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soaring_chicken
Posts: 5 Member
Hello everyone! I've been using MFP for about a month now and finding it helpful. I'm sure my story is similar to many. I've had a few years of feeling simply crummy. My family doctor was useless. Their advice for sleep problems was to try staying up later in order to get really tired. I started seeing a naturpath soon after that. She investigated a few things--food sensitivities, inflammation, low progesterone. Finally, this past fall I did hormonal testing (should have done it earlier) and discovered extremely low cortisol (doctor said it is the lowest she's seen) which kind of provides reasons for all the other symptoms she'd been treating. I'm looking forward to sharing information and support with you! I find this is something that really affects your life, and yet something that most people have a hard time understanding.
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I think that my wife is suffering from adrenal gland fatigue, and she's recently been diagnosed with hypothyrodism. The medication is helping a little bit, but not much.
Any tips on what to ask about from our naturopath? We had similar issues with other doctors, even endocrinologists being completely useless, but this naturopath seems great so far.0 -
I've been bouncing around to different doctors for about two years now. Finally, the one I saw two weeks ago, at the Integrative Medicine part of the hospital, "diagnosed" me with Adrenal Fatigue. I'm still figuring it all out and reading a book that he recommended to me.
Basically, I feel like crap all the time. I have terrible insomnia. My quality of sleep is very poor. I've been working on that with a sleep specialist, but so far, nothing has changed.
It's very frustrating. I exercise, I eat right, and I still can't lose.
Anyhow, I'm glad I found this group and I hope I can learn some information.0 -
My "aha" moment came when I did the saliva hormone testing. Prior to that, my naturopath was targetting what she thought was low progesterone and liver function issues, but the hormone testing showed the low cortisol, which of course will affect progesterone. It seems that there is a fine balance between the adrenals, thyroid, ovaries, and also the liver plays a significant role in glucose levels which in turn affect blood sugar and insulin...It makes my head spin thinking of all the possible causes and I think generally it is impossible to know exactly what is going on. I would ask your naturpoath for the hormone testing. I think this can be helpful in determing just where in the hormone cascade things are going wrong. And I'm learning that for women, this type of information can be really important. Due to my low progesterone, I have estrogen dominance, and with a strong family history of breast cancer that is important information and something I need to work on.
I completely understand your frustration, MrsEB79. I'm learning that "how" I deal with my stress is definitely part of the problem. I've had a number of traumatic events over the past 10 years or so and that has certainly helped to deplete my cortisol levels, but now it is how I react to stress that is continuing the pattern.
I also had a lot of sleep issues. It's getting better but that is after about two years of taking supplements to assist with bumping up progesterone. If you haven't had hormone testing, see if you can get it done. It may give you some insight into why you are sleeping poorly.
Good luck everyone!0 -
Hi I just joined the group, I have been feeling crummy for the last 5 years and trying to find a Dr to help me check out my thyroid (as I suspected that as the possible cause). They all just told me that my thyroid level was normal, that I was just depressed. Told me to exercise more, eat better (which I already eat better than most people I know), get more sleep, etc. As I gained weight and got bigger they also started to tell me to lose weight. DUH...I'm trying to lose or at least maintain, and it's NOT working.
My current Dr went straight away to the saliva hormone testing, and called to tell me I was adrenal exhausted last Friday (I was on vacation) so I now have an appt Monday to discuss where I need to go from here. I'm a little scared and excited at the same time.
~Erin0 -
Hello everyone
I've not been diagnosed yet but my cortisol has come back low 3 times. I also have under-active thyroid and can get very low on vit B12. I feel so tired and sick all the time, it's horrible. I had an ACTH stimulation test done last week and my base cortisol was low but then sky rocketed within the hour. My base was 147 and went up to 807 in a hour. I felt pretty dam good for a few days but then things went back to awful. My blood pressure and blood sugar seem to stay on the low side of things as well. Thing is the doctor so didn't believe me, asking if everything was too much for me and maybe my mood is the problem. I know if my husband wasn't there he wouldn't have ordered the tests. My husband works at the hospital so I think he was just humoring me. Did it ever occur to them that feeling sick and tired all the time would make my mood awful!! There is so much I want to do and I can't do them. I get short of breath easily,feel nauseous a lot,feel faint a lot and can have the worst brain fog, a lot like one get's when low carbing but I'm not low carbing at the moment. I'm only 30yrs old and I feel so old! Sorry to moan on so much but it is so annoying!! But that is my story so far
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I highly recommend seeing a naturopath if possible. My family doc--nurse practitioner actually--was a joke. Her advice for my poor sleep was to go to bed later to ensure I was tired, and the last time I saw her, she basically said I was lucky to have 7 good days a month and that energy was an elusive thing for everyone. Thanks! I've been working with a naturopath for about 3 years and just this past summer have started on an adrenal support that has had great results. I feel the best I have in over 5 years. It's still a precarious balance though and if I get stressed--even little things--I can feel myself starting to slip. I think there is a big divide between the adrenals not working well and being at a level where clinically you will show results in lab tests. Trust your body and know that being tired all the time is not normal, regardless of what my nurse practitioner thinks!0
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I think that my wife is suffering from adrenal gland fatigue, and she's recently been diagnosed with hypothyrodism. The medication is helping a little bit, but not much.
Any tips on what to ask about from our naturopath? We had similar issues with other doctors, even endocrinologists being completely useless, but this naturopath seems great so far.
I am also hypothyroid. When I first started my meds (T3), I felt worse instead of better. My naturopath did a saliva test and found the adrenal fatigue problem. Basically, what she told me was that unless I treat both, my thyroid med couldn't do what it was supposed to. It seems she was right. Started on a low dose of cortisone and a DHEA supplement and slowly things are getting better. If your wife hasn't tested her adrenals, you might want to urge her to do so. The test is pretty easy, no needles involved. Keep in mind though that this test is not always covered by insurance.0 -
Hi Friends,
Thanks for sharing your stories. I am as well an adrenal fatigue sufferer. I also deal with unbalanced hormones and hypothyroidism. It's always a tricky part to figure out and decide on what to work on first. Some folks prioritize thyroid function over adrenal or work on both at the same time. I personally a bit tired of seeing naturopaths. My doctor doesn't really give me any specific instructions just supplement recommendation. There is no plan whatsoever.
I recently came across on DR. Mercola's website an interview with a doctor who uses his own method based on very long studies called The Kalish Method (http://kalishwellness.com). What really inspired me is a fact that it's a healing program that lasts anywhere between 6-12 months and patients start feeling noticeably better after couple weeks, sometimes days into the program. Even though the clinic is out of Oakland, CA I believe they have many referrals all over the world who are trained using this specific method. It's a bit pricey but I'm desperate for a change. Also for anyone that focuses primally on their thyroid and sex hormones I highly recommend to check out https://www.hormonesbalance.com. They provide a tone of useful info and awesome online workshops.
Good luck my friends with your recoveries. You can do it 0
