Post by Dana on Jan 16, 2009 2:11:57 GMT -5
Hello, I am new to this site. I'm so sorry this is long, but I wanted to include as much info as possible.
I've read a ton of the info on this site and it is full of excellent information! Thank you for creating this. I just wanted someone to take a look at my individual labs/history.
I'm a 24 y/o female diagnosed with Diabetes Insipidus 1 year ago.
Currently taking 1 nasal spray of DDAVP at night. It has helped me tremendously. I'm no longer waking up at night dying of thirst and having to use the bathroom multiple times. The sleep interruption was driving me mad.
An MRI in Feb '08 with and without contrast ruled out a tumor or damage to the pituitary. Radiologist stated there was nothing "remarkable" about the pituitary. My 27 y/o sister had a malignant brain tumor in 2007, so I just wanted to have that checked out for peace of mind.
About 2-3 months ago things began to fall apart. Something just wasn't right, but I couldn't pinpoint it. I felt like some days the DDAVP was too much and other days I needed 2 sprays. Things were certainly changing rapidly.
New problems were arising.
I was wondering if EVERYTHING I am going through could be my pituitary causing more problems.
OLD symptoms: Some of them come and go. Others are constant.
-Chronic low BP-I've seen it as low as 88/60
-Chronic low potassium levels
-constantly battling dehydration
-Tachycardia-Increases drastically upon standing (when hot)--As high as 153
-Heat intolerance
-BP drops upon standing (only when hot)
-lightheadedness/dizzines when standing (only when hot)
-Puffy face/fingers-My fingers get so puffy that they hurt to bend. Wedding ring won't even budge on my finger when it's quite loose most of the times. Usually relieved a few hours after waking.
I've had 2 emergency crisis in my life. One when I was 18 at an amusement park and another two summers ago. Each time it was very hot and I practically loss consciousness. The one at the amusement park was quite severe. I fell on the ground and was unable to see or hear anything. Somehow I picked myself off the ground (with help from a friend) and headed to the first aid station. My BP was extremely low ~64/40 and I thought I was dying. They told me I was severely dehydrated. My parents came and picked me up.
The one 2 summers ago, I went to the ER and they did nothing for me. They called me a heroin addict and got sent home. I don't even know how I recovered from it, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the first one.
The heat is absolutely deadly for me. Taking the DDAVP has helped, but I still must be careful. There must be something else wrong, right?
NEW symptoms:
-severe lack of appetite; Loss some weight
-severe skin itching-Scratching causes hives to break out
-shaky hands
-Night sweats
-Fatigue-Sometimes I feel I can't keep my eyes open.
-Increased caffeine use
My natural hormone doctor was unsure about the itching, so I decided to go to a PCP who is a DO. Before this time, I didn't have a PCP because I hate doctors. This DO was absolutely clueless and was a waste of time. However she ordered some labs.
December 2008
Glucose 77 (70-99)
Bun 9 (7-22)
Creatinine 0.8 (0.5-1.3)
Bun/Creat 11.3 (8-27)
Sodium 140 (136-147) Highest I've seen it for months
Potassium 3.5 (3.6-5.3) LOW Typical for me to be low
Chloride 106 (98-110)
C02 Content 24 (22-34)
Anion Gap 10 (2-12)
Calcium 9.7 (8.7-10.7)
T BILI 0.3 (0.1-1.2)
ALK PHOS 56 (30-128)
SGPT (ALT) 60 (5-47) HIGH Any significance?
SGOT (AST) 39 (5-40)
Total protein 7.2 (6.0-8.4)
Albumin 4.2 (3.3-5.1)
Globulin 3.0 (1.8-4.2)
A/G ratio 1.4 (1.0-2.5)
CMV IgG AB <.91 Equivocal response-Cannot discern presence or absence of antibody (I had EBV at 17, so this doesn't surprise me)
T4 8.9 (4.5-12.0) "Normal"
TSH <0.010 (0.35-4.94) VERY LOW Edit: I forgot the < sign. Basically my TSH was nondetectable...LOL
This was the first time in my life TSH was ever a problem. I now know TSH is a terrible test, but that's all I've ever had checked by doctors.
Past TSH's include:
December 2007
TSH 1.50 (0.35-4.94)
August 2008
TSH 1.077 (0.35-4.94)
I thought the really low TSH was a lab error, so I had my natural hormone doc run some extra tests. I was in total disbelief when it came back low again!
January 2009
TSH 0.097 (0.35-4.94) LOW
T4 6.5 (4.5-12.0) "Normal"
FT3 2.6 (2.3-4.2) "Normal"
TPOAb <10 The lab does not test the number down to 0
TGA <20 (This was TGA, I was wrong with labeling it TSI)
My natural hormone doctor said my FT3 is very low (is this right?) and the T4 should be elevated with a TSH that low (if my thyroid was hyper). He stated that my labs would support a secondary hypothyroid DX. He said this is a little out of his range/knowledge and he referred me to an endo for further testing of the pituitary to rule out any other deficiencies. I've always thought I had primary adrenal fatigue, but now I am starting to wonder if it is my pituitary instead. I did a saliva test 2-3 years ago which showed a low morning number (6) and a low 4PM level. Noon was at the bottom of the "normal" range. Night time number was good.
I found the results to my saliva test! I will post old and new results when I do the next saliva test.
I saved this chart.
i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/danab1984/cortisolchart.jpg
What do you all think? Can you think of any other blood tests I should have done before seeing the endo?
I have insurance so as long as they are covered, money shouldn't be an issue. I found an endo in the area that specializes in pituitary disorders, but I'm not optimistic he will help. From what I've read endos are usually a waste of time, but I don't know where else to go for the ACTH stim test.
I am sorry this is quite long, I just wanted to give as much info as possible!
Thanks in advance!
Dana
I've read a ton of the info on this site and it is full of excellent information! Thank you for creating this. I just wanted someone to take a look at my individual labs/history.
I'm a 24 y/o female diagnosed with Diabetes Insipidus 1 year ago.
Currently taking 1 nasal spray of DDAVP at night. It has helped me tremendously. I'm no longer waking up at night dying of thirst and having to use the bathroom multiple times. The sleep interruption was driving me mad.
An MRI in Feb '08 with and without contrast ruled out a tumor or damage to the pituitary. Radiologist stated there was nothing "remarkable" about the pituitary. My 27 y/o sister had a malignant brain tumor in 2007, so I just wanted to have that checked out for peace of mind.
About 2-3 months ago things began to fall apart. Something just wasn't right, but I couldn't pinpoint it. I felt like some days the DDAVP was too much and other days I needed 2 sprays. Things were certainly changing rapidly.
New problems were arising.
I was wondering if EVERYTHING I am going through could be my pituitary causing more problems.
OLD symptoms: Some of them come and go. Others are constant.
-Chronic low BP-I've seen it as low as 88/60
-Chronic low potassium levels
-constantly battling dehydration
-Tachycardia-Increases drastically upon standing (when hot)--As high as 153
-Heat intolerance
-BP drops upon standing (only when hot)
-lightheadedness/dizzines when standing (only when hot)
-Puffy face/fingers-My fingers get so puffy that they hurt to bend. Wedding ring won't even budge on my finger when it's quite loose most of the times. Usually relieved a few hours after waking.
I've had 2 emergency crisis in my life. One when I was 18 at an amusement park and another two summers ago. Each time it was very hot and I practically loss consciousness. The one at the amusement park was quite severe. I fell on the ground and was unable to see or hear anything. Somehow I picked myself off the ground (with help from a friend) and headed to the first aid station. My BP was extremely low ~64/40 and I thought I was dying. They told me I was severely dehydrated. My parents came and picked me up.
The one 2 summers ago, I went to the ER and they did nothing for me. They called me a heroin addict and got sent home. I don't even know how I recovered from it, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the first one.
The heat is absolutely deadly for me. Taking the DDAVP has helped, but I still must be careful. There must be something else wrong, right?
NEW symptoms:
-severe lack of appetite; Loss some weight
-severe skin itching-Scratching causes hives to break out
-shaky hands
-Night sweats
-Fatigue-Sometimes I feel I can't keep my eyes open.
-Increased caffeine use
My natural hormone doctor was unsure about the itching, so I decided to go to a PCP who is a DO. Before this time, I didn't have a PCP because I hate doctors. This DO was absolutely clueless and was a waste of time. However she ordered some labs.
December 2008
Glucose 77 (70-99)
Bun 9 (7-22)
Creatinine 0.8 (0.5-1.3)
Bun/Creat 11.3 (8-27)
Sodium 140 (136-147) Highest I've seen it for months
Potassium 3.5 (3.6-5.3) LOW Typical for me to be low
Chloride 106 (98-110)
C02 Content 24 (22-34)
Anion Gap 10 (2-12)
Calcium 9.7 (8.7-10.7)
T BILI 0.3 (0.1-1.2)
ALK PHOS 56 (30-128)
SGPT (ALT) 60 (5-47) HIGH Any significance?
SGOT (AST) 39 (5-40)
Total protein 7.2 (6.0-8.4)
Albumin 4.2 (3.3-5.1)
Globulin 3.0 (1.8-4.2)
A/G ratio 1.4 (1.0-2.5)
CMV IgG AB <.91 Equivocal response-Cannot discern presence or absence of antibody (I had EBV at 17, so this doesn't surprise me)
T4 8.9 (4.5-12.0) "Normal"
TSH <0.010 (0.35-4.94) VERY LOW Edit: I forgot the < sign. Basically my TSH was nondetectable...LOL
This was the first time in my life TSH was ever a problem. I now know TSH is a terrible test, but that's all I've ever had checked by doctors.
Past TSH's include:
December 2007
TSH 1.50 (0.35-4.94)
August 2008
TSH 1.077 (0.35-4.94)
I thought the really low TSH was a lab error, so I had my natural hormone doc run some extra tests. I was in total disbelief when it came back low again!
January 2009
TSH 0.097 (0.35-4.94) LOW
T4 6.5 (4.5-12.0) "Normal"
FT3 2.6 (2.3-4.2) "Normal"
TPOAb <10 The lab does not test the number down to 0
TGA <20 (This was TGA, I was wrong with labeling it TSI)
My natural hormone doctor said my FT3 is very low (is this right?) and the T4 should be elevated with a TSH that low (if my thyroid was hyper). He stated that my labs would support a secondary hypothyroid DX. He said this is a little out of his range/knowledge and he referred me to an endo for further testing of the pituitary to rule out any other deficiencies. I've always thought I had primary adrenal fatigue, but now I am starting to wonder if it is my pituitary instead. I did a saliva test 2-3 years ago which showed a low morning number (6) and a low 4PM level. Noon was at the bottom of the "normal" range. Night time number was good.
I found the results to my saliva test! I will post old and new results when I do the next saliva test.
I saved this chart.
i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/danab1984/cortisolchart.jpg
What do you all think? Can you think of any other blood tests I should have done before seeing the endo?
I have insurance so as long as they are covered, money shouldn't be an issue. I found an endo in the area that specializes in pituitary disorders, but I'm not optimistic he will help. From what I've read endos are usually a waste of time, but I don't know where else to go for the ACTH stim test.
I am sorry this is quite long, I just wanted to give as much info as possible!
Thanks in advance!
Dana