Hagersville woman spreading the word about Addison’s disease

One way or another, Addison's disease is a foe Jill Battle has been facing her entire life.

Before the Hagersville resident was even born, her dad was diagnosed with the illness. Then, six years after his death due to complications from it, Battle was also diagnosed.

They do say because it's a rare illness - 10 in a million - it's not supposed to have a genetic component to it," Battle said. But I was told by an endocrinologist that occasionally, they will see a family where they have multiple cases, so we're actually currently watching my daughter and niece for Addison's disease as well, because they're showing signs,"

Addison's disease is a rare auto-immune disease that causes the body to destroy its adrenal glands.

The adrenal glands are mainly responsible for the production of cortisol and aldosterone hormones. Those hormones basically regulate all the systems in the body," Battle explained.

(Cortisol) regulates your organs and without it, your organs basically shut down and you die. Aldosterone's responsible for your electrolytes, balancing out your sodium and potassium levels."

She noted that because the disease is so uncommon, some patients die while they're still in the diagnosis process.

Already being familiar with Addison's and some of the signs and symptoms associated with it is what helped Battle get a diagnosis relatively quickly.

The biggest red flag was when she got a very dark tan in the middle of winter.

That's a very classic sign," Battle said, because Addison's is the only disease that people exhibit hyperpigmentation."

Along with that, Battle experienced depression, high salt cravings and no hair growth on her legs.

I was extremely cold, I was weak, I was sleeping all the time ... maybe 15 hours a day," she said.

Battle said when she was diagnosed in 2011, I think it's like anyone with a chronic illness; at first, you're kind of relieved, because I knew there was something wrong and now I had an answer."

Originally, Battle's treatments included taking steroids six times a day on a strict routine; now, she's on a subcutaneous infusion pump, like one a person with diabetes might use.

But instead of insulin, we put hydrocortisone in it," Battle said.

Besides taking her medication, Battle has to take care of herself in several ways, including managing her stress levels, staying well hydrated and not overexerting herself physically.

There's no cure for Addison's disease, but ostensibly, Battle and others with it should be able to live normal lives through regular maintenance of their health.

However, Battle noted, there is always a risk of going into adrenal crisis.

I had my first adrenal crisis a year ago," she said. It was just triggered by pure emotional exhaustion. One night, within 20 minutes, my body started to shut down and we had to call 911."

She said when the paramedics arrived, one told her they'd just completed training on Addison's disease a few days prior.

If she hadn't had that awareness, if she didn't have that knowledge, I truly believe I would have died that night," Battle said.

That's why when Battle was approached earlier this year by Team Addison Sweden, asking if she would be the ambassador for Team Addison Canada, she jumped at the chance.

The organization is a non-profit, partnered with other international organizations, all with a goal of spreading awareness of Addison's disease to the general public and medical professionals, as well as, hopefully, getting more research done on it and supporting people who have it.

Finding a way to educate the medical community first, I think, is the best way to improve our quality of life and spread awareness and to keep us alive so that we don't die of adrenal crisis," Battle said.

For more information on Addison's disease, and to connect with others who are impacted by it, visit Team Addison Canada on Facebook.