Addison's Disease

[MissLeopard83]

Does anyone have experience with Addison's disease? It's the only thing I have not been tested for that could be a possibility. I'm going to mention it to my GP when I see her next week and see what she thinks. I did a search on the symptom checker under my patient portal for my abdominal pain, fatigue, dizziness (comes and goes), joint and muscle pain, headache, and heat intolerance and it brought up Addison's. I also crave salty foods on a regular basis, but my sodium level was normal on the CBC back in April.

I haven't completely ruled out IBD, but I am exploring other possibilities. Thanks.

 

[my little penguin]

Have you been checked for Mast cell activation disorder ??
That would also fit

 

[xmdmom]

People with Addison's disease usually have increased pigmentation -have you noticed that your tanner than you used to be on areas like knuckles, scars and the creases of your palm?

 

[MissLeopard83]

Have you been checked for Mast cell activation disorder ??
That would also fit

No, I have not been tested for that as I have not heard of it before now. I just googled it and realized I have about 90% of the symptoms. I've had a really ruddy complexion which I spoke to my new GP about and she tested me for lupus since I got it at such a young age (plus, my grandmother and aunt both have autoimmune disorders) but the rheumatoid factor and ANA was normal, so it was ruled out. I have many environmental allergies and some food allergies. My grandmother and I share a lot of the same symptoms (her old doctor tested her for SEVERAL allergies, including fragrance and makeup, which she was very sensitive to) but she never received a diagnosis. She just tries to avoid things and it's like a "wait and see" for both of us because we build up an intolerance to many things after we've used them for a while. I was going to ask my GP for a referral to an allergist, anyway, so I'll ask about MCAS.

 

[MissLeopard83]

People with Addison's disease usually have increased pigmentation -have you noticed that your tanner than you used to be on areas like knuckles, scars and the creases of your palm?

About the only thing that has changed is my underarms, scars, and private area. I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, though, at 23, it causes discoloration, too.

 

[my little penguin]

MCAS is relatively new so most allergist were unfortunately not taught about it
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21621255/

This could help
http://williams.medicine.wisc.edu/mast_cell_activation_2011.pdf

 

[MissLeopard83]

MCAS is relatively new so most allergist were unfortunately not taught about it
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21621255/

This could help
http://williams.medicine.wisc.edu/mast_cell_activation_2011.pdf

Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I will bring it up when I visit my GP next week.

The interesting thing is that one of my former GPs kept wanting to give me a leukotriene modifier (Singulair) due to chronic asthma and sinusitis/rhinitis, but never did. She, instead, tried Prednisone and Advair which really never helped for very long. I've noticed that Claritin, Zyrtec, and Allegra do not work. The only thing that does is Tavist which is hard to find (Wal-Hist is the only thing I can find now).

 

[xmdmom]

You're right about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome pigment changes. The dark pigmentation seen sometimes with PCOS is called Acanthosis Nigricans, and the texture of the skin is different than unaffected skin. In Addisons, the hyperpigmentation is throughout but most easily seen in some areas such as knuckles, elbows, knees, creases of palms and soles, scars, gums and nail beds and there is no change in the texture of the skin.