Hi all, your insights would be appreciated. Especially on whether my situation matches any known profile, what treatment it may suggest and what the prognosis might be.

Pardon the length, but it's been a long story...

It seems that I started to suffer with chronic stress in the late 80s when in my late 30s in a stressful job, but it also seems likely that foetal programming (highly premature birth, minimal birth weight, old and stressed mother etc), and a stresssful upbringing plus maybe some other factors (accidents and surgeries) have left me prone to problems in this regard.

By the early 90s and after a serious road accident I had full blown chronic fatigue, my blood pressure was starting to rise and grinding fatigue and Depression meant i was unable to work.

By a few years later i'd figured from the symptoms that i had thyroid and auto immune problems (not that i could get a doctor to take any notice), and started to meditate and work seriously with diet and supplements. Which partially reversed the situation and got me working again. But at a much lower level of activity than before - my stamina was gone.

Medicine as is typical ignored the symptoms, and based on dodgy stock blood tests kept on telling me that my thryoid and other stuff was 'normal'.

The situation slid out of control from the late 90s. Chronic fatigue, repeated serious and chronic infections, tinnitus related to BP changes, sinus surgery, back trouble and surgery, heavy duty hypothyroidism, gut problems, auto immune illness, steadily worsening hypertension.

I ended up in hospital with dangerousy high blood pressure in 2005 at which time (surprise - not!!) a hugely enlarged thyroid was found containing a cancer.

A supposedly comprehensive endocrine work up ruled out the extreme conditions recognised by mainstream medicine - although it did show a tendency to high cortisol and high 24 hr catecholamines. A pheochromocytoma was suspected for some time. I had many of the symptoms of Cushings (very high cortisol) around that time.

Post thyroidectomy a lot of work was required while in very bad shape to find a replacement regime that worked, and to persuade an endo to trial it.

T3 proved to be the answer (i don't convert T4 very well), the replacement is pretty highly optimised now, and with continuing meditation, stress avoidance and careful diet my health has improved lot except for continuing poor stamina, some fatigue, gluten and food additive sensitivities, gut problems (bloating/nausea etc.) and ongoing unstable hypertension. (taking 4 meds and still not reliably under control.

I've ended up in hospital a few times since with dangerously high (240/180 and the like) blood pressure as a result of trying to work fairly normally. It steadily rises as I get tired, and seems to massively over react to what are not major stress issues.

No answers from the docs though - they just fiddle with the pills, and when the BP settles a bit send me home.

Recently reading about the symptoms of adrenal fatigue/chronically high cortisol proved an 'ah ha' moment - lots of matching symptoms. It's become pretty clear that my issues have for the past 20+ years or so been underpinned by high cortisol levels and chronic stress.

A saliva test showed elevated cortisol from mid morning and worsening as the day and evening progress, but also high normal/just above range DHEA. (it looks like my adrenals while given to hair trigger responses to stress have benefited from the supplementation and other work done)

The signs are that my system may otherwise be in fairly good shape - a bit of heart enlargement, but no sign of degenerative cardiovascular or kidney problems. That the blood press issue is almost entirely hormonal - it responds mostly to beta blockers. Trouble is the beta blockers produce fatigue/hypothyroid like symptoms too once the dose is high enough to work.

Removal of tooth fillings and mercury chelation therapy helped a bit a few years ago too, but not that much.

The Clymer Health/ Dr. Poesnecker manual has been hugely helpful.

Starting Seriphos two weeks ago and working up to about 5 daily (still taking the BP meds) has brought my blood pressure under control (probably by reducing my cortisol levels), and has produced a wonderful feeling of calm and stability not felt for many years. My gut function has normalised. It with a little melatonin before bed has greatly improved my sleeping which was very shallow, with major problems getting going in the morning.

The million $ question though is whether there is a likelihood that the re- programming effects associated with Seriphos might kick in to restore natural control of the high blood pressure - it still gets triggered very easily by stress and/or the wrong foods. Plus it'd help so much to be able to phase out some of the BP meds. (the Nebilet beta blocker is the key to getting control, the rest just add a little - but it really messes with my energy levels)

Can anybody describe a typical progression and stuff to watch out for when working with Seriphos in this sort of situation?

Does re-programming of the adrenal response/HPA axis really happen, and if so how long does it take? Is there anything else that can be done to help this process?

What's a safe max dose for Seriphos, are there side effects, and for how long can the stuff be taken?

How should it be handled in conjunction with the BP meds? It'd be great to get off the beta blocker.

What's unclear is how big a role the other short term acting adrenal hormones (norepinephrine and the like) might pay in my BP issues, and whether or not Seriphos helps with them.

Does my general profile ring bells for anybody?

A final curve ball. It seems following an accident and spleeectomy years ago that i have spleenunculi (small re-growths of spleen) - it caused a major kidney cancer scare back in 2005. So far as i know they grew no where that's likely to cause problems (i had lots of fancy scans etc then) , but it strikes me that if it turned out to be on an adrenal gland that it could produce uncontrolled releases of hormone?

Pardon the length.

Thank you

ian