Friday, May 1, 2009
Feeling Crazy Today
I feel absolutely out of my mind today. Jittery, nervous, anxious and very very shaky. My hands are trembling quite a bit. This morning I took 1/2 tab of florinef and yet my pulse is high and blood pressure is falling upon standing.
Sitting Pulse 102/77 HR 113
Standing Pulse 96/76 HR 123
AHHH my pulse was doing so well too....I think I'm worse today because the humidity has finally climbed. It is 70% humidity and 71 degrees. That may not seem hot to those of you who live in a dry climate. I assure you that 70% humidity isn't good no matter what temperature.
I'm supposed to continue adding florinef 1/4 tab at a time. My doc said most people are optimized at 1-2 tabs and I only started taking 3/4 tab today.
We'll see what happens. I hope the shaking hands are just low cortisol symptoms.
Sitting Pulse 102/77 HR 113
Standing Pulse 96/76 HR 123
AHHH my pulse was doing so well too....I think I'm worse today because the humidity has finally climbed. It is 70% humidity and 71 degrees. That may not seem hot to those of you who live in a dry climate. I assure you that 70% humidity isn't good no matter what temperature.
I'm supposed to continue adding florinef 1/4 tab at a time. My doc said most people are optimized at 1-2 tabs and I only started taking 3/4 tab today.
We'll see what happens. I hope the shaking hands are just low cortisol symptoms.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sweet Tasting Water and Still Recuperating
I am still trying to recuperate from yesterday. This morning I had some self-ordered labs drawn and I think I picked an excellent day to have them done. I am quite curious to see what the results are of my electrolytes.
About 20 minutes ago I began to feel really sick again. Like someone is pressing on my throat. I immediately took 5mg of HC, but think I should probably take some more. This was one of my first symptoms yesterday. It's almost difficult to swallow. It's a sensation that I cannot explain properly.
Water has been sweet tasting all day long. It is driving me completely insane because it takes terrible. Take a glass of water and put in 2 large spoonfuls of stevia. That's exactly what plain water tastes to me at the moment. My doctor doesn't know what causes this, but it must have something to do with dehydration, electrolyte imbalance or low aldosterone.
Let's hope I can get through this. If not I will be heading to the ER. I just hope to God they know what to do if it gets bad again. I'm worried that they won't take me seriously.
About 20 minutes ago I began to feel really sick again. Like someone is pressing on my throat. I immediately took 5mg of HC, but think I should probably take some more. This was one of my first symptoms yesterday. It's almost difficult to swallow. It's a sensation that I cannot explain properly.
Water has been sweet tasting all day long. It is driving me completely insane because it takes terrible. Take a glass of water and put in 2 large spoonfuls of stevia. That's exactly what plain water tastes to me at the moment. My doctor doesn't know what causes this, but it must have something to do with dehydration, electrolyte imbalance or low aldosterone.
Let's hope I can get through this. If not I will be heading to the ER. I just hope to God they know what to do if it gets bad again. I'm worried that they won't take me seriously.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Adrenal Crisis--What an experience!
Well I had a mini adrenal crisis today. /sigh Even stress dosing didn't make going to court any easier and I completely lost it just as the arbitration was about to begin.
I began to shake uncontrollably, hyperventilate and went from being hot to cold all in a matter of seconds. My husband said that my lips, hands and face were pale and turning blue and I was staring at the ceiling making bubbles with my lips! LOL He said I was not responding to him and that my pupils were dilated. He was about 15 seconds away from calling 911 when I finally heard him and said that I could hear him.
I have contacted the doctor and am shopping for a medic alert bracelet right now. If my husband hadn't been there, I think I would have died. I told him yesterday what to look for in adrenal crisis. I had him read over a few websites and he acted accordingly. Thank God!
Now I'm just trying to pick up the pieces. I feel like crap and don't know what I should do. I have contacted the doctor about what happened. I'm just glad that I am OK.
I began to shake uncontrollably, hyperventilate and went from being hot to cold all in a matter of seconds. My husband said that my lips, hands and face were pale and turning blue and I was staring at the ceiling making bubbles with my lips! LOL He said I was not responding to him and that my pupils were dilated. He was about 15 seconds away from calling 911 when I finally heard him and said that I could hear him.
I have contacted the doctor and am shopping for a medic alert bracelet right now. If my husband hadn't been there, I think I would have died. I told him yesterday what to look for in adrenal crisis. I had him read over a few websites and he acted accordingly. Thank God!
Now I'm just trying to pick up the pieces. I feel like crap and don't know what I should do. I have contacted the doctor about what happened. I'm just glad that I am OK.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
More Blood Work and HC
I got my blood results back finally and here's what it said.
More of nothing...
21-Hydroxlyase Antibodies <1.0--(<1.0)
Antiadrenal Antibodies, Quant Negative--(Negative))
IGF-1 214--(116-358) Doc said this was a little low
17-alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone 104 (30-100 Follicular) Doc said this isn't high enough to worry about.
I guess I should be thankful that my body isn't attacking my adrenal glands, but...I am back to not understanding WHY my adrenals aren't working. Maybe it's just mercury toxicity? I wanted to know the reason, so that I could move on with my life. I have this condition yet no doctor can pinpoint the reason...
There is some good news.
The doctor had me start on 30mg of hydrocortisone on Thursday and it's really helping. In combination with the florinef, I can already tell a difference in my heat intolerance. While I'm not completely better yet, it must have been 85 in our house yesterday and I felt pretty good. I was extremely thirsty all day yesterday and just kept a filled Berkey water bottle next to me. It helped to keep me hydrated.
My sleep on the other hand has been absolutely terrible. I keep waking up at night, hot, sweating and extremely thirsty. Sometimes I have to use the bathroom too. Is this low aldosterone, low cortisol or do I really have diabetes insipidus? At this point, I have no idea. I haven't been taking my DDAVP recently because I wanted to see what the florinef would do for me. I'm still not sure.
Yesterday I didn't feel as good as the first day, but I'm hoping the irritability was just PMS...lol All and all I am very pleased. I am trying to wake up at a more "normal" time, so my HC doses are right. Unfortunately today I woke up around 9AM, but that' isn't too bad considering our sleep schedule used to be really screwed up waking up at 8PM and going to sleep when most folks are eating lunch.
I think I might be getting some low potassium symptoms (chest pains, irregular heart beats, leg cramps), so I self-ordered some blood work through econolabs.com. I ordered a CBC with differential and a CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel) to check my blood counts, liver enzymes and electrolyte balance. As I was writing this I checked my email and the requisition form was sent to me email already! That was really fast.
I'll have to wait and get this checked on Tuesday because Monday morning we have to go to court and I'm already nervous about it.
More of nothing...
21-Hydroxlyase Antibodies <1.0--(<1.0)
Antiadrenal Antibodies, Quant Negative--(Negative))
IGF-1 214--(116-358) Doc said this was a little low
17-alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone 104 (30-100 Follicular) Doc said this isn't high enough to worry about.
I guess I should be thankful that my body isn't attacking my adrenal glands, but...I am back to not understanding WHY my adrenals aren't working. Maybe it's just mercury toxicity? I wanted to know the reason, so that I could move on with my life. I have this condition yet no doctor can pinpoint the reason...
There is some good news.
The doctor had me start on 30mg of hydrocortisone on Thursday and it's really helping. In combination with the florinef, I can already tell a difference in my heat intolerance. While I'm not completely better yet, it must have been 85 in our house yesterday and I felt pretty good. I was extremely thirsty all day yesterday and just kept a filled Berkey water bottle next to me. It helped to keep me hydrated.
My sleep on the other hand has been absolutely terrible. I keep waking up at night, hot, sweating and extremely thirsty. Sometimes I have to use the bathroom too. Is this low aldosterone, low cortisol or do I really have diabetes insipidus? At this point, I have no idea. I haven't been taking my DDAVP recently because I wanted to see what the florinef would do for me. I'm still not sure.
Yesterday I didn't feel as good as the first day, but I'm hoping the irritability was just PMS...lol All and all I am very pleased. I am trying to wake up at a more "normal" time, so my HC doses are right. Unfortunately today I woke up around 9AM, but that' isn't too bad considering our sleep schedule used to be really screwed up waking up at 8PM and going to sleep when most folks are eating lunch.
I think I might be getting some low potassium symptoms (chest pains, irregular heart beats, leg cramps), so I self-ordered some blood work through econolabs.com. I ordered a CBC with differential and a CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel) to check my blood counts, liver enzymes and electrolyte balance. As I was writing this I checked my email and the requisition form was sent to me email already! That was really fast.
I'll have to wait and get this checked on Tuesday because Monday morning we have to go to court and I'm already nervous about it.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Not Much To Report
It's been quiet. My blood work still isn't back from the doctor, so I just continue to wait.
Unfortunately cutting back on the salt has not made all of the weight go away, so today I bought 4 new pairs of pants. Hopefully this will keep me covered for a while. I can tell it is ALL water weight though. My calves are very full looking again and I have been even more strict with my diet. Nothing is helping at all.
I hope this week I find out whether or not I have adrenal antibodies.
I raised my florinef yesterday. Now I am taking 1/4 tab, twice a day. It's helping me, but not enough yet!
Unfortunately cutting back on the salt has not made all of the weight go away, so today I bought 4 new pairs of pants. Hopefully this will keep me covered for a while. I can tell it is ALL water weight though. My calves are very full looking again and I have been even more strict with my diet. Nothing is helping at all.
I hope this week I find out whether or not I have adrenal antibodies.
I raised my florinef yesterday. Now I am taking 1/4 tab, twice a day. It's helping me, but not enough yet!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
ER Blood Work
I finally got the blood work back from the ER visit at the end of December and there are 3 things on there that were interesting.
Here's all of the results. Remember I went in there with chest pains, so they did all the cardiac and blood clot tests. I know nothing about those to be honest.
December 29, 2008
PT TEST 10.7--(9-12)
INR 1.1--(0.9-1.2)
PTT TEST 28.7--(20-35 seconds)
D-Dimer 0.51--(0.54-2.09) LOW But it states this underneath-
"To maximize the negative predictive value for the purpose of ruling out DVT or PE, a cutoff value of less than 1.0 is used.
A D-Dimer of less than 1.0 and otherwise normal patient history equals a low probability of DVT or PE. At levels below 1.0 the negative predictive value for DVT and PE approaches 100%.
Conversely, a value of 1.0 or greater cannot be used for the diagnosis of DVT or PE without the use of radiological procedures. IF a D-Dimer is great than 1.0, the investigation should be continued as clinically indicated."
Troponin I 0.00--(0-0.3)
Glucose 99--(70-99) Very high?
Bun 8--(7-22)
Creatinine 0.9--(0.5-1.3)
Bun/Creat 8.9--(8-27)
Sodium 142--(136-147)
Potassium 3.5--(3.6-5.3) LOW...
Chloride 107--(98-110)
CO2 Content 24--(22-34)
Anion Gap 11--(2-12)
Calc Osmol 281--(269-297)
Calcium 9.8--(8.7-10.7)
T Bili 0.5--(0.1-1.2)
ALK Phos 65--(30-128)
SGPT (ALT) 58--(5-47) HIGH again?
SGOT (AST) 36--(5-40) High normal
Total Protein 8.0--(6-8.4)
Albumin 4.7--(3.3-5.1)
Globulin 3.3--(1.8-4.2)
A/G Ratio 1.4--(1.0-2.5)
WBC 5.5--(3.8-10) Best I've ever seen my counts
RBC 4.95--(3.88-5.11)
HGB 14.1--(11.5-15.7)
HCT 40.8--(36.3-47%)
MCV 82.4--(84-101.1) LOW again
MCH 28.5--(27-34)
MCHC 34.6--(30.5-35)
RDW 12.5--(11-15.5)
PLT 256--(130-400)
MPV 10.4--(8-11.1)
Neutrophil# 2.83--(1.6-6.7)
Lymphocyte# 2.1--(0.9-3.1)
Monocyte# 0.34--(0.11-1.0)
Eosinophil# 0.2--(0.0-0.5)
Basophil# 0.0--(0.0-0.2)
Neutrophil% 51.7--(43.6-74.5)
Lymphocyte% 37.6--(15.5-44.5)
Monocyte% 6.2--(3.6-12)
Eosinophil% 3.8--(0-6) First time I've seen this normal in 2-3 years.
Basophil% 0.7--(0-2)
Chest X Ray at ER
CLINICAL DATA: Chest Pain
TWO-VIEW CHEST
History: A 24-year-old female with chest pain.
Comparison Studies: None
Findings: The lungs are free of consolidation, congestion, or effusions. The cardiac silhouette is not enlarged. There are no hilar or mediastinal abnormalities.
IMPRESSION No acute pulmonary disease.
The elevated ALT is interesting. That means my ALT was elevated for the entire month of December. It hasn't been checked since then, so I don't know if it's still elevated. I will definitely be bringing this up to Dr. L. My research into ALT tells me that unlike some of the other liver indicators which might be a metabolic problem somewhere else down the line, ALT specifically means damage or inflammation in the liver. The cells die and then leak into the bloodstream. Obviously there is some cell death in everyone, since the range is 5-47. Now it doesn't mean its serious, but the fact that I don't drink alcohol, take OTC pain pills or prescription drugs tells me it needs investigated further. Now if it's not elevated anymore, then I'll just assume it was from the DMSA and move on. But if it's still elevated now, then I might refer myself to another doc. I just like to make sure everything is clear here. I'm 24 years old and certainly want to keep my liver healthy as long as possible! I've seen a few medical websites that say celiac can cause high ALT.
The low potassium doesn't surprise me. Well actually it does a little because I was actively trying to raise it then. And low potassium can cause chest pains, so I might have gone to the ER because of low K! haha That makes me laugh a little inside.
The high glucose worries me. My last fasting blood draw in March was creeping up into the 90's and I certainly don't need diabetes to worry about on top of everything else.
In other news, the itching has been back. Not as severe as it used to be, but I am worried it will continue to get worse. It's the same spots as before...
Here's all of the results. Remember I went in there with chest pains, so they did all the cardiac and blood clot tests. I know nothing about those to be honest.
December 29, 2008
PT TEST 10.7--(9-12)
INR 1.1--(0.9-1.2)
PTT TEST 28.7--(20-35 seconds)
D-Dimer 0.51--(0.54-2.09) LOW But it states this underneath-
"To maximize the negative predictive value for the purpose of ruling out DVT or PE, a cutoff value of less than 1.0 is used.
A D-Dimer of less than 1.0 and otherwise normal patient history equals a low probability of DVT or PE. At levels below 1.0 the negative predictive value for DVT and PE approaches 100%.
Conversely, a value of 1.0 or greater cannot be used for the diagnosis of DVT or PE without the use of radiological procedures. IF a D-Dimer is great than 1.0, the investigation should be continued as clinically indicated."
Troponin I 0.00--(0-0.3)
Glucose 99--(70-99) Very high?
Bun 8--(7-22)
Creatinine 0.9--(0.5-1.3)
Bun/Creat 8.9--(8-27)
Sodium 142--(136-147)
Potassium 3.5--(3.6-5.3) LOW...
Chloride 107--(98-110)
CO2 Content 24--(22-34)
Anion Gap 11--(2-12)
Calc Osmol 281--(269-297)
Calcium 9.8--(8.7-10.7)
T Bili 0.5--(0.1-1.2)
ALK Phos 65--(30-128)
SGPT (ALT) 58--(5-47) HIGH again?
SGOT (AST) 36--(5-40) High normal
Total Protein 8.0--(6-8.4)
Albumin 4.7--(3.3-5.1)
Globulin 3.3--(1.8-4.2)
A/G Ratio 1.4--(1.0-2.5)
WBC 5.5--(3.8-10) Best I've ever seen my counts
RBC 4.95--(3.88-5.11)
HGB 14.1--(11.5-15.7)
HCT 40.8--(36.3-47%)
MCV 82.4--(84-101.1) LOW again
MCH 28.5--(27-34)
MCHC 34.6--(30.5-35)
RDW 12.5--(11-15.5)
PLT 256--(130-400)
MPV 10.4--(8-11.1)
Neutrophil# 2.83--(1.6-6.7)
Lymphocyte# 2.1--(0.9-3.1)
Monocyte# 0.34--(0.11-1.0)
Eosinophil# 0.2--(0.0-0.5)
Basophil# 0.0--(0.0-0.2)
Neutrophil% 51.7--(43.6-74.5)
Lymphocyte% 37.6--(15.5-44.5)
Monocyte% 6.2--(3.6-12)
Eosinophil% 3.8--(0-6) First time I've seen this normal in 2-3 years.
Basophil% 0.7--(0-2)
Chest X Ray at ER
CLINICAL DATA: Chest Pain
TWO-VIEW CHEST
History: A 24-year-old female with chest pain.
Comparison Studies: None
Findings: The lungs are free of consolidation, congestion, or effusions. The cardiac silhouette is not enlarged. There are no hilar or mediastinal abnormalities.
IMPRESSION No acute pulmonary disease.
The elevated ALT is interesting. That means my ALT was elevated for the entire month of December. It hasn't been checked since then, so I don't know if it's still elevated. I will definitely be bringing this up to Dr. L. My research into ALT tells me that unlike some of the other liver indicators which might be a metabolic problem somewhere else down the line, ALT specifically means damage or inflammation in the liver. The cells die and then leak into the bloodstream. Obviously there is some cell death in everyone, since the range is 5-47. Now it doesn't mean its serious, but the fact that I don't drink alcohol, take OTC pain pills or prescription drugs tells me it needs investigated further. Now if it's not elevated anymore, then I'll just assume it was from the DMSA and move on. But if it's still elevated now, then I might refer myself to another doc. I just like to make sure everything is clear here. I'm 24 years old and certainly want to keep my liver healthy as long as possible! I've seen a few medical websites that say celiac can cause high ALT.
The low potassium doesn't surprise me. Well actually it does a little because I was actively trying to raise it then. And low potassium can cause chest pains, so I might have gone to the ER because of low K! haha That makes me laugh a little inside.
The high glucose worries me. My last fasting blood draw in March was creeping up into the 90's and I certainly don't need diabetes to worry about on top of everything else.
In other news, the itching has been back. Not as severe as it used to be, but I am worried it will continue to get worse. It's the same spots as before...
The Journey Continues...
Here is My story-Part 3!
All eight amalgams were removed in September '08 and I began to chelate with low dose DMSA following Dr. Cutler's frequent dose protocol. I didn't realize that EDTA, cilantro, challenge tests and chlorella were dangerous before. I no longer recommend them to anyone. My hair started to grow back within a few days of chelating with DMSA.
Unfortunately during my 8th round of chelation in October '08 I crashed. I don't know if it was the chelation, a mercury dump or it was just destined to happen. I began to get very itchy. It started off with hives and then led to skin itchiness, which completely controlled my life. This went on for 2-3 months. Finally I started to lose weight/night sweats and went to a PCP in the area. She told me I had swollen lymph nodes near my collar bone and was quite concerned about me. She did the standard basic blood work and my TSH came back undetectable. The PCP was convinced I had a hyperthyroid and sent me for testing. However I refused to undergo the radioactive scan/uptake test. I did the ultrasound which came back completely normal. More blood work actually suggested secondary hypothyroid because I had low FT3/FT4. She completely dismissed this and thinks TSH is the know all for the thyroid. Worthless, useless doctor and she didn't really want to hear about it anymore and just referred me to an endo. Yes she was a DO btw. Some people think these types of docs are wonderful... Well in my experience they are terrible too.
Dr. Goldstein wasn't sure about all of this and he told me to see an endo as well. During this time, the itching was just so bad. It would make me shake. Some blood work showed an elevated ALT , low neutrophils and WBC's. This is when I completely discontinued chelation and decided my body needed to rest.
Over the course of the next few weeks, the itchiness got better on its own. I developed severe chest pains in the middle of December which were terrible too. At first it was quite sharp, but then became this dull ache that last for several weeks. A trip to the ER did not reveal much of anything. They told me I pulled my chest wall. I just recently got the labs from that ER visit and it shows my potassium was low, which can cause heart problems and my ALT was elevated again. None of this was ever mentioned to me when I was there. Apparently they didn't think it was important... The lesson here to ALWAYS GET COPIES OF YOUR BLOOD WORK!
While waiting for the endo appointment to arrive, I started looking online for more answers. I needed help and knew the endo would be a waste of my time. I just wanted to be as prepared as possible for the appointment with a stack of labs in hand, so I didn't have to come back again. Thankfully I found a few yahoo groups and a hormone support group with other people suffering from the same symptoms as me! They were able to tell me which labs needed checked especially since I was dx with diabetes insipidus. During all of this, I was recommended a doctor about 5 hours from me and after some thinking decided to go see him.
It was the best decision I ever made in my life. After all of this craziness, I think I might actually get some help. No offense to Dr. G but he never helped me in the entire year's time I saw him and wasted that entire year chasing bullshit. I was never given florinef even though he saw my low aldosterone numbers. To say I am disappointed is an understatement. The new doctor questions whether I really have Diabetes Insipidus and that it may only be low aldosterone symptoms. He has diagnosed me with adrenal insufficiency (the cause we are still investigating), low aldosterone, and hypothyroid.
I just started on florinef and will slowly raise it over the next few weeks. I can't wait to see what it does for me! Maybe I can handle the hot weather again. Once I reach 1 tab of Florinef, I will begin 30mg of HC. After I am stable on Florinef and HC, then we will be rechecking my thyroid numbers to see if I will need Armour too. I have a feeling that I will but, who knows?
Things I am still investigating and will be battling:
--Why has my ALT been elevated?
--Why does my TSH fluctuate so much?
--HC/Florinef dosing--trial and error
--What is causing the adrenal insufficiency? Enzyme deficiency? pituitary?
--Can I cure all of this with chelation?
All eight amalgams were removed in September '08 and I began to chelate with low dose DMSA following Dr. Cutler's frequent dose protocol. I didn't realize that EDTA, cilantro, challenge tests and chlorella were dangerous before. I no longer recommend them to anyone. My hair started to grow back within a few days of chelating with DMSA.
Unfortunately during my 8th round of chelation in October '08 I crashed. I don't know if it was the chelation, a mercury dump or it was just destined to happen. I began to get very itchy. It started off with hives and then led to skin itchiness, which completely controlled my life. This went on for 2-3 months. Finally I started to lose weight/night sweats and went to a PCP in the area. She told me I had swollen lymph nodes near my collar bone and was quite concerned about me. She did the standard basic blood work and my TSH came back undetectable. The PCP was convinced I had a hyperthyroid and sent me for testing. However I refused to undergo the radioactive scan/uptake test. I did the ultrasound which came back completely normal. More blood work actually suggested secondary hypothyroid because I had low FT3/FT4. She completely dismissed this and thinks TSH is the know all for the thyroid. Worthless, useless doctor and she didn't really want to hear about it anymore and just referred me to an endo. Yes she was a DO btw. Some people think these types of docs are wonderful... Well in my experience they are terrible too.
Dr. Goldstein wasn't sure about all of this and he told me to see an endo as well. During this time, the itching was just so bad. It would make me shake. Some blood work showed an elevated ALT , low neutrophils and WBC's. This is when I completely discontinued chelation and decided my body needed to rest.
Over the course of the next few weeks, the itchiness got better on its own. I developed severe chest pains in the middle of December which were terrible too. At first it was quite sharp, but then became this dull ache that last for several weeks. A trip to the ER did not reveal much of anything. They told me I pulled my chest wall. I just recently got the labs from that ER visit and it shows my potassium was low, which can cause heart problems and my ALT was elevated again. None of this was ever mentioned to me when I was there. Apparently they didn't think it was important... The lesson here to ALWAYS GET COPIES OF YOUR BLOOD WORK!
While waiting for the endo appointment to arrive, I started looking online for more answers. I needed help and knew the endo would be a waste of my time. I just wanted to be as prepared as possible for the appointment with a stack of labs in hand, so I didn't have to come back again. Thankfully I found a few yahoo groups and a hormone support group with other people suffering from the same symptoms as me! They were able to tell me which labs needed checked especially since I was dx with diabetes insipidus. During all of this, I was recommended a doctor about 5 hours from me and after some thinking decided to go see him.
It was the best decision I ever made in my life. After all of this craziness, I think I might actually get some help. No offense to Dr. G but he never helped me in the entire year's time I saw him and wasted that entire year chasing bullshit. I was never given florinef even though he saw my low aldosterone numbers. To say I am disappointed is an understatement. The new doctor questions whether I really have Diabetes Insipidus and that it may only be low aldosterone symptoms. He has diagnosed me with adrenal insufficiency (the cause we are still investigating), low aldosterone, and hypothyroid.
I just started on florinef and will slowly raise it over the next few weeks. I can't wait to see what it does for me! Maybe I can handle the hot weather again. Once I reach 1 tab of Florinef, I will begin 30mg of HC. After I am stable on Florinef and HC, then we will be rechecking my thyroid numbers to see if I will need Armour too. I have a feeling that I will but, who knows?
Things I am still investigating and will be battling:
--Why has my ALT been elevated?
--Why does my TSH fluctuate so much?
--HC/Florinef dosing--trial and error
--What is causing the adrenal insufficiency? Enzyme deficiency? pituitary?
--Can I cure all of this with chelation?
Friday, April 3, 2009
Florinef Is Doing...Something
Day 2 of 1/4 tab of florinef (well the generic) and it is doing something just not enough of it. haha! I will definitely need more and am looking forward to the increase in 2 weeks. Last night I woke up (like always) but I wiggled my hands, feet and they were not as swollen as they usually are at that time. My face was not as swollen this morning either. That's really good.
However, I still feel dehydrated, very thirsty etc. Last night before bed, my urine looked like water. I really hope I don't have diabetes insipidus and that the florinef will take away all of these symptoms (clear urine, desert mouth, peeing a lot). I haven't had any low potassium symptoms...yet, but I am paying close attention to my muscles and heart. The first signs of them, I will be running to Labcorp for more blood tests.
That's it for today. I slept 9 hours last night and I actually feel pretty good. I might have been able to skip my morning coffee...My husband said he slept better and I'm like maybe it's because I slept better? We'll see what happens tonight!
However, I still feel dehydrated, very thirsty etc. Last night before bed, my urine looked like water. I really hope I don't have diabetes insipidus and that the florinef will take away all of these symptoms (clear urine, desert mouth, peeing a lot). I haven't had any low potassium symptoms...yet, but I am paying close attention to my muscles and heart. The first signs of them, I will be running to Labcorp for more blood tests.
That's it for today. I slept 9 hours last night and I actually feel pretty good. I might have been able to skip my morning coffee...My husband said he slept better and I'm like maybe it's because I slept better? We'll see what happens tonight!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
New Doctor: The First Appointment
Sorry I've been away for a little bit. My husband and I traveled out to the eastern side of the state to see a doctor that was recommended to me. The trip was a lot worse than we were anticipating, but we made it there and back in 1 piece.
I am very happy with the new doctor. He isn't convinced that I have a pituitary disorder and has diagnosed me with primary adrenal insufficiency, hypothyroidism and low aldosterone. I'm not really sure how I feel about it, but I really don't care anymore. I just want to FEEL better.
Honestly I am just too tired right now to rewrite my thoughts about the doctor, so I am just copy/pasting my post from the Hormone Support group. We went target shooting today and I am wiped out.
"He wants to check for adrenal antibodies and wants to see rule out elevated 17-OH-progesterone. The high saliva progesterone levels piqued his interest and says I may be deficient in the enzymes that create cortisol. He said the saliva test might be picking up this form of progesterone. Typically though a woman would have increased hair growth with this condition, but he just wanted to rule it out. It sounds rather interesting, so I say why not check it?
He also wants to investigate why my potassium is chronically low even with a good diet with fruits/vegetables. He said he might send me to a nephrologist to investigate this further, but wanted to see what happens on florinef. He told me he has seen patients potassium levels actually go UP on florinef, which he admits doesn't really make sense. I have a blood sheet ready if I start to show symptoms of low potassium and wants me to check this immediately if that happens to see what my electrolytes are doing. He tells patients that foods are the best way to get potassium and that's what he usually recommends.
Once the blood work is done, I am to start on 1/4 tab of florinef and go from there. He told me to not raise it any faster than 1/4 tab every 2 weeks. At 2 weeks take 1/4 tab twice a day. Ultimately he told me once I hit 1 tab, to start on the 30mg of HC. 10-10-5-5 dosing schedule. He said the bedtime dose may prove to be important for me since I wake up every single night (around the same time). He said he starts everyone at 30mg now because at lower doses he has seen people crash very hard and says it's better to have too much HC for a short period of time, than being under treated. He says, that my ACTH will be suppressed with this dose and that we'll have to watch my DHEA and other hormones. He told me the reason why my salt wasting symptoms got worse on 20mg HC was because my ACTH was suppressed causing the already low aldosterone to fall even further.
This doctor was quite knowledgeable. He certainly contradicts some of the things that Chris from the Hormone Support group goes by (low potassium, low sodium, low renin means secondary AI, ACTH<50 is secondary AI), but at this point I'm just glad to have a doc prescribe me florinef. I might have been able to get my other doc to do it, but I really trust Dr. L. He is only an email away too, which is just awesome!
This doc loves unique, complicated and bizarre cases. It seems like my case was pretty easy for him to be honest. I had 2 saliva tests from Diagnos-Tech Inc and that was enough for him. The results were almost identical and he felt pretty strongly that I was having serious adrenal problems (combined with my symptoms)."
Today I started on the 1/4 tab of Florinef immediately following the blood work. I don't feel much of anything--good or bad. Still thirsty, still peeing a lot and still feeling lightheaded when I stand up. I definitely think I'll need a full tab to feel better, but I intend to follow his instructions exactly.
I am very happy with the new doctor. He isn't convinced that I have a pituitary disorder and has diagnosed me with primary adrenal insufficiency, hypothyroidism and low aldosterone. I'm not really sure how I feel about it, but I really don't care anymore. I just want to FEEL better.
Honestly I am just too tired right now to rewrite my thoughts about the doctor, so I am just copy/pasting my post from the Hormone Support group. We went target shooting today and I am wiped out.
"He wants to check for adrenal antibodies and wants to see rule out elevated 17-OH-progesterone. The high saliva progesterone levels piqued his interest and says I may be deficient in the enzymes that create cortisol. He said the saliva test might be picking up this form of progesterone. Typically though a woman would have increased hair growth with this condition, but he just wanted to rule it out. It sounds rather interesting, so I say why not check it?
He also wants to investigate why my potassium is chronically low even with a good diet with fruits/vegetables. He said he might send me to a nephrologist to investigate this further, but wanted to see what happens on florinef. He told me he has seen patients potassium levels actually go UP on florinef, which he admits doesn't really make sense. I have a blood sheet ready if I start to show symptoms of low potassium and wants me to check this immediately if that happens to see what my electrolytes are doing. He tells patients that foods are the best way to get potassium and that's what he usually recommends.
Once the blood work is done, I am to start on 1/4 tab of florinef and go from there. He told me to not raise it any faster than 1/4 tab every 2 weeks. At 2 weeks take 1/4 tab twice a day. Ultimately he told me once I hit 1 tab, to start on the 30mg of HC. 10-10-5-5 dosing schedule. He said the bedtime dose may prove to be important for me since I wake up every single night (around the same time). He said he starts everyone at 30mg now because at lower doses he has seen people crash very hard and says it's better to have too much HC for a short period of time, than being under treated. He says, that my ACTH will be suppressed with this dose and that we'll have to watch my DHEA and other hormones. He told me the reason why my salt wasting symptoms got worse on 20mg HC was because my ACTH was suppressed causing the already low aldosterone to fall even further.
This doctor was quite knowledgeable. He certainly contradicts some of the things that Chris from the Hormone Support group goes by (low potassium, low sodium, low renin means secondary AI, ACTH<50 is secondary AI), but at this point I'm just glad to have a doc prescribe me florinef. I might have been able to get my other doc to do it, but I really trust Dr. L. He is only an email away too, which is just awesome!
This doc loves unique, complicated and bizarre cases. It seems like my case was pretty easy for him to be honest. I had 2 saliva tests from Diagnos-Tech Inc and that was enough for him. The results were almost identical and he felt pretty strongly that I was having serious adrenal problems (combined with my symptoms)."
Today I started on the 1/4 tab of Florinef immediately following the blood work. I don't feel much of anything--good or bad. Still thirsty, still peeing a lot and still feeling lightheaded when I stand up. I definitely think I'll need a full tab to feel better, but I intend to follow his instructions exactly.
Friday, March 27, 2009
DI In A Bad Phase?
This is somewhat embarrassing, but I almost peed myself this week, TWICE! The first time we went for a walk at the park and I went before leaving the house. We got to the park and my bladder filled up so fast. I was ready to pee in the woods, but there wasn't enough cover. haha We had to cut our walk short, but I walked 2 miles on a full bladder...I still don't know how I did it.
The other time was when we went grocery shopping a few nights ago. I had to go so bad when we got there, then about 5 minutes after we pulled away, I had to go again. We don't spend a lot of time in the store, so it made no sense that I had to go again.
These two near accidents has me taking my DDAVP again for the time being. It's helped a lot. I just wish I could understand why this happens to me. Everytime I take a spray, I have to cross off a dose because each bottle only has 50 full dose sprays but there's always left over fluid. I put the date on each dose. I skipped almost all of February, but january I took it every single day. March was sort of weird. Some weeks I took it others I didn't. I have a feeling that April I will be taking it every day.
Since my DI is bad, I wonder what my TSH is doing. I can't wait to see what this new doc says about my crazy labs. I was told he loves puzzles and is interested in complex cases. This gives me hope. :-)
Today I feel pretty good overall. I am tired because we had to get up early, but aside from the lack of sleep, I'm thirsty but good.
The other time was when we went grocery shopping a few nights ago. I had to go so bad when we got there, then about 5 minutes after we pulled away, I had to go again. We don't spend a lot of time in the store, so it made no sense that I had to go again.
These two near accidents has me taking my DDAVP again for the time being. It's helped a lot. I just wish I could understand why this happens to me. Everytime I take a spray, I have to cross off a dose because each bottle only has 50 full dose sprays but there's always left over fluid. I put the date on each dose. I skipped almost all of February, but january I took it every single day. March was sort of weird. Some weeks I took it others I didn't. I have a feeling that April I will be taking it every day.
Since my DI is bad, I wonder what my TSH is doing. I can't wait to see what this new doc says about my crazy labs. I was told he loves puzzles and is interested in complex cases. This gives me hope. :-)
Today I feel pretty good overall. I am tired because we had to get up early, but aside from the lack of sleep, I'm thirsty but good.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
I Already Feel Less Bloated
I'm not great, but I can already tell a difference in the bloat. Last night though was quite hellish to say the least. I woke up like 5 times having major night sweats. I don't know if that was my body's way of shedding the extra water or what.
I was dying of heat for most of the night and had to kick the cat away from my feet and move my husband over to the other side of the bed! haha I was burning up and dying of thirst. I gulped down 16 ounces of water in about 10 seconds and was still desert mouth (that's what I call it). Obviously this is something OTHER than diabetes insipidus because I took my meds at 11:30 PM last night. I went to bed pretty late last night because I was working, but the meds should have last well through out the night and into the today.
When I woke up my pee was a normal dark color so it is working, but it didn't stop the dying of thirst feeling I'm getting. I am drinking more water right now to see when my thirst goes away. Obviously my body wants the water, so I'm drinking to see how much it wants.
The constant battling of dehydration is so damned irritating. I don't know anyone else that goes through this and it really pisses me off.
I lost 4 pounds from yesterday. My legs feel thinner. I can see more definition in the muscles, so the salt is cut...for now.
I was dying of heat for most of the night and had to kick the cat away from my feet and move my husband over to the other side of the bed! haha I was burning up and dying of thirst. I gulped down 16 ounces of water in about 10 seconds and was still desert mouth (that's what I call it). Obviously this is something OTHER than diabetes insipidus because I took my meds at 11:30 PM last night. I went to bed pretty late last night because I was working, but the meds should have last well through out the night and into the today.
When I woke up my pee was a normal dark color so it is working, but it didn't stop the dying of thirst feeling I'm getting. I am drinking more water right now to see when my thirst goes away. Obviously my body wants the water, so I'm drinking to see how much it wants.
The constant battling of dehydration is so damned irritating. I don't know anyone else that goes through this and it really pisses me off.
I lost 4 pounds from yesterday. My legs feel thinner. I can see more definition in the muscles, so the salt is cut...for now.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Salt Supping Is Making Me Blow UP!
Well I've finally figured out what is making me gain so much weight and I think it's the salt supping.
I've put on 12lbs since I start adding a little sea salt in water 2-3 times a day depending upon my salt wasting symptoms. My entire body looks puffy and my face looks like a balloon. I don't know what to do. My blood pressure isn't rising at all, so I'm not worried about that.
Not being able to fit into my clothes is a problem though and I've been too sick to deal with trying clothes on in the store. It's also difficult to even FIND pants these days since every store is ready for summer. I hate that...
130 is officially the heaviest I've been in probably about 8 years and I'm certainly not PROUD of that achievement. I'm going to lay off the sea salt and see what happens.
The past 2 weeks have been TERRIBLE for me. The fatigue is out of control. Anything that is stressful or requires extra concentration makes me crash within an hour. I tried target shooting and I couldn't even do it. The noise made me shake and I had a panic attack. Thankfully it was just me and my husband. We came home and I slept for 2 hours or so.
It's been a pretty terrible week, which is why you haven't heard from me.
Time to make coffee or I'll be going back to bed.
I've put on 12lbs since I start adding a little sea salt in water 2-3 times a day depending upon my salt wasting symptoms. My entire body looks puffy and my face looks like a balloon. I don't know what to do. My blood pressure isn't rising at all, so I'm not worried about that.
Not being able to fit into my clothes is a problem though and I've been too sick to deal with trying clothes on in the store. It's also difficult to even FIND pants these days since every store is ready for summer. I hate that...
130 is officially the heaviest I've been in probably about 8 years and I'm certainly not PROUD of that achievement. I'm going to lay off the sea salt and see what happens.
The past 2 weeks have been TERRIBLE for me. The fatigue is out of control. Anything that is stressful or requires extra concentration makes me crash within an hour. I tried target shooting and I couldn't even do it. The noise made me shake and I had a panic attack. Thankfully it was just me and my husband. We came home and I slept for 2 hours or so.
It's been a pretty terrible week, which is why you haven't heard from me.
Time to make coffee or I'll be going back to bed.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Feeling Agitated
Today I am feeling so agitated. Right now I feel like screaming, throwing stuff and punching holes in the walls. AHHHHHHH!
What is causing this? I can't think straight either. My fatigue has been really bad today because I pushed myself to go grocery shopping last night. I had no choice, downed some caffeine, just so I could stand up. I woke up in the middle of the night last night with swollen fingers, had to pee and was itching. My fingers get so swollen I can't even move my wedding ring when usually it is pretty loose.
I can't take this anymore!
What is causing this? I can't think straight either. My fatigue has been really bad today because I pushed myself to go grocery shopping last night. I had no choice, downed some caffeine, just so I could stand up. I woke up in the middle of the night last night with swollen fingers, had to pee and was itching. My fingers get so swollen I can't even move my wedding ring when usually it is pretty loose.
I can't take this anymore!
Lower Back Ache
For the past ~1 1/2 weeks I've been getting a dull ache in my lower back. I know what kidney pain feels like and it is in that same region, but I'm betting it's the adrenals! Kidney pain is usually much more severe, hurts to whack on it and typically follows a UTI with blood in the urine. I've had true kidney pain before and this isn't it.
In the morning before I get up for the day, this ache has been a common occurrence with me for years. In fact the back pain is usually what gets my butt OUT of bed! haha
However it is different now because the pain can be at any time. I've been trying to pinpoint exactly when it occurs and still haven't figured it out. It switches sides too!
In addition to this, the chest pain was back today. It was so sharp for about an hour and then went away. I thought it would continue throughout the day, but it's completely gone. Muscle pain doesn't go away like that! Especially when it hurts just sitting in a chair...
Somehow all of this, the itching, back ache and chest pains must be related.
In the morning before I get up for the day, this ache has been a common occurrence with me for years. In fact the back pain is usually what gets my butt OUT of bed! haha
However it is different now because the pain can be at any time. I've been trying to pinpoint exactly when it occurs and still haven't figured it out. It switches sides too!
In addition to this, the chest pain was back today. It was so sharp for about an hour and then went away. I thought it would continue throughout the day, but it's completely gone. Muscle pain doesn't go away like that! Especially when it hurts just sitting in a chair...
Somehow all of this, the itching, back ache and chest pains must be related.
Some Answers for the Labs
Well I had 2 of the most knowledgeable people online that I know give me their opinions on my lab results.
First off, the lab ranges Quest Diagnostics use are pathetic. The one lady suggest I get everything retested on Day 3 of my cycle at Labcorp or some other lab. I'm still thinking about what I will do. If I had known that Quest's lab ranges were so terrible, I would have gone to labcorp for these. Ugh...I feel like all the effort I put into this was for nothing. I don't want to pester Dr. Goldstein again AND my biggest fear is that the insurance company will deny it the 2nd time around! The blood work would have cost about $2500 out of pocket!
The lab ranges specifically for cortisol, ACTH, IGF-1 were awful. The one lady said that the IGF-1 result looks terrible, but with the really weird lab range she has no idea how to interpret it! My growth hormone is very low too, but I know some people say this isn't accurate because it goes out in pulses. Who knows. Considering I'm only 24 years old, it should be pretty high IMO.
Secondly, they both say that my results clearly indicated secondary adrenal insufficiency because of the low potassium, low sodium and low renin. My low aldosterone goes along with all of this.
Thirdly, serum cortisol is both free and bound so I can't compare saliva results to blood results. For some reason I have a lot of bound cortisol (which can't be used by the body) and a very small amount of free cortisol (that can be used by the body). One lady suggested testing Total & Free cortisol and CBG in the blood, but only Quest Diagnostics can do this! haha
The one lady asked me a bunch of questions, but I have yet to hear back from her. She was wondering why my saliva progesterone was so high and thought I was taking HRT for it! I had to set her straight on that.
Fourthly, regardless whether it is primary or secondary, I am definitely hypothyroid according to both women. No surprise there either, but I wish I understood why I go through weird cycles.
In addition to the lab results, today I went up 5 pounds now 130#. I couldn't even make this up! I ate about 800 calories, went for a short walk and yet up and up I go. At around 7:30PM I just about collapsed from fatigue. Obviously caloric intake has nothing to do with this weight gain, so I'm just going to eat whatever I want. Since my fasting glucose was kind of high, I didn't buy any sweets this week. I want to see how I feel without the chocolate! heh
I am itchy tonight and definitely didn't have any wheat, so I don't know what in the hell is going on. I might have to take a benadryl at this point so I can sleep. Zyrtec tends to keep me up for some reason.
First off, the lab ranges Quest Diagnostics use are pathetic. The one lady suggest I get everything retested on Day 3 of my cycle at Labcorp or some other lab. I'm still thinking about what I will do. If I had known that Quest's lab ranges were so terrible, I would have gone to labcorp for these. Ugh...I feel like all the effort I put into this was for nothing. I don't want to pester Dr. Goldstein again AND my biggest fear is that the insurance company will deny it the 2nd time around! The blood work would have cost about $2500 out of pocket!
The lab ranges specifically for cortisol, ACTH, IGF-1 were awful. The one lady said that the IGF-1 result looks terrible, but with the really weird lab range she has no idea how to interpret it! My growth hormone is very low too, but I know some people say this isn't accurate because it goes out in pulses. Who knows. Considering I'm only 24 years old, it should be pretty high IMO.
Secondly, they both say that my results clearly indicated secondary adrenal insufficiency because of the low potassium, low sodium and low renin. My low aldosterone goes along with all of this.
Thirdly, serum cortisol is both free and bound so I can't compare saliva results to blood results. For some reason I have a lot of bound cortisol (which can't be used by the body) and a very small amount of free cortisol (that can be used by the body). One lady suggested testing Total & Free cortisol and CBG in the blood, but only Quest Diagnostics can do this! haha
The one lady asked me a bunch of questions, but I have yet to hear back from her. She was wondering why my saliva progesterone was so high and thought I was taking HRT for it! I had to set her straight on that.
Fourthly, regardless whether it is primary or secondary, I am definitely hypothyroid according to both women. No surprise there either, but I wish I understood why I go through weird cycles.
In addition to the lab results, today I went up 5 pounds now 130#. I couldn't even make this up! I ate about 800 calories, went for a short walk and yet up and up I go. At around 7:30PM I just about collapsed from fatigue. Obviously caloric intake has nothing to do with this weight gain, so I'm just going to eat whatever I want. Since my fasting glucose was kind of high, I didn't buy any sweets this week. I want to see how I feel without the chocolate! heh
I am itchy tonight and definitely didn't have any wheat, so I don't know what in the hell is going on. I might have to take a benadryl at this point so I can sleep. Zyrtec tends to keep me up for some reason.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Keep Gaining Weight
I keep going up and up. I am now up to 125 pounds. My pants definitely don't fit me now and will probably have to go buy some. This is the heaviest I've been since I married my husband 5 years ago! YIKES! I have to figure this out or I'm going to go crazy.
Being fat is one of my biggest fears. Emotionally I'm already a wreck. It makes me extremely depressed. At one point in my life, I used to self-mutilate by burning lines into my arms with needles. If one looks real close at my forearms you can see the scars, but thankfully they healed pretty well. In the summer, they are more obvious because they won't tan.
My goodness, I don't want to start down that destructive path. I need to get this sorted very soon before it does. Weight gain is no laughing matter for me. It can lead to serious psychological problems.
Being fat is one of my biggest fears. Emotionally I'm already a wreck. It makes me extremely depressed. At one point in my life, I used to self-mutilate by burning lines into my arms with needles. If one looks real close at my forearms you can see the scars, but thankfully they healed pretty well. In the summer, they are more obvious because they won't tan.
My goodness, I don't want to start down that destructive path. I need to get this sorted very soon before it does. Weight gain is no laughing matter for me. It can lead to serious psychological problems.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Round 10, Day 3 Mercury Detox
I got through the second night taking 25mg of DMSA every 4 hours. Wow I forgot how annoying it was to take the pills in the night. It's really kicking my butt! Every 4 hours is much easier than every 3 though. Waking up only twice isn't so bad!
These past two days I've barely been sleeping. I wake up suddenly having to check the timer to see if I missed it. I'm not sure why I am doing this, but it's driving me crazy. I put new batteries in the timer, so it's louder than ever and there's NO way I can sleep through the buzzing, flashing light and annoying beeping sound.
The good news is that I have no detoxing symptoms. I've been feeling pretty good (aside from all of my other problems) and haven't even had a headache! I was a little concerned starting back up on the higher dose of DMSA after taking many months off. I will end this round when I go to sleep tonight.
I have decided my rounds will be 3 days, 2 nights. Rather than 3 days, 3 nights or 4 days, 4 nights. I think that may have too much for me and the interruption of sleep is not good. It really messes with my adrenals and this lets me sleep the whole night through after a round of chelation. With equal days/nights, I was chelating through the last night and then having to wake up tired, weak and without my body repairing itself overnight.
I've been having stabbing lower back pain right over my kidneys/adrenals area for over a week now (started before chelation). But with my new test results, I'm not even sure what to believe. I'm just going to keep chelating until it makes me crash again. Sort of stupid, but I'll use that crash to check my thyroid again to see what's going on with it!
These past two days I've barely been sleeping. I wake up suddenly having to check the timer to see if I missed it. I'm not sure why I am doing this, but it's driving me crazy. I put new batteries in the timer, so it's louder than ever and there's NO way I can sleep through the buzzing, flashing light and annoying beeping sound.
The good news is that I have no detoxing symptoms. I've been feeling pretty good (aside from all of my other problems) and haven't even had a headache! I was a little concerned starting back up on the higher dose of DMSA after taking many months off. I will end this round when I go to sleep tonight.
I have decided my rounds will be 3 days, 2 nights. Rather than 3 days, 3 nights or 4 days, 4 nights. I think that may have too much for me and the interruption of sleep is not good. It really messes with my adrenals and this lets me sleep the whole night through after a round of chelation. With equal days/nights, I was chelating through the last night and then having to wake up tired, weak and without my body repairing itself overnight.
I've been having stabbing lower back pain right over my kidneys/adrenals area for over a week now (started before chelation). But with my new test results, I'm not even sure what to believe. I'm just going to keep chelating until it makes me crash again. Sort of stupid, but I'll use that crash to check my thyroid again to see what's going on with it!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Feeling Pretty Lost, Depressed
I got the lab results back and I am lost. I feel everything I've researched has failed me. Nothing is making sense anymore. My labs are just insane contradicting my saliva results! If any of you have any suggestions, idea or thoughts please leave me a message. These past 2 days I've been extremely depressed. I don't think I'm ever going to get better now.
I'm still waiting for a reply on the hormone support forum to see what they think. I posted on the naturalthyroidhormones yahoo group and they think I could have Hashi's even though the antibodies aren't showing OR that my pituitary is going through cycles. I think these are two very good ideas that I need to consider. I know that I go through cycles, but I can't figure out what is happening. Unfortunately there isn't a commercially available lab to check for pituitary antibodies. If there were I'd be begging to have them checked.
Since I got these labs, I started to chelate. Today is day 2 of Round 10. I am using 25mg of DMSA every 4 hours and have been doing good. Actually I haven't had any symptoms at all, but we'll see how I do tomorrow when I stop.
Here's the test results! I know nothing about sex hormones, so I can't even comment on those.
Basic Metabolic Panel
Glucose-------------91 (70-99) Seem rather high considering I was fasting.
Bun------------------10 (7-22)
Creatinine----------0.8 (0.5-1.3)
Bun/Creat----------12.5 (8-27)
Sodium-------------139 (136-147) Low Normal
Potassium----------3.7 (3.6-5.3) Low Normal
Chloride------------104(98-110)
CO2 Content-------28 (22-34)
Anion Gap----------7 (2-12)
Calc Osmol---------276 (269-297)
Calcium-------------9.5 (8.7-10.7)
Aldosterone--------6 (<=28) Very Low
Renin----------------2.4 (0.65-5.0) This isn't the salt fasting range.
Cortisol-AM---------26.7 (3.7-19.4) HIGH!
ACTH----------------37 Female (5-27) HIGH!
DHEA-S-------------215 (45-320) My doc wrote in the range he uses (150-250)
TSH------------------3.804 (.35-4.94) This result was the most shocking!
Free T4-------------0.9 (0.7-1.5) Low normal
Free T3-------------3.0 (1.71-3.71) The lab range changed from last time. It used to be (2.3-4.2)
TGA-----------------<20 (<20) I wish this lab would test to 0. If this is a 19, then I have Hashi's.
TPO-----------------<10 (<35)
Sex hormones were tested on Day 21 of my cycle.
Progesterone------12.5 (3.3-26.0) Luteal Gotta love that my saliva results were >1000!
Estradiol------------182 (48-309) Luteal
Testosterone,Total---20 (2-45)
Testosterone,%,Free---1.07 (0.50-2.00%)
Testosterone,Free----2.1 (0.1-6.4) My doctor wrote in the range he uses (3.2-6.4) Low
Prolactin-------------15.9 (3.0-30) Luteal
LH----------------------6.8 (0.5-16.9) Luteal
FSH--------------------2.7 (1.5-9.1) Luteal
IGF-1------------------53.5 (13-73)
Growth Hormone----0.7--(<=10.0)
I'm still waiting for a reply on the hormone support forum to see what they think. I posted on the naturalthyroidhormones yahoo group and they think I could have Hashi's even though the antibodies aren't showing OR that my pituitary is going through cycles. I think these are two very good ideas that I need to consider. I know that I go through cycles, but I can't figure out what is happening. Unfortunately there isn't a commercially available lab to check for pituitary antibodies. If there were I'd be begging to have them checked.
Since I got these labs, I started to chelate. Today is day 2 of Round 10. I am using 25mg of DMSA every 4 hours and have been doing good. Actually I haven't had any symptoms at all, but we'll see how I do tomorrow when I stop.
Here's the test results! I know nothing about sex hormones, so I can't even comment on those.
Basic Metabolic Panel
Glucose-------------91 (70-99) Seem rather high considering I was fasting.
Bun------------------10 (7-22)
Creatinine----------0.8 (0.5-1.3)
Bun/Creat----------12.5 (8-27)
Sodium-------------139 (136-147) Low Normal
Potassium----------3.7 (3.6-5.3) Low Normal
Chloride------------104(98-110)
CO2 Content-------28 (22-34)
Anion Gap----------7 (2-12)
Calc Osmol---------276 (269-297)
Calcium-------------9.5 (8.7-10.7)
Aldosterone--------6 (<=28) Very Low
Renin----------------2.4 (0.65-5.0) This isn't the salt fasting range.
Cortisol-AM---------26.7 (3.7-19.4) HIGH!
ACTH----------------37 Female (5-27) HIGH!
DHEA-S-------------215 (45-320) My doc wrote in the range he uses (150-250)
TSH------------------3.804 (.35-4.94) This result was the most shocking!
Free T4-------------0.9 (0.7-1.5) Low normal
Free T3-------------3.0 (1.71-3.71) The lab range changed from last time. It used to be (2.3-4.2)
TGA-----------------<20 (<20) I wish this lab would test to 0. If this is a 19, then I have Hashi's.
TPO-----------------<10 (<35)
Sex hormones were tested on Day 21 of my cycle.
Progesterone------12.5 (3.3-26.0) Luteal Gotta love that my saliva results were >1000!
Estradiol------------182 (48-309) Luteal
Testosterone,Total---20 (2-45)
Testosterone,%,Free---1.07 (0.50-2.00%)
Testosterone,Free----2.1 (0.1-6.4) My doctor wrote in the range he uses (3.2-6.4) Low
Prolactin-------------15.9 (3.0-30) Luteal
LH----------------------6.8 (0.5-16.9) Luteal
FSH--------------------2.7 (1.5-9.1) Luteal
IGF-1------------------53.5 (13-73)
Growth Hormone----0.7--(<=10.0)
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Self-Reflection Volume I
When I started this blog, I really had no idea what it would be about or what would come of it. Sure I knew I'd be talking about adrenal fatigue, but looking back I was so naive. I had no idea what was to come in the next few years. This blog has allowed you (the readers) to follow me through my struggle with searching for answers to my health concerns. In addition to my struggles, this blog has allowed you to see me grow as a person, by breaking down old paradigms and rebuilding new ones. Sometimes my posts are frantic, upset, a little over the top. Other times you can hear the frustration in my words. I type what I am feeling at that moment even if it seems a little out there.
Within these past 2 years, I've gone from the all natural, never take medicine girl, to a person who finally understands why some medicines are necessary. Some examples I am thinking of off the top of my head includes cortef (HC), armour, bio-identical sex therapies, DDAVP etc. All of you have seen this change first hand.
I truly feel that my fear of taking prescription pills (whether synthetic or bio identical) has kept me sick far longer than necessary. That's not to say all Rx's are equal. There are more than plenty out there that will make you sick and even kill you. I see people on the FDC yahoo group that have this fear of medications too. Even with saliva results far worse than mine, they REFUSE to accept the fact that they need to take medicine. They'd rather stay sick than get better!
I found a post of mine from almost 2 years ago on the now closed STTM (stopthethyroidmadness) forum. The moderators were trying to work with me, telling me that I would probably need to take cortef and florinef to feel better. I completely dismissed this idea and said that I would only take licorice or adrenal cortex extract. It's fair to say that I was a total idiot. No wonder they didn't want to deal with me. If I had listened to the moderators, I might have at least felt better for a short time.
I look back at the person I used to be and want to hide my head in shame. I was so naive.
Some of the biggest breakthroughs this year was the discovery of mercury toxicity. It made me change the name and focus of my blog! Everything I thought I knew about chelation was completely wrong. All of these natural chelators are in fact more unpredictable than the synthetic ones such as DMPS and DMSA. If I wasn't open-minded to Dr. Cutler's research, I would have continued to use chlorella making myself sicker and sicker.
I have realized that without an open mind, there's no way I'll ever get better. I can't be afraid to accept whatever diagnosis I am given. I can't be afraid to take low dose hormone support, to give me back the life I used to have--(It's been so long I've almost completely forgotten what that was.)--
If you have found this website through google and suffer from a lot of the same problems as me, are you ready to accept it? Are you ready to take the steps necessary to get better? Even though it may require you to take medications, it will likely require you to make changes to your diets and lifestyles.
Are you ready? I'm definitely ready to do this and move on.
Within these past 2 years, I've gone from the all natural, never take medicine girl, to a person who finally understands why some medicines are necessary. Some examples I am thinking of off the top of my head includes cortef (HC), armour, bio-identical sex therapies, DDAVP etc. All of you have seen this change first hand.
I truly feel that my fear of taking prescription pills (whether synthetic or bio identical) has kept me sick far longer than necessary. That's not to say all Rx's are equal. There are more than plenty out there that will make you sick and even kill you. I see people on the FDC yahoo group that have this fear of medications too. Even with saliva results far worse than mine, they REFUSE to accept the fact that they need to take medicine. They'd rather stay sick than get better!
I found a post of mine from almost 2 years ago on the now closed STTM (stopthethyroidmadness) forum. The moderators were trying to work with me, telling me that I would probably need to take cortef and florinef to feel better. I completely dismissed this idea and said that I would only take licorice or adrenal cortex extract. It's fair to say that I was a total idiot. No wonder they didn't want to deal with me. If I had listened to the moderators, I might have at least felt better for a short time.
I look back at the person I used to be and want to hide my head in shame. I was so naive.
Some of the biggest breakthroughs this year was the discovery of mercury toxicity. It made me change the name and focus of my blog! Everything I thought I knew about chelation was completely wrong. All of these natural chelators are in fact more unpredictable than the synthetic ones such as DMPS and DMSA. If I wasn't open-minded to Dr. Cutler's research, I would have continued to use chlorella making myself sicker and sicker.
I have realized that without an open mind, there's no way I'll ever get better. I can't be afraid to accept whatever diagnosis I am given. I can't be afraid to take low dose hormone support, to give me back the life I used to have--(It's been so long I've almost completely forgotten what that was.)--
If you have found this website through google and suffer from a lot of the same problems as me, are you ready to accept it? Are you ready to take the steps necessary to get better? Even though it may require you to take medications, it will likely require you to make changes to your diets and lifestyles.
Are you ready? I'm definitely ready to do this and move on.
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