Crying and confused.....

[Bellerin]

I am so upset today, not sure what to do or say but here goes,

I have been to see Dr Peatfield recently, and been very happy with him. He told me that basically, my adrenals are shot. They were not working at all and so that was meaning that my thyroid wasn't working either, but he seemed to think that once my adrenals got back working, then my thyroid would do on its own, so maybe my thyroid may eventually managed with only a small dose of medication.

I have been taking Adrenavive 2 and Metavive 1 for about a month and a half now. Dr Peatfield wanted me to start with a low dose and build up to 2x Adrenavive and 1x Metavive (which I have now been on for 3 weeks) and I have kept a diary of all my blood pressures, pulses and temperatures as well. ( I already take 1x 25mcg of T3 daily, and I have kept that the same still).

Now I have received a letter from him saying that, 'keep as you are, and increase as you feel you should'.

Why I am upset, is I do not feel any difference at all! My diary entries are the same today as they were on my first day. I know things take time, but now I have no idea what do to. I have no idea how to increase, because I literally feel no different. All my debilitating symptoms are still exactly the same, there is no improvement, and I am very distressed.

Should I feel any different? Has anyone else experienced this? I've been trying to read up on my adrenals, but frankly, I haven't the energy or the will to try much. I just cry all the time (I am sobbing now), I struggle to get up, then struggle to sleep. My whole body is in constant pain (already been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, great), constant cramping in my legs, arms and hands, honestly, I wont bore you with anymore.

It was my last hope to go to Dr Peatfield, and I really wanted it to work, but now I just don't know where to go or what do. I am thinking I must just be fat (I have put on about 4 stone in 2 years) and there is nothing I can do about it, and having anorexia means that I just live in a constant hell.

I just can't go on anymore, sorry for the depressing post, but I can't see any hope that I have left.

[ellj]

I am sorry to read how bad you feel, life can be so tough .

My first reaction to Dr P,s letter would be to write back or if possible email him saying exactly what you have said here.

Let him know you don't know is how to proceed.

As his patient do you have a phone number

Meantime take a deep breath, try to ease your crying as that is going to make you even more exhausted you.

Remember you are never alone, we do care about each other which is why we all share on here.

Others will come along and reply to you and may have better ideas...the above is just my opinion.

Take care

Ellie

[Bellerin in reply to ellj]

Thank you xx

[ewilma26]

There is always hope sometimes it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel but keep going it will get better search for a doctor who will help you until you get answers or until you feel better. You got this!

[Bellerin in reply to ewilma26]

Thank you xxx

[startagaingirl]

Hi - to try a practical angle on this to help - did you ever get your nutrients tested? It could be that you have seen n o apparent improvement because your body can't actually use the t3 in your blood effectively as you are short of nutrients. You really need to have some numbers for vit d, vit b12, folate and ferritin. T3 only is especially hard to use as a regime if you aren't optimum in all of these.

Gillian

[Bellerin in reply to startagaingirl]

Thank you, I will save up some money and then have my nutrients tested I think. I have had them done before and they have always been pretty okay. My iron levels are very good (thanks to my Mum!) and I am not deficient in anything that I know of, I was last tested by my doctors a couple of months ago, but I think I will try and have some private ones done. Thank you xx

[startagaingirl in reply to Bellerin]

Well if you have been tested by your doctor then ask for a copy of your results from the receptionist - you are legally entitled to these. There is no point paying privately to duplicate what has already been tested. If you were told they were ok by a doctor, don't believe it. Unfortunately it appears that the majority know very little about thyroid and nutrients.

[Bellerin in reply to startagaingirl]

Thank you I will try, my last lot were done at the hospital and my GP's makes patients pay £5 a test for your results, so I can end up being pretty expensive! Thanks again xx

[Trixie64]

Sorry to hear you're feeling so bad Bellerin. Why not make a telephone appointment with Dr. P. so you can tell him how you are and that you need more guidance.

I don't know about Adrenavive and Metavive as I take NDT with extra T3 as advised by Dr. P. It can take quite a while to work up to your optimal dose of medication, so don't give up.

All the best.

[Bellerin in reply to Trixie64]

Thank you, yes, I am going to save up my pennies and then get a telephone appointment, I just feel very lost at the moment, I can't see me ever getting better. Thank you for your reply xx

[MoAr]

Hi Bellerin, I had almost shot adrenals diagnosed in December 14 and I'm still taking adrenal glandulars. It takes a long time to recover from this and progress is often slow. I know in my case the stress that caused the problem started 5yrs previously so it took quite a while to get to that state so it's understandable it's going to take a fair while to get better. I retired in May 15 so that for me was the end of being stressed out but now well on the way to better health, thank goodness. I'm also a patient of Dr P, as Ellj says write back to him.

[Bellerin in reply to MoAr]

Thank you, you are all very kind. Were you taking the adrenal glandulars for a long time before you noticed any changes? I have been stressed for about 5 years myself, and 10 years before that suffering badly with my anorexia, so I know my body is damaged, but just thought when I started taking medication especially for my adrenals, I might have noticed some change. Thank you for your reply xx

[MoAr in reply to Bellerin]

Hi Bellerin,

It was a very gradual change but I also had gut problems (leaky gut) and several food groups that I was intolerant to, now all OK. I also had candida as well. I wasn't under Dr P at this point but like you, I had to build up the glandulars gradually and I slowly started to feel better. I was already on a pretty good diet and this does play an very important part. I'm sorry, I can't even begin to understand how much you have suffered with your anorexia, I really know so very little about it but I would imagine it's probably going to slow things down a bit for you.

Don't give up on Dr P, I'm sure he will get you well again.

BTW, I found James L. Wilson's book Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome a very helpful read as is his website adrenalfatigue.org/

[Boohbette17]

Hello Bellerin, my heart hurt feeling for you. Sending you a hug from the US 😊 I’ve experienced extreme fatigue & my endo refused to do labs but with the help of several wonderful providers I read up & pieced myself to a tolerable level despite having still active antibodies (Hashimoto’s ) that said , they are down half from 2013 so yay! Check out this doc. Dr.Alan Christianson

drchristianson.com/

All the best!🌈💓

[Elainemawby]

Hi Bellerin,

Sorry to hear you feel so bad. I also take Metavive. If you are taking Metavive 1 that is the 15mg version, which is only equivalent to 1/4 grain of NDT, which is a very small dose. I raised my dose approx every 2 weeks but you do need to go carefully with adrenal issues. It is a slow process and took me months rather than weeks to start feeling the difference, but hang in there, by getting the doses correct and healing your adrenals hopefully you'll start to feel better soon!

Elaine

[Bellerin in reply to Elainemawby]

Oh my goodness, thank you so much for this! I am more than happy to wait, but wasn't sure if I should be noticing anything! If I do raise either of my medications, say, every 2 weeks like you did, what should I look for so I know if I am taking too much? Thanks again for this, it is very helpful xxxxx

[Elainemawby in reply to Bellerin]

I checked my morning temperature, which had been 35.8 and should be at least 36.5, and my resting heat rate which should be 70 - 80 bpm and had been as low as 48. Also testing FT4 and FT4 levels every so often. I'm not sure about the Adrenavive as my cortisol levels were high so I used different supplements but as far as the Metavive goes if you're taking too much you would notice hyper type symptoms, like racing heart, weakness, tiredness. I was originally given Metavive 2 which is the 30mg version but I ended up buying the 15mg ones so I could raise more slowly. As you're taking T3 as well you may not need huge amounts of NDT but it it does take time to find the right dose and get things balanced. Also it's important to have good levels of vitamin B12 and D, folate, and iron in order to use the thyroid hormones correctly.

Elaine x

[Bellerin in reply to Elainemawby]

Thank you that is so helpful! xxx