Hi all. New member and first post here. I'm desperately seeking your kind advice and guidance.

I have always suffered with fatigue, and for as long as I can remember, my life revolved around how tired I was / how much sleep I got. I've always had an overactive HPA axis, which I'm about to see a physiologist about (early emotional trauma causing overly sensitive HPA activity?). After two years of prolonged increased emotional stress recently, I had to return from my dream life in California back to my parents home in the north of the UK, as my condition deteriorated. After this prolonged period of stress, I noticed a definite thinning in my skin. And following some research I found the link between this and elevated cortisol, and so the journey began.

After 100's of hours of research (I have spoken to authors of research papers on enzyme inhibitors that are said to block the conversion of active cortisol in the skin!), I have concluded that I have AFS, and I am in a catabolic state, with a huge propensity towards collagen loss. My overall weight and muscle mass is reasonably stable, but the collagen loss just will not stop. The worse it gets, the higher my stress, the worse my sleep, the faster and further collagen degrades in order to fuel cortisol production. I'm at the point where my legs and arms are so veiny I can visibly see my pulse, and the veins that wrap around my fingers etc. not to mention how my face has thinned and hollowed so quickly. Being only 31, and still not yet finding my life partner (I had to leave a lady I was besotted with in the US), and seemingly ageing a year a week presently, it is utterly deveststaing, and has sent me into a spiral of anxiety and depression. I had trips to ER. I lost my job, and had to return to the UK.

Anyway, enough of the sob story. 24 HR cortisol tests revealed high cortisol, but salvia testing showed only mild fatigue (though this was before this illness induced a much higher state of prolonged stress). Dextamethasone supression revealed no cushings disease, and is all apparently due to my mental state. Diet and exercise are excellent, and I'm surprised at my continuing level of physical fitness (though I fear this will not last too much longer). Apparently my GP said my liver results were abnormal, and I will find out more tomorrow. I suspect inflammation, caused by excess cortisol (I can feel my joints and nerves continually causing pain). I am at such a point of over excitation, that lieing down and trying to relax is impossible.. My system is now in a chronic state of fight or flight, and I can feel the adrenaline and cortisol ever present, which only worsens my condition. The only restbite I get is from Xanax - obviously a dangerous game. I haven't slept more than 4 hours in months. I got into a cycle of stressing about stressing, and now the fear response is so well established, it's always on.

I do have a new job offer in the U.S., starting in October, so I have 3 months to get my life back on track. The GP tomorrow will undoubtably prescribe an SSRI, but these are a patch with long term negative effects.

Do you have any ideas as to any other pathology that may be causing this? Any tests I should do? I have heard of copper toxicity and several other possibilities.

I am hopeful that given my age and fitness, if I can overcome this, my collagen (and life) will return.

Thank you so much for your time and advice.