13.5 weeks, still having symptoms: need help with labs

February 11, 2010

Val, thanks SO much.

Yes, on the ferritin. I think the 83.5 ferritin result in late Dec. must have

been elevated due to inflammation or an incorrect lab in China. I'll recheck

this at the end of the month to make sure its coming up.

I'll start the Isocort right away, that's what my doc likes to use too.

On the electrolytes, this was drawn in the afternoon at my doctor appointment

and I had used sea salt once or twice in the morning. I was still in jet lag

but 5 days in the USA so I don't think I was dehydrated but its possible. So we

are redoing the electrolytes, along with the aldosterone related ones, and RBC

potassium to compare--just drawn this morning.

I am already on estrogen patches, but it is a very low dosage. I am taking

bioidentical progesterone for 2 weeks every other month, but I don't like how I

feel on that. I want to ask the doctor for something ongoing, like a lower dose

every day or every other day. What should be the target levels for these?

For reference, current levels:

Progesterone 0.3 ng/mL (0.1-0.8 for post menopausal)

> Estradiol 16.2 pg/ml (<6.0-54.7 for post menopausal)

BTW, I'm also suspicious that the night sweats are infection related. This is

because last summer after a reduction in HRT, I did a 3 month round of

Ceftin/Biaxin for lyme, and the night sweats TOTALLY stopped. With reduced HRT,

I would think they would have worsened! Then the night sweats started up again

as soon as I finished the antibiotics, increasing in intensity the longer I was

off. Night sweats are a key symptom for babesia infection (lyme co-infection)

and may also be a symptom of borrelia. My primary care doctor also wonders if

it could be SIBO.

Sherry

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