Can no longer function

[Funnygembunni]

Can no longer drive, can't stay awake more than a few hours at a time, can't stand up without being too dizzy, can't focus vision. Tried driving today almost didn't make it home. Got here and passed out for hours. I cannot control this. Doctors doing a 24 hour urine because blood pressure rapidly and drastically fluctuates. Has anyone else gotten this bad. What can be done?

[Funnygembunni]

My TSH was 1.38 in the hospital last week. They didn't do a t3 or t4. My last posted results were my last full thyroid panel drawn. I am taking 60mg Armour daily. Attempted last week to increase by 30mg and ended up in the hospital after almost passing out and blood pressure uncontrolled. Back to 60mg daily but haven't recovered from last Wednesday. It's always been a struggle to make it through the day but not like this.

[radd in reply to Funnygembunni]

FGB,

Sorry to hear you are feeling so bad. Did you ever get the results from your adrenal tests ? .

The medical establishment only recognises Cushings & Addisons Disease but if you have adrenal insufficiency just short of the ranges that denotes these diseases, you can still be very ill.

Your test results should show if you have low cortisol//aldosterone, etc (adrenals) or ACTH (pituitary). Adequate levels of these hormones are needed to make thyroid hormone replacement work.

You are medicating Armour and it is clearly not working.

[Funnygembunni in reply to radd]

The first time I had no ACTH. Took the adrenal stimulate test where they infused ACTH and itn a successful. My last cortisol labs were done I would say 3 months ago at most and cortisol was normal range. I don't know why this has happened so fast. My ACTH was also within range with those labs.

[radd in reply to Funnygembunni]

FGB,

Re stim test : Did you have a test result saying you had no ACTH. ?

The reason they infused ACTH was to see if your adrenals responded which you say they did but you don't know to what degree.

Re cortisol labs : "Normal" range can still be very low. If you had a 9am serum blood test, this would only show the amount in one given moment.

If you did the saliva 24 hour, this shows the amount of free but not the total amount so ratios can be falsely elevated.

Each test has its place but neither give a comprehensive overview alone.

Did you get any results on paper that you can share for members to comment.

[Funnygembunni in reply to radd]

Last ACTH done I'm May.

ACTH 9.0 range 7.2-63.3.

Cortisol 11.8. Range for pm labs 2.3-11.9.

[radd in reply to Funnygembunni]

Even allowing for ACTH fluctuations, your level is low.

Are they looking into pituitary issues ?

Has anyone suggested hypopituitarism ?

[Funnygembunni in reply to radd]

Nobody has no. A year ago my ACTH said <6. That's when doc did the infusion of synthetic ACTH. I asked the forum and the doc why I would need a synthetic ACTH to begin with. No concrete answer given. Had two MRIs but none to target the pituitary. That is a separate brain scan isn't it??

[radd in reply to Funnygembunni]

FGB,

It depends where you had the MRI done.

An MRI of your brain should (in theory) reveal a pituitary tumor (although I now read sometimes the position or the size of the tumour may mean it can be missed).

I don't know all your history or test details but assume they gave you ACTH not because you were low but to assess the adrenal response to check if they are working.

Yours obviously are (given your high cortisol result) but I would have thought (considering your health problems), such a low ACTH result should instigate further investigations.

Can you ask your GP if your low ACTH is being looked into ? He must have letters from the hospital.

[galathea]

Sounds like adrenals..... Have you ever done an adrenal saliva test?

[Funnygembunni in reply to galathea]

No for some reason they don't do that test first and forum here in US. I am doing a 24 hour urine test right now. My endo and PCP are both going with adrenals at the moment and I won't lie.... I hope something they say is correct because I've switched my focus from how to get back to work... to oh my god if something has taken away my ability to function in a week and a half it's aggressive and every time I get dizzy or try to stand or gave a severe blood pressure fluctuation I worry that it's deadly

[tolla36]

Sorry to read such extreme symptoms but it sounds like one of the many problems caused by messed up thyroidg glands. I hope you get better ASAP

[Funnygembunni]

Will vitamin C help? I started the dosage you stated today. But worried this happened so fast. How can I take stress off the adrenals and fast?

[Scouser58]

Hello Funnygembunni,, also ask your doctor to do the blood tests for tft, to check on you levels, they could be out of wack,,,,take care,,,ttfn from Karen.

[caledoniancat]

I agree, could perhaps be adrenals. if you have been getting increased doses of levothyroxine it will be increasing the clearance rate of cortisol. So if your adrenals have been underfunctioning this will become more pronounced with symptoms such as quick drop in blood pressure when moving from sit to stand and continued when standing/moving (if severe loss of cortico and mineral steroids), with palpatations and racing heart rate, extreme tiredness, aching muscles and joints, possible hyperpigmentation (especially if autoimmune Addison's), nausea or vomiting, diarrhoea, blurring vision. This happened to my daughter who was admitted via A&E and then diagnosed with Addisons within 20 hrs. Once the Addison's was controlled she no longer needed thyroid meds because it was the adrenals that were actually causing an underfunctioning thyroid in the first place.

[Funnygembunni in reply to caledoniancat]

That makes perfect sense and I love how much knowledge you provide. My issue however that is causing the mist fear and discomfort is that my blood pressure is going extremely high and then dropping low many times in a half hour. Today I noticed it was all over the place and it had no patterns. Gave me one heck of a migraine.

[caledoniancat]

Hi Funnygembunni. Sounds horrible. Have you had aldosterone and/or sodium and potassium checked? All are linked to adrenals and affect blood pressure.