Vlogging with EDS: My First Adrenal Crisis and Exotic Animal Adventures | Week 83

I know there may be some concern for the animals pictured in this video and their habitats. And I would just like to clarify that every animal there was in immediate danger of death when brought to the shelter, and not every animal will stay forever. Every animal had a story and the entire staff was well educated on each animal and what the proper habitat for the animals would (and hopefully eventually will) be. For instance the adorable hopping ferret was saved from a cosmetics lab, the albino skunk who wasn’t featured (skunks don’t like cameras) was saved from a fur factory. A lot of the others were people’s “pets” who had no idea what they were getting in to. So yes, the cages may not be ideal size, but it likely isn’t their forever home, and they have been given a chance and are well cared for to the best of their ability. They never go out looking for animals, they say all the animals came to them. 💜
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[@aajmaness]

Love your rings! Before I was diagnosed with EDS I had actually made some "splints" like that for my mystery painful finger joints. So good to finally know what was really going on.

[@kimbertree]

Loved seeing the animal rescue! My boyfriend and I do reptile education shows in mid-state NY and have even done one show in Boston for a college! I love all animals and our goal is to open a rescue very similar to the one you went to!! Thanks for sharing as always!! I always look forward to your vlogs! 😊

[@emmaRBC]

Don't feel bad for pushing yourself too far. We all do it from time to time. Sometimes you just don't want to accept or give in to symptoms. I think it's part of the desire a lot of us have to be "normal" and do what we want to do at any given time. I'm glad you rested the day after :) Your reason for not going in the emu cage made me giggle!

[@BornAgainFarmGirl]

MS Fatigue feels like wearing a soaking wet comforter around everywhere - I run into walls and hit my legs and arms on just about everything , it’s goo to not be alone . OMG my husband and I close on our new farm on the 25th Your amazing 😉!

[@meenik6489]

I am a full time wheelchair user and experience fatigue quite often. People always say "i'm tired too, just push it" and they don't understand fatigue or "being tired" means i can barely hold my head up and can't even push myself in my chair so i litteraly can't go anywhere. Some people decide i'm over reacting and just push me and this has caused me to fall out of my chair feeling hopeless and just terrible. So now i have a seat belt in my chair and have learned to properly say no!

[@charlottebarros2866]

With all this you can still smile. Love your bubbly face 😍🙏

[@darkbluematter1753]

Glad your sister had a good birthday. 😊 It was cool to see all those animals in your vlog!

[@emmaRBC]

Happy Belated Birthday to Lauren! :)

[@NoelSeymourEST2023]

I love animals!! Thanks for making my day after a ER visit!

[@respect_the_vest_at_work]

Hey Christina! Do you have a humidifier on your oxygen? The humidifier really helps with the nose drying and bleeding! Also, since you travel a lot due to medical reasons and whatnot, you might want to get a portable oxygen concentrator.

[@life-gs7zr]

U don't need to feel useless u r making a difference in peoples lives

[@jaclyn.jenkins]

when your pumps were beeping, i thought it wasn’t feeding pump. sounds like you have the enteralite infinity too lol.

[@katrinalizotte5294]

Thank you for giving the name of the animal place you went to. I live in Massachusetts so I think we should go and check it out it looks like a cool place to go.

[@love2cats]

It's so good to see you get to enjoy time with your family. Thank you Bonnie!!!!! That was quite a scare! Maybe you can use your Spoonie Planner to schedule dedicated rest periods for yourself. I really appreciate your videos. Sending you love from Tennessee!

[@jamerayton50]

Hi Christina love watching your vlogs wishing you well from the 🇬🇧 x

[@nicolahocking5981]

Happy birthday to your sister for last week. It was lovely to see you all at the animal rescue, and that you were able to get to go and touch some of the animals. Love and hugs from me and nose boops from my rescue African pygmy hedgehog called Winnie 🦔. Xxxx

[@kimleon-guerrero9980]

Hi Christina, I’m so happy that you are feeling better after your adrenaline crash. That’s really scary and I’m trusting you are now paying close attention to listening to your bodies warning signals. That looked like a really wonderful trip to the animal rescue center for your sisters birthday, so many different and interesting animals. Take good care of yourself and we will see you next week. Sending you love and healing blessings. ✨🦓✨💞✨💞🦓✨💫

[@BNHAalltheway]

Glad You're doing good now thanks for vlogging each week You're a amazing person

[@hanasanai665]

I’m having a really hard week, and I’m so glad your always here to be as positive and real as possible and consistently making content for us. Thank you for all you do!!!!!

[@kaylabarnes]

Oh love. I'm so sorry you had to go through such a horrible experience.

[@texasdude1984]

Adrenal crisis are so scary! Having gone through three episodes of adrenal crisis, my body becomes so weak. For many years, I struggled with fatigue and had the hardest time staying awake. After multiple sleep studies and doctors thinking I had sleep apnea, which I do, but not very severe, I had my cortisol checked. It was 2.2, which was not even close to where the range began. It was then that we began to realize I might have adrenal insufficiency. You’re absolutely right that adrenal crisis. Do not hesitate to asked your doctor for increase in your steroid dose. Living with AI/Addison’s, you’re going to have good days and bad, but definitely listen to your body. I’m so glad you had injectable steroids on hand! One of the things I’ve learned is what happens during one crisis may not happen in the next. I’m so sorry you had to go through this, but I’m glad you had the steroids on hand. Did your PCP tell you to get a medical alert bracelet?

[@TeddyCrochet]

I laughed so hard when you talked about the emu oil! Hilarious. I also got the Nintendo switch and it's so much fun! Mario odyssey is great too♡ loved seeing all the animals at the rescue. Praying for you always.

[@Stress-relief-insights]

Thanks for another beautiful, creative blog as always :-) I too have Adrenaline insufficiency & have experienced similar scary flares from time to time... It's a nasty beast for sure.... 😱😳 I understand the challenges of managing your spoons and also getting done what you need to... Thank heavens your Mum was there & Bonnie could help phew!!! We are all very grateful that they were & you are still with us. I wonder how many others with EDS have this issue?.... Anyway take care hun, till next week. Love Nicole xoxo

[@bevbailie4544]

I wait anxiously every week for your vlogs!

[@NoSleepFromBrooklynAdventures]

I need a Bonnie! Glad you're feeling better!

[@crimsonrose4648]

The weekend before last I pushed myself and managed to get 4 things done that day (on a good day I get maybe 2 things done so yeah). I proceeded to be bed ridden for the next 3 days. It was my grandma's 72nd birthday though so I didn't want to miss it. Also I am one step closer to getting an official eds diagnosis!!!! I went to an orthopedic specialist and he literally said that the only knees that look like mine he has ever seen were A) professional athletes, B) 80+ year olds, and C) people with connective tissue disease. So now I am going to a new rheumatologist that has specific experience with connective tissue disease in September because that's the earliest appointments available. Also I will definitely have to look more at adrenal insufficiency because those symptoms fit me pretty well. Your videos have helped me so much on making me more confident that I could find more answers so I didn't give up thank you so much for doing what you do.

[@mackenzieann7847]

I loved seeing the clips from the animal rescue! I love animals so much and would love to go somewhere like that someday. Also, thank you for taking about your adrenal problems. I can relate to a lot of those symptoms and after doing more research, because of your video I will definitely be mentioning it to my endocrinologist, because it would explain a lot of my issues.

[@madison8568]

So I was diagnosed with Central Adrenal Insuffiencey (my pituitary gland does not work well; my body doesn't make steroids at all and I had never had steroids in my life; my stimulation test and levels of cortisol were so low they thought it was a lab error) about 5 years ago completely unrelated to my EDS (I have HEDS/VEDS and 20 Co-morbid issues from that alone )and I mean completely unrelated. Usually the type of Adrenal Issues you are talking about are steroid related. If you don't taper down on steroids properly or are constantly on and off high doses of steroids, you can have steroid induced Adrenal Insuffiencey. If you are in an adrenal crisis you have to inject yourself with the emergencey steroids and go to the ER, not negotiable.

[@hollydaugherty2620]

It is not possible for you to have "never had steroids in my life". You would not have made it through childhood without any adrenal hormones.

[@madison8568]

Holly Daugherty Adrenal Insufficiency can develop at any age. So yes it is possible for me to have never her steroids in my life on my childhood years. I hadn’t developed the disorder yet. Also what I was referring to with the steroids was the fact my adrenal insufficiency is not steroid induced. My adrenal insufficiency presented when I went through puberty at age 14

[@allysonwhite1325]

Hi Christina! I really love your videos and I love Sal’s pizza. I’ve been a MA girl my whole life.

[@caitlinkeating8177]

Those animals! So stinkin cute!

[@Mauchoxen]

I love stardew valley, zelda breath of the wild and splatoon 2 for the switch! Just some suggestions for when you want to expand your collection!

[@leslieiannottacronin2176]

We were just at Animal Adventurous on Saturday!

[@Hjtrne]

That's Mario bros for the (8 bit) NES (and ported to later systems). N64 came much later.

[@HeyyBrey]

#weallneedabonnie. 😂😂

[@penelopepolinsneemeyer4757]

Christina cariad, please don’t give us any more scares! xxxxxxx

[@dancing.with.adagio]

Christina! I never knew you had AI, too!!!!!!!! *hugs* I was just diagnosed this past winter.....

[@jennifermurray6949]

You’re in your room! 💕

[@nattieb9117]

Aww heck, I have this too and do exactly as you do.

[@lukeism2]

Grab a copy of legend of Zelda breath of the wild on switch. I guarantee that you’ll lose weeks into that game.

[@diroses6022]

I died at the armor plated part 😂

[@julieannemichelle]

May 31 is my dad's birthday! If he was still alive he would have been 101 years old!!!

[@Chloe-mw3gq]

my birthday was the 30th! wish you sister a happy bday!

[@bumpybackroads1581]

You should talk to your doctor about getting an emergency steroid injection... I have primary adrenal insufficiency... that means i have true addison's disease. my adrenal glands failed. Where as secondary adrenal insufficiency is the pituitary gland failing for one reason or another. This is not addison's disease, but people tend to lump them both together regardless... Anyway... i definitely get it. You are really really lucky. When you get to the point that you can't communicate...You don't even necessarily have a half hour before you slip into a coma... so you are lucky that you didn't slip into a coma. I am frequently pushing myself until I can no longer keep my eyes open... but we think that is because my meds aren't being properly absorbed... I literally can't do anything but work 8-5 Monday-Friday and then come home and sleep until I get up for work in the morning...so we are trying to find an endo that will prescribe injections instead. Anyways, you are really lucky you didn't end up in the hospital. It's probably because you had just finished a saline infusion so you weren't dehydrated and your sodium levels hadn't tanked... (all guestimation).

[@bumpybackroads1581]

I am wrapping up your vlog and i am so glad that you did some more research because you kind of just blew it off at the beginning and it really scared the crap out of me.... up dosing is important... especially if you are in a lot of pain and need to get out of bed and go to a doctors appointment or something that requires energy... something that requires you to push yourself. Add yourself to a support group!

[@colormezebra2841]

I have to know...what did the wallaby feel like?

[@Tessanna12]

Omgosh, I so know what you mean about "ppl dont understand 'fatigue"'. I have Addison's disease now as a side effect of steroid use "chronic steroid use". Prescribed prednisone. Also, I now have severe steroid- induced osteoporosis which has caused 10+ compression fractures in my back (i have shrunk from 5'2" to 4'3") I have broken bones so many times (wrists 3 times- surgery rt wrist, with screws and rods) ankle, hip, both shoulders, rt shoulder in 3 places at once; forearm. And now my rib cage is fracturing if I breathe too hard (okay, slight exaggeration), but it doesn't take much to break a rib or sternum or vertebra) and in the process, my rib cage is healing up too small and strangling my lungs and heart (a form of restrictive lung disease). I only have 30% of my normal lung capacity. This lung restriction thing JUST happened in the last 9 months). Was breathing okay before that. Now i can't even walk because I get too out of breath, even on oxygen. It's BAD! Get off that prednisone... ween off, if you can get your glands to function again. Long term steroid use will kill you. I was put on it 20 yrs ago for rheumatoid arthritis and it was the only thing that helped for a long time. By the time I could try to get off of it from the RA, it was too late. I wish I would have just dealt with the RA pain and disability, now. The drs didnt tell me prednisone side effects would kill me. I just want to warn people. Do NOT take this drug long term. Not sure how long it takes for you to become dependent on it. Ask your dr. Its great for asthma, and to reduce any swelling, but just dont take much or for very long. Also, take calcium for your bones, girls. Don't get osteoporosis. It's scary having bones as fragile as glass. Sorry this is so long, but i just dont want this to happen to anyone else!

[@christinadoherty3212]

+Tessanna12 I am so so sorry for what you have been through. Its terrible! I wish things had been different. 💗 I was never on the steroids for anything except to replace the ones my body doesn’t make. I don’t take prednisone unless I am having an allergic reaction in a hospital or surgery. I just take hydrocortisone since my cortisol levels were nearly nonexistent before.

[@Tessanna12]

Christina Doherty Aww, same to you, sweet lady. It's nothing compared to your rehab experience and ongoing fight. 🤗 You are such an inspiration the way you just keep smiling through the pain and you are always joyous. Bless your heart. Wish I could do that, I try. Youre in my prayers,🙏 God is so good. ☺

[@johnho6173]

Hi Christina Best wishes from Singapore

[@ReineDeLaSeine14]

Splatoon 2 is where it’s at.

[@BornAgainFarmGirl]

I love that shirt !

[@NorseButterfly]

I have partial empty Sella syndrome, and recently my GP ran bloodwork to check my cortisol levels.....mine are pretty low. I get run down really fast and have lost the last couple friends I had because of this. They just don't get it😐 It will be interesting to find out what your ortho says about your shoulder. I tore my superior labrum a couple years ago rolling over in bed. I refused to have the only ortho my insurance would pay for fix it, as he is a surgical hack with no EDS knowledge anyway.

[@Tessanna12]

Chronic Butterfly Yep, I've lost friends, too. Even family, due to all the changes chronic illness has brought about in my life. You find out who your real friends are, real fast. I was so lucky to escape shoulder surgery when I broke it in three places (tripped over the cat, carrying laundry, onto a very hard floor.) They didn't think it would heal well, but with PT, I got back 95% of my range of motion. God is good. Hope your shoulder is okay.

[@barbh1]

I'm sorry for the animals in the cases. :-(

[@christinadoherty3212]

+barbh1 Me too. But I asked about everyone’s story and they are all much better off here while they recover and then will likely be moved on to bigger and better homes. These were all animals that were in immediate danger of death for whatever reason.

[@ninamayer9254]

Do you know what brand your oxygen cannula is? I just can't find one that is clear AND comfortable, and the green ones are just not very aesthetically pleasing😂

[@medicalinthusiest2180]

Nice giant dream catcher

[@nataliewestby7696]

I don't know if anyone has asked this before, but do you have muscle atrophy in your neck b/c of the fusion?

[@NJSMKMMS]

Thats very interesting about adrenal fatigue, TFS. Do you happen to know the reason your hands shake?

[@ebonymarie7016]

I been wandering if I have this. my doctors have mentioned the possibility once or twice. I will talk to my endo

[@alyssawssinging4039]

Hey Christina

[@meiraloraduncan8953]

What was the animal before the frog?

[@charlottem5325]

what brand is the cannula?

[@rachelmartin3631]

Did you call your Oxygen Supplier about the smaller tanks? I really hope so, it will help you so so much.

[@decadentnight]

This Addisons/adrenal issue sounds awfully familiar its very scary I think I felt this way this past weekend and a few times before. I'm scared because I have no insurance or money to go see a doctor.

[@pastelshades2860]

Alice Ingham I was thinking the same. Its too familiar. I can't move sometimes. I have insurance but it doesn't help me get anywhere.

[@decadentnight]

Blockhead VIP I feel like mines brought on by lack of food, stress and/or menstruation so I don't know maybe I'm wrong?

[@juliescheie5495]

Great video as always! Please help. My daughter could use some Theramu cud oil but I forgot the code for 50% off. Does anyone remember? Thank you. 💓💓💓 to you Christina

[@kaylabarnes]

How was the mass cell stuff at the campfire?

[@-------8019]

Woooohoooooooo

[@welsoftorig]

Have you tried a mask instead of the cannula? You mentioned in a previous video your doctor originally recommended one. It will likely be more effective and comfortable in the long run. It's like they don't make cannulas for people with tiny nostrils and they end up rubbing your nose raw.

[@Miss.C.]

💞

[@meenik6489]

Btw i know why you have those silver things on your fingers (my moms friend has eds too and wears them too) and i know you don't really have a choice. But i honestly like them. I have always seen them on my moms friend and i think they look like pretty jewellery😅. I think they're pretty!

[@catrinabailey7596]

Have you ever had an issue with not getting diagnosed? With EDS?

[@wendythompson6727]

Bye bye Lil Sebastian!

[@poppycopper1]

How is your sugar levels? Hugs xxxxx

[@loiscassels8966]

Is Bonnie your nurse? You and your sister are so beautiful!

[@zoewachtel8267]

Lois Cassels Bonnie is a friend of hers who is also chronically ill

[@loiscassels8966]

Zoe Wachtel What an awesome resource to have. Thanks.

[@christinadoherty3212]

+Lois Cassels I wish! Shes one of my best friends but lives on the other side of the country. Shes just extremely well versed in adrenal issues due to having to deal with her own. I knew I could trust her to immediately understand my situation and give good instructions

[@loiscassels8966]

Christina Doherty What would we do without our friends? So lucky for you. Have a good week❤️

[@anne-marijansson4980]

❤❤❤

[@morganclarke2970]

I stay in bed all day because I’m an introvert and I don’t like human contact. Also I have a panic disorder and would rather not have panicked attacks all over so I lay in bed alone lol. My friend who just got diagnosed with GP and I lay in bed and have panic attacks and sleep lol. #WeRIntroverts

[@shekeyra100]

small / areas each animal has i hate that

[@christinadoherty3212]

+Lisaa The habitats are often temporary from what I understand. Animals come there when they can’t survive on their own or are in immediate danger of being put down. They are working on expansion, But a lot of animals go on to bigger and better forever homes.

[@hollydaugherty2620]

Cortisol is NOT "adrenaline". Those are two separate things. You are not taking adrenaline you are taking cortisol. If you are on steroids, especially enough to give you adrenal crises, you need to have an emergency injection on you at all times and give it yourself as soon as you feel crisis symptoms. Also, it's ignorant to say an ER would have made it "worse". Anyone in adrenal crisis needs emergency care for management, even *and especially* if you have to self-inject. I have Addison's disease and so many things you said made me cringe.

[@MamaWithAFro]

I feel like anyone that has been pregnant or had a really bad cold can understand needing to be in bed all day... And that all tired is not the same...