Originally Posted by NickNak

I have been suffering from the following symptoms for the last few years and have been referred to an endocrinologist, he wants to run some hormone tests but purely in the interests of getting a second opinion I was wondering what hormones do you think I should have tested considering my symptoms? It’s not that I doubt my endocrinologists abilities in any way but these symptoms have had such a negative effect on my life and I suspect there may be a limit to how much digging my state health care will pay for, so I just want to make sure everything that needs to be looked at is, I just don’t want anything to get missed.

Many thanks


• Significant weight gain on the upper body but my arms and legs have stayed relatively trim, extreme pot belly and puffed out and bloated face. The fat on my body is extremely disproportionately spread. Before I started to experience any of these symptoms I only weighed around 10 and a half stone and was very thin. Within a year or two of first experiencing these symptoms 5-6 years ago I must have put on around 5 stone.

• Memory loss, impaired cognitive abilities, brain fog, confusion, struggle to find words, thinking can be like swimming in treacle at times, everything is hazy and foggy, feel really out of it, although sometimes are worse than others, sometimes it’s like I am in another world. Can’t drive anymore, I wouldn’t feel safe as it feels as if it would be like driving intoxicated. Can’t remember things like what I had for breakfast or my cash card number.

• Sometimes restlessness and irritability, anxiety and depression.

• Sensitivity to noise, I can’t stand load noise, feels like it hurts my brain. Can’t be in places where noise is too loud.

• Sensitivity to movement, this too can also feel like it hurt’s my brain. Can’t go over speed bumps when riding in a vehicle without it feeling like it hurts inside my head a bit.

• Full of excess gas and often having to burp and not been able to control it.

• Need to open bowels frequently; stools are fairly loose, often having diarrhoea.

• Can sweat a lot in the night, often wake up wet and I snore really loud.

• Itchy groin at times.

• Sometimes get boils.

• Nasal congestion, always having to use a decongestion spray.

• Excessive stomach acid, always having to take anti acid tablets several times a day, these days more and more.


Most recent symptoms which have developed in the last 6 months

• Fatigue, can’t stay awake for more than about 5 or 6 hours without having to sleep.


• Can’t go for too long without eating, no more than a few hours, when it kicks in it’s like a drug withdrawal and causes intense stress and irritability, I don’t know where to put myself, it affects my mood severely, it really is very distressing, for some reason I also start producing excess saliva, when I eat it relieves it completely.

• High white blood cell count (according to last blood test).