[SmilinEyesMs305]

My doctor suggested today that I get my pituitary and adrenal gland function tested to make sure that there isn't some deficiency due to damage from whiplash from my accident.

Has anyone done this? They are having me do an AM cortisol test, and then FSH, LH, prolactin and testosterone test. (I've already had a thyroid panel that came back normal).

Has anyone done this and found they were deficient? I'm trying not to get my hopes up, as it would be something that could be treated, but I also am not sure whether this is something that is likely or if it's only a small percentage of people who also have problems with this, on top of post concussion/tbi problems.

Anyone know anything about this?

[Mark in Idaho]

Getting hormone levels check can be very beneficial. There is a thread about it. I'll try to find it and post a link.

I could not find the thread but EsthersDoll has good info about it. You may try PMing her or look through her posts.

She linked the studies and background info.

[EsthersDoll]

Hello!

I posted some links in at least two of the stickies at the top of the forum - look towards the end of the useful links and research and useful links threads.

I have read literally hundreds of research articles and layman articles and medical publications about hormone deficiency caused by concussion.

I myself am getting significantly better now that I am receiving HRT (hormone replacement therapy).

You are very lucky that your Dr. is aware of this condition and that you are getting testing. I went to several Dr.'s who had never even heard of this sort of thing happening and eventually paid a specialist out of pocket for the testing.

The testing proved that the concussion I suffered caused my pituitary gland to malfunction and my HMO pays for all the hormones I need. (Which has made all my out of pocket costs well worth it!)

Some of the symptoms you have listed makes me think that you may also suffer from a hormonal imbalance: in particular, the extreme fatigue, dizziness, light sensitivity, brain fog, cognitive impairments and emotional states you are suffering from.

Is your Dr. testing your IGF-1 level? Please ask them to include it in the panel you are getting because it will determine whether you could need growth hormone which has a lot to do with how our bodies metabolize the other hormones we have and so it affects everything including our cognitive functioning. AND experts believe it is typically the first hormone that becomes deficient in cases of post-traumatic hypopituitarism.

The levels that are supposed to indicate further testing in a healthy person are a little different than the ones that someone needs to have to indicate that further testing is needed in a patient with a history of brain injury - and this includes results that indicate whether someone needs treatment too and your Dr. may know that this condition is happening to people but may not be aware of the different details to look for...

Did your thyroid panel include TPO? These are thyroid antibodies. Sometimes an autoimmune disease can be triggered after a car accident, like Hashimoto's Disease. It may be causing symptoms but hasn't thrown your TSH or T4 or T3 into a state of needing treatment yet.

You are more than welcome to PM me with the results of your tests if you would like ... and I can comment further. (If you feel comfy doing that... or you could post them publicly too, if you want and I'll do the same.)

Some experts are beginning to publish that they suspect that ALL cases of PCS are actually hormone imbalances caused by concussions but that most of the cases resolve themselves and that if someone is still having PCS symptoms for over a year after their concussion that they need this kind of testing in order to receive treatment to get better.

Some very legitimate research, like more than one independent study over the course of several years, has indicated that upwards of 30% of all cases of PCS that lasts for over a year is actually a hormone imbalance or deficiency.

I am SIGNIFICANTLY better than I was before I started the HRT. It's like being 2 different people!

You and anyone else is welcome to PM me about any of this stuff.

[SmilinEyesMs305]

I don't think the IGF-1 was ordered, because I don't have to fast for either test. I just have to have the cortisol one at 7am. I am having the testing done Monday morning. I will definitely message you when I have the results!

She said that she's ordering these as a starting point and if things aren't right, she'll refer me to an endocrinologist. So I guess I'll see what comes out of these and then I can ask her to run the IGF one when she calls me with the results of the other two.

It's crazy, even in the last year or so things I had no problem doing, like walking my dog everyday, are becoming more and more exhausting. Nothing has changed that I'm aware of. I walk her everyday, the same distance, to keep my back looser and for her and me to get exercise. Yet as time passes, I feel weaker and weaker after, like my muscles feel weak, like I have no strength left. But my amount of activity hasn't changed. At first I thought it was just weakness from a cold that was lingering, but it's been 4 months now and it's not getting any better.

It's the fatigue like that and the depression, (despite 2 and half years of medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, yoga and meditation), that make this such a hard journey. I'm not getting my hopes up, but if that could improve with HRT, I can't even imagine how much my life would change!

[SmilinEyesMs305]

Esthersdoll- I just sent you a PM with questions about preparing for my tests on Monday morning.

[EsthersDoll]

Yeah, that really sounds like a hormone deficiency to me. Please ask your Dr. for a blood draw to measure your IGF-1 ASAP.

The fatigue and decrease in stamina that are describing can really be caused by a GH deficiency and that's usually the first hormone to "go" if the pituitary gland is malfunctioning...

I saw four different endos (five if you count the diabetes expert I saw too) and only one of them was familiar enough with post-traumatic hypopituitarism enough to be able to order the right tests and then prescribe the right treatments for me. I feel like I owe him my life - he is totally me hero!

I'll happily help find an endo in your area with this kind of expertise if you'd like too.

[pinka16]

Hello SmilinEyesMs305, Can you please update on your hormones tests. Did they find any deficiency. Hope you are feeling better from the treatment.