DIAL/Nick, how are you doing? It's been a month or so. Hope you're still able to hang in there.

Regarding the salt recommendations, let me vote for that too. I still have trouble drinking salt water, so I add it to my food (which I never did for 30 years) and take salt tablets with meals. Along the lines of what earlier posters state, the carbs often call me, and when salt calls me as well, I reach for salty corn chips, etc... which take me into that carb cycle. Salting food and taking the salt tablets helps stem those cravings. I am also taking 0.2mg Florinef and that's taken my AM BP way up to a 108/78 average (still too low for a 6'1" 220# male).

My MD (who is an internist and is very helpful but amateur on the adrenals) ordered hair mineral analysis, and I'll have to say it's right on with testing the minerals pertinent to the adrenals, analyzing levels and ratios and making recommendations. Right now she has me on 40mg cortef (25/10/5), 120mg pregnenolone, 0.2mg florinef and a 2 sprays of sublingual DHEA (we started out lower but slowly and carefully increased as indicated by my response or lack thereof). With all that I wear a MedicAlert tag for Adrenal Insufficiency.

My blood sugar does the same as what you're describing, and it is tied to adrenal function. You can hope along with me that once your adrenals are treated and stable your own insulin will work better. Until then, do as everyone else already posted - eliminate those simple carbs and sugars. Have you tried stevia as a sweetener? Some brands leave a bitter aftertaste, others are quite usable.

Thanks Nexis for that tip on how to find a knowledgable endo. I still feel I need the next step in my 15-year decline and search for a doctor who can figure out root cause and stabilize treatment. Of course, one of the top docs listed when I searched was the CEO of a Dallas Endo group and he's the one that wouldn't listen to me, spoke down to me and told me that "nobody is salt deficient," that it's all in my head that I feel better taking salt tabs. But this gives me a lead to find a Dr that might have a clue.

Ralph
PAI/Hashimoto's/Hypoglycemia/SAD/OSA/CD

Hang in there, Dial. It may be overwhelming now, but when you've pulled out of it, you'll look back and see that you were able to take each day at a time. Be sure to relax, restore, refresh without feeling guilty about it. It took me a while to get there, being type A all my life. But when the body won't support that anymore, you've got to let it rejuvenate.

Another easily available test is to check for anti-adrenal antibodies, if you haven't already. If your immune system is attacking your adrenals, that's a quick road to primary.

In the meantime, if you have to wait for all the tests recommended here, don't forget extra salt, especially if you crave it. But careful about taking it on simple carbs (i.e. no potato chips, tortilla chips), or you'll disturb your blood sugar more than you'd like.

I had many, many "gray-outs" per day until my MD added florinef to my regular meds. Now they're pretty rare, about 1 a week. (I call them "gray-outs" because it feels like I'm blacking out, but it doesn't quite drop me. But I gotta hold myself up. It's a weak dizzy, usually not a spinning or vertigo dizzy.) The florinef only took me up about 10 points on my BP and put some unwanted extra weight on my frame, but it's great to leave the gray-outs behind!

Good morning DIAL,
I don't know how far you can get with this, or how fast, without med insurance. Ouch!
1. You've got to get the candida under control. Diet will get you only so far... you'll probably need some anti-fungal(s) too. But as mentioned by others, cut out not only the sugars but also simple carbs, which are converted quickly to sugar. Stick to eggs, peanut butter, simple meats, nuts, etc. Careful with juices too. Eat tart fruits (strawberries, blueberries, granny smith apples), not sweet.
2. If you haven't already, learn more about the hormone cascade that starts with cholesterol, pregnenolone, cortisol, DHEA and many others. What the doctors need to figure out is what you're low on and why... where the process is breaking down and where supplementation makes sense. Is your cholesterol high? normal? low? If it's low (mine was 119 total at one point), your body might not have the raw materials to produce hormones.
3. Get your thyroid results from that doctor... the numbers. Have them mail you a copy with the lab results. "Normal" can mean almost anything. Then read up on how the reference ranges are determined. Keep in mind that adrenals and thyroid are related... not always, but many forum members have issues with both.
4. The cortisol levels you mentioned do seem low (keep in mind... I'm not a Dr, nor are most or all in this group). That alone could really kick you. But I remember when my MD looked at my cortisol levels (saliva test, in my case), she looked at me and said I was in the bottom 5 percentile... that anybody she's seen that low can't get out of bed or get to work. Pushing myself through a 45-workweek, I suddenly went from feeling guilty, lazy and wondering if it's "all in my head" to feeling pretty heroic for pulling off what I was doing. If your naturopath is your main medical consultant at this time, see what kind of supplementation you should do. DHEA makes sense to me, and also something to support your adrenal function would seem in order. Perhaps also pregnenolone, which you can get at a health food store. But be careful here, research it yourself and take expert advice, not just my post!
5. Salt. If you're blacking out and feeling real weak, AND if your BP is low, add extra salt. You may already be craving it. IF you're not craving it, or if your BP is high, do not do this. For me it took florinef (generic = fludrocortisone) to finally lick the blackouts.
6. Do everything you can to get quality sleep. If you're not sleeping well, your body is not able to repair itself.
7. Hot baths! Especially if you're prone to picking up colds or infections, I feel a regular, daily artificial fever is good for a body. Fill the tub at 105F, and you'll end up with about a 102F "fever" for about an hour to kill the bugs. btw - what is your temp, and is it steady or variable? That can help you pinpoint adrenal or thyroid issues. Track with a "metabolic temperature graph." One school of thought says that a low body temp is indicative of thyroid issues, whereas a body temp that bounces up and down is indicative of adrenal issues.
8. Exercise, but gingerly. I've worked back up to a 20 minute walk, but no more yet. I'm 52 and should still be able to run/jog. Even hand-washing my car is too strenuous for me, reducing me to a quivering blob of protoplasm (or so it feels).
9. Make sure you get some sunlight. I get Seasonal Affective Disorder down here in Texas of all places, because when I'm feeling that way, I tend to stay indoors.
10. "Hakuna Matata." De-stress. Do whatever you can to calm the body, reduce the noise, the pounding rhythms, etc.. If you're type A like me, that one's real difficult.