Day long blood testing of glands?

[Halinka]

My mum was speaking with a lady recently who has had her thyroid removed due to cancer. She had an awful time after getting her medication right. After 18 months, she was finally listened to and they did a diagnostic blood testing that looked at what was happening with her pituitary and adrenal glands that lasted the whole day. It was only after this that her medication was changed and she recovered. My mum didn't remember then name of this test. Does anyone know what it is?

[Halinka]

Note, The lady spent the whole day at hospital having her bloods drawn at intervals to look at lots of different hormones. It was on the NHS.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

I don't know what this is called - but I completely agree that an approach like this could make the world of difference to the appreication of an individual's hormone status.

If you find out more, please let us know.

[I keep hoping that some inexpensive method of performing frequent tests might be found. Ideally, something we could do for oursleves - such as one of the mobile-phone based systems that have been mentioned a few times.]

[Clutter]

Halinka, the synacthen stimulation test for adrenals involves testing cortisol serum at baseline, injecting the stimulation material and retesting cortisol at intervals to see how it responded to stimulation.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Clutter]

So does the insulin stress test (except it is insulin, of course) for adrenal function.

[Halinka]

Thanks for those replies. Whatever the test was the outcome was the addition of t3. I await my Gp's approval of my end's suggestion of stopping t4 and starting 10mcg t3 to help the depression. I've also been advised to take iron tablets. Is there anything else I should be thinking about before starting t3?

[greygoose in reply to Halinka]

Before starting on iron supplementation, you should get your iron and ferritin tested. You need to be sure you need to take iron, and how much.

You should also get your vit D, vit B12 and folate tested. They all need to be optimal for your body to be able to use the hormone you're giving it.

[Halinka]

Greygoodse thanks for this. My ferritin level was 25 (range 22-300) so I started supplementing. All other things including B12 were in range though haven't had my Vitamin d tested.

Still waiting to see my GP to see if she will honour the end's suggestion of a trial of t3 though I have just read conflicting info about its usage in Hashimnoto's, something about Hashimoto's sufferers seesawing between being hypo and hyper and so t3 perhaps aggravating that.