Why I Care

It's just a cold, the average person would say.

No, it's not.

Sick means stress which is bad because my body forgot how to make cortisol, which you need for stress.

So I am back to where I might have to increase the prednisone dose just to cope with this cold.

Why should anyone care? It's just a few lousy milligrams, right?

No, it's not.

Spend some time with Addison's patients and you'll fast learn why.

Disability.

Unemployment.

Osteoporosis leading to broken hips and a degenerating spine.

Bad reactions to steroids.

Never finding the right supplement dose.

Never finding a doctor who knows how to treat adrenal insufficiency.

Actual doctors with Addison's don't fare any better than the average lay person.

The diagnosis is the easy part, the impossible part is living with adrenal insufficiency. It's nowhere near as amenable to treatment as the medical textbooks make it out to be.

If I don't get the adrenals working, the future is uncertain. I will continue to struggle with finding adequate (forget good) medical care, employment may be impossible and my list of medical issues will grow even longer.

There's nothing simple about this cold.