Post by mikeq on Oct 31, 2017 6:48:53 GMT -8
regarding the stress tests for adrenal insufficiency. 18 months ago I was admitted into Stoke Mandeville hospital. My consultant wanted to do a stress test on my adrenal glands to see if they were functioning properly. The adrenal glands are important where sodium is concerned. They maintain normal levels of blood sodium. My sodium levels were constantly low and so was my blood pressure. To cut a long story short, a drug was injected through a cannula. Blood was then taken every half hour, three lots in all. The results were examined in a laboratory. My adrenal glands were functioning perfectly. They were not the cause of my low sodium levels and the low blood pressure, which remains low to this day. My sodium levels plummeted 116 once (133 is the low-end cut-off point). I was hallucinating. I couldn't string a coherent sentence together without forgetting what I was talking about. In fact I was talking garbled nonsense. At one stage I thought I was an octopus with eight arms. It was a terrifying experience. I had intravenous sodium, which bought my levels up. It took an afternoon from my mind to return to normal. I was placed on restricted fluid intake for a week. My sodium levels quickly rose to 135. God damn spinal injury. One thing after another. All part of the rollercoaster ride.
