Hormones tested anyone?
 

Just wondered if anyone here had their hormones tested? I'm beginning to think mine aren't right and my cortisol levels are too high or serotonin too low - or both! My eyes feel sore in the evening but I don't get sleepy or yawn at all, just feel fatigued out when I go to bed. Then have a hard time getting off to sleep, toss and turn. It's not like I feel anxious any more. So, what symptoms did people have if they tested for abnormal hormones?

Many have found getting their hormones tested has helped. It requires a forward thinking endocrinologist or other doctor with expertise with hormones, especially hormone issues for those with brain traumas.

EsthersDoll has posted info about hormones and brain injuries.

I just had my first (and likely only) follow-up with a neurologist who totally wrote off getting my hormones tested, despite me citing a few articles I'd read that suggested that mTBI can affect hormone levels. He said that the pituitary gland is like a finely tuned orchestra, and that messing with one thing sets off the rest.

I certainly get that it's complicated, and even I'm a bit skeptical of a single test being accurate, as hormone levels fluctuate a lot based on all sorts of parameters (at least in other animal species), but I wish he would've been a little more open.

The neuro said the pituitary gland is like a finely tuned orchestra....... Even a finely tuned orchestra needs to check to see if it is in tune. What if that finely tuned orchestra gets out of its fine tune ? He made your point for you.

Yeah, in hindsight I think he was talking about hormone replacement as getting the orchestra all out of whack, but you're right, he did seem to contradict himself. This coming from the same neurologist who told me I'd be 50% better in a month after starting lexapro...

Ive been wanting to ask my neuro about this but keep forgetting everytime I go.

How should I even approach the question. His bedside manner is terrible, and really only wants to talk about movies or books....

If i were you guys either change doctors or now i right a checklist and bring it with me to make sure i ask everything i need to. Its not full proof because i still forget to say things with my bad handwriting but it will help. There are many reasons why hormones can be off. Stress can cause it but i would go for it if you have the money because the worst that can happen is you check that off of the list of possible causes.

Gosh kevbo.

You're paying him and he's talking about movies and books? :wink:

No sadly its who WC chose. After my NPA they gave me a new guy I should see, hoping they let me.

This guys beyond a joke.

Hmm, I'm planning on asking my GP for a hormone test, wish me luck I think I'm going to have to do some arm twisting to get it! I'll have to be referred to an endocrinologist by him to get it done. Makes you wonder how many people just put up with their PCS symptoms because of the intransigence of the healthcare professionals is too much.

Hi All,

I'm returning to NORMAL with Hormone Replacement Therapy after having severe "PCS" that restricted me from functioning to the point that I had trouble speaking, walking or thinking day in and day out for 3+ years.

Please read my posts in the stickies. I definitely think getting all the hormones tested are worthwhile.

I had to fight to get the testing done. My neurologist wasn't familiar with this sort of thing - she told me it was "impossible" when I brought it up with her. After I brought her the articles and she spoke with me treating endo she was completely fascinated by it and tells people that she sometimes learns from her patients and points to me.

Pituitary dysfunction can occur after just one concussion.

You need to wait a full year after the concussion to seek treatment because sometimes it starts working on its own and the treatment could prevent it from doing so ever again. (Except there is one case where a teen's pit started working again after 5 years of treatment!)

I saw 4 different endos before I finally just went to a professor of medicine at UCLA, who's primarily a researcher, and sees patients only one night a week and he was totally familiar with this information - which is considered to be very new in the medical world what that means is that most Dr.'s don't even know about it and bringing them articles didn't help me - it just seemed to frustrate the ignorant Dr.s.

I paid for all the testing and the private Dr. out of pocket, but I am finally working again full time and I am still improving!!

The lab levels that come back might be considered normal unless your endocrinologist who is looking at them are familiar and/or experienced with TBI patients - because the levels could still be in the normal range but indicate that further testing is needed after suffering a TBI. It's basically called stimulation testing.

Sorry I haven't been checking in as much as I'd like, I'm still not 100% and things have been crazy at work...

Much Luck!! :grouphug:

Thanks for the info.

So if I understand it correctly, if you ever start a hormone replacement therapy, you will need to be doing it for the rest of your life, since your pit gland will stop working correctly (or already stopped after a TBI)?

This is on my list of things to check after I get my vestibular system checked out.

Ditto on thanks for the info, and another question. Are there any signs or symptoms that suggest hormone dysfunction that are apparent without getting formally tested?

@Laupala - Most of the symptoms that indicate hormone deficiencies are very similar and some are the same as those of PCS. Very few of the symptoms are completely different than those of PCS and unfortunately they indicate more of a complete than a moderate or severe deficiency so those are the ones that alert Dr.s. It is my layman opinion that almost everyone suffering from PCS for over 6 months and everyone suffering from it for over 12 months needs to have definitive testing to be looked at by a Dr. who has experience with this sort of thing (of which there are few.)