Aa
all messed up
HELP! I am 41 and over the past 6 years, my health has been rapidly declining (since the birth of my last child). First I had periods that lasted more than half the month to no periods over a several month span. I had sudden onset of hypertension almost 2 years ago (and now take 2 bp meds plus another one that is a calcium channel blocker for new onset of Reynaud's phenomenon as well as zocor for dangerously high cholesterol and triglycerides.) I've been to various doctors who have tested for various things. I still don't know what is wrong with me but I do know that I have very low TSH (.37) and free T4 levels (.67) , my estradiol and progesterone levels are low (23 and <.05 respectively) and my FSH level is 47.3 plus I have a decent sized nodule on my thyroid. I have gained 50 pounds in the past 6 years, my joints ache, my face & hands swell up and become painful, I can't sleep even though I am exhausted all the time, I have swollen knuckles on both hands as well as "lumpy growths" on my right hand and foot. The endo says there's nothing wrong with my thyroid and the gyno says I'm going thru or possibly postmenopausal. I'm only 41! I'm thinking there has to be an underlying cause for all of these problems. Am I wrong to want my adrenals and pituitary glands checked?
Given that it coincided with a birth, I would look up sheehan's syndrome and find a doctor that would test for that. It could be that, or your birth kicked off a case of Cushing's syndrome.
You may need a pituitary endocrinologist and a regular endo is simply under water when it comes to a complex case like you. And you have to get copies of everything as you can get an endodud even at a pituitary center.
You are not wrong to want a check, but doctors are not skilled in the tests. Check out my health pages for some resources.
You may need a pituitary endocrinologist and a regular endo is simply under water when it comes to a complex case like you. And you have to get copies of everything as you can get an endodud even at a pituitary center.
You are not wrong to want a check, but doctors are not skilled in the tests. Check out my health pages for some resources.
Hi 911sick and welcome to the forum.
Yikes!!! You're only 41 with all these issues, but a lot can be done.
First, before I get into any details-as I see many holes in your treatments.
My honest advice is to find a Functional Medicine Doctor, trained
in endocrine disorders, something like the Kalish Institute training (not an endorsement but just FYI) to help you restore your imbalances, some of them being, unfortunately, Iatrogenic.
It seems that your high cholesterol levels, stemming from low thyroid function(from your results it's obvious, but from your symptoms alone even a blind, deaf and mute person would know it!) should not be suppressed. There's a strong reason for the high cholesterol in such cases, as the body in order to deal with the internal stress, due to low thyroid conditions and other possible factors, needs cholesterol to manufacture cortisol and other hormones.
Note, if your low thyroid function is secondary to low adrenal function, adrenal function must be addressed first! Very important to respect this,
as it is a default survival mechanism-down regulation of energy production
to allow for adrenal recovery.
The underlying issue you're having is likely a vitamin D3 deficiency, which is probably exasperated by the statin drug you're on, as D3, which helps regulate and normalize lipids including triglyceride levels, lipid transport and cholesterol status in the blood stream, as vitamin d absorption and assimilation is dependent on adequate cholesterol levels!!!
Statin drugs in low thyroid function are contra-indicated (unless one has suffered already a heart attack), as low energy production would be further compromised due to the inhibition of Co-enzyme Q10, vital for cellular energy production, being on the same pathway of the cholesterol production suppression in the liver, by the action of the statin!!!
The calcium channel blocker is likely messing up your adrenals as it targets mainly the L-type calcium channels which are also responsible for...
hormone secretion in endocrine cells!!!
You inability to reach proper deep sleep levels- possible sleep apnea
or REM apnea- further compromises hormonal production and also when sleep quality starts to fail, then we start getting hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease...
Two likely co-existing factors are high night cortisol levels and low D3 levels
I can explain all about your aching joints and painful hands and face etc, but since it is related to most of the above, I'll leave it out, but if you need the details let me know.
Your D3 levels should be ( vitamin D 25OH test) around 50-60ng/ml.
This alone is very vital for improvement (if indeed deficient-I would be surprised if you're not) which by the way affects over 3000 genes
and may contribute to many other deficiencies.
Yes please consider your adrenals to be checked, but I think you should consider going outside conventional endocrinologists as I mentioned earlier.
I don't mean to alarm you, but your quality of life and your life-span
could be at risk to get lowered further, if these issues are not addressed properly.
Your suspicions are very justified.
Feel free to contact me for details on anything, either by posting again
or PM, however, please note that my comments and suggestions are not
intended to replace medical advice.
Hang in there, most of this can get corrected over time, if the right measures and approaches are taken.
Best wishes.
Niko
Yikes!!! You're only 41 with all these issues, but a lot can be done.
First, before I get into any details-as I see many holes in your treatments.
My honest advice is to find a Functional Medicine Doctor, trained
in endocrine disorders, something like the Kalish Institute training (not an endorsement but just FYI) to help you restore your imbalances, some of them being, unfortunately, Iatrogenic.
It seems that your high cholesterol levels, stemming from low thyroid function(from your results it's obvious, but from your symptoms alone even a blind, deaf and mute person would know it!) should not be suppressed. There's a strong reason for the high cholesterol in such cases, as the body in order to deal with the internal stress, due to low thyroid conditions and other possible factors, needs cholesterol to manufacture cortisol and other hormones.
Note, if your low thyroid function is secondary to low adrenal function, adrenal function must be addressed first! Very important to respect this,
as it is a default survival mechanism-down regulation of energy production
to allow for adrenal recovery.
The underlying issue you're having is likely a vitamin D3 deficiency, which is probably exasperated by the statin drug you're on, as D3, which helps regulate and normalize lipids including triglyceride levels, lipid transport and cholesterol status in the blood stream, as vitamin d absorption and assimilation is dependent on adequate cholesterol levels!!!
Statin drugs in low thyroid function are contra-indicated (unless one has suffered already a heart attack), as low energy production would be further compromised due to the inhibition of Co-enzyme Q10, vital for cellular energy production, being on the same pathway of the cholesterol production suppression in the liver, by the action of the statin!!!
The calcium channel blocker is likely messing up your adrenals as it targets mainly the L-type calcium channels which are also responsible for...
hormone secretion in endocrine cells!!!
You inability to reach proper deep sleep levels- possible sleep apnea
or REM apnea- further compromises hormonal production and also when sleep quality starts to fail, then we start getting hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease...
Two likely co-existing factors are high night cortisol levels and low D3 levels
I can explain all about your aching joints and painful hands and face etc, but since it is related to most of the above, I'll leave it out, but if you need the details let me know.
Your D3 levels should be ( vitamin D 25OH test) around 50-60ng/ml.
This alone is very vital for improvement (if indeed deficient-I would be surprised if you're not) which by the way affects over 3000 genes
and may contribute to many other deficiencies.
Yes please consider your adrenals to be checked, but I think you should consider going outside conventional endocrinologists as I mentioned earlier.
I don't mean to alarm you, but your quality of life and your life-span
could be at risk to get lowered further, if these issues are not addressed properly.
Your suspicions are very justified.
Feel free to contact me for details on anything, either by posting again
or PM, however, please note that my comments and suggestions are not
intended to replace medical advice.
Hang in there, most of this can get corrected over time, if the right measures and approaches are taken.
Best wishes.
Niko
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