by a chronic, debilitating condition. Heck, it might be boring if you are...

I've had migraines since my 13th birthday, over 25 years of migraines. They have been very inconsistent. I never know when I'm going to get one and they are ALWAYS debilitating for hours or days. Sometimes I get one and it goes away and sometimes I get several for days in a row. There are many symptoms in the days leading up to it. Sometimes I get the symptoms and a migraine, sometimes I get the symptoms and no migraine. When I do get the actual migraine, it's always preceded by an "aura" where I can't see and I get really, really stupid. If I don't do something about it (take a pill), I will get a headache like no other and I will vomit. The nausea and vomiting are the toughest part of having Addison's and migraines. With Addison's, vomiting can be dangerous because we have to have cortisone to live. If one can't keep the cortisone down, it can be life threatening. With nausea, it can be difficult to take the cortisone as well because cortisone can be hard on the stomach, upsetting it more. It's a vicious cycle!

Anyway...the migraines are debilitating. I spent 2 days the week after the 50 completely unable to do more than lay on the couch. I went to the ER for nausea and then, later in the week, to the doctor's office for nausea meds, pain killers (first time requesting them in 25 years!) and a head CT with contrast. I spent one day down last week with a migraine too.

Migraines suck. If you have any hints or suggestions, please make a comment OR email me at contact@addisonssuport.com. I'm currently trying to go gluten free and chocolate free but I don't have high hopes for any success. The most frustrating thing about these suckers is that they are so unpredictable and unexpected. I hate being slowed down, I'm slow enough as it is!