The deep sleep of my beautiful nap was interrupted by the gentle nudge of my five year old’s tiny hand. “What is it, sweetie?” “Mommy, you’re sleeping a really long time.” “Yes, honey, that’s because Mommy needs it right now.” I sighed as he ran away. He doesn’t understand.
I didn’t understand for a long time, either. Why has my health been declining for the last several years when, “nothing’s wrong?” I wanted answers. So I stopped all the extras that I had been dividing my time between and sought them.
I’m sharing some medical facts to help explain, but if you aren’t interested, then skip to the last paragraph. I won’t be offended, as long as you promise to pray for me. 
A couple of years ago, my doctor said my adrenals were exhausted. I didn’t exactly make the lifestyle changes that he suggested, especially avoiding stress. Last August I was diagnosed with Adrenal Fatigue, and went off/decreased gluten, dairy and sugar because my doctor said they tare down the adrenals.
I read some material by an adrenal specialist. Imagine a staircase. At the top is Adrenal Exhaustion, the middle Adrenal Fatigue, and the bottom Adrenal Failure. People who have Adrenal Failure are bedridden or in the hospital.
Last month is when I found out about the “adrenal staircase.” If you tax your adrenal system, then you have a crash that takes you a few steps down the staircase. It takes time to recover from that, but if you continue in the same problematic lifestyle habits then you won’t make it back to the top of the staircase. Instead your starting place is a couple of steps down, and subsequent crashes followed by improper recovery causes you to continue in a downward zigzag to chronic illness.
How did I get this way? A tendency to overdo myself interspersed between a difficult pregnancy, tendinitis in my knees, moving, another difficult pregnancy, whiplash, moving, living in a house infested with mold, moving and another whiplash. Sigh. My poor husband.
When you have Adrenal Fatigue, your body will shut down the non-essential systems of survival ― such as your reproductive system, which explains infertility in some ― to help your essential systems or organs from shutting down. It’s amazing how much one’s hormones affect one’s body!
On top of that, I saw a cell therapist who not only confirmed the adrenal insufficiencies, but saw candida while we looked at my blood. (Pretty neat experience, and yes, I used it as a homeschool field trip.) On a scale from 1 to 5, I was a 3, and he said a yeast cleanse should do it.
To recover, I’m sleeping a lot, taking new whole food adrenal support (old one was from the glands of a pig), taking the yeast cleanse, drinking green smoothies, sleeping a lot, and generally taking it easy. If I overdo it, occasional fibro pain and more fatigue surfaces as a reminder.
On the good side, I’m so relieved to finally have answers! I’m taking more time with my family and playing games with my boys. Life finally seems more balanced. I am done planning the future for now. I’m learning to walk in the season God has me instead of getting ahead of Him, and I am thanking God for what He has taught me. I covet your prayers. Apparently, recovery could be a few months, but I’m already starting to feel better. Needless to say, I’m daily utilizing my One Word: faith. 
