Hi Katie Well its worth mentioning that a considerable number of people on this group have been diagnosed with "for real" AI based in the kind of cortisol levels you have had measured. Ref ranges are not always that useful however because it is a very dynamic system with large working differences between people. In fact you can be in range and symptomatic. It then of course gets harder to prove or at least assign high probability to what the root cause is. There is also often a reluctance by mainstream doctors to allow that saliva tests are accurate. They tend to see more accuracy in blood tests. There are pluses and minuses of course. Blood tests can show greater variation because cortisol can change quickly under stress events. Saliva tends to be more of an average over the last hour thing. The doc that said stress end of story should be shot. Preferably with a very large bore needle! <grin> What is suppose to happen is when you are stressed you get momentary high levels. (Think about the adrenaline feeling. It's part of the same basic system) As a result of too much stress over a long time though, you can eventually get low levels or creation of an AI state from "overuse". Really though you correlate the tests with symptoms and history. If you have indeed experienced major emotional or physical stress and you have seen your fatigue etc gradually rise over that period, then indeed that may be the case. If not then there should be more emphasis finding a real physical reason. Given your 10 years I think it time to find out for sure. I'd recommend that first you find another GP! Don't even mention emotional/physical stress. Just say you are happy, but always super tired. Get an AM cortisol and ACTH blood test. MAKE SURE you are relaxed and happy for that because if you have secondary and suffer the slightest stress going to the collection centre you can invalidate the result. It will be smart to get a metabolic panel done. eg BG, TSH, T3 T4. You also tell the GP the other main AI symptoms (that I hope you have), like inability to loss weight, postural hypotension, dehydrated/dry skin, food allergies, cyclic cognition, libido loss, whacky periods, low body temp, inability to handle climate change and brain fog etc etc. You are aiming to get something like an ACTH stim test and maybe even an ITT. That will probably mean an endocrinologist though. The psychiatrist should also be made aware that you strongly suspect that your "depression" has a metabolic root cause. Generally speaking people with AI and/or hypothyroid/hypoadrenal indeed also feel depressed. It is actually quite often a wrong diagnosis that many of us here have gone through. Me too! I realize I have glazed over a lot here. Your biggest friend will be self education. If you want more info on this and how the system works etc please ask. Hope this helps.. Bob Please remember that accurate answers often need detailed source information. Please considering putting your DX status, drug dosage and other information into your "About Me" or Signature Line. That also includes what country you are in because measurement systems and diagnostic methods vary around the world. |
