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The information regarding
Stress and Adrenal glands is for informational purposes only and is obtained
from my experiences and research. I am not a medical professional nor is
the intent to project such. If you feel at risk for adrenal fatigue please
seek professional assistance. A good resource book is
Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome by
James Wilson.
Recovering from Adrenal
Fatigue by Vickie Kissel
As I sit here writing my story I
can’t help reflecting upon life’s blessings. Where I am
today is on the other end of the rector scale compared to
where I was a year ago. I anxiously anticipate what another
year will bring me! My life is finally beginning, how
exciting is that?
I will begin my story towards
the end of one chapter which would be 2008. I had always
tired easily and some would say that I would be too
sensitive. Part of my sensitivity is due to being empathic,
yet instinctively I knew there was more going on behind the
scenes. Though I struggled for several years, a significant
event in April of 2008 began my spiraling decent to ill
health. I was on my back patio on a beautiful sunny Sunday
afternoon merrily preparing for the summer to come. I had
just purchased my first set of outdoor furniture and wanted
to spray a fabric protector on it. In addition my old water
fountain needed restored so I was taking turns alternately
chipping away old paint then spraying another coat of fabric
protector on my furniture. All was well and I was enjoying
the sunshine.
I had worked for a couple of
hours and suddenly seemed very tired. From past experiences
I have learned not to push myself so I decided I had
accomplished quite a lot and could afford to call it a day
and headed for the shower. In the shower I noticed that I
felt a little weak and lightheaded. I finished showering
and decided to lay down for a little nap. About ten minutes
later I felt worse and suddenly it seemed I could not catch
my breath. It became harder and harder to breathe and I
knew I was in trouble. I called a friend who took me to
the hospital. I was given steroids and a breathing
treatment and sent on my way.
I was just amazed at how
something so simple could affect me so much. I was
extremely exhausted and had to take a couple of days off of
work. It seemed like recovery was slow and ever since then
I would tire more easily. I continued to live a normal life
doing the normal things I usually did, yet a few months
later found that I needed to nap at lunch time to get
through the day. I tired easily, my memory was foggy, and
any strong smell like gasoline would again plummet me
backwards in recovery. I had tried various supplements and
was able at times to maintain, yet never seemed to get
better. I even did gentle detoxes to get the chemicals out
of my body.
Most of 2008 was a blur with
endless battles of feeling tired, grumpy and having memory
fog. I would go to bed early at night, appear to sleep all
night, yet awaken to feeling like I had be up all night. By
late summer I felt agitated and angry. I could not
understand these feelings. Being a holistic coach I have
many tools in my belt to deal with negative feelings such as
anger yet no matter how I applied these tools I just
couldn’t identify this anger or totally release it. Always
in tuned to the energy around me, I now felt hypertensive
like someone turned up the radio full blast. My only
reprieve was in my room yet one can’t stay locked away
forever. Noises appeared so loud that they would send my
heart pounding. I was unhappy most of the time and just
couldn’t seem to muster up any joy or enthusiasm for
anything. By the end of summer my downward spiral was in
full stream.
My intuition was telling me the
adrenal glands were suffering and I began to do research.
October was the breaking point for me and by that time I
would go to work and only be able to stay awake until 11:00
am. I would go home take a two hour nap then return to work
for a couple of hours. I knew I needed medical help and
now. I decided to go to a new doctor that I thought worked
with holistic methods also. After several tests I was told
that I was diabetic. He also told me that my body’s
metabolic system was not working. This I agreed with, yet
doubted being diabetic. I tried the medicine he prescribed
with little improvement.
Intuitively I kept getting that
my adrenal glands were exhausted and that caused my hormones
to not be working right, causing a chemical imbalance which
was causing the diabetes and metabolic system to not
function properly as well as the pituitary gland not being
able to make serotonin. I talked to my doctor about my
theory which he promptly shot down. It was the diabetes
that was causing everything to be out of whack. And so we
were at an impasse. Once again I took my recovery into my
own hands and began to research. I had also (on my own)
started taking 5 HTP at night which helped me feel more
rested in the morning, released some of the anxiety and
anger I was feeling and helped clear my fog brain.
By this time I bought Dr.
Wilson’s book, Adrenal Fatigue 21st Century
Stress Syndrome and began reading. I tried several
different adrenal formulas including his (which by the way
is expensive!). I was getting results yet still felt that I
needed to address more than just the adrenals at this
point. I knew also that I could no longer try this or
that. I needed a firm recovery plan that could be overseen
by a professional.
One day in late November, I was
at my chiropractor’s office and saw that he was selling
Standard Process supplements. I asked him if he had
training and he told me the various seminars that he had to
attend before he could do consultations. I asked him if he
knew about the adrenal glands and he did attend several
seminars on the subject. I asked him if it was possible
that exhausted adrenal glands could cause a chemical
imbalance, metabolical diseases, diabetes, brain fog, and
depression. Yes, was his answer! I started crying and
wanted to grab and kiss him!
He had me fill out a four page
questioner in which they input the answers and get a results
page back. As he was going over my results it was
everything my intuition was telling me. My adrenal glands
were exhausted, my thyroid and pituitary glands were not
functioning correctly, and my digestive system was weak. In
early December I began the first of six protocols the system
recommended. Within two weeks I had more energy than I had
in the last year. Slowly since then we have added
supplements to my protocol. Today as I write this six
months later, I am still rebuilding my adrenal glands and
rebalancing my hormones. I have experienced a steady
increase in energy and clarity, no longer suffer extreme
exhaustion for no reason, and can actually carry on a
conversation without losing my thoughts. I feel happier and
more at peace.
Re-building your adrenal glands
takes time and this I knew. I estimate for where I was at
it will take me approximately two years to be returned to
full health, barring that I am not exposed to anything
toxic. Though I hesitate to advertise for any one
supplement or company I must say that I have had very good
results with Standard Process and have found the supplements
to be affordably priced. I tell my story in hopes that it
will help others. You can contact me if you wish to know
who my Standard Process consultant is.
If you get the Adrenal Fatigue
book I mentioned, you will be amazed at all the factors that
drain adrenal glands. For me, I was raised by a very angry
mother (drain), was molested and raped at early ages (drain,
drain), gave birth to a premature baby and didn’t rest
(drain), took care of my father then mother when they died
(drain, drain and more drain). I went through a major
divorce following a major emotional drama in the marriage
(drain…..) and am a single mom (drain…), am under financial
stress (whew, yep more draining….) and was exposed to toxic
chemicals (woops seems to squeeze the last of the adrenal
juices right out!). All through life’s scenarios I did not
know that I needed to replenish my adrenal glands after each
life draining event. I hope my website gives you some
insights and please share the information.
What are Adrenal Glands?
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