I am still doing lots of research and reading on the site, but recall reading somewhere about needing optimal adrenal function for good thyroid treatment.
I have had many traumatic Personal life Life changing events over the last 10 years in fact going from one crisis to the next until it felt like my body as in ability to cope with stress was greatly impaired. It now appears that I cannot cope with any minor stress without my system taking a major dive physically (chronic pain,severe gastric problems) as well as cognitively.
The under active thyroid began in 2006 alongside the impaired stress control and the chronic pain. Possibly there is a link ?
What I am basically .asking is for any help and advice on how to diagnose and treat. without an NHS input. (I have a terrible relationship with my GP Practice) and want to start this journey doing things in the correct order.
It does sound very likely that you have adrenal fatigue and this is something that you will need to sort out without the NHS because, despite the WHO recognising this as a serious problem in the western world, the NHS deny its existence.
I suggest doing a search for "Adrenal fatigue" on the internet. There are several good websites out there with great advice. Drs Rind and Wilson have good websites but there are others too.
Basically you need to remove as much negative stress from your life as you can. If you are still being affected by external stressors you need to remove them if you want to fully recover. Some things are impossible to remove so you need to learn how to deal with them in a way that keeps your stress levels as low as possible. Easier said than done, I know!
Next, you need to get as much rest in a horizontal position as you can. Nap in the day if you need to, but if you can't nap just rest lying down.
Try to get good quality sleep and don't rush to get up in the morning when you don't have to. Get an early night, preferably before 10am as often as possible. If you just can't sleep that early, gradually move your bedtime earlier by about 15 minutes every few days until you can. Lie-ins are good because your body is making most of its cortisol early in the morning (or it should be) so rest at this time is important.
Make sure you are eating a good, healthy diet with plenty of protein and healthy fats (including animal fats and fats from seeds and nuts) and minimal sugar. Try to avoid processed foods if you can.
Try to avoid stimulants such as nicotine, caffeine and sugar as these will tire your adrenals further. If you feel tired, rest instead if you can.
Make sure you don't have any vitamin or mineral deficiencies, like iron, B12, vitamin D etc.
Taking vitamin C in reasonably high doses helps a lot of people, but you need to build up gradually as high doses don't suit everyone. Perhaps start with 500mg a day, building up to 3 times a day (right before meals) if you can tolerate it. Some people recommend even more than this but, as I said, it doesn't suit everyone so go with what suits you best. You might want to read into vitamin C supplementation and make your own decision about this.
Taking a magnesium supplement at night can help to reduce your nighttime cortisol levels and help relaxation and sleep. Check out whether you have any health conditions that might mean you shouldn't supplement, but a lot of people don't really get enough of this mineral.
Selenium supplementation may also help as it is an antioxidant, but don't take too much. Again, it would be a good idea to look into this. It can help conversion of T4 to T3.
Make sure your thyroid is adequately treated. If you are not getting enough thyroid hormones your adrenals will struggle to produce enough cortisol in the early hours. If you take levo, you might want to consider taking it at night (away from other medications and supplements). Sometimes T3 medication can help adrenals to heal themselves too.
I hope some of this is helpful. I'm sure I will have missed out something so I really would advise reading around the subject.
I forgot to mention adrenal glandulars, such as Nutri Adrenal or Nutri Adrenal Extra. I am not necessarily recommending these but some people find them helpful. There are other brands available too, but I'm not sure what they are called.
Hi Carolyn
Thanks so much for all of the information and guidance it is much appreciated
Here's a few articles but you have to find out whether your cortisol is high, normal or low because some of these supplements will have opposite effects on the gland.
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Blood test results for possible adrenal problems and chronic insomnia 
suspected adrenal problems what now?
Adrenal problem / T3 problem? A dismissive private endo :-(
