Friday, February 14, 2014

You are the Medical Expert

I hear this question among Cushies and non Cushies alike:

Should we change our cortisol dose on our own or wait to speak to a doctor first?

This is my very strong and firm opinion, as a Cushie/Addie who had lived with a type 1 diabetic.


Make no mistake.


A doctor would NEVER tell a diabetic to call them in a low or high and NOT adjust his/her insulin dose without talking to the doc or nurse first. A diabetic would die waiting for a doc's reply. A BLAer could, too. 


BLAers, you must adjust your dose as needed. We have no cortisol meter like diabetics have glucometers. We must trust ourselves. We must trust our bodies and symptoms that tell a story. We must base every decision regarding cortisol dose on how we feel and compare/contrast that to what other BLAers feel. Then make the decisions for ourselves. 


Doctors are there to check in with regularly, to order tests, to give us a big picture perspective. The collective knowledge that this group of 83 Cushies has is greater than 99% of the doctors who give us instructions. They have never done it! They will give us the textbook version that, in reality, has  taken years to write, edit and publish. A Cushie's knowledge is current, fresh and open to new ideas. We all want to feel better and we will fight to get better. 


Do what you can to be your own medical expert. The truth, you are already.