Adrenal fatigue - I'm in a bit of a quandry.

[looselywoven]

Thank you all, for being here. I've had so much help from you all and I'm very grateful. Today I'm asking for advice on dealing with adrenal fatigue. When I was first thinking of going for NDT because I felt to be getting nowhere fast with my GP and Levo - I read a lot about it, especially on Thyroid UK and STTP. I read that I should take NDT until symptoms improve. I read that if symptoms don't improve it is due to adrenal problems. That seemed to be very definate. So I pushed on ahead. Got up to 3 grains of Thyroid S. Still felt unwell, though my recent blood test indicated that I was a little overmedicated. I didn't feel it!.

So I reduced to 2 grains. Felt rotten. Went up to 2.5 and felt a little better, but not great. My wrist pain got worse on that so I've gone back to three and my wrist problem has gone. My heel pain is still as bad as ever. But overall I don't feel any better.

However, I've been doing even more reading and, except for the wrist pain (which has improved) and temperature (which is still low), I'm unsure as to whether I am overmedicated or not. So many symptoms overlap.

I posted a little while ago about how bad I felt after watching Game of Thrones, although I had been fascinated in a weird way by it - the horror at the goryness (is that a word?) of it.

I started to read more about adrenal fatigue. I found a check list of symptoms and scored "you're in a dangerous place" I thought i was being conservative when it asked "do you feel.......?" and I ticked 4 out of 5! I felt like YES, absolutely, 5, but just checked 4 - feeling foolish even to myself.

If I can find it again, I'll post it.

I am finding that, as long as thing are going along hunky dory, I manage okay, even feel well , but, my goodness, if things aren't just as they should be I'm in tears. Straight to bed exhausted.

Last week we went camping. True to form, we had rain - even though the forecast had been good for us. With a gazebo to protect me from the rain, being outdoors and a jolly good excuse to not have to chase around doing stuff - sat watching the rain doing my crochet. By day three I was feeling wonderful. I was even composing a post in my head to tell you all how well I was feeling! Things went downhill when the weather improved and we had to start acting like holiday makers.

On the day we were packing up, I hurt my hand. I cried. I had a huge swelling on my hand and a bruise which covered more than half of the back of my hand. It wasn't broken. It wasn't even that painful, really. We continued packing and I drove home. But my goodness did I cry! I cried and cried like a dam had bust! I cried as I was driving - all the way home! Three hours. Tears dripping of my chin. My poor grandaughter didn't know what to do. I haven't felt right since, though the bruising has gone and my hand doesn't hurt.

This week we have had a bit of an issue at work. Although the problem itself is not personal to me, I have taken it a bit personally and been in tears at work which is very embarrassing.

I think that I am just worn out. Even years ago, when I was underweight, I used to joke that the reason I was underweight was because I was living on nervous energy. It amazes me, now at 17 stones, that I once went to the doctor because I was concerned about my low weight.

My quandry, now, is how to deal with what is likely to be adrenal fatigue. If I go to the doctor I feel sure that he will say one of two things. Either - antidepressants, which I don't want and feel strongly that I don't need, OR he'll recognise the stress factor and sign me off work (which I think I probably DO need) but can't let that happen because I've committed myself to too much stuff to feel willing to take myself off.

I work full time, 9-5, nice civilised hours, for the NHS. I have full clinics booked until October, at best. In addition I teach. I use annual leave to do my teaching, which I have done for several years, and which means that I only have that one week camping holiday per year (which we do at the same time every year). In addition, I have committed myself to cover maternity leave for someone at another hospital. The work for that is done in overtime.

So you can see that I can't just fall apart.

What I need is a really good adrenal support to help me through. I try very hard to keep my diet good and am gluten free. I am trying to reduce my reliance on sugar.

Any ideas? Something I can do without having to go to the doctor for a remedy that I don't want?

[Marz]

Do you have any thyroid results you could share ? How are your B12 levels ? What supplements are you taking ? Maybe you have answered all these questions elsewhere - apologies if you have. Will take a look around

You sound one busy lady

[radd]

LW,

You sound as if you do a lot for someone not wholly well.

Adrenals usually respond positively to the right nurtures but will remain in a state of fatigue if the anxiety or stress (whether caused by physical//emotional//psychological//environmental//illness) is not removed or at least reduced.

Unfortunately stress impacts both the adrenal and thyroid hormone pathways and affects the biochemical pathway that ultimately produces healthy levels of T3 (so further stressing the adrenals) and impairs the adrenals’ ability to produce and balance other hormones ( DHEA, oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone, etc ) which are important to our long-term health and well-being.

I think rest is the kindest nurture to allow healing, together with diet, optimal nutrients and supports in the form of adaptogens that help the body to normalise after times of stress, or glandulars such as Nutri Adrenal (or a cortex without the adrenaline.

I think your crying may be to do with you stopping HRT. Ask your GP to test sex hormones as you may need something else.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

looselywoven To confirm your adrenal status have you done a Genova 24 hour adrenal stress test? This will show cortisol and DHEA levels and give pointers to what sort of adrenal support may be needed.

Also a sex hormone test as Radd suggests is a good idea.

I had both all these tests done through Genova, have had interpretation and advice from a private hormone specialist who has recommended the appropriate supplements and things are gradually improving.

[Jefner in reply to SeasideSusie]

Seasidesusie

How do you find a hormone specialist?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Jefner]

Jefner I'm just off out for a while, can you drop me a PM to remind me and I will answer later

[looselywoven in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you for this - I'll give it a try.

[SewingBee]

@ looselywoven

I truly sympathise. I think you are suffering big time with anxiety but then if you are still able to do your job it may just be a passing thing and, as suggested, the removal of your HRT. I put on a lot of weight when I came off HRT which in itself could make one anxious.

I have learnt to avoid the everyday things that make me anxious as there seems to be no way of beating it since this disease took hold. x

[Jefner in reply to SewingBee]

Avoiding is th worst thing you can do hun

[SilverAvocado in reply to Jefner]

I strongly disagree with this. If you're too ill to do certain things, just don't do those things. There isn't some moral obligation to be 100% well and capable.

[Jefner in reply to SilverAvocado]

Obviously if you are too ill to do anything, that's different. I have been there many times, with severe anxiety, it leads to agoraphobia (which I have again) and avoiding situations that make you anxious only makes the agoraphobia worse

[yankeedoodledandy]

It might be worth considering a 24 hour urine test from your GP to find out your cortisol level. Some of your symptoms sound very similar to mine - my underpinning problem is chronic Lyme Disease.

[SilverAvocado]

Looselywoven, I think that work situation sounds dreadful and toxic. It seems like you're hoping for a solution that will magically allow you to continue with this unsustainable lifestyle that is making you ill.

But moving yourself awayfrom the lifestyle things that make you ill, and getting the rest you need, is the core of any treatment. There will likely be medications or supplements you can take, tests you can do that will give you more information, but all those things will be imprecise and no matter how well they might work, there will be times they let you down, symptoms that remain, etc.

But the one really reliable piece of information you have is that working to hard is making you sick, and that when you get good quality rest you start feeling like yourself again.

I'm afraid I am a big advocate for deprioritising work, and I'm probably biased as I had to stop working 3 years ago due to the severity of my condition (I'm 37). But I see so many people who feel like they can't take it easy at work, even as their health falls apart as a result. There's a huge stigma, guilt, shame, and all the rest of it at the idea of not being able to work full time plus all the extras. And we really struggle with the idea that sometimes people, quite legitimately, get sick and simply cannot do that. And its totally natural and fine for that to happen.

So I do think it requires a big attitude shift. To realise that being sick means you can't do it all, and have to say "no"sometimes, or sacrifice a few ambitions or obligations.

[looselywoven in reply to SilverAvocado]

Thank you, Silver Avocado. I totally agree with this and you are absolutely correct. I am looking for something that will see me through the commitments that I already have. I am making moves to remove other stresses and reduce my workload, but not in the immediate here and now. I imagine that it will take some time to recover fully, but I'm confident that it will happen when I start improving my lifestyle. I have always carried too much responsibility and have big problems saying no.

[SilverAvocado in reply to looselywoven]

I'm glad to hear it, Looselywoven. Good luck, I know it's hard learning to say no. x

[SewingBee in reply to looselywoven]

looselywoven

We've all been there and initially we don't have any idea how to manage ourselves and the best advice I had was from my daughter when she said, '' Mum you won't feel better until you accept that you're not right and learn your limitations ''

[Scouser58]

Hello looselywoven,,,to say the least,,you have a lot on the go,,,,and not really surprised you are so tired,,,what about having some vitamins and minerals to give you a boost and energy support,,,also some early nights might be helpful,,,,and maybe some bananas for the potassium and the slow release of the carbs in them, and they help with sleep,,,

I hope you manage to cope with everything you have on the books,,,,good luck and let us know how you get on,,,ttfn from Karen.