pricklypear1971

Karen, I do have labs. They even came from certified mainstream labs. I have a few witchy labs, too.... They're cross verified with mainstream labs. I don't have to prove a thing to you.

Thal can go the other way. You can have high rbc, low almost everything else and good or high iron. If a doc runs a "basic" cbc s/he may assume you are anemic, when you really are overloaded or fine on iron. My son is fine, my husband is overloaded. Life just got interesting around here.

I don't care what it's called. You can call it When Pigs Fly Up Your Butt. Whatever. I worry about cause and effect for my treatment. My experience runs along the lines of a hypo thyroid/underperforming endocrine system state changing to a steroid induced hyper adrenal state - my symptoms were Cushings-esque, coupled with unaddressed and untreated Celiac Disease, along with under treated Hashimoto's - and that's what I'll address. What I deal with is a type of adrenal insufficiency brought on from the above factors (steroids, thyroid). Since I had undiagnosed Hashimotos for at least a few years prior to treatment, I suffered from a decreased endocrine system performance (hypo) http://www.emedicinehealth.com/anatomy_of_the_endocrine_system/article_em.htm. Two steroid shots and a round of oral Prednisone, along with topical steroids put me into a hyper adrenal state and I had Cushings symptoms. At a certain point, the hyper functioning of my adrenals changed to hypo - I now have some symptoms of Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency. This problem seems to be strongly tied to my thyroid - as my thyroid performance improves via correct medications and supplements my adrenals improve. As a matter of fact, I'm a point now where we're trying to determine if I am on too much thyroid med (of the wrong type) or too much adrenal supplementation. Figuring it out is a mix of labs and trial/error. I sincerely hope that I am able to come off adrenal cortex in the near future, as does my doctor. For those of you who argue about if "adrenal exhaustion" is real or not, I think you need to drop the semantics and dictionary debate and pay attention to what people are saying when they talk about what's going on. The main adrenal-related complaints I hear about from people (and keep in mind I talk to lots of thyroid as well as gluten intolerant people) center around thyroid performance, glucose stabilization, and temporary sleep disturbances. I really don't recall anyone just saying "Hey, I feel off, I think I have Adrenal Fatigue so I'm gonna go buy a supplement at the store". I agree with this 100%: http://www.hormone.org/hormones-and-health/myth-vs-fact/adrenal-fatigue. As a matter of fact, the first thing I advise is a thyroid panel. I have received medical advice, I think I know all of the diseases I'm dealing with....and have decided to go forward with a treatment plan that includes adrenal support. I would like to address some specific remarks I feel that were aimed at my posts. Karen, sure...self diagnosing is dangerous with any disease. It's my experience most people try to get medical help for endocrine issues and are turned away - thyroid and adrenal. Kind of like with Celiac and NCGI. My range of doctor experience with adrenals is as varied as my experience with thyroid and gluten. To summarize, most MD's will acknowledge an issue but not treat it. Most ND's will acknowledge and treat with various treatment plans/supplaments. Irish - we all understand you had terrible luck with doctors of all types, and the only thing that was ever wrong was Celiac disease and stupid doctors until you also figured out you have MCAS. For many of us Celiac is not the beginning and end of our issues - it's just a piece. A good number of us have legitimate issues with other body systems that are not instantly (or ever) cured by going gluten-free: our lack of cure isn't due to our lack of compliance with a gluten-free diet, or vitamins. Neither is it our overindulgence of gluten-free processed foods, or lack of patience. The links I provided clearly outline the role adrenals play in health. I understand you don't see "adrenal fatigue" written out. What you have to understand from reading is that adrenals are part of the endocrine system - an important part that can luckily be manipulated and supported. Using myself as an example, I boost adrenal performance with adrenal cortex the same way I boost thyroid performance in my severely underperforming thyroid. The debate about "adrenal fatigue" has been going on for decades. Bottom line - some people need to address their adrenal performance to improve the function of the endocrine system - temporarily or permanently. Cushings Syndrome: http://www.endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/cushings/cushings.aspx Addison's Disease: http://endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/addison/addison.aspx Other names for adrenal fatigue are non-Addison's hypoadrenia, sub-clinical hypoadrenia, hypoadrenalism, and neurasthenia. http://thyroid.about.com/cs/endocrinology/a/adrenalfatigue.htm And I thought this was incredibly interesting. I'm going to go eat another Brazil nut, now. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24437222

Did they test thyroglobulin or TPOAb? Thyroglobulin is not used to dx Hashis.... http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/thyroglobulin/tab/test/ The TPOab is used to dx Hashis Hypothyroidism. http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/thyroid-antibodies You need to understand if they ran the correct thyroid antibody test. You can have inflammation from ANY autoimmune disease. Since you know you are hypothyroid, I'd pursue that AND your gluten intolerance.... You should probably read this about Fibro/thyroid: http://c.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/steps-authentic-happiness-positive-psychology/2013/nov/11/fibromyalgia-indisputable-proof-claims-uk-research/ Your high cortisol may be the effect of poorly managed thyroid. You may need more, or different thyroid med. you really need free t3, free t4 and reverse t3 to see what your thyroid hormone levels are and if you are utilizing the meds properly. You may need an adrenal support supplement or lifestyle modification/change to help lower your cortisol. And finally, if you haven't been gluten-free to Celiac standards:observing gluten-free to prevent cross contamination, etc., you could try cleaning up any remaining gluten to see if you feel better. I mention this because some people who are unsure of their status don't observe strict standards. I'm not saying you don't....

MD's don't say 'adrenal fatigue', they say something like 'temporary overstimulation' or 'not functioning as well as it could, but nothing to worry about'. Or 'temporary side effect of x med or condition'. Then they shove another med down your throat or say "everything looks normal, go see a shrink". I will not argue that some alternative docs are wack jobs.... And some are fabulous. I could say the same for MD's. Of course, my view is probably skewed because I live in Thyroidland...and must MD's are in denial over the latest research (long story of what 'standard of care - unrevised' can do to a huge group of patients).

Karen, I assure you that many of us, especially with thyroid conditions, have overtaxed adrenals. I didn't believe it either....but I'll be damned, the support stuff I do and the supplaments I take DO make a difference. Now, do they make a difference because "stuff" is off - hormones, glucose, thyroid, etc. Yes. But while you work on those things (and sometimes boosting both is necessary long-term) you better bet adrenal support can make you or break you. Adrenals just don't produce adrenaline....they produce hormones. Post menopause they become even more important. http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/adrenalgland/conditioninfo/Pages/default.aspx And here's an article geared towards thyroid patients. In my case, I've had steroid shots/pills which negatively affected my adrenals. I was stuck in an overstimulated state for almost a week. I'd get flashbacks/surges/attacks when emotionally upset up to six months after stopping the steroids. Was it Addison's? No. But it was bad. I still have effects. Of course, being gluten-free has helped but the best help was getting on the right track with my thyroid. I hope to get off adrenal support at some point.... http://thyroid.about.com/cs/endocrinology/a/adrenalfatigue.htm

If you are diagnosed with dh, you have been diagnosed with celiac disease. If your stomach gets upset from eating spicy foods - peppers - you may gave a capsicum intolerance.

I take oral dhea - a very low dose. Much lower than most supplament strengths you see at health found stores. I use progesterone cream half the month. I take adrenal cortex - two big pills. Timing depends on how my cortisol runs...when it peaks. One of the biggest factors for better adrenal performance for me is a minimum level of t3, along with a good ratio of rt3. Then, not fasting - eating sufficient protein with meals...and eating them on time. And finally, sleep. I need 7+ hours/night. My vitamin levels are improving, my adrenals have improved as they've improved, also.

You can take liquid d3, which may be more easily absorbed if you have low stomach acid or celiac.

You can order tests online (they send you the order, you go to lab for draw)...same labs doctors use. You pay cash but it's an option. Yeah. New doctor.

TSH is useless for thyroid diagnosis and treatment , apparently, in your case. You need free t3, free t4, reverse t3 labs. And run ALL thyroid antibodies, again. How are your vitamin levels? If you are low in iron, b's, d3, selenium, chromium your thyroid may be underperforming because of deficiencies. Deficiencies go with celiac and thyroid....they say thyroid because hypo people produce less stomach acid so food doesn't break down well. I've never been able to understand if those people are also celiac....sigh.

Avocados: guacamole, etc. Bake with nut flours and coconut.

Try the Van's cheese cracker. Look like Cheezits-taste like goldfish.

Cytomel is synthetic t3, Levothyroxine is synthetic t4. And yes, some people need quite a bit if t3 if they don't convert t4.

I have issues raising my iron, also. I didn't know this, but tea and coffee (without milk) can interfere with iron absorption when ingested within an hour or so around a meal/supplament. I started taking my iron last thing at night (stomach is almost always empty) with a small amount of oj or lemonade. I hope it's helping. Oddly enough, I am getting a crash course in iron, iron content of foods, absorption, etc. I admit to being surprised at what I'm learning....