addisons and exercise?

jen77 · 01-10-2008, 03:01 PM

Hi i am finding that i am unable to exercise now-well i mean walking slow a short distance. i find that i start off feeling sort of ok, then its like i wind down-i begin to feel (more)weak and (more) tired, loose my balance-dizzy and nausaeus, hard to focus/concentrate. its getting that i can do less and less to provoke these symptoms. do you find that with adrenal insufficiency you get this problem? im getting worried i went like this the other day and worse-i collapsed with all of this and it took 2 days of full bedrest before i was able to situp without being dizzy/nauseaus. please post back, thanks

Diane44 · 01-11-2008, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jen77

Hi i am finding that i am unable to exercise now-well i mean walking slow a short distance. i find that i start off feeling sort of ok, then its like i wind down-i begin to feel (more)weak and (more) tired, loose my balance-dizzy and nausaeus, hard to focus/concentrate. its getting that i can do less and less to provoke these symptoms. do you find that with adrenal insufficiency you get this problem? im getting worried i went like this the other day and worse-i collapsed with all of this and it took 2 days of full bedrest before i was able to situp without being dizzy/nauseaus. please post back, thanks

Hi Jen,

I seem to have a hard time working out also. I don't get so much dizzy/nauseaus but I get winded really fast and tired. Yours sounds like you may be having low BP while exercising. Exercise does lower your BP so maybe you need to monitor it while you are working out? I am not sure what one can do to keep your BP from dropping while working out though if that is the case.

I myself have questions about working out too, for instance you know when you used to be well and worked out it gave you more energy, now with Addisons our energy comes from our medication so does working out ever give us more energy or does it just use up what we take faster? I have not been able to work out like I used to and it has been almost a year for me. I have put on nearly 30lbs and have not been able to lose it no matter what I do as of yet. I have not give up though. Somebody out here knows what to do and I would love to find out.

Good luck to you and I do hope you get the answers you are looking for.
Diane

rumpled · 01-11-2008, 05:46 PM

If you have a diagnosed adrenal issue (or even not diagnosed), the issue can be salt or other electrolyte imbalance.

Working out, you are sweating. With addison's disease, one does not hold on to salt, there for an adrenal crisis occurs when sodium drops to a critical point and usually potassium rises. Blood pressure usually drops and the body tries to compensate by beating faster. Body temperature drops and one can become confused. If this persists, it can become life-threatening. People often throw up.

In the case where you are just dropping low but not critical, it still does not feel good. I would recommend getting salt tablets and preferably not the buffered type as the buffering is potassium! Take the salt when you are not feeling well and see if that brings you around. Ironically, a soda will do this as they are high in sodium and sugar. You would think a sports drink would be a good choice but it is not as it contains potassium and you want to avoid that.

Usually those with low adrenal activity lose weight. Gaining usually happens with too much steroid either from replacements or from the own body. I have met enough people who had Cyclical Cushing's where they went from super low to high and bounced all over and were very hard to diagnose. It is a tough thing and requires a lot of testing. Good luck.

Diane44 · 01-11-2008, 07:47 PM

Rumpled, I have had Addisons since Feb., I am on 20Mg cortef and .1 Mg florinef daily. I also take DHEA 30MG, Levothyroxine and allergy meds. I have a lot of health issues. I started to gain weight after diagnosis and once on the meds, lost a bit before that over a two year period, but have gained more back than I lost. I don't know what cushing's is and I guess if I had it I would. I have read from others on the board that they too have weight issues with Addisons. I don't think that I am on too high a dosage as I am still tired quiet often, daily actually, but otherwise feel very well. I am not nauseous anymore, I don't have low BP, just in general other than fatige I am feeling better than I have in a few years. My adrenals have completely stopped working and I don't make aldosterone either. So, are you saying that I should be losing weight and not gaining? I don't want to gain anymore and would like very much to lose the 30 I gained. Any help with this would be appreciated.

Thanks.

cloud2 · 01-12-2008, 02:35 AM

I figured out back in the spring that my weight gain is more due to "weakness eating" than anything else. Maybe there's a real name for this, but I haven't heard it described... I'll snack when I feel weak. It's a natural reaction to the weakness. Normally, you feel weak, low blood sugar, etc.?, you grab a snack. Problem is, it doesn't reduce the weakness. Now, even after I recognized that, the habit persists. And I've had more than excellent self-control all my life... but I can't change this one habit. So I'm about 30 lbs too high. Yes, I gained some of that since starting on the cortisol (about 10 of it) and florinef (the next 20). No Cushing's symptoms... I keep checking and comparing for that. Still low BP. Still craving salt. I'm known at the office and at home for eating healthy stuff, fruits, raw veggies, simple meats and fish, yogurt, little breads, green tea and water, no sodas. Yes, an occasional 1oz Fritos. 2x per week Klondike.

The reason I'm posting on this thread is that I still cannot get past 6 minutes on the exercise bike or 12 push-ups. It drags me down instead of what exercise should do... energize you. I try and try to push past it, but the body won't cooperate. Not nauseaus, but shaky-weak and then weak-tired (not sleepy-tired) the next day (i.e. not muscle ache either). So peg me here as one still looking for answers, not answering the questions. Except perhaps my off-the-wall insight on one reason for weight gain when it doesn't really make sense.