I just came back from my heart doctor. I have been wearing a heart monitor for 21 days and my results show that my heart rate goes up and down. The highest being in the 140s. He thinks it is unrelated to my adrenal problem. I am very tired, depressed, and want to know what is going on with my body. I am only 38 years old and have been in excellent health until the last couple of years. I was progressively getting more tired, had spine surgery which caused me to go into an adrenal crisis, and then had rotator cuff surgery. Since all of this my health has gone way down. My cortisol test at 8:00 a.m. was 1.4. With a big dose of ATCH it went up to a 7. My doctors don't know if I have primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency. I am taking lots of meds and vitamins and still fill like crap. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?
Thanks:confused:

What is you thyroid function like.. and if you say MDs tell me normal.. I will groan. Get a copy of your thyroid panel and if it is just a TSH.. you need more done. A TSH, FT3, FT4 minimum. I bet you have a thyroid issue. They go hand in hand with adrenal insufficiency. Many MDs and labs ore out of the thyroid savvy loop and thus will let you suffer hypoT til you are really hypoT.

MG

I just came back from my heart doctor. I have been wearing a heart monitor for 21 days and my results show that my heart rate goes up and down. The highest being in the 140s. He thinks it is unrelated to my adrenal problem. I am very tired, depressed, and want to know what is going on with my body. I am only 38 years old and have been in excellent health until the last couple of years. I was progressively getting more tired, had spine surgery which caused me to go into an adrenal crisis, and then had rotator cuff surgery. Since all of this my health has gone way down. My cortisol test at 8:00 a.m. was 1.4. With a big dose of ATCH it went up to a 7. My doctors don't know if I have primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency. I am taking lots of meds and vitamins and still fill like crap. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?
Thanks:confused:
Have you seen an endocrinologist knowledgable about Addison's disease? If you have adrenal insufficiency (which you appear to have) you need to take something (e.g.cortef) to replace the cortisol you lack.

Cortisol changes will influence how your body handle fluids so your heart rate will go up when your cortisol will go down. I have issues all the time. When I had cyclical cushing's and I would go up and down, my heart rate would also go up and down.

My doctor says my thyroids are fine, but I don't know the details of the test. I am on hydrocortisone, etc. for my adrenal problem.

How do I learn how to handle my cortisol so that I don't get a fast heartbeat or cushing?

How much are you taking?
Too much and you risk damaging your body with Cushing's disease...
Too little and your body, well, dies. Taking steroids and your adrenals simply shut down - adrenals are lazy little things and when outside meds are introduced, they simply go on vacation and then have to be woken up gradually.
Some steroids last too long and the body never gets a break... some will allow the body to mimic a natural diurnal rhythm.
And sometimes of you are taking it and still making them, which makes you high and low with cycles - and if there is a itty bitty tumor in the mix, well, all bets are off.