Something is nagging at me about it.
I don't understand how a healthy kid can all of a sudden have an autoimmune disorder.
Both her and her older sister have anemia too.
The doctor said if they take away the anemia, the symptoms and all her abnormal lab tests results say she has Addison's.
My daughter told me her last two bp readings were... 100/65 & 90/60. Her heart will sometimes beat 3 times vs 1 on the bottom randomly, she'll get hot or cold flashes and dizzy. Other symptoms are nausea, diarrhea, constipation and her heart rate will suddenly elevate and her bp will drop.
Doctor says it's related to autoimmune, no real cause, her body is attacking her adrenal glands, and her body is responding. He put her on salt, potassium supplements and a synthetic drug called Fludrocortisone.
Fludrocortisone:
Fludrocortisone is a corticosteroid (cortisone-like medicine). It belongs to the family of medicines called steroids. Your body naturally produces similar corticosteroids, which are necessary to maintain the balance of certain minerals and water for good health. If your body does not produce enough corticosteroids, your doctor may have prescribed this medicine to help make up the difference.
Fludrocortisone may also be used to treat other medical conditions as determined by your doctor.
Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur.
Pediatric
Fludrocortisone may slow or stop growth in children or growing adolescents when used for a long time. The natural production of corticosteroids by the body may also be decreased by the use of this medicine. Before this medicine is given to a child or adolescent, you and your child's doctor should talk about the good this medicine will do as well as the risks of using it. Follow the doctor's directions very carefully to lessen the chance that these unwanted effects will occur.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/fludrocortisone-oral-route/description/drg-20063868
Ok, so, I just read that...
🤔People who have the following autoimmune disease are also at higher risk of developing the autoimmune (most common) form of Addison's disease:
Type I diabetes.
✨Pernicious anemia.
Graves' disease.
Chronic thyroiditis.
Dermatitis herpetiformis.
Vitiligo.
Myasthenia gravis.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15095-addisons-disease
Well, my granddaughter is anemic, so the autoimmune disorder that supposedly would be at risk for Addison's could be the anemia that the doctor "ruled out" of her medical history to say she has Addison's 🤔
The doctor said if they take away the anemia, the symptoms and all her abnormal lab tests results say she has Addison's.
So, how do two young ladies get anemic disorders? They've been healthy all their lives until the last year or two. One with iron deficiency (this one we are discussing here) and the other with a b12 and iron deficiency.
Ok, I feel like I'm all over the place with this 😐need to take a break to clear my head a bit, if you know more about this, please share it. I hate for my granddaughter to be put on pharma drugs if it's not necessary.
Thanks frens!
From Perplexity.ai:
Addison's disease, also known as primary adrenal insufficiency, occurs when the adrenal glands fail to produce enough cortisol and often aldosterone. This rare condition typically develops gradually due to autoimmune damage to the adrenal cortex.
Causes The most common cause is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks the adrenal glands, accounting for up to 90% of cases in developed countries. Other triggers include infections like tuberculosis, cancer spread, bleeding into the glands, or genetic conditions such as adrenoleukodystrophy. Symptoms often don't appear until over 90% of adrenal function is lost.
Symptoms Early signs include chronic fatigue, muscle weakness, weight loss, low blood pressure, and salt cravings. Additional effects are nausea, abdominal pain, mood changes, low blood sugar, and darkened skin patches (hyperpigmentation), especially in skin folds, scars, or mucous membranes. Women may experience menstrual irregularities or hair loss.
Adrenal Crisis An acute emergency called adrenal crisis can occur, triggered by stress, illness, or injury, causing severe dehydration, vomiting, confusion, low blood pressure, and shock. Seek immediate medical help for sudden weakness, high fever, or loss of consciousness.
Diagnosis and Treatment Diagnosis involves blood tests for low cortisol, high ACTH, and electrolyte imbalances, plus a cosyntropin stimulation test. Lifelong hormone replacement uses oral hydrocortisone or prednisone for cortisol and fludrocortisone for aldosterone. Patients need stress dosing during illness and should wear medical alert identification. With treatment, most lead normal lives, though about 8% risk annual crises.
Thanks Gimme! You know it's funny, she doesn't have all those symptoms.
She is a very calm laid back chill type of person, which is crazy for a teenage girl, lol. As far as I know from what my daughter has told me, she doesn't have fatigue, muscle weakness, weight loss, salt cravings, abdominal pain, mood changes, low blood sugar or darkened skin.
She does have nausea, dizziness & may throw up when her heart does that crazy beating stuff and sometimes is either constipated or has diarrhea. And she does have low bp.
It sounds to me as though some of those symptoms develop over time, so she may not be old enough to have developed them all yet. That might be a good thing as she may still have a good amount of adrenal function remaining.
I am praying for her.