A disclaimer before I start. I am not a doctor nor do I claim to be one. This article is just for information only. You and your medical doctor are the only ones qualified to manage and treat your chronic medical condition.
I am writing this post because I have a chronic health problem. My condition is called Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH for short). It can be categorized as a mild form of Addisons Disease. Both conditions have to do with the stress hormone cortisol and are usually treated the same, by taking oral medications for life, usually a cortisone pill and possibly an mineralocorticoid. Here are two links (one for each condition) to get further information about each:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001448/ . This is for CAH.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000378.htm . This is for Addisons Disease.
If you don't want to read all of the info, here is the rundown. CAH doesn't produce a necessary enzyme needed to produce cortisol. Addisons Disease doesn't produce enough cortisol.
If you have either one of these conditions you need to manage your stress, both physical and mental. You also need to keep from getting sick or physically hurt, as much as can be prevented. Since these conditions require medication you may not be able to get them during or after a major local or world event. As for me and my CAH I have learned to self-manage it. I only take my medication when i get really stressed. You however SHOULD NOT STOP taking your medication unless instructed by your doctor.
As stated above I have learned to self-manage my condition. If however a major event happens and you can't get the needed medications the following may help. I drink GATORADE to replenish my electrolytes along with removing myself from the stress causing my CAH to act up. If you don't like GATORADE you still need to stay hydrated any way you can. With either of these conditions just the act of sweating can be enough of a trigger to cause it to act up. If you get sick to the point of severe diarrhea or vomiting you need to seek medical attention immediately, even if a major event is still going on or has passed. If your sick enough to not hold anything down you will need to find some other way to get the medication in you, this is usually an IV solution with an cortisol injection thru the IV.
As for other conditions, of which I know very little or nothing about, I will let you the reader chime in.
The above was just for information only. Any suggestions I have given are just that suggestions. Please follow your doctors instructions for condition management. Only use the suggestions as a last resort, if no help can be obtained. If I got anything wrong or you have other information or suggestions please let me know.
I think it's very true that you need to know what works for your own body and be aware of how things affect you. I have had Crohn's disease most of my life. My medication has kept me in remission for years now. Every time I have a little flair up I think back on what I recently ate. I've gotten very good at learning which foods to avoid if I want to feel ok. If I weren't able to get my medication at least I've learned how to best manage things.
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