I finally got my blood cortisol test drawn today – the GP had messed up and lost Dr S’s letter and he had to send it again. Infuriatingly, I was feeling pretty well this morning. I could have waited for a bad day, but I honestly don’t know at 8:30 am when I make the appointment which direction I’ll have gone in by 9:30 am!

Hi Imgeha,

Dr S is being accommodating with the adrenal thing, and he’s willing to treat me if it comes back low, but I’m aware it will probably come back normal. The Addison’s disease website says they often come back normal even in Addison’s, and I usually feel well in the morning anyway! I’m pretty sure I won’t get better until I’m on steroids, and I won’t get better till I’m on Armour, and I can’t handle Armour until I’m on steroids… I’m going to keep forcing the issue in the hopes of getting an official adrenal insufficiency diagnosis, I’m not over-eager to treat myself with steroids. I seem to be able to handle some T4 if I take it at night (it made me ill when I took it in the mornings), but I think I’ve reached my limit.

I actually had a saliva cortisol test done by Lab 21 about 3 months ago, which I’ve been brandishing at the GP. They want me to go and see an endoprat in Sheffield, but I don’t know who’s good and who’s bad apart from Professor “Somatoform Disorder”, whom I’m avoiding like the plague. I won’t know what to do next until I get my results back!

Interesting blog! I like the fact that you research things so heavily and work out your own answers. You certainly won’t get the right ones from the medical profession.

I am on my own thyroid / adrenal journey and am now pretty much optimal on prednisolone, Armour and additional T3. It took me a long time to work it all out. T4 only meds caused my adrenals to crash big time. Ultimately they cause more stress to the adrenals because they leave you hypothyroid, particularly if you have a T4 – T3 conversion problem and / or low cortisol. Armour will get you sorted, but you have to go slow.

A serum cortisol test will probably be misleading. I had one at the depths of my adrenal crash, and it was ‘normal’. I had all the symptoms – thin, stress intolerant, insomnia, hypoglycemic, frequent crashes, malabsoption – you name it. Knowing what I needed, but not able to get a doctor to prescribe hydrocortisone for me because of my ‘normal’ results, I took adrenal glandulars by Nutri West and these enabled me to get out of bed. I then moved onto Isocort (google it) and then found a brilliant doctor who did the whole HC / Armour / female sex hormones testing, and found that I was a walking car crash (I knew that already but the stupid GP had of course missed it).

Good that you’re seeing Dr S, but I don’t think he knows too much about adrenals. Dr Peatfield is much more versed in this. Google up the glandulars / Isocort and do a 24 hour adrenal profile (saliva test) from Genova Diagnostics http://www.gdx.uk.net/

this will give you an accurate picture of what your adrenals are up to, and whether you need to treat them. You are probably going to have to do this yourself, because doctors don’t recognise adrenal fatigue, only Addison’s and Cushings.

Good luck with all of this. I shall be following to see how you get on!

I really hope this gets sorted soon. I can feel your frustration and worry throughout this post. I’m thinking of you.

Chris