Hello..
Firstly, can I write that I’m finding everything confusing, upsetting and frustrating!
Secondly.. sorry for the long back story post.
I’m not very good at understanding blood tests, ranges.. I suffer from mental health issues (Generalised anxiety and AVPD) which mean my GP practice think I’m a pain and are really unhelpful, and I struggle with trust issues (haha, them thinking I’m a pain could be my paranoia!!!🤫)
So, I gained a lot of weight suddenly about 10 years ago now.. my hair started thinning and breaking, dry skin, tiredness, brain fog, crippling depression (it was before I was diagnosed with any mental health stuff)
The weight gain in particular really has affected my self confidence and has upset me massively. No matter what I do, healthy eating, calorie counting exercise 5 days a week.. nothing would help.
And I have hair extensions to try to make my hair semi normal.
I asked my GP to look at my thyroid function and they said the results came back normal.. which is great right! My weight gain etc.. must be because I’m getting older, maybe I should move more eat less and treated depression.
Over the years I have asked them to check a few times but they say that everything is always in range.
I have been doing Hiit and free weights 5 days a week and have been eating high protein low carb diet for probably 3 years and although I stopped gaining weight I didn’t really lose anything.
I started going to a health gym run by physiologists who use a machine to run tests on muscle mass, fat mass and several other things..
they worked out a resistance training programme and monitored my diet and re-tested me 3 months later. They were baffled that nothing had changed in that 3 months and said that something is definitely blocking my weight loss. It could be high cortisol due to stress.
So, my GP very reluctantly tested my cortisol level. And this surprisingly came back quite low! Twice!
They have now referred to endocrinology who want me to do a short synacthen test to rule out Addison’s (this is in August) but they said they’re pretty sure I don’t as I don’t have any other symptoms and one of the main symptoms is weight loss (which I obviously don’t have - I wasn’t insulted honest!)
They have also run lots of other tests that to check my pituitary gland and a few other things. They have written a letter to my GP and myself saying that everything has come back normal and if the short synacthen test doesn’t pick anything up they will discharge me and won’t need to see me again.
My opinion on all this is heading towards adrenal fatigue, and that I won’t get any support from the NHS and that my body and adrenals are just exhausted.
I’ve been really down and stopped going to the gym as it’s not really doing anything. But now unfortunately all my clothes are too tight and my self esteem is rock bottom.
But, when trying to decipher the results (as I got the impression they were just trying to get rid of me) I noticed that my T3 was slightly on the low side. Could this be something or am I clutching at straws! My Gp and endocrinologist say they are normal.
I’m very very fed up with it all.
Any advice on anything is very very welcome.
Thanks x