B12D and low cortisol

[Mashie44]

Hi all,

because I've been feeling awful despite weekly SI and supplements, GP tested cortisol First test (8.45 am) was 330 which was below the threshold of 400. Second test (8.30m) has come back as 445 so that is deemed ok. (Sorry don't know the units, this is standard UK measures, I'm told normal is >400 and bad is <100 so the first result was "inconclusive").

Is this in fact a figure I should do anything about, given it was on the low side and I have B12D and feel lousy. .

(I have to go to bed to rest most afternoons, have very stressful life events atm for over a year, had to give up work because of episodes of devastating physical weakness. I just lose the strength to stand and have to sit on the ground til I can stand again, usually 20-30 mins. Pins and needles in hands and feet is getting worse)

Since (inspired by this forum) I started asking for my blood results rather than accepting "it's ok" I have found that I've spent years just barely above the threshold in iron, folate, ferritin, B12, neutrophils etc. I suspect this DOES correlate with feeling lousy and taking many weeks to recover from viruses. Just don't know much about cortisol. Because I supplement, iron, folate, vit D etc are now well into the middle of the range, having previously been very low and sometimes deficient. I have a slightly high red blood count but MCV has slowly reduced to (just) inside normal since I have been SI (2 years).

Any advice? Is the cortisol ruled out as a problem by these results as the GP says (I just want to know what's wrong with me, I'm 55 and feel as if I were 70. Am 10 years post menopause so it's not related to that).

[deniseinmilden]

I'm really sorry, but I'm not that sure about cortisol - it could be. I know what you mean though: it took me a bit of time to get things working properly and you feel you need to hunt for every possible option yourself once you have been let down by the Drs.

What specific supplements and quantities are you taking? There may be other options that will help.

Have you been tested for thyroid problems? I know nothing about this either but there are brilliant people on the HU Thyroid UK forum who would be able to help.