So a quick update re the adrenal situation. It appears that my adrenals are perfectly fine as the docs initially suspected and it is probably scar tissue from my hypothalamic clot that is causing all this mayhem. I haven't yet started dhea or cortisol, though I've been taking b vitamins.

My mood has seriously taken a hit and I find myself teetering on the edge of, what feels like, mild depression which is most unusual for me. I do wonder if that's related to the cortisol/dhea situation. My progesterone levels have also crashed, so maybe it's linked to that...! Anyhow seeing doc this afternoon but just wanted to update...

Hope this finds everyone well.

Ziggy

This seems contradictory; progesterone is one of the adrenal homones.
http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks.../steroids.html
(Props to mrsD for providing this link recently elsewhere - saved me some scrounging )

Mild mood/depression could be - literally - just about anything, and if you're just teetering on the edge of it at that, I guess I wouldn't be too concerned until/less its affecting your functioning.

Doc

Hey there and thanks for the reply!

What I meant by saying that my adrenals are perfectly fine is that they're not causing this even though it looks like they are. The cortisol curve that was done pointed to a pituitary issue rather than an adrenal cause and the acth confirmed that. The adrenals are also not atrophic on MRI and that plus the melatonin issues etc point away from an adrenal cause. The doc yesterday said that scar tissue in the brain is a sneaky thing and can cause such problems up to 10 years following an injury... I hope that makes a little more sense?

Oh you're right about the mood crash, it's just my moods are generally fairly stable and on the Polyanna side so this is unusual. I'm not concerned about it, more mildly annoyed and wondering if it could be linked!

Thanks for the link btw. I shall investigate!

Ziggy

Most progesterone in females of reproductive age (Ziggy shows female in her profile)
comes from the luteal phase of the ovary after ovulation.

If she has hypothalamic/pituitary damage, then the luteinizing hormone may not be secreted from the brain to help with ovulation and in creating the progesterone from the ovary. Progesterone at this stage prepares the uterus for implantation of any embryo that might be present.

Here is a link explaining this:
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=...q2dJ8Q96l0wK2g

I see this topic has opened up some interesting discussions. One thing that helps with adrenal fatigue is to combine fat, protein and complex carbohydrates (like whole grains) at every meal and snack.