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Adrenal Insufficiency Testing?

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
I cant alter the list at this point since they called me just before they were leaving for the day. I'm just hoping and praying something shows up. I did report to her that backing the Estridiol patch to lower level has started the lift the physiological depression I had experience the past 60 days (I wanted to report something good happening.). These past few weeks have been trying....sleeping 10+ hrs a day (interupted).
 

Ema

Senior Member
Messages
4,729
Location
Midwest USA
I cant alter the list at this point since they called me just before they were leaving for the day. I'm just hoping and praying something shows up. I did report to her that backing the Estridiol patch to lower level has started the lift the physiological depression I had experience the past 60 days (I wanted to report something good happening.). These past few weeks have been trying....sleeping 10+ hrs a day (interupted).
You can call and have them alter the list after you have the tests. They save the blood for some amount of time just in case the doctor forgets something or reflex testing is needed.

Ema
 

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
Great idea, thank you, I forgot about that. Unfortunately I think the limit is 24 hrs but I'll at least ask in the AM if they could keep it for the ACTH test. I'll call and leave a message for my Drs office. Another problem is my Dr and her staff usually only work T, Th and Fri.
 

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
Why is reverse T3 considered controversial? Now wish I had kept ACTH on the list and dropped RT3. Second guessing myself. How sad to be not feeling well and have to try and figure out what you need for diagnostic purposes.
 

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
Ema I am concerned. For the first time in a couple of weeks today I was able to wake up early (went to bed 1235A and woke up 430A, could not go back to sleep). I have less fatigue so far this AM. I really thought it important to have these various tests done on a morning where I was just dragging (like most mornings have been). I'm wondering if I should wait til Mon AM or go ahead with the blood draw this AM. Not sure how much worrying about not waking up or just taking tests again that may not show anything has affected my system and resulted in a little more energy (still tired,always tired but not as bad as it has been last 21 days t least not yet - I really do not understand this body).
 

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
I guess I shouldnt have had lithium tested. Thought I read something thursday that said plasma lithium levels can affect vit B12. But know it looks like the medicine lithium can affect b12 levels, make them deficient. Should have kept NK cells and ACTH. Oh well, so much fr being my own Dr....
 

Little Bluestem

All Good Things Must Come to an End
Messages
4,930
All my 'thyroid' results are within 'lab range' but sub optimal (according to Dr Rind's scale).

Compared to T3 the T4 is always lower.
The usefulness of thyroid ‘lab ranges’ is a point of contention.

When my T4 was more low than my T3, my doctor said that meant that my body was doing a better than average job of converting T4 to T3. Unfortunately, when my T4 went up, my T3 stayed low, so now I am taking supplemental T3.
 

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
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....
 

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
is natural killer cell activity really of any dx value? Would an ATP test be better, is there an ATP test? Feeling very desperate, 13 days till my company can decide to terminate me. Dont feel strong enough to call and discuss it with them.
 

Ema

Senior Member
Messages
4,729
Location
Midwest USA
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
 

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
Ema thx good timing i was on phone w nurse. hav removed NK cell tst and will b getting renin, aldosterone, cortisol, ACTH and electro panel. Do you know if there is a test for ATP (cell energy?)? Cant find a lab called ATP at LabTestsOnline. I keep seeing people discuss ATP as it relates to methylation cycle so I thought there was a test.
 

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
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

I agree that after years/months we still dont have all the answers, there have been some improvements but I still seem to have this crash/get better cycle going on. The lack of energy is so maddening. I feel I could deal with all the other symps, I have for years but this lack of energy is so friggen hard to deal with. Something can definitely change in 13 days, I could lose my job of 20 yrs, my health care.
 

Ema

Senior Member
Messages
4,729
Location
Midwest USA
Ema thx good timing i was on phone w nurse. hav removed NK cell tst and will b getting renin, aldosterone, cortisol, ACTH and electro panel. Do you know if there is a test for ATP (cell energy?)? Cant find a lab called ATP at LabTestsOnline. I keep seeing people discuss ATP as it relates to methylation cycle so I thought there was a test.
No, there is no direct test.

There is a methylation panel test through Vitamin Diagnostics but the methylation supps are so cheap and non-toxic, I'm not sure I would spend the money if I had it to do over again.
 

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
Ema rlc Got some results back (had to go back in the AM to have blood drawn again the lab made a mistake).

TSH - 4.758
FT3 - 2.9 (290)
FT4 - 0.90
RT3 - 11.2 range 9-27

Cortisol (7AM) 3.7
Lithium <0.2 range 06-1.2
DHEA - 114.2

I found some reference that low lithium related to how well B12 was working in body but I cant find it now (I should have printed it). Now all I can find is blood level related to taking lithium. I'm trying to find the documentation purely about lithium levels in body as pertains to how B12 is functioning/processed - if anyone knows what I'm talking about and has a link I would sure appreciate it, thanks. Got to go lay down, worried about missing AM bllod test so did not sleep at all.

Still waiting on ACTH, Aldosterone, Electrolites, Renin tests.