Adrenal Glands.

[lucylocks]

Hi

my daughter and myself are hypothyroid, my daughter struggled for years before been diagnosed.

She tried levo. NDT. and T3 only, felt best on T3, but never fully well.

She has been taking 75mcg. daily but feels more of her symptoms are returning, and has she has been getting really bad heart pounding does not want to increase her dose.

She was born with a reflux on one kidney which was corrected at the age of six, but because of the infections this had caused, her kidney is now very shrivelled and has been since the operation.

Her other kidney is larger to compensate.

My question is if one kidney is shrivelled and not working would the adrenal gland on top of that kidney also be shrivelled and also not working. If this is the case does the other adrenal gland compensate, like the kidney does, or could her adrenal gland output be compromised and this could be causing her many of her symptoms.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Many thanks.

[Hidden]

"if one kidney is shrivelled and not working would the adrenal gland on top of that kidney also be shrivelled "

They are two completely different glands, just like the thyroid and the parathyroids are. So in theory I don't think the adrenals would be affected.

If any infection had spread, maybe the adrenals were affected, but otherwise it seems unlikely.

[lucylocks in reply to Hidden]

Thank you.

[Hidden]

"She has been taking 75mcg. daily but feels more of her symptoms are returning"

Is that of Levo? 75mcg is not a large dose. How long has she been on it and what kind of hypothyroidism does she have? Hashimoto's?

Post some of the recent test results and that should help understand what is happening. When first starting on thyroxine replacement it is normal for an increase in thyroxine to improve symptoms for a while, then you start feeling worse again. That usually means you are almost ready for the next increase. I don't know about NDT or T3, but it seems likely that her thyroid is deteriorating and she needs an increase.

[lucylocks in reply to Hidden]

It is 75mcg. T3 and as her heart is pounding she has now reduced.

[Hidden in reply to lucylocks]

Right, I don't know enough about T3 dosage, but it sounds a lot in that case. The thing is to reduce or increase gradually, though I don't think it takes weeks with T3 as it does with thyroxine as the T3 half life is much shorter

[HLAB35]

It is definitely plausible that the shrivelled kidney could have a compromised adrenal gland. But I have absolutely no idea if one adrenal gland will compensate for the other. It depends on the symptoms she's having as to whether she would be considered to be suffering from hypoadrenalism - many of us do though, especially if we're also hypothyroid. Has she asked to be checked out for Addison's disease?

Isabella Wentz is a good thyroid resource..

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

Dr Myhill is also a useful resource.. ( she is treating hypoadrenalism in CFS sufferers)

drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Common_...

[lucylocks in reply to HLAB35]

She did have a Short Synathin ( sorry spelling) test which they said was O.K. but it was not done until 10.15am. and she was not told to fast and was even given cups of tea, which I have since learn't this was not the right way to do it. This was even done through a private endo.

Her starting cortisol level was 226 no ranges were given and the endo. said this was O.K.

Maybe she should have it redone.

Thank you for the links.

[HLAB35 in reply to lucylocks]

Yes, you definitely need to do it early or you can get a false normal result. I think it'd be wise to check DHEA as well and sex hormones.

[lucylocks in reply to HLAB35]

Thank you.

Would we need to see an endo. for the tests. I do not have much faith in them now.

Do you happen to know anyone who would look at the full picture and do the tests, if so would you P.M. please.

Many thanks.

[HLAB35 in reply to lucylocks]

In terms of NHS endos I know what you mean.... I only go through my GP and order private tests these days (as I am not on t3). However you may have some luck if you go for a functional doctor - unfortunately Dr Myhill is fully engaged. Her website has links to a pool of them.

[lucylocks in reply to HLAB35]

Thank you,

I will take another look at Dr. Myhill's site.

Best wishes.

[Hidden]

If one of the adrenal glands is compromised then the other adrenal gland will compensate & still produce enough cortisol. I'm in a Cushing's group where many of the members have had one adrenal gland removed due to a benign tumour, invariably their remaining adrenal gland will produce enough cortisol. You don't need to fast for the short synacthen test, so having food & fluids is fine. The SST is best done around 9am but having hers done at 10.15 is still fine. Do you know what her cortisol level increased to? That's the important reading. Her base cortisol at 226 is no the low side, but it would be good to know what it stimmed to (rose), as that shows how well her adrenal glands are working.

[lucylocks]

Many thanks for your reply.

I do not have the figures for the SST on hand but from memory it rose to approx. 440 after 30 mins. and approx. 620 after one hour.

I have been told a ACTH should have been done before but it was not.