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[dixiechic]

Hi Folks

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease about 6 years ago. I'm currently on 125mg levothyroxine. I have been back and forth to my GP as I can't sleep, my body hurts all over and I generally feel unwell constantly. My GP just keeps fobbing me off so I decided to pay privately for Blood Tests. I had my Cortisol levels checked and I have been emails the results today. Its going to be at least a week before I can get to see my useless GP so I was wondering if anyone can interpret my results.

293 nmol/L

Morning 6-10am 166-507

Afternoon 4-8pm 73.8 - 291

Does anyone know what this means?

[greygoose]

Those just look like the ranges. There are no results.

[dixiechic in reply to greygoose]

So I’ve just paid £65 for ranges no results ?

[greygoose in reply to dixiechic]

Well, the results must be there somewhere. Is that all it says?

[dixiechic in reply to greygoose]

Wondering if the 293 nmol/L is the result??

[dixiechic in reply to dixiechic]

It means nothing to me. Lets hope my GP can help.

[greygoose in reply to dixiechic]

Ahhhh perhaps! But did you have just one test? As there were two ranges, I thought you must have had two. Was it a blood test or a saliva test?

Was it a morning test or an afternoon test? If it was afternoon, it's slightly over-range. If it was morning, it's about mid-range, which is a bit low, but not too bad.

[dixiechic in reply to greygoose]

It was one blood test taken at 3pm.

[greygoose in reply to dixiechic]

OK, well, sorry to say this but that isn't an awful lot of help.

Cortisol is highest early in the morning, when you have to get out of bed and ready for the day - that's what gets you out of bed. Production starts to slow down around lunchtime, I believe, and gets less and less until bedtime. It's at its lowest then, so that you can sleep.

With Adrenal Fatigue, the adrenals have more and more trouble producing enough cortisol for the morning rush, levels get lower and lower and your find it harder and harder to sleep. But, the adrenals don't give up when lunchtime comes, they continue to struggle to make their daily quota, so the afternoon levels start going over-range. And, as the AF progresses, it ends up with the adrenals not reaching their daily quota until bedtime, meaning that people are unable to sleep.

So, what you really need is tests done at strategic point throughout the day, to see how things are progressing : 8 am, 12 pm, 4 pm and bedtime, something like that. That will give a much better idea of what is going on. Your afternoon cortisol is slightly over-range, but we had no idea why, what's happening, and how things are going to progress. We don't know if you have AF or to what degree.

Also, I'm afraid that blood cortisol tests are not very accurate. The 24 hour cortisol test is usually a saliva test.

[dixiechic in reply to greygoose]

Thank you for your help. It seems that I have been sold a useless blood Test. You would think that it would have been explained at the time of the booking or taking the test. Lets hope my GP can get me a better test done. Fingers crossed.! Oh and thanks again for your responses, much appreciated.

[greygoose in reply to dixiechic]

I would have thought so, yes. I was surprised you had a private cortisol blood test.

I think a GP can only order an early morning cortisol blood test. I don't think you can get a saliva test on the NHS.

[Angel_of_the_North]

Was this a saliva test or a blood test? Was it just one test at a particular time of day (when)? If single blood test in the morning, it is normal. if single blood test in the afternoon, it is slightly high. If not single blood test, some results are missing. But a single blood test is not very useful, you need at least short synacthen test to test response to ACTH or 24 hour saliva test to see pattern of cortisol levels.

[dixiechic in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

It was a single blood test taken @ 3pm

[dixiechic]

Will do....thank you!