Malabsorption Due to Adrenal Fatigue and Anxiety ?

[Zam786]

Hi Everyone,


I thank you in taking the time to read my post.

I am desperately seeking answers and any advice would be greatly appreciated.


Hi Everyone,


In November I started an extremely anxious phase where I thought I had HIV, got tested with a PCR and Elissa test at 7 1/2 weeks post exposure and was negative, got tested again at 4 1/2 months and was negative. I have put my anxiety aside now but I do have major digestive issues as my body is not absorbing nutrients. Blood tests showed low iron and Vitamin D, I feel fatigue most of the time.


The biggest difference is during workouts, I was was losing 600 to 800 calories during every workout session at one point and now if I push too much in the gym I feel malaise the day after.


Symptoms Include:

1) Extreme Fatigue and sleepiness

2)dry skin, dry mouth

3)hair falling

4) undigestive food in stool (if nto on digestive enztmes)

5)High body temperature (no fever though)

6) Nightsweats if I have a high carb meal.

7) Left Toe is numb.


Stool is soft and pale, probiotics has not done much. I saw bright red blood in my stool and had 3 stool tests, they show no bacteria or candida.. Supplements are really not helping. Can anyone please advise on my condition, what tests will I need to get done to get to the root of the issue, I am tired of going from Dr. to Dr. to no avail and am absolutely miserable.


Could the extreme anxiety for 2 months affected me in a long term way.


Thanks in Anticipation Everyone

[Zam786]

Hi barb,

I know this is a late reply but I finally managed to get my Thyrioid tests done, the results are within normal range, please see as follows:

T3: 80.90 ref range 60.00 - 181.00 ng/dl
T4: 8.60 ref range 4.50 - 12.60 ug/dl
TSH: 0.81 ref range 0.55 - 4.78 uIU/mL.

Cortisol is within normal range as well, it is 6.30 with a ref range of 3.7 to 19, it is a 4pm cortisol.

What is your opinion of this ?

Best Regards

[Red_Star]

This stool pH measures the pH of stool and is used to evaluate disorders where carbohydrates are poorly absorbed, such as diarrhea or suspected lactose intolerance.

The Heidelberg Stomach Acid Test is the gold standard for testing stomach acid.  If you want to read in more detail, look up the article: 3 Tests for Low Stomach Acid. I posted one of those tests in more detail on another answer...

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Vitamins--Supplements/vitamin-mineral-absorption-and-anxiety/show/1723371

[Zam786]

It was the result in the stool tests I had done. I assumed it was the stomach, would these be a difference ?

[Red_Star]

You mention your pH is 7 but not where that was measured. Did they test your stomach pH?

[Zam786]

Hi yes,

I kinda figured that, thanks.
All I'm saying is that nothing remarkable is happening on those tests results. and I am still in the same position I was before.

[Red_Star]

The pH scale runs from 0 - 14 and 0 is extremely acidic and 14 is extremely alkaline.  Neutral is a pH of 7.  A healthy functioning digestive system has a pH of 7 for the esophagus, a pH of 2 for the stomach, and a pH of 7 for the small intestine.  

[Zam786]

Thanks so much for your response Bard. So far I am looking at this only from a Gastro perspective but Thyroid tests are the next thing I would investigate.

Will be sure to post

[Zam786]

Hi red Star,

Thanks so much for such a detailed answer.
My PH level is 7, no parasites or bacteria detected in 3 different stool tests.

The only thing I have not checked is intestinal permeability but also my body could have stopped producing digestive enzymes due to stress.

MY Iron is low as per a report that is 3 months old but B12 and Folic acid is fine.

SO far I am seeing a gastro and looking at it as a digestive issue. I was EXTREMELY anxious for 2 months, could this have caused long term decreased pancreatic enzyme output ?
How long do you think ti would normally last.

my anxiety is back now and that is primarily due to my recent blood tests results which show slightly higher WBC than the ref range, making me question my HIV results.

Best Regards

[Barb135]

Have you had any thyroid hormone testing done?  If so, please post any results you may have.  Hypothyroidism causes most, if not all, of the symptoms you listed.  Be sure to include reference ranges with any lab results, since ranges vary lab to lab and have to come from your own report.

[Red_Star]

From that list, I'd go with low stomach acid. And I'd put good money on it that you have vitamin B12 deficiency. And if that vitamin B12 deficiency is causing your numb toe, that will be a permanently numb toe if you don't treat this deficiency in time. I have permanent nerve damage as I wasn't treated in time. I take sublingual (under the tongue) B12 spray and this works very quickly.

Excerpt from GallBladder Disease - Stomach Acid...

"Signs of Deficient Stomach Acid

Gas, bloating and burping shortly after a meal could be lack of HCl
Constipation
Diarrhea
Feeling of fullness or food not digesting
Heartburn and/or gastric relux (sometimes too much HCl but most often not enough)
Bad breath
Foul smelling stools
Loose stools in the early morning
Food allergies
Dialated blood vessles on the cheeks and nose - Rosacea
Pernicious anemia or iron deficiency
Anal Itching
Nausea especially after taking vitamins and minerals
Weak or cracked nails
Parasites - or at least increased susceptibility to parasitic infections
Chronic yeast infections
Acne in adults - especially if you have other symptoms from the list
Asthma

Since low levels of stomach acid results in poor absorption of nutrients, many symptoms that accompany a deficiency of that vitamin or mineral makes this list much longer. The nutrients most affected are calcium, iron, folic acid, vitamin K and many B vitamins. See pernicious anemia.

If you're nervous about trying supplemental hydrochloric acid, you can do a trial with 1-2 TBSP of organic apple cider vinegar mixed with 1/8 to 1/4 cup of water after a meal. If it makes you feel better and does not hurt, you most likely would benefit from taking 500 - 1000 mg. of Betaine HCl with your meals."

[Red_Star]

Adrenal fatigue and anxiety wouldn't be causing malabsorption but those are symptoms that can show up due to malabsorption.

Excerpt from Whole9Life: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Digestive Enzymes...

"What would cause digestive enzymes to stop working correctly in the body?

First, diseases may prevent proper digestive enzyme production.

* Pancreatic problems, including cystic fibrosis, pancreatic cancer, and acute or chronic pancreatitis.

* Brush border dysfunction, the most severe is long standing Celiac disease, where the brush border is flattened or destroyed. Other diseases like Crohn’s can also cause severe problems.

But even in the absence of any obvious disease, things still may not be working properly.

* Low-grade inflammation in the digestive tract (such as that caused by “food allergies,” intestinal permeability, dysbiosis, parasitic infection, etc.) can lead to deficiencies in digestive enzymes.

* Aging has been associated with decreased digestive function, though I personally wonder if this is a result of aging, or aging badly.

* Low stomach acid—we’ll talk about this more in a future article, but if you have low stomach acid, it’s likely that you won’t have adequate digestive enzymes either.

* Chronic stress. This is the most common reason for digestive enzyme problems. Our body has two modes: sympathetic “fight or flight,” and parasympathetic “rest and digest.” When we’re in “fight or flight” mode, digestive is given a very low priority, which means digestive function (including digestive enzyme output) is dialed down.  Chronic stress= constant “fight of flight” mode = impaired digestive enzyme output."