Hi Val and Mods: Long story but need your help

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Hi guys

I have now been monitoring the posts on this board for some time and I have formed an opinion of what my problem might be. I am going to post my updated details on both the NTH Adrenal forum as well as here on the RT3 forum.

I have been bouncing around within the Australian allopathic medical system for the last 5 years without a creditable answer or a diagnosis of my problem(s).

My comprehensive details are as follows. I know it is a lot so please excuse the length of this post but if somebody could take the time and effort to provide some helpful guidance and advice it would assist me to finally move in the direction of solving my problem(s). For this I would be eternally grateful and hopefully a whole lot healthier.

Male 59 years 182 cm or 6' tall73 kilograms or 165 lbs (so slim to skinny build is family trait)Try to keep fit attending gym 5 nights weekly for running and weights Under a lot of ongoing stress which can't be solved immediately

Gallbladder was removed in 1990 which was my turning point to eating healthy

Vegetarian eating seafood and a few eggs. Focus on raw foods

Use Himalayan Salt (on food only), Wheat Grass/ Barley Grass

Current Supplements per day

"Ethical Nutrients Iron Plus" 20 mg Iron, 1 to sometimes 2 per day

Fish oil 1000mg x 4 to 6 caps

Evening Primrose oil 3 caps

Chelorex 8 caplets now for maintenance dose for metals chelating Vit E, C, Selenium

Ubiquinol CoQ10 100mg x 1 caps

Total Balance Multi x 7 tabs Premium combination from NZ

Vit D x 1000iu x 6 (see below)

Vit B12 2000 mcg, 200 mcg folic Acid, 25 mcg biotin,4 mg vit B-6 x 2

ExtremeY x 1 tab, mens mix includes Ashwaganda 300mg, Ginsengs, Ginko etc

Glucosamine Sulphate & Chondroiton 1500mg x 1

Magnesium oil Ancient Minerals topical Have just started this.

Flaxseed oil, ground Flaxseeds, slippery elm, psyllium husks, Golden Pea Protein

Similar to Budwig protocol with cottage cheese / yoghurt

Recently ceased supplements

Bio identical DHEA caps 25mg p/d ceased 6th July 10

Bio identical Testosterone cream ceased 21st May 10

ALA

EstroSense

Chrysin cream

Recently ceased supplements that may have been hindering iron absorption

pHour Salts alkalising salts copious amounts in water calcium, sodium ,magnesium, potassium bicarbonates

Longevinex x 1 caps Resveratrol, quercetin, phytate and grape seed mix

Vit D continue to take but may have some effect with Calcium on iron absorption???

Green tea within 4 hours of iron and meals. Now take 1 hour before

Note as a vegetarian, by definition I consume mostly vegetables which I now understand contain phytates that hinder iron absorption.???

Symptoms

Very cold hands and feet year round worse in winter to the point of "stinging", sunken cheeks, very gaunt sickly facial appearance, dark circles under eyes, dry nostrils sometimes, fine tremor throughout entire body always present, episodes of higher Blood pressure, Parasthesiae in hands when sleeping with hands curled, low serum free testosterone not reacting to supplementation, night sweats sometimes, unable to put on /maintain weight despite 3000kcal diet and regular weights workouts, exceptionally poor thin skin quality beyond age related expectation, eyes not clear but cloudy, rapidly thinning hair, outer 1/3rd eyebrows gone, lower back pain, general unwell feeling not thriving despite all the considerable effort with lifestyle and diet.

I must add that I do not have a lot of the seriously debilitating symptoms that a lot of folk here seem to suffer from thankfully. I go to sleep reasonably easy most nights and pretty much sleep through for 7 to 8 hours but I do not wake refreshed rather very sluggish actually.

I am a regular runner and I am able to do this and remain competitive without overly undue exhaustion or air hunger. I am not diabetic, depressed, manic, brain fogged on drugs of any kind or suffering from any identified illness.

So all this begs the question, could I still have the Rt3 resistance and sluggish adrenals problems that I think I have and still be this relatively healthy???. Not withstanding that my main problems as outlined above under "Symptoms" are severe and impact negatively on my quality of life and I absolutely need to fix them…with your help.

For the last 2 years or so I have been using both DHEA and Testosterone cream in an effort to raise my levels. Whilst the DHEA seemed to work the free Testosterone was not raised.

So I have decided to cease both of these until I fully address my suspected Adrenal/Rt3 problem as I suspect that this issue may also be causative for the low DHEA and Testosterone.

But that's only my thoughts , what do others think?

Here are my recent saliva labs (19 July 10)

Cortisol

8am 43.2 H (6.0 – 42.0) nmol/L

Midday 3.4 (0.0 – 11.0) nmol/L

4pm 3.8 (2.0 – 11.0) nmol/L

8pm 3.2 (1.0 – 8.0) nmol/L

Daily total 53.6 (11.0 – 76.0) nmol/L

Midnight 3.1 (0.0 – 5.0) extra test added nmol/L

DHEAS am 7.3 (5.0 – 30.0) nmol/L

DHEAS/Cortisol am ratio 0.17 L (0.20 – 0.60) ratio

Melatonin Midnight 10 (10 – 40) pg/mL

Progesterone (P4) 139 pmol/L

Testosterone 370 (100 – 720) pmol/L

Estrogens

Estradiol (E2) 5.0 pmol/L

Estrone (E1) 23.0 H 9.6 – 20.0) pg/mL

Estriol (E3) <1.0 (0.00 – 25.0) pg/mL

E3/[E2+E1] 0.04 L .1.0 Ratio

P4/E2 Ratio 27.8 (4.0 – 108.0) Ratio

Note I had been taking Ashwaganda 300mg plus other ingredients contained in my "Nutra Life Extreme Y" Male supplement up to 24 hours prior to test and since.

(Waiting on 24 hour Urine Testosterone and spot Iodine results)

Blood tests

Feb-10

May-10

Jun-10

July 10

Component

Range

S & N Labs

Testosterone total

10--33

24

22

18.6

Testosterone free

40-100

42

29-

Testosterone free calculated

260-740

265

Oestradiol

40-250

162

131

89

DHEA

300-2700

1600

2300

SHBG

13-71

57

59

17 OH Pregnenolone

0.0-10.0

5.5

Hydroxy-Progesterone

0.2--1.8

1.3

DHT

3.19

Prolactin

<15

5

5

Luteinizing hormone

3--20

5

Follicle Stimulating

3--20

17

Cotrisol 24 hour urine

80-590

Cortisol

190-610

320

360

450

ACTH

5--50

21

24

22

Adrenaline

<1.0

0.2

Noradenaline

<3.5

5.9+

Normetadrenaline free

<900

308

Metadrenaline free

<500

145

HbA1c

<6

PSA

<3.20

0.48

0.52

Cholesterol

3.9-7.4

5.1

4.5

4.7

Triglycerides

0.3-2.2

0.5

0.6

0.5

ESR

1--20

1

Serum Ferritin Assay

20-320

48

42

60 / 40

61

Iron

10--33

18

29

17 / 18

32

Transferrin IBC

45 - 70

69 / 61

71

Transferrin Saturation %

16 - 50

25 / /29

45

Serum Vit B12 Assay

162-811

888+

354

453

Red cell Magnesium

5.2-7.5

5.4

Serum zinc

19

Glucose

3-6 fasting

5.3

5.4

Homocysteine

0.0-15.0

7

11

8.1

Vitamin D 25hydroxy

50-300

160

160

Albumin

35-50

43

Globulins

20-40

27

Renin

3 -- 40

32

64+

Aldosterone

100-950

190

440

Aldosterone/Renin ratio

2--75

6

7

Red Cell Folate Assay

545-3370

869

556

2343

THS

0.4-4.00

1

0.7

1.1

Free T4

10 - 20

17

Free T3

2.8 - 6.8

5

Anti Thyroglobulin Ab

<60

39

Anti Thyroid Peroxidase Ab

<60

18

Red Cell Porphryn

0--900

430

530

Reverse T3

170--450

462+

449

Serum Leptin

2.0 - 5.6

2.4

Sodium

137 - 147

142

140

Potassium

3.5 - 5.0

4.4

4.4

Calcium

2.25 - 2.65

2.46

2.43

Billirubin Total

2 -- 20

17

23+

Billirubin Direct

0 -- 8

7

Temperature charts are here http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/files/Our%20Labs/GoldCoastAussieMan/

Other Questions

1.Could my thyroid be somewhat normal in producing T4/T3 but the main problem be the mis-conversion of T4 to Rt3 due to 20 years of vegetarianism causing chronic low ferritin levels plus the significant stress upon me in the last 5 years (which is when my main symptoms first manifested) combining to produce my resistance in the cell receptors?

2. Is it conceivable that I can support adrenals hopefully with Adaptogens, continue to raise my ferritin levels with iron tabs, clear my RT3 with T3 only in 12 or so weeks then wean off the T3 after clearance allowing my then supported adrenals and ferritin levels to promote normal function of conversion of T4 to T3 by my thyroid?

3. Are any of my supplements etc likely to be working against me?

Forgive me for the length of this post but I just need to get everything out there for completeness.The big question is what do I do now. Hopefully I will receive some valuable advice and guidance from this informed community.

Kindest regards and warmest thanks

Wayne