THE Adrenal Fatigue Thread - Page 2

[Metasequoia]

Originally Posted by KMK_Mama

So I went to the naturopath today. He said he is 99% sure I have Adrenal Fatigue based on my symptoms and he said thyroid problems usually coincide.
I am getting blood work done tomorrow to confirm. I have had my thyroid checked plenty of times and it always comes back fine, but he said they may not have checked T3. He is also checking, DHEA, my hormones, and for some vitamin deficiencies. He sent me home with a list of supplements to buy. He said to start out with a good vitamin and CoQ10. When we get my results back we'll go from there. He said if I wanted to start taking an adrenal supplement I could and wrote down what one to get, but they didn't have it at Sprouts. My MRI results came back fine.

Oh yeah, he also said I *could* get the saliva test for adrenal fatigue if I wanted, but that he probably doesn't need it as he feels confident that I have it. Are there any benefits of getting it if you are already pretty sure you have it?

Is there anything else I am missing that I should look into?

Take a look at the differences in the first post between my blood test results & my saliva test results. That's good news that your doc accepts that you are suffering from Adrenal Fatigue, but it sounds like he/she doesn't realize that you need to figure out what stage you're in. In the beginning, during the "fight or flight" response, you're producing loads of cortisol, as it progresses, your body can't keep up with the high demand for cortisol so it starts converting everything that comes in into cortisol.
Your body needs cholesterol, the first hormone your body makes from cholesterol is pregnenolone. Pregnenolone is further made into cortisol, aldosterone, DHEA & the sex hormones - your body manufactures whichever hormone is the first priority, so if it thinks it needs cortisol, it'll skip the DHEA, etc to make cortisol. Eventually, when you get in the later stages, your cortisol levels become very low - DHEA being low could be a sign of either mild, moderate or severe Adrenal Fatigue but you'll never know without a saliva test that measures your levels throughout the day.

My doctor wouldn't do anything until he had my saliva results back (even though he had my blood results from a different doctor), after that he came up with a treatment plan.

Your thyroid tests may *never* show anything abnormal, the adrenals & the thyroid are so interconnected, when the adrenals aren't functioning properly, there is almost *always* thyroid dysfunction.

My advice would be to just read as much as you can - try to get your hands on Chronic Fatigue Unmasked 2000 by Gerald Poesnecker.

[lost&foundmom]

Thank you so much for starting this thread. I read the list of symptoms and it's like a checklist for me. I had never even heard of AF before. Lots to read up on. Thanks for all the great resources. I think I'm going to do the saliva test. I thought I was just exhausted from my kiddos, but it would be so nice to have energy.

[2bluefish]

I was diagnosed with severe adrenal fatigue after the birth of my 1st daughter 2.5 years ago. I was treated by Dr. Go at the Optimal Wellness Center - Dr. Mercola's office - www.mercola.com. Dietary changes, stress reduction and supplements helped alot, but what has helped the most is I discovered back in November that I am intolerant to gluten. Once I stopped eating gluten, my health improved by leaps and bounds. The AF was actually secondary to the fact that I'm intolerant to gluten. I have been diagnosed as celiac, but strongly suspect I am after reading "Wheat Free, Worry Free". When a celiac eats gluten, it puts the body in a constant stress state - making it much harder for the adrenals to heal. Dr. Mercola's office actually said I was a protein type and wanted me to give up grain period - but I found that too hard to live with. Cutting out gluten has turned out to be sufficient, and I now suspect that if I were tested again - I would be a mixed metabolic type, not a protein type. I have felt for years that I was "not quite right" and I am so glad to have some answers. Blessings to all of you as you figure out what your own body's needs are!

[KMK_Mama]

Originally Posted by Metasequoia

Take a look at the differences in the first post between my blood test results & my saliva test results. That's good news that your doc accepts that you are suffering from Adrenal Fatigue, but it sounds like he/she doesn't realize that you need to figure out what stage you're in. In the beginning, during the "fight or flight" response, you're producing loads of cortisol, as it progresses, your body can't keep up with the high demand for cortisol so it starts converting everything that comes in into cortisol.
Your body needs cholesterol, the first hormone your body makes from cholesterol is pregnenolone. Pregnenolone is further made into cortisol, aldosterone, DHEA & the sex hormones - your body manufactures whichever hormone is the first priority, so if it thinks it needs cortisol, it'll skip the DHEA, etc to make cortisol. Eventually, when you get in the later stages, your cortisol levels become very low - DHEA being low could be a sign of either mild, moderate or severe Adrenal Fatigue but you'll never know without a saliva test that measures your levels throughout the day.




My doctor wouldn't do anything until he had my saliva results back (even though he had my blood results from a different doctor), after that he came up with a treatment plan.

Your thyroid tests may *never* show anything abnormal, the adrenals & the thyroid are so interconnected, when the adrenals aren't functioning properly, there is almost *always* thyroid dysfunction.

My advice would be to just read as much as you can - try to get your hands on Chronic Fatigue Unmasked 2000 by Gerald Poesnecker.

Thanks for this information. That's really a great help! He said it was up to ME whether or not I wanted the saliva test because it would be $99 out of MY pocket. I told him if it was important I would do it and he basicly said it IS a better test but that we'd do the blood test first. He told me where to get the kit....apparently they have them at a compounding pharmacy around here and then the pharmacy would send the results directly to him after getting the results from the lab.

I noticed you mentioned sex hormones.....could this have anything to do with the fact that I can't orgasm during intercourse??

I guess I need to decide whether or not I am going to do the test before I start taking any supplements huh? :

[maciascl]

Wow! I can't even focus enough to process the 1st post. I just want to sub to the thread so hopefully I can come back & actually be able to process it soon :

[Metasequoia]

Originally Posted by KMK_Mama

I noticed you mentioned sex hormones.....could this have anything to do with the fact that I can't orgasm during intercourse??

Libido? What's that? My desire is zilch - and that's not normal for me. It's on the list of symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue - it affects our progesterone, estrogen & testosterone, add that to the fact that many of us are nursing/co-sleeping & it's amazing that any of us has more than one child.

Originally Posted by KMK_Mama

I guess I need to decide whether or not I am going to do the test before I start taking any supplements huh? :

Good idea.

[maciascl]

I did an ASI saliva test (Adrenal Stress Index.) That should be the first step - my doctor ordered mine through DiagnosTechs lab. After that, he came up with a healing plan. Everyone is different & the saliva test is essential in finding out what phase of adrenal exhaustion you're in. It cost me $99.

I am searching the site, but I can't see how to order the test. Or does the Dr have to do that?

[MamaMonica]

Cheryl, you can order the adrenal test through canary club:
http://thecanaryclub.org/content/view/196/52/

[tbone]

subbing

[tanyalynn]

One weird thing I've noticed (and I wanted to see if anyone else had) is that my body temperature drops after I get up and start doing stuff in the morning. I found out by accident and then started checking periodically--it drops by about 0.7-0.9 deg F after I get out of bed and walk to the bathroom, wash my face, etc. This seems like the type of thing that's related. Is it, or is it just me?

2bluefish--Just this week, suspecting that my amalgam fillings have been an underlying, contributing factor to my health problems, I am trying a gluten-free, casein-free diet. I didn't expect to feel any different (I tried it because my health care provider said it would be good for me and I figured I'd give it a shot) and whoa! I started to feel significantly better in just a couple days. I mean, I can still tell I’m not normal healthy, but it was a real difference. Isn't this amazing? I was just wondering if anyone else in the thread had seen improvement with dietary changes like this, and I log on and read your post. : It made me feel less like a nutcase (I’ve been having pangs lately, I think they’ll subside pretty soon). So thanks for posting.

[Metasequoia]

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez

One weird thing I've noticed (and I wanted to see if anyone else had) is that my body temperature drops after I get up and start doing stuff in the morning. I found out by accident and then started checking periodically--it drops by about 0.7-0.9 deg F after I get out of bed and walk to the bathroom, wash my face, etc. This seems like the type of thing that's related. Is it, or is it just me?

I wonder if this correlates with blood pressure dropping upon rising?

Are you sure it's not just because you are warm & cozy in your bed?

I'll have to check mine for a few days.

[nurturedbirth]

Metasequoia,

Thanks for pointing me here from the other thread. Off to read through the posts!

[Metasequoia]

I had my appointment today - blood pressure was up to 100/60 from last month's 94/50 & it climbed a bit upon standing.

I've been feeling more irritable lately & we discussed it being the pregnenolone but decided to try cutting out the B-complex first as it can overstimulate some people.

I said that when I put my arms above my head, they hurt & I couldn't tell if it was a restricted circulation kind of hurt or a stretching kind of hurt but my doctor explained that with blood pressure this low, often times there's not enough pressure to pump blood to all of the muscles - lack of blood = lack of oxygen = pain.

So for now I'm holding steady at 30mg pregnenolone, the Mil Adregen 3 Xs a day & cutting out the B complex. If I'm still overly irritable after cutting out the B, I'm supposed to stop the pregnenolone & see how I feel. Oh yea, he gave me licorice to start - Dr. Baschetti's Licorice Extract - he said it's the best available. I'm to mix it with hot milk or water & drink it first thing in the morning. (After I make sure that it's safe while BFing.)

I feel good that there was an explanation for the pain - I hope that's it.

Ex-dp is a stress, not sure how to go about getting rid of the children's father without adding even more stress. Sigh.

[Metasequoia]

Ooooo, this is neat - about the licorice:

Take 1 cup of hot, hot water & add 4 level TBSP of licorice powder & slowly stir until dissolved. Let it cool to room temp, stirring occasionally to make sure it dissolves thoroughly.
Poor into 2 quart container & add enough cow's/goat's/coconut milk to fill container to the top.

Keep refridgerated. (Not sure how much to take! I'll have to email my doc.)

Here's the interesting part:

The licorice extract inhibits 11 beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11-BHOD) in the kidneys. 11-BHOD is the enzyme that inactivates cortisol. People with adrenal insufficiency do not retain enough sodium, and have an excess of potassium. The ratio between our body's sodium & potassium is like a seesaw. If one goes up, the other is down. Blocking 11-BHOD in the kidneys allows cortisol access to the mineralocorticoid receptors triggering an increased retention of sodium and a lowering of potassium. This action brings a person with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome into sodium/potassium balance, therefore, supplementing these individuals with otassium is not needed nor recommended.
The increased sodium causes the body to conserve water, which quickly increases your overall blood volume. Increased blood volume indirecty increases blood pressure by increasing the efficiency of the heart.

[myjo]

I've known for sure I had adrenal fatigue since before ds3 was born. I didn't treat it sufficiently and when I got pregnant, I got extremely sick from the adrenal fatigue. I still haven't recovered from that pregnancy and it's been almost 3 years (still bfing).

I'm fortunate because my midwife is also an ND who graduated from Bastyr. She knows a great deal about adrenal fatigue and got me through my last pregnancy with no complications to the baby.

My problem now is that I know what helps me, but I'm so scatterbrained that I forget to do it a lot of the time. I can't afford all the supplements I need, and I can't afford to go to my ND and get tested either. So I guess I'm going to have to figure out how to get better on my own in spite of my inability to commit to a treatment plan!

I also wanted to mention that homeopathy can be extremely helpful for AF sufferers. The remedy I need now is Natrum Mur. I will have to order it in a high potency when I get the money. (Nat Mur is homeopathically potentized sea salt)

Working with a classical homeopath along with your other doctors might be helpful!

[ChristieB]

Hi, I've been folloeing this thread with interest. A lot of this sounds familiar. I have MS, so it's always hard to decifer what is causing what. But over the years, I've had a handful of drs. suggest that my adrenals might be a problem. And Lord knows I've had enough stress!

Originally Posted by Metasequoia

I said that when I put my arms above my head, they hurt & I couldn't tell if it was a restricted circulation kind of hurt or a stretching kind of hurt but my doctor explained that with blood pressure this low, often times there's not enough pressure to pump blood to all of the muscles - lack of blood = lack of oxygen = pain.

Wow, I've had that all my life! That I can remember, anyway. I never knew it was abnormal until dh told me. He and another PT have guessed that some hole in my colar bone (can't remember the name), where some nerves and/or muscles come through (I'm so technical ), is too small.

But this explanation makes a lot of sense. I've always had low bp, too, although for a long time I didn't realize it was a problem. So many drs. congratulated me on it. Such ignorance. I was there complaining of fatigue, and they just congratulated me on a probable cause!

So, can a person develop adrenal fatigue early in life? I've also always had low bp, a low body temp, and I've been fairly low energy since I was about 10 (with it gradually getting worse).

I have a question for those who have studied this a fair amount. Can adrenal fatigue affect blood sugar regulation? I occasionally have a high fasting number, but we can't figure out why. Otherwise my blood sugar is good. Just curious if it's connected.

Well, I'm already doing a lot of the things you mention, so I'll do more reading, and maybe try some adrenal glandular.

Thanks for starting this thread.

Christie

[smokeylo]

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez

One weird thing I've noticed (and I wanted to see if anyone else had) is that my body temperature drops after I get up and start doing stuff in the morning. I found out by accident and then started checking periodically--it drops by about 0.7-0.9 deg F after I get out of bed and walk to the bathroom, wash my face, etc. This seems like the type of thing that's related. Is it, or is it just me?

Tanya,
I discovered this about myself just yesterday! I'm temping for ttc purposes and took it before I went to the bathroom (97.91) and then did a few things, got back in bed, and snoozed for a minute. Then I was curious and took temp again and it was 97.84. Weird!!

[Metasequoia]

Yes, hypoglycemia is a common symptom, usually the first. My Dd1 (age 7) is showing signs of adrenal dysfunction. I asked my doctor yesterday & he said that his Dd (also 7) is also showing signs. He's also into WAP & said that he works with her on her stress/anxiety issues & how to relax & makes sure to serve lots of organ meats.

[wendy1221]

Is it safe to take DHEA while nursing?

[cyberpriya]

"I am trying a gluten-free, casein-free diet. I didn't expect to feel any different (I tried it because my health care provider said it would be good for me and I figured I'd give it a shot) and whoa! I started to feel significantly better in just a couple days. I mean, I can still tell I’m not normal healthy, but it was a real difference. Isn't this amazing? I was just wondering if anyone else in the thread had seen improvement with dietary changes like this, and I log on and read your post. : It made me feel less like a nutcase (I’ve been having pangs lately, I think they’ll subside pretty soon). So thanks for posting.[/QUOTE]"

I am seeing a np after getting dx'd hypothyroid. My antibodies to thyroid were thru the roof. She also feels I have adrenal fatigue. Anyway...b/c my throid antibodies were way up she suggested there was likely an underlying "irritant" in my system. I am off diary for years now and I noticed great improvement when I went off. She told me to try gluten-free living and I have been for 4 weeks now and I must say my symptoms are slowly improving. I am also taking adrenal and thyroid support supplements so it's difficult to say exactly where the improvement comes from.

this is a greta thread!
Patti