“Amber, you have primary adrenal insufficiency. You will have to take cortef for the rest of your life.” Although I consider my diagnosis the day I became free, it was also the day that I swallowed some very hard news. For me to live, I would have to take steroids...
Reading time: 2 min
Do you remember when you first felt hungry? I do. I remember the car ride. I was fifteen and my mom was driving. I had just started my treatment for Addison’s disease. It was actually my first day on my new medicine. “Mom… uh… my stomach feels funny.” “Funny like...
Reading time: 1 min
I was texting a friend about how at times my Addison’s Disease can be scary. He asked me a simple question. “What’s scary about it?” “I think I have this beast controlled and then I’m reminded how I don’t.” “The disease?” “Yeah. Maybe I should view it as something I...
Reading time: 1 min
Dear Amber, I’m grateful you remember that day and test. I like your version much better. I can laugh at my version now, but at the time not so much.You had interrogated me with your best logical questions and pleas for well over an hour before we arrived at the...
Reading time: 3 min
The year was 2005. As my mother and I sat in the waiting room of my endocrinologist, I looked around observing the other patients. There were eight of us here for the same two-hour blood test. I was the youngest at fifteen. The next person closest in age was in...
Reading time: 2 min
Dear Amber, I used to describe you as “Taz” the little Tasmanian devil cartoon who was calm and mild mannered one moment then wild, uncontrollable and irrational in the very next second. It was the strangest thing and NO parenting book, class, or article had prepared me for this phenomenon...
Reading time: 1 min
Dear Amber, I knew something else was terribly wrong but had no substantial evidence to prove it. Culture shock had struck all four of us as a family and it was very difficult to navigate. The awful feelings (both physically and mentally) you were experiencing were reasonable and somewhat expected...
Reading time: 1 min
I will never outgrow Addison’s. It is something I must live with every day. Like everyone else, my life has good times and bad times. I have triumphs and I have setbacks. I’ll share one of each here. The Triumph With Addison’s, I’m considered a “salt loser.” My body...
Reading time: 2 min
After fainting at band camp, the hunt for a proper diagnosis escalated. Hypoglycemia? As a toddler, my doctors were convinced I had hypoglycemia. I would be a normal child one moment and then I would morph into an uncontrollable devil with extremely destructive tantrums. After the destructive mood, I would become ridiculously emotional and be...
Reading time: 2 min
Does your generic HC look like this? If yes, switch to a different brand ASAP. In The Nightmare Revisited, I made the bold claim that I am allergic to the generic hydrocortisone. It was one of the five things that triggered my April Crisis. This has generated much discussion through various...
Reading time: 6 min
I began using a Medtronic MiniMed Paradigm 715 pump to infuse solu-cortef as my main treatment for my Adrenal Insufficiency in early 2014. MM715 by Medtronics. I could not publicly announce it when I first started treatment because the door opened up in an unorthodox and unexpected way. Also, please...
Reading time: 2 min
The Project In 2016, I participated in a project for a Nevada photographer. Her goal was to publish a book containing stories of people finding “Beauty in the Desert.” Below is her description of her project. Everyone has fought a battle in their own lives and has gone through something...
Reading time: 4 min
My mom and I have been in your shoes. I remember the doctor coming in and hurriedly explaining the disease to us. No cure. Diseased for life. Steroid Dependent. Be mindful of stress. And yet, I can live a “normal” life? Over the years, we slowly realized that we were...
Reading time: 2 min
Introducing a Fellow Warrior An unexpected blessing of living with a chronic disease is becoming part of an amazing community of warriors. I have highlighted several warriors in the past, but today I would like to focus on another. I first met Michelle through online interactions. We were both bloggers...
Reading time: 5 min
First of all, welcome to the family. Although I am not sure of the exact path you took to become part of the “broken adrenal glands club” (also known as Adrenal Insufficiency), I would like to extend to you the warmest welcome. As someone who has been on this journey...
Reading time: 2 min
I am a frequent traveler. I have navigated a multitude of airports, both within the US and abroad. I have published my tips and tricks both on YouTube and my blog. Most of the time, I have no problems navigating TSA. But occasionally I run across a Transportation Security Officer that takes...
Reading time: 10 min
The Background I used the Malaysian holiday of Hari Raya at the end of July last year to visit Myanmar with my friends who were married in Korea. Not many Americans have the opportunity to visit Myanmar, and I must admit I knew very little about the country besides the fact...
Reading time: 6 min
Dear readers, I would like to explain more about my journey on the cortisol pump. When I returned from Malaysia, I attempted to return to my Endo #6. While I was living abroad, she joined a practice with Endo #4, a doctor who did not play nice with me. When...
Reading time: 2 min
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