Need pictures of Addisonians & 100 miles at Rocky Raccoon

First, I'd like to request pictures of other Addisonians.  I'd love to post them (without last names) here.  Email your pic to me, if you're interested, at contact@addisonssupport.com.

I've done it.  I signed up and paid for my entry to Rocky Raccoon's 100 mile race.  It's on February 7th and 8th in Huntsville, Texas.  I am hoping to finish in less than 30 hours.  Mostly, I'm hoping to finish.  Just typing this, I am getting very nervous.  Anyone running/walking/crawling 100 miles has something to be nervous about.  For most races, even short ones, a person creates a strategy for the race.  She has to decide when to eat, drink and what pace to do at what times.

A person with Addison's has another, very important, game plan to create.  I've got to figure out how to dose my hydrocortisone and florinef, when and how do I take my other meds (some are creams) during the race, how the heck does an Addisonian dose for staying up and being active all night long.  Electrolyte replacement is important for all runners but because Addisonian's don't retain salt as well as normals.  How does an Addisonian replace electrolytes optimally during a race when temperatures will probably be warm but not hot.  Hydration has to be maintained because dehydration leads to a trip to the ER and a trip to the ER can be a nightmare for us because doctors don't know how to treat us.  In addition, I've got to decide which meds to bring with me from my arsenal of Addison's meds.  I'm not kidding, my meds, syringes, supplements will take up a corner of my suitcase!  There's paperwork for the medical director, paperwork to carry on my person and paperwork for my big emergency kit.  The paperwork explains emergency protocol for treating me if I go down.  Also, I carry a small emergency kit in my pack, just in case.  I've got to make sure all my Solu-Cortef actovials are in good condition and not out dated.  The list goes on and on.

If you've read this far and you're wondering why I don't just ask my doctor what I should do, the answer is simple, no doctor knows anything about Addison's and endurance exercise.  The reason being that the research on Addison's and exercise is comprised of deconditioned adult and juvenile Addison's males who ride a bike or walk on a treadmill for 90 minutes a day over the course of a week.  Nothing extrapolated from that research really applies to me, a conditioned female with multiple endocrine deficiencies, that gets 15 - 20 hours of exercise a week, who will be staying up all night getting exercise for 30 hours straight.

Any hydrocortison/florinef suggestions welcome, post a comment below or email me.  Linda's given me some good ideas.  I will post my med plan here when I figure it out.

Addison's Disease and two of its famous sufferers

An interesting story about Addison's:

Radio National

with Robyn Williams on Sunday 31/01/1999  Addison's Disease and two of its famous sufferers

Happiness

Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness.
  - Robertson Davies

New look, interesting weekend

It's been an interesting weekend.  I was supposed to run back to back Saturday and Sunday.  On Saturday, I worked a little, got stuck in the driveway of my job and it took me an hour to get out.  That stunk.  A guy even walked by me and saw me shoveling and didn't offer to help push.  I'm only 5'2" tall but I always offer to push people who are stuck.  Any way, I have a cold and when I came home after an hour of shoveling and laying in the snow, I was all wet and cold.  I ended up feeling awful, skipping the run, watching a movie and taking a nap.  Naps are unusual for me.  I was asleep well before 9:00 pm!  Needless to say, I did not run.

One of my jobs is to transport my client's cars to their homes if they leave them at the airport.  Today my husband and thought we'd whip over to the Jackson Hole Airport, get a car and return the car to my client's house.  Sounds easy, right?  Not so fast.  Over in Jackson it was -21 degrees F and the diesel gelled making the car impossible to start.  In the end, the car got towed to the dealership and I've got to go back to Jackson to pick it up.  We eventually got home and I got some of my 15 miler in on the treadmill.  This paragraph in pictures below.

Cold temperatures in Jackson!!

The amazing, snow covered Tetons in the background.  Not so pretty when it's 21 below and you're trying to jumpstart a giant car with a small car.  The big one in the background is the Grand Teton.

Tracks on Teton Pass.  Pretty.

The temperature in my garage is less than 32 degrees F.

The new garage set up.  Lap top at the treadmill, lots of counter space and I can return emails, watch movies and blog right from here if I walk slowly enough.