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Welcome to Krystal's Web Page 
< a href= "http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/krystalmorey">THERE IS A LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR MORE RECENT UPDATES!!!
Krystal (on the right) & Emily (on Krystal's right :-) )...
Just before Emily jumped out of an airplane!
July 17, 2008
Krystal's hair is now short and black with a bit of pink !! It is sooooo Krystal!
My response to people who comment about her hair or Candice's tattoos is this... Do you smoke or know anyone who does? Smoking hurts not only yourself but everyone you are around. It is medically proven that second hand smoke can harm others... but pink hair and tattoos will harm no one else!!! Half the time Krystal's hair is falling out at times so much so that she seriously considers shaving her head; so if she wants pink, or red or blue hair and it makes her happy...
THEN SO BE IT!!!
This page has been created as a means to keep family and friends updated on Krystal's health and daily life.
If you or a loved one has been recently diagnosed (dx) with Addison's Disease the first thing I ask you to remember are these 4 words...
DILIGENCE, DETERMINATION, PERSEVERANCE AND PATIENCE...
All of which we have found are necessary in learning to live with chronic illnesses!
The second ting to remember is to NEVER stop researching and learning. You will learn much and you will become your loved one's BEST advocate... and I can guarantee you that at some point in time, YOU will be their life line!! You will know more than that nurse in the ER (or evil room as we jokingly call it) who will admit to you that she/he had only one paragraph in their nursing book about Addison's Disease and it was barely discussed in school or the doctor who looks at you and asks, "Well, what should we do for her this time?" It will be YOU who educates the medical community about Addison's Disease!!
And third but by no means any less important thing to remember is this...
EVERY ADDISONIAN IS DIFFERENT AND UNIQUE!!!
The medication regime that works for one person may not work for the next... but NEVER give up! Yes, honestly, you will get frustrated at times and that's okay... you are human! But you CAN do this!!!! Everything we have read says with "proper" meds. an Addisonian should lead a "normal" life... what they fail to realize is that MANY Addisonians also have other medical conditions in conjunction with their Addison's, so you have to factor in everything else; and to date, we have not read any text that addresses the issues of living with multiple chronic illnesses.
April 11, 2001... an anniversary of sorts... or maybe milestone would be a better word. It was that day that Krystal was initially dx. (diagnosed) with Addison's Disease. That was the day we finally got answers as to why Krystal just could not get out of bed in the morning for school, why she couldn't make it through the day without being completely exhausted and why she would catch a cold and it would last 3 weeks instead of 3 days like everyone else.
We are where we are today because of 4 things:
DILIGENCE... with continual research, with the doctors, and with SSI.
DETERMINATION... to help our daughter live life.
PERSEVERANCE... by NEVER giving up and by NOT accepting negative answers from doctors, from school or from the SS office.
PATIENCE... in realizing that things take time.... as do results! We have learned that it is not always obtaining the answers as to what the "problem" is that require the most patience but rather the "treatment" of that illness or how to live with it that does.
In August of 2000 Krystal was diagnosed (dx.) with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and Vitiligo both are autoimmune diseases. That same month she became ill with mononucleosis, which lingered for months. Instead of feeling better over time, she began to feel worse. Finally after months of doctor's visits and endless hours researching on the internet, we insisted they test Krystal for Addison's Disease.
On April 11th, 2001, at the age of 15, Krystal was dx. with Autoimmune Addison's Disease; a very rare endocrine disorder (affects aprox. 1 in 100,000 people) which has caused her adrenal glands to quit working. Most people are dx with Addison's in their 30's, 40's or 50's... not as a teenager. The combination of autoimmune illnesses Krystal has is classified as APS type II (Autoimmune Polyglandular Syndrome) which basically means she has more than 2 autoimmune endocrine diseases. Vitiligo in itself is not that rare and does not cause Krystal many problems. She is fortunate in that her Vitiligo is minimal and not very noticeable; but to have it in conjunction with Addison's is not common.
Since her initial diagnosis of Addison's, Hashimoto's, and Vitiligo, Krystal has been afflicted with a multitude of health issues. These did not occur all at the same time but it has been a continual progression. Below I have listed each issue as I feel it is important that people understand how VERY common it is to deal with multiple autoimmune disorders. I won't go into in-depth detail about each one because if you are reading this then you probably googled a specific illness and found this page so you already know what it is. However, if you are searching and would like detailed information, PLEASE email me and I will happily share what I know!!!
DX. MEDICAL CONDITIONS (in chronologic order)
Vitiligo (pigment loss) dx. August 2000
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (Autoimmune Hypothyroid) dx. August 2000
Primary Autoimmune Addison's Disease (Autoimmune Adrenal insufficiency) dx. April 2001
POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) dx. February 2003
Insulin Intolerance/Hypoglycemia dx. March 2003
Chronic Migraines dx. June 2004
Has had SIBO twice (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) September 2004 & I can't remember the date of the time after that.
Severe case of C. Diff. ( antibiotic-associated C. difficile is an infection of the colon) dx. October 2004
Gastroparesis (motility disorder involving the entire gastrointestinal tract) dx. February 2005
Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome (nerve damage in foot) dx. July 2005
Osteopenia (lower than normal bone mineral density (BMD) pre-cursor to Osteoporosis) dx. February 2007
Kidney Stones 5 times: July 2007, December 2007, January 2008, October 2008, December 2008, January 2009
DVT right arm: (deep vein blood thrombosis, i.e. deep vein blood clot) dx. December 2007; DVT left arm dx. May 22, 2008; DVT Right Internal Jugular dx. December 2008
Eye Allergies & Astigmatism in each eye dx. May 2008
Positive Lupus Anti-Coagulant - Thrombophilia (this is the opposite of a Hemophiliac; her body makes blood clots... which is VERY much NOT good) dx. August 2008
Tendonitis in left foot: dx. September 2008
Osteoporosis in her back dx. October 2008
Scoliosis (mild) dx. October 2008
UCTD (Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease dx. February 2009
Sjogrens Syndrome dx. February 2009
Lupus dx. Aptil 1, 2009 (NOT a good April Fool's Day
Reynaud's Phenomenon dx. April 2009
RTA (Renal Tubular Acidosis) dx. May 8, 2009
Krystal continues to be an inspiration to all who meet her. She has such a positive attitude and outlook on life. She of course has down days, who wouldn't!?! But her overall upbeat attitude amazes everyone!
Our family is so blessed. We know the bond we share with one another is a unique gift from God and we thank Him each and every day for all of our family and friends.
Krystal's friends and our "extended family" are a special gift in themselves... words can not express how grateful we are for your friendship and love.
She... rather WE are so very fortunate to have such total (and unconditional) support from all of you.
Not everyone understands Krystal's Addison's Disease & other medical issues, but that doesn't stop any of her family or friends who care about her from being there for her 100% and for this we thank you!!!
One last VERY important thought...
Always look for at least one positive in every situation you are in... Krystal does!!! Do not focus on the negative because that will not help your situation. Between Oct. 2007 & Jan. 2009 Krystal has been seen in the Evil Room or hospitalized 25 times, yet every time she found something to be positive about... usually it is educating nurses about her health issues and her Addison's Disease in particular; which helps them the next time they have a patient with Addison's.
Journal
Sunday, May 3, 2015 11:26 PM CDT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52mmMQkSCvU
Krystal made a short update. check it out.
also made a how to video for the Act-O-Vials...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE73zikVWQs
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClFpHUFtEuZPMRTAFqO00Vw/featured
Read Journal History
Hospital Information:
Links: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/krystalmorey NEWER UPDATE AT THIS LINK!
https://www.youtube.com/c/abbynormallife Krystal's Youtube page
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