POOR ADRENAL FUNCTION AND SURGERY

[Jollypolly]

Does anyone have experience of this..?I certainly have Adrenal fatigue, plus my thyroid is low ...

And I need surgery in three to four weeks..

So I need to be concerned about the anaesthetic ?

Any understanding welcome ..THANKYOU !

[McPammy]

Do you have Addison’s disease. Or do you have low cortisol bloods at 9am. Have you had a synacthen test.

I found introducing T3 medication after being on T4 Levothyroxine only for over a decade not only helped my thyroid levels but also helped my cortisol rise from 68 to 466 at 9am (155-607). I do not have Addison’s after a synacthen test. However my cortisol remained very low and I was very ill until I added T3 medication

I can understand your concern about having an operation while your adrenals are under pressure.

Has your Dr spoken to you about this aspect and reassured you in any way. Have they offered Hydrocortisone to you.

[MaisieGray]

What tests have you had to confirm poor adrenal function, and what were the results? You say that your "thyroid is low" - what are the exact levels and their ranges? (It was suggested in your last thread, that you post them but I can't see them anywhere). What thyroid meds are you taking and what is being done to address it being low? For surgery you should be meeting with the anaesthetist to discuss this, they can, quite rightly, be very exacting about thyroid status and its implication for surgery, and worse case scenario is that they can be unhappy to proceed so it is important to be optimally medicated - being un- or under-medicated can have repercussions in terms of cardiac, respiratory, renal, and clotting issues.

[Jollypolly in reply to MaisieGray]

Thanks Maisie...

Had an Adrenal stress profile three weeks ago..

Figures

Am .....13

Noon.....1.5

Evening ......2

Night.... ..1.1..

DHEA ...103

Tsh 2.45

Free t4...6.7

Free t3.....3.9

Ferritin...43

Folate.....14.9

I’m on 3/4 grain...just tried raising yet again to one grain....but terrible crippling anxiety..and stuffed brain...so off all thyroid meds last four days...

Klaire cortex x2...recently raise to x3

Also....self medicated with t3...6 mcg daily,

Yes...I’ll have pre op appt soon...will have to discuss it all ...but difficult when you don’t feel nhs are on the same wavelength !

Thanks once again...

Best wishes...

[MaisieGray in reply to Jollypolly]

Thank you for the numbers, but can you edit your post to include the respective reference intervals for the blood tests, as they vary between labs; and can you also add the parameters for the saliva cortisol test too (or better still, upload the graphic with your result). Meanwhile even in the absence of the ranges, I think it's safe to say that all your blood test results need improvement, and that you are under-medicated. Anxiety and brain fog can of course, be symptoms of being under-medicated, and being without thyroid meds for four days is not going to help, and is likely to be counter-productive.

[Jollypolly]

Hi

Kind of you to reply, thanks !

Well .. I’m well educated in all things thyroid to a point .. and then I’m mystified !

Addison’s ? No idea .. but certainly fatigued adrenals ..

Recently an Adrenal stress profile from Regenerus .. I don’t know how to add pic of my results to this page ..? ? Tell me if you know

Am on iPad but don’t see provision on right for sending extras ..

no not had sunscreen test .. never heard of it ! Tell me how I can send you all my results .. all recent if you wouldn’t mind .. thanks .

[Jollypolly in reply to Jollypolly]

Oh no ! Not sunscreen ! It’s this wretched predictive text again !

[MaisieGray in reply to Jollypolly]

Jollypolly To add a photo (only one I'm afraid), scroll to the bottom of your initial post, click 'more', then click 'edit', then scroll to the bottom of the post and click 'add photo'.

[Jollypolly]

Ahhhhhh! Thanks!

[Jollypolly]

Thanks Maisie..have amended my post and put pic at top of Adrenal profile

Yes..I know I’m very undermedixated...trouble is I can’t seem to raise with adrenal problems.

[Hypowoman]

I do have experience of this and it went quite well for me. I had a hip replacement in May. I am hypothyroid, self treating with T3 only, not through NHS. I also have adrenal fatigue which I treat with adrenal cortex. I discussed this with the anaesthetist, this is the MOST important conversation you will have. He was not aware of AF but said he would go and research it which he did.

I told him I was underactive thyroid but did not go into specifics of treatment. The anaesthetist took into account that I was hypo and that I had expressed a worry about the effect of the anaesthetic on adrenals. After the op he told me that he had added hydrocortisone into the mix for which I was very grateful as I did not experience the adrenal migraine that has happened in previous ops in reaction to the shock of the anaesthetic.

However re the surgeon and nursing staff, don't make a big deal about telling them you are taking medication, if you are self treating. They can only deal with prescribed meds. I simply took my T3 privately which I kept in the bedside locker.

[Jeppy in reply to Hypowoman]

Very reassuring Thankyou

May I ask how you are after hip replacement? Can you feel the discomfort gone straight away, was pain in groin?

Told here not to do anything until euthroyd but I don't feel my groin pain and stiffness will improve

[Hypowoman in reply to Jeppy]

I am doing great since hip op. Of course there was the usual post-operative pain but recovery was very quick and the hip pain is gone completely. I didn't have groin pain before, it was on outside of hip where it was bone on bone.

The waiting list here is 18 months so I hope you are already on it. Don't wait.

[Jeppy in reply to Hypowoman]

Thankyou and so pleased for you

[Jollypolly]

Well thanks for this HW..

It’s very helpful and I appreciate.

I’m on NDT but always struggling...take cortex..

And self medicate with t3 but only 6 mcgs.

So thanks !

[Hypowoman in reply to Jollypolly]

6mcgs is a very low dose. I am taking 37.5mcgs of Tiromel. T3 has made all the difference.

[Jollypolly]

Ok..more food for thought !🤔🌝