See second post for more detail but my tsh is currently 4.1 and I have just upped my levothyroxine to 50mcg. Pryor to this I have suffered with extreme exhaustion for the last 3 years and told I had Cfs and every time thyroid blood tests came back 'normal.' It is only through this forum (thank you) that I was able to tell my doctor my tsh was too high hence upping my dose.
However. The results of my cortisol test have now come back very low as 246 (no range given) as adrenal insufficiency and I have an appointment for further investigation at hospital.
Please can someone advise me (without scaring me please!) on their experiences or offer any reassurance? I am under a nutritionist who has only already put me on an intense course of vitamins to help optimise my thyroid and adrenals as results from a hair mineral analysis test pin pointed adrenals and thyroid struggling so I know which minerals to work on. Has this happened because my thyroid was ignored and under stress for so long? Am I likely to feel improvement when my thyroid meds are sorted at the right dose?
Any reassurance greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.
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Dee8686
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Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have money off offers.
All thyroid tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. This gives highest TSH and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, GP will be unaware)
If antibodies are high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease). About 90% of all hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's
Can you add the thyroid results and ranges that you have had done and vitamins too
I am awaiting another private test which I have in 10 days for all the above. All I know is my thyroid was left too low for too long... Always coming back an 'normal'
It was only when I posted my tsh on here that my suspicions were correct and I approached my doctor.
The results of my cortisol test have now come back very low as 246 (no range given) as adrenal insufficiency and I have an appointment for further investigation at hospital.
The test you are most likely to get is described on pages 68 - 70 in this document :
Often they don't bother to test ACTH but it is a vital part of the test. So print out the info on those pages and highlight the bits you have questions about, and make sure they do an ACTH. You might want to phone up the day before the test to ask if they intend to do an ACTH test.
On the day of the test you must make sure you get up in good time for the test, have a relaxed breakfast, don't have an argument or get involved in road rage, don't shout at the kids or the partner. Stroll rather than walk, stay calm, and don't talk, or talk as little as possible when you have to.
Going to the test is a change from your usual morning stress levels, and may make you feel incredibly stressed if you worry about missing the appointment. Some stress is inevitable and unavoidable, but you don't want your stress levels to be dramatically different to usual when you get tested.
As far as reassurance goes, if you turn out to have adrenal insufficiency you will get prescribed meds to make up for the missing adrenal hormones, and it should make you feel a lot better.
If you are told that you don't have adrenal insufficiency, then you can help yourself with things like adrenal glandulars and other supplements which can be bought without prescription. But ask about that if the need arises.
I had a SST and my result was 15 at zero minutes, 40 at 30 minutes and 44 at 60 minutes. That is extremely low and I was diagnosed with Adrenal Insufficiency immediately. I am now taking hydrocortisone 4 times a day for the rest of my life.
Yes, I am leading a normal life. Before I was diagnosed, I was suffering from horrendous nausea and abdominal pain, dizziness , loss of appetite ( I lost over two stone in 6-8 weeks) and I had absolutely no energy. With the low Cortisol that I had, I would likely have gone into adrenal crisis and could have died. So, now I’m not dieing. Although I do have flu at the moment which isn’t pleasant, lol!
It’s not a case of worrying about the side effects - I would be dead by now if I didn’t take the hydrocortisone! That is not being dramatic or exaggerating. I would rather be alive living with side effects ( which you shouldn’t get too many as it is a replacement dose for what my own body is failing to produce) than dead. It’s as simple as that. I’m thankful that I was diagnosed so that now I can live a normal life.
Wow I'm glad you're ok now and that you are feeling well. Would you mind if I keep in contact with you for after I've received my results? Thank you xx
Of course I don’t mind. But I’m still learning as I was only diagnosed at the end of November. And I still have bad days - it’s up and down, trying to get the right dosage and timings but I am having more better days than not now. You have to learn quickly as it’s a very rare disorder - my GP said he’s only ever come across 2 or 3 people with it before. And there is a lot to learn. Have a look at addisons.org.uk. There’s lots of information on there.
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