Adrenal crisis? Please help

[Roxanne73]

Hello everybody, I would be grateful for advice.

I live in the Netherlands and I suspect I have been hypothyroid for a long time, but never got any meds as my blood tests are normal. I am 100% sure I'm hypothyroid because of typical symptoms+ very low body temp.

For one moth ago I did a cortisol saliva test and the cortisol was low at all times (minumum in the morning and under minumum at the other times).

For the past 2 months I have started feeling increasingly worse, very fatigued, shacky, loss of apetite, nausea. I went to my GP last week who gave me a referral to an endo again, in 2 months.

The last days I have been so bad (nausea, letargic, diarhea). I went to the emergencies yesterday, told them about my symptoms, they checked my vitals (blood sugar, blood pressure was high because of stress) and they sent me home.

I have now ordered the supplements Dr Peatfield recommends in his book (which I should have done long time ago, but instead wasted my money on acupuncture and other stuff)), but it will take a week until they arrive...

I am actually starting to worry this is dangerous and I feel no one takes me seriously. According to them I am fine. What should I do? I actually don't trust doctors at all any more..

[Hidden]

Wow Roxanne.

I feel You. I'm covering this now on posts .

❤🙏 Tam x

[zerendipity]

Hi! Do you have your lab results for thyroid? I wouldn’t trust a doc who just says: “You’re fine, all is normal.” I have heard it so many times while my results were not normal.

My adrenals are shot too, saliva tests came back all low. I have no stress tolerance. When something stressful happens I get so sick with fatigue, shakiness, nausea, loss of appetite. I don’t even want to go for walks, visit friends or travel because I have zero energy.

If I told all this to my GP she would suggest depression is the cause and strongly recomment antidepressants. So watch out for that.

Also, how are your vitamin and mineral levels?

[shaws]

Is it possible for you to have a private blood test? If so, follow the advice below:-

Make the earliest possible appointment, fasting (you can drink water) and if you were taking thyroid hormone replacements, you'd take it after the blood test and a 24 hour gap between last dose and test.

You need TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3 and thyroid antibodies.

Get a copy of your results with the ranges, and put on a new post for comments. Ranges are important as labs differ.

This is clinical symptoms:-

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

Doctors seem to only look at the TSH result (it's highest early a.m.) . I don't know what the Netherlands TSH point is for being diagnosed. In the UK they've been directed to wait until the TSH is 10. Nowadays doctors seem to know none of the clinical symptoms.

[Hidden]

Did they check your cortisol levels while you were in ER? Sadly many ER doctors & nurses don't understand adrenal issues. You can have high BP before you crash into adrenal crisis. Diarrhoea & are vomiting can be part of adrenal crisis, you will also experience dizziness & confusion. Your GP should be able to do an early morning serum cortisol to see what your levels are. Good luck!

[Roxanne73 in reply to Hidden]

Hi PaulineS, I have been 2 times to the emergencies, I actually don't know if they checked cortisol second time but they took 2 vials of blood. They just say I'm fine.

[Bramble83]

An adrenal crisis is a life threatening emergency and would show up on any blood test, with your electrolytes out of balance.

That doesn’t mean that you don’t have adrenal issues but it is unlikely that if you were even on the verge of an adrenal crisis that your bloods wouldn’t show something was off.

Do you have a home BP monitor?

If you start to actually vomit or become significantly disorientated take yourself back to the emergency department and tell them you are being investigated for Addisons Disease, that way you should be taken seriously.

[Roxanne73 in reply to Bramble83]

Thank for your words, this is very reassuring. The thing is that I don't trust doctors at all any more, as I am in such bad shape but they just say I'm fine.

No, I don't have a BP monitor. I'm thinking of buying one..

[Bramble83 in reply to Roxanne73]

I would highly recommend getting a BP machine- if it is your adrenal glands it’s a great indicator that something is really off.

Classic symptoms that you are heading for crisis are low BP (below 90/60) and high pulse. However some people will have elevated BP before it crashes.

Keep a really close eye on BP and heart rate and as I said before, if you start vomiting it’s time to get to the emergency department very quickly and be very clear that you are under investigation for Addisons.

Getting your sodium and potassium checked would also be very useful, as they will be significantly off if you are heading to crisis. They are routine tests that should be done by emergency department bloods, so definitely ask for them and ask what your values are.

Good luck!

[oneoffhorsemen]

Roxanne, if I may ask can you give some more details into the supplements you are waiting for?

[Roxanne73 in reply to oneoffhorsemen]

Adrenavive for adrenals and Metavive for thyroid.

[oneoffhorsemen in reply to Roxanne73]

Have you considered using probiotics?

[Roxanne73 in reply to oneoffhorsemen]

I'm using already

[oneoffhorsemen in reply to Roxanne73]

that is great. that was what I wanted to suggest.