Trav, I am positive I have adrenal fatigue -- my last LLMD diagnosed it and I read a book on it. I have every symptom. I asked my new LLMD if he would test for it and he said he would, but only tested my thyroid. I understand not many Drs diagnose, until it becomes Addisons.
Chiro gave me a supp, forget the name, but it is bovine adrenals. Don't think I've noticed any improvement since and they were expensive.
Traveler, what is your tx? In the book, I noted that the most important treatments for it are diet, PLENTY of sleep (which I do not get), no caffeine, cigs, or alcohol, etc.
I guess I am hoping that if/ as my Lyme treatment progresses, this may improve. What do you think?
I asked about the waves of depression, because I had a lot of it last week, and as you know a couple of very rough ones yesterday. I experienced relief in between. I did not feel 'all better' or anything, but during those periods, I was at least able to perceive myself as becoming strong and competent within the near future. Then, out of the blue, the wave would come and I felt desperately despondent again.
GEnerally, I would be OK at work and sometime between 5 and 6, it would come on. And sadly, a few times it has started before I left work (Friday for sure, obviously was a bad one)
I don't know how to describe the anxiety, but it does not feel like what a normal person would describe as anxiety. Altho I do at times suffer true anxiety, in traffic, during difficult situations, etc. I used to have to take a xanax when I held court, but haven't had to do that for months.
This usually starts around 3-4 pm and my body gradually starts stiffening, back muscles start spasming, and then while heading into the depression, my mind will go nuts, and race and be so jumbled up that sometimes I can't figure out what to do. My whole body is so stiff it hurts. The chiro says it is because of my muscles struggling all day w/ the curves and my dropped and turned pelvis.
Sometimes I will get relief if I ignore it and take my dogs straight to the lake without thinking, but often I don't get that relief and it's very unpleasant.
So, in asking about waves, I think I'm asking about waves of bad depression. And I mean generally once each day, altho lately it has been several each day -- and yesterday was one of the worst, obviously.
Some people are diagnosed bipolar when they have Lyme. I don't know enough about that, and I don't ever experience any real 'highs', at least I haven't since the tick bite. Appx 10 yrs ago (more than you need to know, but.... ) I was in a very exciting love affair (non sexual, if you can believe that. Well, there were many sexual aspects, enough to be exciting, but.....). During that time, I slept very little, worked very hard and was never tired. I was doing breathing exercises which enabled me to function on 2-3 hrs of sleep.
When that suddenly ended, I crashed, but went straight into a new work prospect -- a new business -- and one of the owners, a chiro, treated me w/ Network Spinal Analysis, which worked like a miracle. I worked about 70-80 hrs per week, over 90 in one week, doing very physical work, but suffered no pain. And I was tired, obviously, but was able to keep going. After that biz crashed, so did I, altho I felt 'mended' very soon after. (not mentally tho)
What I am getting at -- would anything like this stuff point to bipolar or manic/depressive? I may have felt as high as manic while in the affair, but not at other times, except that I was able to work a lot of hours, work out, and survive on little sleep.
btw, Traveler, I believe all this, plus my hypoglycemia, MUST have damaged my adrenals, along w/ cigarettes which helped pump my adrenals.
Springsjean, when you say you absolutely have waves, do you mean daily or weekly, or what, exactly?
I hope we can figure some of this out here and help each other in some way.