Adrenal Insufficiency Support Group

I tried to give up on the this but here I am, a week now and I'm feeling so bad.

severly dizzy, light headed, band like pressure in my head, tight chest

feel like I can't move, muscles wacky, super depressed. Like when my sugar crashes to 50 but it's been ok.

feels like so much pressure in my head

if I have coffee I'm better for a bit

I just tried 2.5 of HC to see if it does anything

my endo fired me and no insurance I'm not sure where to turn.

I've had low cortisol in the past, low ACTH, have a pit tumor

but then had 1 high urine cortisol (was under stress) and 1 high blood cortisol (under stress) the endo said

to forget her idea of AI

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear what you are going through. Where do you live? That will answer many questions. Of course, if you feel like you are having a crisis, go to your nearest ER - they can not refuse you care - it is a federal law, (if you live in the USA)

That does suck. I'm sorry. Your best bet is the ER.

M

went to my PCP, he will send me a new endo, but last I rang there the wait was 6 months. I asked him about doing the blood tests again and he was hesitant, I also asked about a trial of HC and also hesitant.

if you have bad symptoms and want to test if the HC helps how much do you take to test?

The thing is if you start the steroids, it makes it so difficult to test you for AI. You're stuck

The best bet is to ask the PCP to document low cortisol with another blood test and give you steroids while you wait for the endo appt in 6 months.

That way you have add'l low documentation to give the endo.

M

Post edited by: Adrenalmom, at: 11/10/2011 10:48 AM

The problem too is that HC almost always makes you feel energy/fatigue better even if low cortisol ISN'T the root cause. Low thyroid based fatigue for example can feel wonderful for a few weeks! If badly done too it can mask infection situations by suppressing immune response.

What dose to choose for testing is also a problem. If you have secondary and you dose to less than full replacement levels your natural system eventually decreases its own production trying to return to status quo. ie you feel good for a few days then go bad again unless you updose to compensate. (The low dose test approach does however work well for primary) In the midst of this too the SAI suppression and associated less ACTH mean other hormones like DHEA, estrogen etc are reduced. That can cloud the whole thing from a different direction. It gets horrible complex.

Bob

well right now I have the option to suffer to the point of being stuck on a sofa or try something

my ACTH has been low, coritsol and adolstrone was very low. I have had low normal results as well

I need this all gone, I can't stand any noise, dizzy as hell, faint, my back hurts. I'd drink cat urine if it would help

they thought SAI for 2 years off and on, but I have wondered about primary due to darkening on my feet where my shoes go and the low aldosterone

The told me I have central to secondary right now. I don't know whether I would be considered for that because of the tests I need to go and get but I'm currently on prednisone because my cortisol levels were at a .6 in the morning and it should have been at least 6, I was hospitalized and found out my ACTH was low as well which it a good indicator of hypopituitarism, spelling isn't good lol.. and it happened because of my gastric bypass.. I hope that you can figure out more but I know the doctor said because I didn't have skin darkening she doesn't think it was Primary.. do you go to an endocrinologist?

Bob, you seem to know a lot about this, if you could message me I would love that. I was just recently diagnoised, and I had hydro cortisone for about a week and half and still crashed.. so she put me on prednisone, I still feel like crap and don't know what to do.. my eye sight is odd, I have orthostatic hypotension and my bp was 84/54 a couple weeks ago after the hospitalization, horrible headaches and joint pain/leg pain.. I'm going insane and my primary told me I'm permanently disabled now.. I have almost nonexsistent cortisol and low acth.. I go next week for a brain mri.. please message me back if you can!!