I had the phone appt with my doctor last night.  I was so stressed I had an almost migraine and took 2 and 1/2 vicodin (Had to give a speech at lunch - extra stress) then took a valium at midnight after two hours of trying to get to sleep.  I'm in a manic phase but the whole doctor thing absolutely freaks me out.  It disrupts my nice steady denial routine. THE GOOD:All my cholesterols are good (total is 170) except I have high triglycerides (dunno what that means).  Iron is good. I’m not anemic, white and red blood counts are good.  Insulin is low – he says that’s good (?) The BAD (but fixable):My thyroid medicine isn’t working well.  He did three extra tests (including something called a reverse T3 which was 260 instead of a normal 100) and I will be taking new thyroid meds by tomorrow.  This is a good thing since the thyroid enables cholesterol to turn into Pregnenolone, which turns into progesterone/cortisol/ DHEA (which then turns into aldosterone, testosterone and estradiol. I am low on all of those.My ImmunoglobulinG1 is very low “Free” Cortisol is 0.1 should be 1.5 (he said “ten times too low”)Pregnenolone is 50 should be between 130 – 250My Progesterone he says is “practically nonexistent” (I copied symptoms from a website below).  Correcting this one issue could create a miracle.  We shall see.  It seems like a “sanity” hormone to me.  I could use some sanity.  This low level of progesterone may also be the cause of my lifelong infertility and the uterine fibroids I decided to leave alone. I have a high level of arsenic but he’s not worried.  Oooookay.  I’ll just get some old lace to go with it.  I have no idea where you pick up arsenic but I’m guessing some of my ex-boyfriends may have doctored my tea. New Pills (added to current pills Effexor XR, Lamictal, Valtrex, and four ”vitamin/enzyme/amino acid/God know what else” pills and powders): New thyroid medication replaces old oneNew Pills to increase :                Progesterone                Aldosterone                Estradiol                Pregnenalone                Cortisol (doubled from before a special slow release compound the pharmacist makes from scratch)                Aldosterone                DHEA                We agreed I will not take testosterone…who needs it?  He asked me  “Is low libido a problem?”  I told him “Actually, low libido is more like a blessing.”  The bump in DHEA should help that one anyway. There is a new antiviral that is even more effective than the $1200 a month Valtrex, and surprise surprise, is even more expensive…once I hit my deductible I’ll get it.  It is called Valcyte.  I want it a lot.  I’ve researched it and one case of a bipolar CFIDS patient yielded dramatic improvements (the guy said for the first time in his life he sort of enjoyed mowing the lawn!) and he could lower his lithium dose. The next diagnostic tests (thirty more vials of blood) will be focused on infections and viruses.  We know I have some form of herpes – but apparently there are six.  He thinks I have Epstein Barr (a form of herpes virus).  We shall see what else lurks in my system sucking off energy.  I will get those results on August 21st. So….in a couple of months I could be well enough to do two things a day instead of just one.  And in a year, who knows.  Annette Simmonswww.groupprocessconsulting.com318-861-9220  Symptoms of Low Progesterone: Accelerated aging Allergy symptoms such as; asthma, hives, rashes, sinus congestion Arthritis Anxiety, nervousness and irrational fear (commonly accepted, but unnecessary PMS symptoms) Autoimmune disorders such as; Lupus erythematosis, thyroiditis and possibly Sjogren's disease Back-ache – particularly pre-menstrual back ache (commonly accepted, but unnecessary PMS symptoms) Bloating (commonly accepted, but unnecessary PMS symptoms) Blood clots during menstruation (commonly accepted, but unnecessary PMS symptoms) Breast cancer Breast tenderness (commonly accepted, but unnecessary PMS symptoms) Brittle nails Brown spots on the back of the hands Cervical dysplasia Cold hands and feet as a symptom of thyroid dysfunction Copper excess Constipation Cracked heels Cramps (commonly accepted, but unnecessary PMS symptoms) Cravings, binges and eating disorders (commonly accepted, but unnecessary PMS symptoms) Cystitis Dark rings under the eyes Decreased sex drive Depression, anxiety or agitation (commonly accepted, but unnecessary PMS symptoms) Dry eyes Early onset of menstruation Endometrial (uterine) cancer Fat gain, especially around the abdomen, hips, and thighs (commonly accepted, but unnecessary PMS symptoms) Fatigue Fibrocystic breasts Fibromyalgia Foggy thinking (commonly accepted, but unnecessary PMS symptoms) Gallbladder disease Hair loss Headaches Hot flushes and night sweats Hypoglycemia Increased blood clotting (increasing risk of strokes) Infertility Irregular menstrual periods Irritability (commonly accepted, but unnecessary PMS symptoms) Insomnia Low blood sugar Magnesium deficiency Memory loss Migraines Miscarriages Mood swings (commonly accepted, but unnecessary PMS symptoms) Osteoporosis Panic attacks PMS Polycystic ovaries Post-natal depression Pre-menopausal bone loss Prostate cancer Sluggish metabolism Thyroid dysfunction mimicking hypothyroidism Uterine cancer Uterine fibroids Vaginal dryness Varicose veins Weight gain Water retention