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!
Please, I am not a Doctor, but my Doctor told me my iron was low. She did not prescribe anything, but of course I thought better so I ordered iron supplements. BIGGEST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE!
I did not know how dangerous iron pills could be. Three days on them and I was a mess. I did look up on why the iron was causing me so much trouble and I found out. Unless a doctor prescribes iron to you, especially to a child, do not do it yourself.
Iron can lead to severe symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and even coma. It is particularly dangerous for children and can result in multi-organ failure if not treated promptly.
Have your doctor tell you what to do. Do not try to find the answer about iron on media platforms.
It is too dangerous.
Thanks for the heads up on iron pills. I'm sorry you went through that, hope you are feeling better now.
No, they aren't on iron pills, but other regular types of supplements.
That is good to know. Thank you.
Iron supplements are very bad, because they use the wrong type of iron.
There are two types of iron: heme, and non-heme.
Heme iron is found in animal foods, and our bodies can recognize what it is, absorb it, and utilize it in the body.
Non-heme iron is found in plants, and has a very low bio-availability for humans, compared to heme iron.
I read that 3 ounces of beef will get you a certain amount of iron (heme iron) that your body will utilize. But to get the same amount from spinach, you would have to eat 10 cups of spinach, as the body tries to convert it to heme iron.
Nevermind that spinach has some of the WORST anti-nutrients that will block the absorption of many minerals.
Come to think of it, maybe she is eating a lot of plants ("plant-based" nonsense, you know ...), which are blocking the absorption of iron. And being low in B12 makes me think this is VERY LIKELY what is going on, since plants do not have ANY Vitamin B12 -- it is ONLY found in animal foods.
The iron pills you get in the store are necessarily made from plant food waste product, because otherwise it would be WAYYYY too expensive to sell in pill form.
The pill maker goes to Purina or General Mills, etc. and buys their waste product (plant substances that are left over after they make their pop tarts or whatever).
This plant waste product is then subjected to hundreds of chemicals to extract the "nutrients" (iron, magnesium, calcium, etc.) and then "washed" in a kerosine derivative.
Yum yum!
THAT is how most vitamin and mineral supplements are made.
And since it is non-heme iron (most likely), your body has a hard time dealing with it.
Probably why you had problems taking it.
The best sources of iron (and ALL minerals) come from animals foods, with beef liver and red meat being at the top of the list. You can eat as much red meat as you want, but limit the liver intake -- some is good, but a lot can be a problem for some people. You don't really NEED liver, but it is absolutely LOADED with vitamins and minerals, so not bad to have a little.
Thank you!