Hi folks,
I am new to this forum and would and decided to post my health issues in hope of getting some help. For the last 5-7 years if not longer, I have had deteriorating health. My blood tests are all normal or within normal range. My doctor says that I need to exercise, but that's difficult to do so when one has no energy. I am 56 years old, 5'-9" tall, weigh 175 pounds, do not drink, smoke or do drugs. I eat healthy but do occasionally have a burger, fried chicken or a cupcake. I take supplements daily, some of which are vitamin C, A, B Complex, E, D-3, magnesium, digestive enzymes, probiotics, omega 3's, drink purified water, rarely a soda, some lemonade or limeade sweetened with stevia. I do drink decaf coffee, but limit the amount. I avoid caffeine except what is in cocoa, which I occasionally put in my almond milk. I rarely eat white flour; if I have flour it is usually whole wheat or corn tortillas once in a while. I have tried meditation and I am planning on doing some yoga. I limit my stress as much as possible and always try to get things done ahead of time so to reduce stress during my work week. Over 15 years ago I was under a lot of stress which really wore me down. I was in a bad marriage, was working in a job I hated, and I was dealing with my daughter's health issues which lead to her needing open heart surgery. I eventually got a divorce, changed jobs after working in a job I hated for 20 years, if you can believe that.
I read a lot of literature on health and from what I read it appears that I may have adrenal fatigue. The books I read recommended the Diurnal Cortisol (4X) Saliva test, which I had done. My morning and noon cortisol levels were within the normal range, but my afternoon cortisol levels were high and my night cortisol level is borderline high. I also had my doctor run a test on my blood cortisol levels for morning only and it was within normal range very similar to what saliva tests demonstrated. My testosterone level is also very low, my DHEAS level is in the normal range but slightly high for my age group. My vitamin D level is 58, up from 23 a few years ago. My thyroid levels are within range, but if you compare them to my levels three and 5 years ago, the are closer to the lower range. I have a very slow recovery from any type of physical activity. I usually get a headache after a physical activity. Even a 10 minute walk gives me a headache. When I bend down to pick up something, I often get dizzy or feel faint. I don't have much trouble falling asleep except occasionally. I usually wake up at 4 am, probably 90 percent of the time, almost like clockwork. This week I started taking rhodiola 2-3 times in the morning and I started waking up 2 hours after going to bed. I will fall back asleep and then wake up a couple of hours later. Last night I went to bed at 10PM (my normal bed time) and work up at 12, 2, 4 and 6am. Before I took the rhodiola I would sleep at least 5-6 hours on average before waking up. I also had a sleep study completed this month and I have a mild sleep apnea. I recently researched Phoshatidylserine and I am thinking about taking some. According to Julia Ross who wrote the book "The Mood Cure" this supplement may keep me from waking up during the night. At this point I am willing to try almost anything.
Anyone who has some recommendations on what might help my situation please feel free to do so. I appreciate anyone's comments that have some experience or knowledge in what I am experiencing. Thank you and God Bless. Eddie
PS: I also have a lot of inflammation in my joints, eyes, skin, etc.
