Addison's :: ACTH Stim Test- What Results Indicate?
I am being tested for Addison's Disease and just received the below test results. I don't see my endo until 12/4/13, and wondered what the results might indicate. Any thoughts?
Historically I presented with low Cortisol and High ACTH.
* After a Dexamethasone Suppression test my blood cortisol was less than 1mcg (whatever that means)
* 17 Alpha Hydroxyprogesterone was 849
* ACTH Stim test results:
Baseline- 10mcg
30 min.- 13mcg
60 min.- 15mcg
Addison's :: ACTH Stim Test Results - Could It Be An Error?
I have so many Addison's symptoms, and in March my AM cortisol was 8.75, so low-normal. I was sure I would have a diagnosis after my ACTH stim test. Unfortunately, I've hit another dead end. Here are my results:
8am baseline reading - 12.82 ug/dl
30 Min after injection - 20.88
60 Min after injection - 24.44
I was stressed about the procedure to begin with. Then the nurse who drew my blood could not hit my vein and it was a very painful process as she continued hunting for it. It hurt so much I was almost in tears. This happened for the first two draws, and then I finally asked for a different nurse for the third draw. She hit my vein with no problems as most do since I have very prominent veins. I was so upset. Also, they had me walking back and forth between the lab and the waiting area after each blood draw.
Is it possible that my results were skewed by these factors?
I experienced an adrenaline rush shortly after being injected with the ACTH, and until about 5pm my heart was pounding pretty hard and I felt lightheaded. Is this normal?
Adrenal Insufficiency :: Interpret ACTH STIM Test Results
I am 38 Year Old male, Have been an athlete and or worked out since the age of 12 (super active). For the last 10 years or so I have been super fatigued/tired, don't recover well from exercise, terrible reactive hypoglycemia, muscle twitches, tan year round (i used to be white/pail as could be, now I carry at tan year round) short temper, sleep like crap. I can't seem to handle heat or a ton of direct sun. I will get sick for a day or 2 nauseous/fatigued/headache (it is not water usually i will drink 2 liters of water while out hiking for the afternoon.
I have taken 3 different Saliva cortisol test and all 3 looked the same, cortisol was in the tank upon waking and slowing rose throughout the day. The complete opposite of what it should look like. I finally talked my doctor into doing an ACTH Stim test. I have only got back the Cortisol results at this point, But they are very interesting??
From all that I have read on intercepting ACTH results your baseline Cortisol should double at 60 minutes. According to this test is should be >18 at 60 minutes I only rose 8!!! Please see results below.
Baseline Draw- 19.7, Standard > 5
30 Minute Draw- 26.4, Standard >7 Above Baseline Result, JUST UNDER BY .3
60 Minute Draw- 27.7, Standard >18 Above Baseline Result, 10 UNDER THE BARE MINIMUM IT SHOULD HAVE RISEN!!!
I am a little confused on how to interpret these results?? Like I said I should have the rest of the numbers in a few days.
Adrenal Disorders :: Cortisol Stim Test And Then ACTH Test ?
I was just wondering what comes after a cortisol stim test for diagnosing Addison's Disease ?
I had 2 Cortisol stim tests done one in the afternoon and one in the early morning .
Afternoon test read 2.8 out of 5-15
Morning test read 3.8 out of 5-25 Both low
Do i now have a Acth test done to see if its the adrenals glands or Pituitary or Hypothalamus Producing such low cortisol ?
I have abdominal cramping , hot flashes , constipation . tired , weak and major weight loss 35 + pounds in 8 months .
Hidradenitis Suppurativa Is Body's Response To Allergic Foods - My Experience
I have been suffering with HS for over 23 years. They first started out as red bumps in the vaginal area. After repeated infections my doctor surgically removed the tissue. That didn't work. The lesions started appearing in the same location but on the opposite side. My physician didn't know what these bumps were and in 2009 he sent me to a dermatologist. She took one look and told me instantly that I had hidradenitis suppurativa. I was in shock. I read up on everything I could find. I was put on doxycycline for the next 4 years and was miserable. The anti-biotic would cause me to have yeast problems and subsequently I was put on diflucan to deal with the yeast. It was a never ending problem. Now my red bumps were rupturing and weeping. This was new for me.
I went online to read as much as I could about HS. I read medical information and blogs. It was highly informative. There was a commonality of humiliation and pain, depression and the desire to feel normal. One entry caught my attention. It was about a woman who had suffered from HS and finally went to a Naturopath. He gave her two food sensitivity tests,an IgE and an IeE. She found out what foods she was allergic to and immediately removed them from her diet. She is now HS free.
I couldn't afford to go see a Naturopath and so I decided to start on a diet of protein (chicken) and salad (basic lettuce,cucumbers with olive oil and vinegar), vegetables such as green beans, squash, carrots, english peas,broccoli, cauliflower. I removed eggs, dairy, gluten which is in bread and a myriad of foods which include flour. I also removed Nightshade veggies and fruits.
Once I was stable ...which took about a week, I added eggs. I had no flares. That food was safe. I then added dairy products, again no flares. I added beef and fish with no problems. I was anxious about adding flour/gluten back into my diet as I was sure that this was the food group that I was sensitive to. However, after introducing gluten back into my diet there were no flares. That left me with only one group to test and that was the Nightshade veggies and fruits. This group includes: white potatoes, tomatoes, peppers including paprika (not white or black pepper), gooseberries and goji berries. These foods have alkaloids in them to fight off bugs. Interesting?
So, I added foods from this group into my diet and ....I FLARED!! I finally had the information that I needed. I immediately went through my pantry and removed any and everything with red pepper, tomatoes,and paprika. Paprika is everywhere. It is in hot dogs, mayonnaise, mustard and seasonings. If you eat processed foods...beware as it is in everything. I learned to read all the labels of everything at the grocery store and even double check it once it was in my pantry.
I am in remission and I intend to stay there.My lesions are flat. All that exists are scars and I can live with that.
I am certain that HS is the body's response to a food that the body is allergic to. It is not due to "not being clean enough" or due to being overweight. It will only respond to antibiotics for a short term and then those fail to work. Topicals don't work either. I do believe that once HS comes into your life, it takes over everything that you love. I was a victim to this disease for too many years. I have now, taken back my life. You can change your diet and be free. I recommend that if you decide to find out what foods you may be allergic to in order to be free from this disease that you consider incorporating these supplements: turmeric (wonderful anti-inflammatory), zinc, vitamin c, a probiotic, and green tea for itching It is a natural anti-histamine.
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those hot or warm food affect or improve our immune response in any way? which is better to take warm or cooled food?
View 2 RepliesAdrenal Insufficiency :: ACTH Test Bad Side Effects
I had an acth stim test about two weeks ago. I have been having a lot of health problems but they had calmed down some on the day of the test and the day before. After the test, everything went to heck, ( body feeling "jerky", involuntary body movements-primarily at night, muscle weakness at times- even causing me to limp around during the day, and lean on the wall one night due to weakness and fatigue, head ache like crazy-especially behind eyes/back of head, problems thinking, among other things). I had those problems before the test but was feeling ok for that 1.5 days then bam. I am wondering what bad effects people have had. Also wondering what all is affected from the stim test (what other parts besides adrenal/cortisol could it have aggravated. I haven't gotten results but don't think they did the test right anyway. I would be afraid to get it again cause how it affected me :(.
ps They recently found a pituitary cyst on my posterior pituitary gland (they said its fine).
Morning Cortisol Level Of 9.2 - CRH Stim Test?
I was just given the ACTH stim test for a morning cortisol level of 9.2. There was a good response from my adrenals, but doesn't this just rule out primary adrenal insufficiency? My signs and symptoms are: worsening fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, headaches, pain & pressure in my sinuses ( but no drainage), slight visual changes in my left eye, poor libido, mood swings! My doc said my results were normal and does not intend to work up any further. Shouldn't we do a CRH stim test to rule out a possible pituitary problem?
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I had a Medtronic spine stim put in me in 2013! Every time I turned it on I got severe burning pain and it would swell up uncontrollably!! Finally on eighth week it exploded!! I ended up in hospital for six days!! After that I have that pain 24/7!! Can't do anything without suffering badly!! Saw all kinds of doctors and they said I needed to try another one!! Against my true feelings I was skeptical and ended up putting it in!! I couldn't even use it due to the severe crippling pain it caused!! Ended up taking it out and after three years of doctors they did an mri looking to see if it burned my spinal cord!! The do to told me that no burn on spinal cord and wants me to put in new nevro hf10 system which I am worried about doing!! The pain is still 24/7!! Pain meds all day long and I still suffer badly!! I am looking for some kind of answers!! I don't know how much longer I can take the pain!! Does anyone know of anyone else that had or has this problem?? I am at my end here!! This is ruining every part of my life!! Lost most of my friends as back so bad I can't go any where!! Not even to dinner,cookout or any kind of event!
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I started taking 50 mg of Spironolactone November 1. Some time between Nov 14 and 18, I broke out in hives. I stopped taking the Spironolactone the week of Thanksgiving (around Nov 22/24).
I started Tri-Cyclen birth control on Dec 1. It is January 2 and I still have hives...
I spoke with a doctor, who instructed me to take Benadryl and Zyrtec. I spoke with my prescribing doctor of Spironolactone, who said he never had a case where someone broke out in hives due to Spironolactone. I think I'll be scheduling to see a dermatologist soon.
HAS ANYONE HAD THIS PROBLEM?
I'm sick of being drowsy every day, and I've gained 8 pounds in the last month and a half.
Hormones :: 21 Years Old And Low Testosterone
I am 21 years old and have found I have low testosterone. About 5 years ago, I started having heart racing, extreme fatigue, confusion/mind fog, and erectile issues. The doctors I saw chocked it up to anxiety disorder, and never checked my hormone levels.
I finally found out about my levels a couple of weeks ago, and I just got the results back for my LH, FSH, and SHBG - and I wanted some advice as to what I should push my doctor to do next. Here are my levels:
LH | RANGE: (1.5-9.3 mIU/mL) | VALUE: 2.4 FSH | RANGE: (1.4-18.1 mIU/mL) | VALUE: 1.5 SHBG | RANGE: (14-48 nmol/L) | VALUE: 17 TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL | RANGE: (249-836 ng/dL) | VALUE: 203
I currently have Kaiser Permanente and I don't believe they have anti-aging doctors, only endocrinologists. I want to be prepared to tell my doctor how to proceed because she is only an internal medicine - and she has been consulting with one of her fellow endocrinologist practitioners for how to proceed.
Hormones :: Clomid Stopped Working
I have been using Clomid for the last 5 month to try and repair my low test levels. I have been having to self diagnose and medicate as my doctor will not take me seriously as my levels just scrape the normal range, I know myself that my levels are not right. Before going on Clomid I had no sex drive, no morning wood, ever!! tense and irritable and lethargic. A week after I started on Clomid my sex drive was back, morning wood every day really felt back to normal. unfortunately the positive effects have slowly diminished over the last few weeks to a point that I feel as bad if not worse than before, morning wood gone, no energy and feeling pretty miserable.
I am wondering, does anyone else have this experience of Clomid working for a time and then just stopping all of a sudden?
Hormones Affecting My Marriage - Severe PMS
I am taking Prozac for Depression/Anxiety, I have endr. and Severe PMS.
I had my bloodwork done and the OB nurse said my Thyroid was in normal range, but my endroil level was low. It was -20? Last year it was 90's. I have absolutely NO SEX drive what so ever! It hurts and I could care less, and this is NOT FAIR TO my husband at all. I have been married 22 years this coming December, and I know he is frustrated about this.
I am worried. I am tired, still depressed and no sex drive what so ever, what can I do, or buy? Is there a medication for woman that can help? I am 46 and was told I am not in menopause, but let me tell you I think I am permi. Last month's period was all the same PMS systems, but was very light flow and black/brown in color. I am worried all the way around and don't know what to do? I am running out of options. I don't want to lose the love of my life, and want to feel better.
Please anyone. I need some help, advice, etc. This is not fair to him, and I need a better quality of life, even with all the stress in my life with my mother who has dementia, and a handicapped brother. I just can't take much more, and my Husband has been my best friend through everything with me, especially my fathers death, I wa a daddy's girl, and would not of made it without my husbands help. I am a very weak person when it comes to stuff like this.
Hormones :: Low Testosterone, Incomplete Puberty
I am 28 years old, male, and was currently told I had Hypogonadism and incomplete puberty upon physical examination and blood results due to low testosterone. I went to see a general physician due to being symptomatic (Lack of body hair, balding, Gynecomastia, very sparse facial hair, underdeveloped sexual organs, Tired, Moody etc). I have been symptomatic since around age 12 so it has been ongoing for quite some time. I had 3 doctors all tell me that there was nothing wrong and the issue would correct itself. They chalked it up to a hormone imbalance.
My current doctor is running some more blood work and wants to do a karyotype to rule out genetic problems like Klinefelter's. I suppose what I'm trying to determine is if pituitary or thyroid complications can be ruled out by blood results? My doc says that it doesn't seem to be pointing to thyroid or pituitary issues but that the only way to determine truly is by doing an MRI for my brain and having a karyotype to rule out xxy.
He did mention that my testosterone levels are abnormally low for my "age group" and that I am underdeveloped and have incomplete puberty or lack of secondary sexual characteristics for my age. I do look quite young. I do recall having a stroke and facial paralysis when I was 2 years old, maybe I have some brain/gland damage. They never were able to determine what caused the stroke and paralysis. I recovered for the most part and have about 90% function on the affected area of the mouth and face.
I'm just thinking whether I should go see an endocrinologist or continue with this doctor. This doctor seems to want to put me on testosterone therapy which I've heard terrible things about. He feels that I would benefit from it. I'm really shooting in the dark here as I have no idea what to do next. Below are some of the results back from the blood work, Don't know what to specifically look for so I'll write what I see or think is related to the subject at hand. Could this be Pituitary or thyroid related? Does blood work accurately help determine pituitary and thyroid disorders?
ABSOLUTE NEUTROPHILS 8537H
ABSOLUTE LYMPHOCYTES 1407
ABSOLUTE MONOCYTES 504
ABSOLUTE EOSINOPHILS 32
ABSOLUTE BASOPHILS 21
NEUTROPHILS 81.3
LYMPHOCYTES 13.4
MONOCYTES 4.8
EOSINOPHILS 0.3
BASOPHILS 0.2
LH 4.4
TESTOSTERONE TOTAL 253
TSH 0.90
ESTROGEN TOTAL 166.7
Hormones :: High Total Testosterone (LH Of 25 And An Fsh Of 6.6)
I'm a 22 y/o female. I have always had an irregular period, but it's now been almost 4.5 months without one. I had an LH of 25 and an Fsh of 6.6. My doctor at student health says this is normal, but after doing some research that appears so only if I'm about to have my period. It has been 7 days and no period. I also had low fasting insulin serum and a total testosterone of 103 (normal 8-60) my free testosterone was normal though at 1.1. My prolactin was 13.3 and my TSH was low normal.
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I have been diagnosed with Low T. I have been very fatigued over last couple months. My question is can low t affect your cardio? I am a runner and just completed a half marathon a couple months ago. Over the last month my cardio has dropped drastically. I can barely run a couple miles without having to stop. I have to walk for a while and then start running again. Could this be caused by the low t?
View 1 RepliesOrgasm, Hormones And Ejaculation Induced Acne
I'm a 25 year old male, who has been ok courses of antibiotics for years now to treat my acne. I have recently discovered that I only seem to flair up when I ejaculate...so having sex is a no no, unless I want to break out a couple of days later. I been to my doctor today and I mentioned in detail what happens and asked if there is anything I can take to stop this DHT and stop it from flaring me up. He said there is absolutely nothing he can suggest and said I would grow out of it eventually.
Now I'm on here asking for anyone's advice on what I could buy online or anything like herbal I can take before I have sex and after to calm the hormones down to stop me flaring up. I have tried saw palmetto but it didn't do anything to control the breakouts. All I want is a good sex life (me being male and all) but I'm finding it hard knowing that I will breakout straight after having sex, it lowers my confidence dramatically and I have trouble leaving the house knowing people are staring at me :/ I've just started on doxycycline today.
Premature Ventricular Contractions Due To Emotions/hormones?
I have had blood work and an EKG that determined I have nothing of concern (spoken to a number of doctors...)
But when I get scared/nervous/highly stressed out, I feel like a fish is flopping in my chest! They don't really last long and they don't occur every single time I am experience high emotions (but often), I get maybe 3-4 in a row at worst (beat, beat, skip, beat, beat, skip, ...etc). I have had a doc listen to it when I was very nervous during an appointment and she blew it off as changes in my blood pressure as I became nervous and adrenalin. When I relax, they go away.
Of course, sometimes the cycle goes: Nervousness, pvcs, more nervous because of pvcs, more pvcs...
I have also noticed during ovulation they occur and during menstruation, particularly when I am resting. I have also found other triggers like drinking alcohol (big huge no-no!), too much caffeine, being overtired, and too much carbs. I also noticed sometimes certain positions can create them (again, sometimes but not always), shifting my position makes them go away during those times.
Side note: I have never felt lightheaded, breathless, or any pain during these occurrences. Also, I do have an anxiety disorder but not on any meds by choice (trying to get pregnant).
My question is, what can I do besides avoiding triggers to ease them? I am afraid that if I get SUPER scared or whatever my heart will just stop (ok, that's exaggerated.. but still they are scary..)!
Yeast Infections Related To Fertility Hormones
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