Addidas Disease

I know what you’re thinking, what on earth is Addidas disease. Well, Addidas disease is what my dad calls my Addisons Disease, he just wanted to make me laugh when I was sat at the hospital learning about my diagnosis.

Last year on 3rd June at just over 8 weeks pregnant I was diagnosed with Addisons Disease. A rare autoimmune disease that only about 9,000 people a year in the UK are diagnosed with. We don’t know how long I had this for before I was diagnosed but, it can bought on by a stressful situation which I did find myself in the previous year.

I could spend a whole post writing about what it is and what it means but, the crux of it is, the adrenal glands that sit on top of your kidneys don’t work like they should do as they aren’t producing enough hormones, mainly cortisone. I also like salty foods a lot more now, I have to be mindful in flu season in case I catch any sort of cold and, I will be taking steroids for the rest of my life. Addisons disease can also be called primary adrenal insufficiency.

The 29th May is Addisons Disease Awarness Day and there was a hashtag called #shareyourkit. It showcased the importance of understanding what is in a persons “kit”. For me, my kit isn’t just about the tablets, it’s about the emergency injection in case of an adrenal crisis, instructions on what to do in that situation, the emergency card to show the emergency services when they arrive and the steroid card so the medical teams know exactly what treatment you are on.

Being diagnosed while you’re throwing up every 5 minutes wasn’t a picnic but, the medication did help massively with my Hyperemesis Gravidarum. The second trimester did get better thank goodness however, trimester three wasn’t fantastic either. Along with my steroids, I was also taking omeprazole for the heartburn (so much heartburn!) and ondansetron to help with sickness. I felt like a chemist! Thankfully, all those other medications are no longer needed apart from of course, my steroids; hydrocortisone & fludrocortisone.

Living with Addisons has been an adjustment however, I’m grateful for the support of friends and family &, the excellent care I received while in hospital while they were trying to figure out what was wrong.

To learn more about Addisons Disease, what exactly it is and how you can help if someone is having an adrenal crisis, visit www.addisonsdisease.org.uk

Sources include:

• Mayo Clinic

• Addisons Disease UK