Please help - Adrenaline spikes and other things

Hi, I would like to offer some suggestions and have a few questions as well. How many bananas are you eating a day? Could you possibly be pregnant? I'm sorry you feel like you are being a burden to anyone! It sounds like you need some reassurance! What is your heart rate when you wake up? It kinda sounds like you may be having anxiety in the mornings, but I am hoping you will get answers soon. Try some relaxation and meditation exercises when you first wake up and see if this helps you at all.

Hi jmn851! I am currently at about one banana per day, which I include in a morning smoothie that also contains strawberries, spinach, gluten free oats, lactose free vitamin D milk and the occasional orange slice. This is about all I’ve been able to keep down. My potassium levels were checked yesterday and are good, sodium was low which I’m trying to make up for, but it’s tough because despite all the water I drink, my mouth is still so dry and gatorade gives me more acid reflux. I urinate very frequently. I have suffered from anxiety and panic attacks in the past which were very difficult but nothing like what I’m experiencing now. Mornings are especially difficult, and I’m trying to take my time getting out of bed so that I don’t get physically sick. In the meantime, I’ve been doing a lot of meditation and mindfulness. Breathing techniques as well. My doc prescribed me klonopin (it has worked well for me “as needed” in the past for panic attacks) but it does nothing to get rid of how I feel.

Edited to add - No possibility of pregnancy, ruled out by blood test. Anyways, I’ve had zero sex drive in the last couple of months. Which is unusual for me as it’s always been very high.

I'm sorry you still feel the way you do. I wish I could take that away for you somehow! I'm sending you a virtual hug and hope you start feeling well soon and hopefully your drs can figure out what is going on with you and give you some relief. If you would like to talk more, feel free to send me a reply and I'll try to get back to you asap!

I would have your cortisol levels and blood sugar tested. Insulin and blood sugar can have an effect upon your peeing frequency and also sweating. Cortisol and adrenal issues can too.

Get check for celiac disease. It can cause severe multi symptom issues, can cause acid issues, can cause heart issues, can cause extreme anxiety and mood issues, thyroid issues, etc. so many doctors do not know all the neurological issues it can cause. It can be very debilitating and can actually be fatal in extreme cases. Also, if you are not being tested and investigated by specialists get referred to a variety of them until you get some answers as a gp doesn’t not have the experience or expertise to deal with severe rare illnesses. I hope you get some answers.

I intend on having my hormones checked at my appt this week. I’ve only had this primary since Fall of 2022 and she’s been very good about ordering whichever tests I need, but I fear she isn’t very knowledgeable in this kind of thing. At least she is willing to listen, though she did hit me with the “are we sure this isn’t anxiety”. Nope, I know what my anxiety feels like and this is 100% different.

I actually was diagnosed with celiac back in 2016 via endoscopy, and have been faithfully gluten free since then. Initially I thought this was just a bad flare up, like maybe I had accidentally ingested some gluten, but it’s much different than when that usually happens. For instance, when I’ve ingested gluten by mistake, even a small amount, it backs me up and makes me uncomfortably bloated. Right now I wish I could be backed up just a little bit.

A lot of your symptoms (but not all) are similar to when I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism from Graves’ disease. Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease (as is celiac) and autoimmune diseases tend to come in clusters.

Heart irregularities, diarrhea, muscles twitches, restless leg syndrome, unable to sleep, fatigue, increased bp on standing, unable to regulate body temperature, unable to regulate mood were all symptoms for me.

These same symptoms can also be from some anxiety medications (Cymbalta for one example), are you on any meds?

There is a history of thyroid disorders on my moms side of the family - She has Hashimoto’s and her mom (who we sadly lost last August) had Graves. Do you know what kind of testing is done for that? My doctor did run the standard thyroid blood test but I’ve heard that there are different tests? I’m not currently on any meds for anxiety, as I’ve had no success with them in the past (went through a major depressive episode with panic attacks the year before my celiac diagnosis).

I had another appt this morning and tons of urgent referrals were put in - Gastro, Neurology, Endocrinology and psychiatry (this has taken a toll on my mental health) and I still have my cardiology appt on the 16th. The doctors at my clinic agree that this is likely some form of POTS or dysautonomia but do no feel equipped to really help me, hence the referrals. They will also test me later this week to check my adrenaline/cortisol levels. It’s nice that they’re being proactive but I still feel very alone in this. There are only two doctors in my state that specialize in dysautonomia, and we know at least one is booked through 2024.

Graves should show up on testing as it’s not a difficult one to test for. If regular thyroid testing shows you have a high level of thyroid hormone it should be followed up with an antibody test for graves.

The other one I have that all the symptoms overlap with is myalgic encephalitis (ME) which is being considered to be renamed as systemic exertion intolerance disease, or SEID. The old name was Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Dysautonomia is a symptom of ME. ME actually has a list of over 200 symptoms. I was diagnosed by one of the doctors that helped write the Canadian definition for ME. POTS, dysautonomia, bp increase on standing, heart palpitations, orthostatic intolerance are all on the symptom list.