That sounds so frustrating BlueStem. Lab just alled me, I have to go back in, they did something wrong with the Renin and Aldosterone viles so have to be redrawn. Anyone know if it makes sense to have these drawn so many days after the Cortisol? I thought they kinda went hand in hand, like they need to compare to each other the same day? I guess the positive is I can now have the ACTH and NK cell activity added.
I have 13 days left to figure this out....
You can do them separately. You don't have to do them with cortisol.
I would take this opportunity though to have your doctor add on electrolytes because those do need to be done with aldosterone and renin. I would also make sure to follow the testing protocol for aldosterone to make sure you get the maximal result of what you can produce. (1st five days of menstrual cycle, salt fasting, up for 1-2 hours prior to draw).
I wouldn't bother with ACTH alone without cortisol though.
NK cells are complicated in my opinion. Sometimes they are low and sometimes they are not. In my opinion, low NK cells are not diagnostic of anything in particular and won't change your treatment. It's up to you whether that is important or not. It's been a long time since I've tested them so ask to make sure to get them tested properly though. I think it is actually NK cell function and it has to be done at Quest? Hopefully someone can let you know the proper test and lab.
I would also try to take the pressure off yourself in terms of 13 days. Nothing in this illness is fast or simple. It's doubtful that anything can change substantially in that time frame so I wouldn't torture yourself with it now.
Ema