Hi, good to see you are around here still.
Well i take nothing since i am drug sensitive, and the Endocrinologist, said years ago when i was at my worse that i didn't have Addisons or Cushings, just Adrenal Fatigue, my Insulin was high, but now i know why, AF !!
I am sick of being a water balloon woman and waddling about, it looks like i overeat, when i dont.
I am sure that having Fibromyalgia is stressing the Adrenals as well, imagine being in constant pain for 31 years (i am now 50)
Now i am sure of it, my intense salt cravings really were right around the time the weight dropped off in the past, but it is not now, perhaps because this is the "Big" one...MENOPAUSE.
What is a woman to do?
Cant take Progesterone, it might imbalance it the other way, Estrogen Dominance? i have heard it all.
Anti Estrogen Teas, or Adrenal (natural from health store) Supplements make me panicky LOL!!!
too sensitive, it's like my Adrenals are telling me to WATCH EVERY DANG THING I DO, i can barely tolerate sugar.
I took Senna Tea once for constipation and nearly wore a whole in the floor pacing and panicking, it is funny now, but wasn't then.
So here is where i am confused and read about it and am still confused, let me see it i can make sense of this.
During the initial stages of AF, we make too much Cortisol and Aldosterone, then as it progresses, we make less of both, but since i am still bloated, i ASSUMED i was still making too much Aldosterone, but now i read the the Salt cravings are a sign of LOW Aldosterone and Cortisol
so why am i still swollen? well, no Doctor can answer that for me,and they think it is not a big enough deal to test for the Aldosterone, since everything came back normal in the past.
One thing i can say for certainty, is that during the beginning of this AF, i did NOT crave salt.
I have tried many AF forums, but still no clear picture yet.
My theory is that maybe the body is trying to Hold on to Salt because it needs it, REGARDLESS of the stage it is in.
Then when the (Peri) Menopause subsides, it will level out, since the Hormonal changes are my particular cause of water weight.
I have to drink only when thirsty, NOT becasue some Website says that MUST drink 8 glasses of water a day.
whenever i try that, i am VERY sorry the next day, too little water, and i feel tired, so i just Listen to my Body, same thing with Salt, LISTEN, sometimes things are too salty for me and other times, i TEAR up the Kitchen looking or Salty foods.
I crave Potatoes boiled and sprinkled with Salt, so i must be craving the Potassium as well, Potatoes have Vit C too.
I should be eating less TV Dinners, but it is hard to get to food fast enough when your Blood Sugar Drops, and preparing things ahead of time is hard when you have kids and a busy schedule.
If this water retention gets better, i promise i will come back and tell you all, plus what ever i did (or didn't) do.
Any thoughts or knowledge is WELCOME :)