Erica was an up-and-coming computer whiz, or at least she used to be. She loved the challenge of working in a field that was always changing. Her goal was to head her own software company within 10 years and, as a rising star in the industry, she took pride in her expertise and dedication. She already worked 12-hour days and most weekends and never said no to new projects. There was a reason the company facilities included showers, a free breakfast bar and even a few beds to crash in.
In February Erica caught the flu and was home for over a week. After that she had a hard time getting back up to speed and was sick with colds or flu several times during the next few months. None of the illnesses were serious but each time she seemed to be left with a little less energy.
Even when she wasn’t sick, work felt like it required more effort than it used to. Her head often seemed cloudy and her concentration and memory were not as sharp as they had been. Even after a full night’s sleep she still felt tired. Instead of rushing eagerly out of the door in the morning, she now had to drink two and sometimes three cups of coffee before she was ready to go. Despite the extra coffee, it was usually close to noon before she really woke up, and by around 3:00 in the afternoon she was often so lethargic and tired that she wanted to lie down. Erica noticed she had become more irritable and impatient with everyone and everything, including herself.
After 6:00 PM she usually felt better than she had all day, especially if she ate a decent supper. This energy surge lasted until around 9:00 to 9:30 PM when she began slowing down again. However, if she drank some coffee or just pushed on, by 11:00 PM she seemed to catch a second wind and could continue working quite easily until 1:00 or 2:00 AM. She often found she did her best work during those early morning hours.
Her food habits had changed as well. By mid morning, she was nearly always ravenously hungry and craved sweet snacks like doughnuts with her coffee. Often during the afternoon low she wanted real y salty foods. If she skipped meals, as she had done easily in the past, her focus and concentration suffered. Regular meals definitely decreased the mental fuzziness, fatigue and other disturbing symptoms she was experiencing but, with her workload, she seldom put aside time for regular meals.
Sometimes by the end of the day, even when she had not been very productive, she felt utterly exhausted. She was also mildly depressed. Where she used to be optimistic, she was now discouraged, and instead of having goals to set the world on fire, she was now just trying to make it through each day.
Concerned about her deteriorating energy level and mental lows, she consulted her family doctor. Her doctor gave her a thorough check-up and ran some blood tests. At the follow-up visit he told Erica the test results were normal and that there was nothing wrong with her. His advice was to stop worrying so much and to take it easier. Erica told him that if she took it any easier, she would not have a job. The doctor responded with a prescription for an anti-anxiety medication that only made Erica feel worse. Although she consulted several other doctors, Erica got the same story from all of them - that there was nothing physically wrong. Instead, she ended up with a medicine cabinet full of prescription tranquilizers and anti-depressants, and a referral to a psychiatrist. Discouraged, Erica gave up trying to find an answer. She resigned herself to dragging herself through life, discouraged, depressed and continually fatigued.
Erica’s story is a common one, but only one of the many and varied stories of the millions of people suffering from adrenal fatigue. This book is dedicated to people like Erica, to help them recognize and recover from their own adrenal fatigue.