Help...Help!! What to do next?? I've posted before, now just got lab test results from new endocronologist...everything came back NORMAL !!
Shows I'm NOT in menopause...Thyroid Is NORMAL....Cortisol 24 hr urine test is NORMAL....Hormone levels normal..tested for Hoschinsone's & Grave's & Endronal Fatigue..ALL NORMAL!!!!
Yet, at age 45, I haven't had a menstral period in almost 2 years, and went from a 24"waist (ALL my life, even after 5 kids) to a whopping 38" waist! And have classical symptoms of either menopause or thyroid...weight gain, period irregularities (ceasing), dry skin, hair loss (I wear a wig DAILY), forgetfulness, fogginess, eyesight problems...you name it, i HAVE it!
I first followed a strict low fat bodybuilder diet for over 1 year, combined with excersize...then joined a gym, with a trainer, heavy arobics along with weight training & TONS of crunches..my arms & legs toned, but my stomach got BIGGER!!!
Tried Atkins diet for 2 weeks (twice..lost NOTHING)...now doing Schwartzbein.....STILL NOTHING...and doctors lab results keep coming out NORMAL !!
The endo I saw today said the preggo looking belly could just be "me"....WELL....maybe I should jump off a BRIDGE???? I cannot enjoy life with this Buddha Belly...sorry..no way! And the other symptoms are overwhelming also...PLEASE somebody give me HORMONES or something!!!
I just don't know what else to try??? I'm exhausted & fat stomach, and just can';t seem to find answers!!

Hi Cadillac:

Blood tests aren't the most accurate way to measure hormones. It's ironic how many doctors have become over-reliant on blood tests instead of treating the patient. There's a saying in medicine that goes: "treat the patient, not the results".

Saliva tests are more accurate. You can get a full panel hormone saliva test done if you can afford to pay for the test. There are some labs that don't require a physician's requisition.

Jinxy has some links to the the tests posted in the forum if you are interested.

Wanda

Double ditto to Wanda's post. Blood tests are highly inaccurate for determining hormone levels. Saliva is much better. Especially for estrogen and progesterone. Have you looked into PCOS to see if you fit any of those symptoms? Even though the hair on your head is falling out, are you getting hair in strange places or become hairier on your arms, face, legs, or anywhere? The gain around the middle can also be estrogen dominance. Have you been before or are you now on Birth Control Pills? They can cause this, as can insulin resistance. Have you had your insulin levels checked? (Just a note: this is a test where using blood works fine). If you aren't having periods, your hormones are off (I don't care what your test results said). The blood tests that they do for female hormones often test for the wrong form. Free form vs protein bound. I'd try the saliva ones instead. One thing you can do, that won't cost you much (but can be annoying a little -- timewise), to give you an idea about the health of your cycles is to chart them. Using a thermometer taking your waking temperature, you can see if and when you ovulate. This also gives you another way to monitor how things are changing with what you do dietwise -- how your chart changes. I chart and it has helped me see how the SP is affecting my reproductive hormones. It's really been helpful to me. I learned to do it using Toni Weschler's book Taking Charge of Your Fertility. There is also a premenopause book that is pretty good called What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause by Dr. John Lee. He is a little overzealous about progesterone cream, but explains the role of the sex hormones, and what happens when they are out of balance, pretty well.

As for the cortisol test. I have read somewhere that 24hr urine tests may not necessarily be indicative of adrenal status. The reason being is that cortisol levels fluctuate up and down with stresses and whatever. Kinda like insulin. You can spike it and then it fall. The 24hr specimen would not catch this spike, only the average amount of cortisol released in a 24hr period, so it would miss it if it spikes and falls. The 4x per day saliva test would be better at this. I'm not sure if this is accurate info or not, but it makes some sense to me. If this is true, then your test may not have shown it even if your adrenal glands are working overtime in spurts.

Not sure if any of that helped. I hope you get if figured out. I know not knowing what is going on in there can really be frustrating.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillac Tried Atkins diet for 2 weeks (twice..lost NOTHING)...now doing Schwartzbein.....STILL NOTHING...and doctors lab results keep coming out NORMAL !!

HI CAdillac,

We've all been through this, so you've come to the right place! I did ATkins before this, so did Wanda and probably most of us.

Now, let's slow down and take things one step at a time so we can give you some, hopefully useful, advice. You say you are now doing Schwarzbein but "STILL NOTHING."

May I ask which plan you've been doing (which type you are), which book(s) you've read? How long have you been doing the diet?

Which supplements or other drugs, if any, are you taking?

Maybe you'd like to start a journal and post some menus, questions,etc., so that we can offer you support on a day to day basis?

Unfortunately, as it says in the book(s), it take a good amount of time to get us better. We all want a quick fix but it took time to get us in these predicaments. Believe me, being patient doesn't come easily to any of us around here! I'm sorry to hear the frustration in your words and I hope we can help each other.


JInx

Cadillac, how long have you been on TSP? Your symptoms sound a lot like PCOS (no periods for 2 years). I went for up to 3 years between periods before I started low-carbing. Just before I started TSP, my hormones were tested. I started TSP, then went to see my internist, who had ordered the tests, for my results. She said I did not have PCOS (I knew I did, so I was rather upset) because my hormones were all in the "normal" range, but that I was pre-diabetic or diabetic.

But then I went to see a gynocologist. She knew what she was looking at. It turns out that you can have PCOS and still have levels in the "normal" range. Mine were mostly in the high or low end of "normal."

When I went to the doctor, I thought I was going to have to have an hysterectomy due to constant bleeding (the opposite of what I had been suffering for the previous 29 years or so). My gyn told me not to worry (no hysterectomy, no menopause, just PCOS) and "OK'd" my low-carbing.

About 6 months after starting TSP, I went off the pill I was put on to "regulate" my periods and I've been having regular periods since then.

It sounds to me like you "simply" have insulin resistance (symptoms include: gaining weight around the middle, disrupted hormones that cause menstrual irregularities like PCOS, CHD, diabetes, etc.). Give yourself time on TSP to heal. I know it works. But don't expect it to happen over night.

;-Deb

I really understand where you are coming from. I suffered all those symptoms with the exception of the loss of TOM. My gp kept telling me me all my symtpoms were normal and I too thought I would lose my mind!!

I spent alot of time at Low carb friends. a gal there referred a lot of people to www.about.com site with Mary SHoman. There is so much info about being in normal range and still not feeling well etc.

I went to a dr on from the recommended doc site . Well I was recently diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroid and put on synthoid. I still have some other symptoms that wont go away but basically I was NORMAL too. Also the lab ranges have changed.. check out that site for lost of great infomation. there is also a thyroid newletter called Thyroid-info there as well.

I hope you find some answers.

Thanks so much for all of your replies & support in my crazy situation.
It's nice to know at least, that I'm not alone (sometimes I think it's all in my head!), many of you have gone through the same things. Interestingly, after reading everything I got from the endo, on their reciept under diagnosis, it says "Fluid Retention" (the only place they could be talking about is my stomach! Is my FAT actually FLUID???), and "Hypothyroid" ...(i think they meant it was originally suspected, but ruled out). They found a goiter (enlarged thyroid), but said this was very common. When I was 12 yrs old, I was on thyroid meds but quit taking them on my own at age 16...SO, the hypothyroid DOES make sense...but the tests show normal..urgh! I think I will try ONE MORE endo, it's a lady so MAYBE she'll know something. I think the last endo checked for PCO's, but as you all are saying, the tests could show normal. I am on Micronor birth control pills....have been for many years with no problems until now.
As for what books/diet I'm following, I read Dr S's first book, plus the Atkin's & Suzanne Somers books. I plan to get the Menopause book by Dr. Lee next ($$ is kinda tight, and the library can't get Dr S's 2nd book, it's too new). I'm basically following a low carb (no processed foods), eat TONS of salads, lots of chicken, fish, veggies, etc. Okay...and to be honest here....I do drink 2-3 glasses of wine before bed...BUT...before ya all attack me...haha...I gave the wine up for a while, and STILL no results, so I really don't think that's the problem. In view of 2 yrs without periods, etc...I REALLY think I have something mysterious going on here. Recently the scale shows that I lost 6 lbs, but yet my stomach gained 1 inch! This is so confusing!

Hey Caddy,

About the wine, how long did you try giving it up for? It may very well be the problem. Remember, Dr. S says, depending on how badly damamged yor metabolism is, it could take a couple years for you to heal. Hopefully, it won't take you that long.

In her 2nd book, she recommends weaning yourself off any stimulants, so I would start cutting back on the wine and bring it down to nothing at all and start her regimine of supplements, if you havne't already. Do you take the mag/calcium before bed? It will help you to relax and sleep better (in case that is the reason you drink the wine.) Also, she recommends a certain form of tryptophan (sp?) before bedtime which really helps w/ sleep.

Another piece of advice, you might want to get of the birth control pills, they totally screw w/ your hormones. You may notice a huge difference after getting off them.

Best of luck at your new endo!

Hi Cadillac:

I'm new here...but not new to dieting frustrations like the kind you are expressing. At least you still have your sense of humor. I enjoyed reading about your budda stomach....it made me laugh....and - I certainly can identify.

I was on birth control pills for many many years. Last year, my periods stopped. The dr. told me that that was common for women who has been on the pill for many years. She recommended that I get off them, wait until my periods resumed, and then start up again w/ a different dosage level. As soon as I went off them, my periods came back.

I decided to get off them for good........

At any rate, I admire you for not giving up and for continuing to look for solutions.

Rene