mindy62 (@mindy62)

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I’m at a slightly different point in my life — 50, so the pregnancy issue is not one for me at all. I see my dr. again soon and will discuss with him the possible actions. I really can’t imagine having this problem throughout your life — mine just started a couple of years ago. I’m glad you were able to resolve the problem.

I, too, have a sodium deficiency. This is not a condition to mess around with. I first learned of my condition in February 2001 when I became wildly disoriented and erratic while out shopping alone. The store called the police, who took me to the hospital. They discovered my sodium level was 113, and I was later told I would have died had I not gotten to a hospital. I spent a week there as they slowly raised my sodium level. During that time, my mental confusion continued and I had one hallucination after another. The hospital didn’t know how to treat me. They had a staff psychiatrist evaluate me, and he diagnosed psychosis and put me on a high dose (5 mg) this anti-psychotic drug called Haldol, which only worsened my mental state. It took me more than three months to recover, during which time I had to be off work without pay. I searched for the next four years for the cause and treatments for my condiiton. Finally, my primary care physician sent me to an endocronologist, who tested me and found the condition was caused by a hormonal issue in my kidneys. My treatment is 0.1 mg of fludrocortisone (generic) a day, plus drinking no more than 1,400 ml (about 5 cups) of liquid a day (this means ANY liquid – water, soda, coffee, etc.) The restriction means I am always thirsty and also prone to dehydration. I just found this site the other day,and I have posted comments looking for anyone who has found alternative treatments that might be more tolerable. Despite the treatment, since March 2011 my sodium has been steadily decreasing. It was 128 the last time I had it checked. I am going back to the endocronologist. I’m afraid she’s going to reduce my fluid intake even further. I hate the fluid restriction, but I do it because I know it’s required for me to stay healthy and alive. I really urge you to see a specialist (like an endocronologist) to get your condition under control. My doctor says simply eating more salt won’t help, since my body has trouble retaining it. The sodium just runs right through my system. I hope I haven’t scared you, but I really wanted to stress that this is a serious condition that needs to be resolved. Everybody’s different, so you really need to find a doctor who will design a plan for you. Best of luck to you, Bonnie. I really hope you find someone who can help.

Hi. Thanks for sharing. I am considering endometrial ablation to deal with uterine fibroids and heavy, painful periods. I did some research and discovered that there are several different types of this procedure (filling the uterus with hot fluid to destroy lining, using a device that freezes and destroys the lining and also some kind of radio freqency approach). Do you recall which type your doctor used? I’m trying to get a sense of what to expect. I would like to avoid hormonal treatment because it does terrible things to my mood, distrupts my sleeping and makes me gain weight. Thanks for any help you can give me.

I was just diagnosed with uterine fibroids. I see a gynecologist on Thursday (2/22/2012). I’ve done some Internet research, but I’d really like some practical advice from women who have been through this. I’ve been bleeding with bad cramps for almost two months. Provera helped with the bleeding for a couple weeks, but when I stopped taking it, the bleeding started again. Provera has made me irritable and moody, upset my stomach and made sleeping difficult. This concerns me in regards to any possible future hormonal treatment for this problem. Can anyone help me with some advice and also some idea of what I should expect? Thanks.

I have a chronic problem in which my body has trouble retaining sodium due to a hormonal issue in my kidneys. I am taking fludrocortisone (a steroid), and I’m also on a fluid restriction of 1400 ml or less each day. The fluid restriction is really tough, especially when it is hot. Not only am I always thirsty, but I am also prone to dehydration. Therefore, I cannot exercise or participate in outdoor activities (biking, swimming, even walking or spending too much time in the sun) during summer. Does anyone have any information about alternative treatments, or anything else that can help me cope?