Adrenals and Thyroid and Hormones- oh my!

I feel like I haven't blogged in forever.  I have so many different post ideas swirling around in my head, and yet, I lack the motivation to put the ideas and words down on the computer.  I think my health is really weighing me down and I dislike that in so many ways.  So, I'm going to blog about my health (ie. vent my frustrations) with the hopes that getting it out well inspire me to continue on blogging about the other things I'm passionate about.

I've been on T3 since the end of February.  I thought it was going to be the miracle drug for me.  In addition to PCOS, infertility, and miscarriages, I suffer from extreme fatigue, cold hands and feet, and low body temps.  All my thyroid tests have come back within range, but my Reverse T3 ratio was off, so I started the Napro T3 regime with my local Napro doc.  I had made my way up to 22.5 mcg in the morning and 15 mcg in the evening.  I was feeling better and more alert, but still not where I envision "normal" people are with their energy and alertness level.  While I was feeling better, my cycles were getting crazier.  They've always been crazy due to my PCOS, but on the T3 they seemed to get extra crazy. I had 7 days of mid-cycle spotting one cycle and then the next cycle I had brown bleeding every single day of my menses.  I've had a few days of spotting mid-cycle before (2-3 cycles in the last 2 years) and a few days of B bleeding during my menses, but not every single day.  It seemed like the hormone problems I have were magnified on the T3.

It was about that same time that I ran across something Sew said about adrenals running the thyroid and the thyroid running hormones.  I began to wonder if we were attacking the wrong part of the equation....was working on the "middle" part throwing off my hormones?  I began to ask (persistently) my Napro doctor about the adrenals.  I'd asked him about it before it and got me a morning Cortisol blood test and 5mg of Cortisol, but I was even more pushy this time.  Were we going about my fatigue the wrong way?  Should we get the adrenals in line before messing with the T3?

He seemed to agree, or at least wanted me to stop pestering him, and now I'm weaning off of the T3 completely.  He wanted to just increase my Cortisol dose to 10 mg, but I'm getting tired off the trial and error method, which is what I feel like we're doing right now.  I want more tests because I want proof of what is really going on.

So I've convinced him to let me wean off the Cortisol, so I can get some tests done.  I'm planning to do the 4 saliva Cortisol test from the Canary Club.  Anyone know how long I should be off of the Cortisol before I do the spit test?  I'm frustrated because I feel like I'm taking 10 steps backwards here.  Why didn't my doctor do these tests before he started me on the meds?  I really feel like Napro is lacking in the adrenal/thyroid area.  Anyone else feel the same way?  I realize my doctor is not an adrenal expert, but who is?  Barbie gave me the recommendation of a thyroid doc 150 miles away from me, but I don't know if I want to start all over with a new doc.

I hate how persistent I feel like I'm having to be with my Napro doc, but I'm also growing impatient.  I turn 33 this summer and am wondering if we're ever going to bring a baby home.  When I first started Napro 2+ years ago, I was really willing to go slowly, wait, and be patient to determine what was wrong.  I'm growing impatient! I also struggle with how much of my health I should take into my hands versus trusting in God to provide answers, work things out, etc.  Should I be patient and rely more on Him? I keep telling myself, however, that I'm seeking answers for my long-term, overall health, which is true.

I would love to hear your advice, experiences, and encouragement because I feel so alone in this battle to discover what (else) is wrong with my body.  I realize none of us are doctors, but I feel like I learn so much from your experiences with Napro and non-Napro doctors.  I'm convinced that once we get to the bottom of the problems, we'll be able to fix them and then (Lord willing) have a healthy full-term pregnancy and an alert lifestyle. Oh....how I long for the day when I'm not tired!