Never is what I expect

I had a very productive appointment with my new ND before. And it just kind of proves that things tend to be a bit strange with me. My CBC and chemistry are mostly normal. Just a slight elevation to my WBCs and neutrophils. Not anemic, which is good, even though I feel very anemic sometimes.

My thyroid was normal. TSH 1.38 (0.4-3.60), Free T4 1.5 (0.9-1.7), Free T3 3.5 (2.0-4.4).

My cortisol is pretty elevated and kind of reversed. Its lowest around 6pm and highest around 10pm, when I want to go to sleep. And its very, very elevated above normal for most of the day.

My neurotransmitters are also a bit off. Dopamine is 2 times what it should be, and so is norepinephrine. So, those need to come down.

The plan is for me to stop the adaptogen tinctures I'm on (eleuthero, rhodiola and ashwagandha) and add in 2 supplements to help correct the neurotransmitter issue.

Its just weird, since I would have thought my thyroid and adrenals would be low with the way I feel. But maybe its the neurotransmitters that are causing the fatigue, depression, irritability and anxiety?

And we also have a plan for my cramps of doom, which is nice.

Lyme & Co disrupt the HP Axis, causing a catecholamine dump, and the resulting cytokine cascade causes the cortisol spike. (with to a lesser extent, adrenalin.) This causes adrenal fatigue over time.

With all the different chemistry-modifying meds and supplements common in LymeWorld, dopamine and serotonin reuptake in the synapses is slowed, causing the serum levels to climb. This could also be partially due to sleep disturbance, pain response, and prolonged emotional stress. Not to mention your body trying to remyelinate all those nerves that had previously been demyelinated by Borrelia & Bros.

Remember that your heart and gut both have mini-brains, with thousands of neurons that are secreting and communicating with these neurotransmitters. They are system regulators in their own right, taking precedence over the "head brain" in low-level decision making for you, and also respond to the factors I listed above. 70% of immune regulation is produced by the gut. We take abx or chemically active herbs as antimicrobials, decimating the microbiota which we then feverishly replace with probiotics. So all of your brains get slightly confused and begin a process of mediation, and excess neurotransmitters are secreted.

In other words, sounds like you're healing up nicely!