Our athletes – our heroes: Peter's story

By:  Peter  Sunday 09 May 2010

Peter was one of three members of the ADSHG – all with Addison’s – who took part in marathons in April 2010.  Here, they tell their stories.

I was eight miles into running the Brighton Marathon (my first) and realised that I wasn’t getting into my stride. My pulse rate was high and my energy levels weren’t rising to the challenge of another 18 miles. How did I ever get myself in such a situation?

I got Addison’s at the age of 16, some 32 years ago, when awareness of the condition was low, and it was regarded as a condition affecting middle-aged women. I had been ill for six months, weighed five stone, and was given only two weeks to live, when I was eventually diagnosed.

Throughout my 20s and 30s, on the advice that by taking my tablets I would lead a ‘normal’ life, I struggled. I simply accepted that, quite often, for two weeks at a time I would have chronic fatigue. My work took  me to the Philippines, where I was hospitalised with a chest infection. In India, I got chronic Delhi belly. But I had no emergency strategy beyond taking an extra couple of tablets.

Joining the ADSHG in my late 30s, I realised what I had been missing and how little I knew about the management of my condition. Ironically this coincided with getting my second autoimmune condition hypothyroidism, as well as asthma. Again, my lack of awareness of these conditions saw me fall into chronic fatigue syndrome. Added to this, I’d been lucky enough to marry and have children (two lively boys).

My turning point came when I had twelve sessions of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), at the Chronic Fatigue Unit, at Kings College Hospital. The specialist. helped me structure my thoughts and activities in line with my conditions, my work as a researcher and writer, and family life. I learned to put things in perspective and to keep active but take breaks.

By my early 40s I found that exercise was helping my fatigue; I was getting over the psychological barrier and found that, although tired, gentle exercise can help with chronic fatigue. I thus began my long walks around Hampstead Heath.

Most healthy men in their 40s go through what is called a mid-life crisis and find a need to take on new challenges. I am no different but my reason is. I am happy with my life but have been held back because of my health. Now I had an opportunity to take on challenges. So I climbed the highest mountain in England, Scafell Pike, ran a number of half marathons, and got my right arm completely covered with a classic Japanese tattoo.

To accomplish all this, I maintain quite a complex medication regime. My replacement adrenal medication starts on waking, before I get out of bed, when I take 20 mg hydrocortisone, 100 mcg fludrocortisone, 50 mg DHEA and my replacement thyroid medication of 100 mcg levothyroxine. Then, five hours later, I take a further 10 mg hydrocortisone tablet, and my final 10 mg tablet another five hours later again. Then, at bedtime I take a second 100 mcg fludrocortisone tablet. I also have two asthma inhalers. My endocrinologist is a little concerned that I might be on too high a daily dose of replacement hydrocortisone and I am being monitored. For my training I would take an extra 20 mg hydrocortisone during a long run, say over two hours (10 mg at the beginning, 10 mg half way), and 10 mg for shorter runs of between one and two hours.

So, I’m reaching the most eastern point of the Brighton Marathon on an unusually hot day in mid-April, thinking this challenge is beyond me. But my CBT kicked in, as did the extra hydrocortisone I’d taken at mile 8, and I told myself that I’d trained properly so had the endurance, and that by taking regular breaks I could do this. I even began to enjoy myself - well a little bit at least - and completed the 26.2 miles in 18 seconds outside 5 hours, with the added satisfaction of having raised a considerable amount for the ADSHG in sponsorship.

I have found after exertion that I usually recover much more slowly than my ‘healthy’ friends. But for some reason I felt fine, I even managed a pint of Guinness straight after.

I consider myself to be very lucky. My metabolism has never been the same since my hypothyroidism, and there is at least one day a week when I feel washed out. But I have managed to join in with my fellow mid-40 friends as they go through their so-called mid-life crisie.

The challenge for me now is not to have a challenge. I want to kick a ball with my sons, go for shorter runs, and acknowledge that the real marathon to complete is managing my health conditions, in a way that allows me the normal lifespan my very first consultant told me I would have some 32 years ago.

Peter

May 2010