Need advice, unsure where to go from here.

[honeybeegurlie]

Hi everyone, I am new here.  I am not sure if I am putting this in the right spot, so if not forgive me.   I am looking for help with my endrocrine system.   I got married in 2009 and started out at a thin healthy weight.  I had never really struggled with my weight before, but after I got married I started packing on the pounds.   The weight has seemed to all develop in my midsection around the stomach area.   In less than 2 years I gained 75 pounds.   I went to the doctor the first time to see if there might be a reason for my weight gain.   He ran some tests and found out my am cortisol was high, pm cortisol was in the normal range however.   He tried the dexamasthone suppression test, and it was supressed to like 1.5 or so,.   He just told me to follow up with another doctor, after that I have been working on getting testing, my doctors continually test am cortisol as high, and the number continues to grow,   However my night time cortisol stays normal.  
    I am also suffering from symptoms such as fatigue, I am very tired.   My blood sugar seems to change, if I eat certian foods I feel the need to lay down and sleep right after eating them.   I have migraine like headaches that cause my vision to become spotty and make me dizzy.   I have also suffered from an ovarian cyst in the past that was so bad it had to be surgically removed as well as one of my ovaries.   My T3 uptake seems to be low, but the doctors told me not to worry about it.   I am also struggling with low iron.    I had my first iron shot last month, and it has not increased much so I am looking at another iron shot.  
    I was recently referred to a endocronolgist, who bascially told me she was going to run some more tests on me.   She had me do a 24 hour urine collection test, which came back as normal.   She also did a dexamasthone suppression test and it was 1.5 or something again.   Basically she is telling me that I dont have anything to worry about that I am normal.   I just am wondering then how come is my am cortisol 30?   Why do I have these other symptoms?    Should I still be concerned and should I try to find another doctor?   Or do I really have nothing to worry about.   Also is there anything I can do to help lower my am cortisol if I am ok?   I would really like to lose some weight, but I know having higher cortisol affects it.     Any advice would be appreciated.  I just dont know what to do next, I feel like something is not right with my hormonal system, but no one seems to want to spend much time talking to me or helping me.   Thanks in advance!

[rumpled]

It may take several doctors. It may not be Cushing's but you deserve to at least be tested well and to rule in or out what may be causing the issues - growth hormone issues, thyroid and other androgen issues can run concurrently as well...

Get copies of everything. A lot of us have been told things are normal only to find out later things were not.

Your iron is off - have they tested vitamin D? B12?

[honeybeegurlie]

Thanks rumpled for your advice! I really appreciate it. I am just frustrated by the lack of help from my doctor, but I am going to be looking for another one who can help me. I appreciate your help!

[rumpled]

Oh sheez... you have symptoms and some tests that point to Cushing's syndrome and sadly, the silly docs are running suppression tests which is more a test of source and not a test of exclusion (as in, what is the source of the high cortisol - pituitary or adrenal not that you do not have it or not) but since none of the doctors are experts or think about what the test does, they can't figure it out.

The guidelines say to run 3 different tests so they have not even followed the guidelines.

You need to read up on Cushing's and learn how to test. Then you need to find a competent doctor so you can get it effectively ruled in our out. You have a loss of diurnal rhythm so having a high in the morning is indicative - so you know need to test at different times in different ways and test a LOT.

I had it. There is no one test to tell you do or do not have it.