Best Diet and Exercise plan for someone with Adrenal insufficiency ?

[fendertele]

To be honest i am all over the place, i workout daily hard, i watch what i eat even sometimes intermittent fasting in the bid to lose fat but nothing works.... but i am confused i know that at the start of my diagnosis i had adrenal insufficiency and was put on hydrocortisone but it's been 4 years so surely if anything is off it would be that i am high cortisol ?

Anyways....

I cant lose fat
get puffy fat face.
astham worsens with weight increase
hair thinning/ not growing back on scalp
eyebrows thing/regrow/thin........
loads of symptoms that also could point to having high cortisol...

but say it is insufficieny what is the best foods to eat and avoid and exercise that i can do as i hate not lifting/sprinting/boxing.

[rumpled]

That seems a bit high. I would not take as much salt.

[fendertele]

just got my BP monitor and got readings of 140/80 and 136/79 is that an okay BP for someone with cortisol problems ? i have been increasing my salt by quite a bit taking maybe 6-7 teaspoons a day with water.

[fendertele]

Okay im gonna get a hold of a decent bp monitor and keep to what im doing now because IT WORKS!

Thanks so much for that advice because in the 5-6 years i have never felt and began to look anywhere near like the old me and never would have had you not told me about the salt thing...... it's a pity that Docs don't include this Vital piece of information when the symptoms stood out like a sore thumb when telling you yet they fogged me off.

Since taking salted water in the morning and after my workout at night..... i have been achieving erections that i hadn't had since i was 18 and i haave lost that bloated moon face and swelling all over!

So do you think it is safe for AI sufferers like outselves to take a lot of salt ? for instance im looking a bit more bloated than usual because i worked out harder and lost a lot of salt....... so would it be safe enough for someone like me to take a bigger glass of salt if and when i feel i need it ?

Just reading about salt + high blood pressure and the risks of it.

Or are we that deficient in sodium that we can take a good amount of the stuff daily with no worries ?

[rumpled]

I could not drink salt water so you are better person than I! I just take the tablets and eat salty food.

It is odd, but when I get bloat, I have to drink more.

You should be able to get a meter at a drug store or place that sells medicals supplies. You need a decent one, but not a top of the line. I had a huge issue in the my BP is so low most normal cuffs would not read me (!!!) and when I am sick and really need to know, I just got error messages, so I had a bit of a search to find that.

Normal is 120/80. There is a tracker on this site which is helpful. You can even use on your phone. You can keep private too - so only you see.

[fendertele]

Well Rumpled i don't crave salt but i make a habit of taking a glass on waking of water with a quarter teaspoon full and also take the same sized glass worth right after a sweaty workout and i am looking thinner after a few days the Moon face/Bloated look has went down.

So i'm guessing you were right about the water retention :) i will just continue taking small bits of salt through the day and as long as i'm losing fat/water and looking slimmer i will take it as a good sign lol!

yeah i will look into that pituarity center hopefully it is available in scotland and i will get my test results on paper from now on, no i don't take my blood pressure but i'm going to looking into ordering something online ? any suggestions ? what is the optimal bp level i should be looking for.

[rumpled]

Then you need a different endo. Your endo does not sound skilled enough for your case.

You may want to see if you can get into a pituitary center. Do you get copies of your tests? Send those in and get an appt. A regular endo can do diabetes and sort of do thyroid, but when it covers multiple glands, then they really don't do well.

If you are already under a neuro-endo, find another.

Only add the salt if your BP is low, you crave it and you work out and sweat. If your tests show you need it, then you may have to add it a lot. People differ. I need it all the time. You may only need it sometimes. I have to take salt tabs twice a day, with salting my food. I also use sea salt (which ironically has less sodium) on my food but tastes so much better and has less chemicals. Check food labels and see what salt is in them - also some food is naturally high in sodium like, say, tomato, so I use tomato juice when I don't feel well.

Gatorade can work too.

You have to learn what works for you - you cannot take what I say as advice... experiment with caution! Do you take your BP?

As for exercise, I don't know as it seems you have high cortisol symptoms, so that is a good question, for an excellent endo. I would make sure that you up your fluids, and watch your BP and salt intake.  You can experiment by upping a little and seeing how it works. That is how I *learned* my new body - I carry around all sorts of dosages on me, half pills to pills so I can tweak if I need to!

[fendertele]

Rumpled one last question you mention double dosing when ill etc...... should i be taking more HC on days i am doing strenous exercise ?

I take 10 mg in the morning and 5 mg at the afternoon... but i don't exercise till 8-9 pm so would i take another 5mg after working out to help recover ?

[fendertele]

OR maybe i'm adding too much salt as i've never been one for using it, i may be overdosing it ? im adding a quarter of a teaspoon worth to my meals and also to a glass of water x 2 a day.

[fendertele]

I have spoke to them about the weight gain, erections, bloatedness, hair loss, eyebrows thinning and they have kinda just dismissed it as i don't think they see it as an issue in the grand scale of things.... they seem to be all about my levels and the tumor shrinking and they keep telling me all my levels are good...... and that is all i get out of them.

I have started taking more salt, i have a glass of water with salt in the morning and add some to my food now aswell, tbh i feel like crap since starting it i'm always tired and weak and sweat a lot feel like but im guessing that is my body getting used to it again or detoxing ? feel faint at times.

[rumpled]

Have you spoken to your doctor about this?

Your GP may not understand your situation like your specialist, which is why your specialist is not asking you to cut calories. He understands about the medications and your illness, not like the GP.

I would speak to your specialist about diet and exercise and be frank and about everything.

You have low cortisol - full stop. I am not sure why the exercise causes you to puff as that may be a sodium or water issue.

As for not carrying HC, I would get in the habit of having some around. I would not keep in the car as it will degrade in the heat, but I know some people that wear say, those necklaces or keychains that hold a few pills and use that. I keep an emergency kit with lots of stuff in it as I tend to get sick easily due to my low BP.

With the erection issues, have they tested your FSH and LH? That may be pituitary as well.

It can be complex - and you may need to really talk to your doc (specialist) about more tests, replacements) and what you really need. I know it takes time. It is not easy.

[fendertele]

Another side effect i get is that if i Jog it increases cortisol and lowers testosterone leading to me having erection problems and not being able to achieve one, so i have been avoiding jogging and switching it for weight lifting and sprints and so far i have improved not much but more than if i was still jogging daily, so this led me to believe that i had high cortisol problems and needed to lower it to stop fat gains and low testosterone problems....

So confused lol

[fendertele]

hey no i have nothing like that but i have a lot of HC and Cabergoline i order more than i need and keep sotcking it up, but i never carry it on me just take it in the house.

TBH i have no clue if i see that specialist or not, i go for a brain scan once a year, get my synthacen* test  once a year and see my endo every 4-5 months.

I have tried many diets myself, i tried cutting my calories like my GP ( not specialist) said and increased my exercise and actually gained weight.

I too love yoghurt the bio kind i eat them everyday as i have began to develop acid reflux which my gp said that long term HC use can start, so i also now take PPI tablets for it,

So this is what is confusing me, am i supposed to be trying to increase my cortisol or lower it ? as i have stopped jogging as it cause an increase in cortisol which leads to me getting the Puffy moon face and fat around abdomen,?

So i have recently being trying to lower my cortisol to avoid these symptoms by doing exercises like sprinting and lifting weights that don't have a massive increase in cortisol if kept under 20 mins.

[rumpled]

You sound... hypopituitary? That means more than one pituitary hormone is low. When you start to get to most or all, then you are panhyopit - that is where I am.

I hope you are under the care of a neuro-endo. Your case is more complex than most.

I am not a doc. I cannot possibly know your history or your tests. I may say something wrong and it can be quite damaging to you! I had to go through some trial and error with myself. I saw the nutritionist, and even she really did not *get* what my body needs - for instance she cut out most of my dairy when I am hypoparathyroid (I need extra calcium!!!) and the extra salt just messes them up. My one doc actually told me to have yogurt daily both for calcium and to help my stomach.

That being said, things I would try are moderate - since you know if you blast away at the exercise (I call the play/pay) you are out for days, don't. Stretch, walk and just do soft easy stuff. Your body is just not able to handle the stress of the other stuff - maybe later, not now. Don't worry. I am just happy to shop for the house (food), and do some basics around the house like light cleaning when I can.

I have to replace D, B12 and many of us have iron or other issues. So just check out your tests. I know sometimes my magnesium goes haywire so I take that at night.

If you don't have a BP meter, get one. That can tell you when things are changing. Know what is your normal, and when you are going to a problem, and that you need to stress dose.

Do you have extra meds on hand to stress dose? If not, ask the doc to pad your script. Most have an injectable on hand as well as a medication to prevent vomiting. I also wear a medic alert bracelet.

[fendertele]

God you are so helpful rumpled, damn lot more helpful than my docs!

I was initialy diagnosed with a prolactinoma with secondary hypo gonadism, cortisol insufficiency, low test, low thyroid.

i think basically that i was low in everything because of the tumor, and since then have been on 10 mg HC in the morn and 5 mg at lunch. and cabergoline twice a week.

The reason i'm so confused is because i show symptoms of high cortisol esp if i jog, i blow up in the face and abdomen and look like a balloon.

Exercise seems to make me worse than better i actually put weight on and sometimes i just collapse into a deep sleep for days, by that i mean all my energy suddenly disappears and i stay in bed for days sleeping then i have energy back all of a sudden then repeat but i'm sure that aint a good thing.

would you recommend a good diet, exercise plan and supplements for me ?

[rumpled]

AI is a salt wasting disease.

If you have AI and you exercise, you are still abnormal and will not produce cortisol under stress - any stress - so that will simply bring you down, not increase your cortisol production. AI means you don't produce your own cortisol, and certainly when you don't need it.

Are you familiar with stress dosing, and with the symptoms of a crisis? Do you know what to do when you are sick, and how to deal with a crisis? How to avoid one?

Summer is the worst for me as sweating means a loss of sodium. I have low BP and it can drop me into a critical low.

What is your dose, and when do you take it? How do you divide it? How you dose is important and consistency is important. HC is great as you can mimic a normal body pretty closely. Normally one takes the bulk of their dose on waking 7-8am, then a small dose, say 5mg between 2-4pm. This would keep dosing consistent with a normal diurnal rhythm.

If you dose too late, you may not sleep well and the body may not recover bone, muscle etc. If you take too much overall you can have steroid induced Cushing's.

For those of us with AI, salt is necessary! I even take an additional medication to hold sodium.

Were you diagnosed AI with a stim test? Have you been monitored lately?

Many with AI are not very tolerant of exercise. I know I cannot.

[fendertele]

So what i'm geting confused it if i have issues with low cortisol then surely exercise that increaes cortisol should be a good thing ? yet it makes me feel and look worse and makes me gain weight.

[fendertele]

and also stayed clear of salt because of hearing about water retention ?

what about exercise, i feel like when i exercise that it does things to me hormonally, i find that depending on the exercise it can cause me to have erection problems not being able to get one at all never mind maintain  onebut when i stop exercising for a few days they return to normal.

Jogging/cardio seems to the be the worst culprit, lifting wieghts is fine aslong as i don't over do it, and walking seems to be the best for not messing with my hormones at all but is useless for losing and keeping off fat for me.

[fendertele]

thanks for the reply rumpled so if i was initially diagnosed with AI but with taking the hydrocortisone for years is there a chance that i may be now high cortisol ?

Because i get confused my symptoms seem to be made worse by exercise. the less excercise i do the better i seem to look, sleep is also a big part if i get a good sleep i can look thinner the next day if it is cut short i look bloated and unwell.

I would never had thought salt as i generally hate the stuff and have always avoided it all my life that and vinegar.... and i was always one to believe the body will tell you what i wants and salt has never been a craving.

[rumpled]

If you are diagnosed AI, you have low cortisol.

The issue is that replacements are not perfect in that they cannot react to the body's needs, so generally one must take a bit more daily than you need, and that adds up over time, giving us the oversight problem.

There is a time release low dose replacement in development. It is available in some countries but not the US.

If you have not seen your endo, you should as it sounds like your dose could be adjusted down as your symptoms are consistent with steroid induced Cushing's. That would lower your thyroid.

As for diet, you need more salt than most people. Depending on  you past test results, you may need to avoid potassium rich foods when you are not feeling well.  In general, with AI, you have to be consistent. Consistent with your meds, how and when you take them. Diet should be healthy but what is healthy for us is high sodium.

I generally do best on a low carb diet as sugar is an issue for me - but you have to figure out what is the best for you.