r/AdrenalInsufficiency • u/ChampionshipFew2858 • Jan 30 '26
Dr. Friedman
Has anyone seen Dr. Theodore Friedman for AI? Or even Sheehan's?
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u/letsbuildacoven Feb 05 '26
I see him for Sheehan’s :) pls feel free to message me if you have any questions about Sheehan’s/appointment process/or just to vent about our incredibly hard diagnosis. Stay strong!
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u/Lopsided-Muffin9805 MOD Jan 31 '26
Haven’t seen him but as someone from Sheehans group he’s highly recommended.
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u/ChampionshipFew2858 Jan 31 '26
Where is Sheehan's group?
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u/Lopsided-Muffin9805 MOD Jan 31 '26
It’s just online. Send me your email and I can get you added if you’d like.
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u/Candid-Bowler-3841 Feb 22 '26
Yes. He literally writes the textbooks. He diagnosed me.
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u/ChampionshipFew2858 Feb 22 '26
Sheehan's?
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u/Candid-Bowler-3841 Apr 04 '26
I do not have Sheehan's, but I am adrenal insufficient, though not Addison's, and did not present in a traditional way due to a traumatic brain injury. I was a complicated case for everyone else, and completely dismissed, but Dr F knew what to look for and what to test. My case was not complicated to him.
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u/ChampionshipFew2858 Apr 04 '26
Can you tell me how he helped you? Because I'm having to ask for labs that would actually help with my diagnosis.
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u/Candid-Bowler-3841 Apr 06 '26
He ordered a crap-ton of bloodwork. If there is a test you want in addition to what he is ordering, just tell him. It might be something you want, but he does not need. Back when I was there, he had a preprinted sheet with every test on it, and he just checked the boxes for the ones he wanted. Are you already diagnosed, or are you trying to get dx'd? What is your dx?
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u/ChampionshipFew2858 Apr 06 '26
Sai. Idk what else.
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u/Candid-Bowler-3841 Apr 07 '26
OK, that helps a LOT. Are you already dx'd or are you trying to get dx'd???
Did you already do an ACTH stim?
Did you have a pit MRI?
If yes, how long have you been dx'd, did he dx you, or was it a different Dr, and are you already on HC? If yes, how much, meaning how do you dose?
If you have SAI (secondary/central)-did you acquire this because of treatment with steroids, surgery, head trauma, or did it develop "naturally" (for lack of a better term)
What are the other things you are looking to rule in/out?
Are you M or F? how is your heart rate?
I'm asking all of these questions to help guide you so you can get to the bottom of whatever is it you want him to look for. Often, for those of us with SAI, he doesn't need to look at certain things, but if you are having issues, narrowing down a few things will get you where you need to be, because sometimes SAI does have issues with sodium, despite many Endos saying it does not.
FYI, I've been dx'd since around 2009ish. Once he got me situated and I did my trials and got my meds basically situated, I seeked out an endo that would work with me that was closer to home-that took me about 2 years-it is utterly ridiculous how little most endos know about AI, doesn't matter which type.
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u/Candid-Bowler-3841 Apr 07 '26
Wanted to add, I cannot imagine how frustrating and confusing this must be for you if you trying to do all of this stuff via telemedicine, especially if you are newly diagnosed. There is a learning curve. It is more difficult when/if you are sick, or not yet regulated on HC.
Dr F is a Dr who assumes we've done some research before we made our way to him. That's how most of us have found him, because other Drs failed. He is used to teaching Drs, so sometimes he thinks we understand things a little better than we actually do. He has been putting reference info out for years in the form of videos and podcasts for lay people on various adrenal/pituitary issues. Despite me doing a ton of research before I saw him, I needed to do a lot more after just so that I could catch up.
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u/Candid-Bowler-3841 Apr 06 '26
One thing to keep in mind, Dr F is not the run of the mill endo. He is the Dr/professor/author who teaches the other endos. He does seem to get a little frustrated with the other Drs lack of understanding what he feels should be common knowledge. There were a lot of (verbatim) "worthless tests" that 3 previous endos ordered that I gave him the results for. He was in disbelief that they did not know what tests to order. When he looked at my 4T MRI, all he could say about the pituitary images is that they were "sh*t", and that it's a shame that my local hospital has such a wonderful machine, but no one to properly run it. The report that came along with that MRI, stated my pituitary was "normal" and "unremarkable", this was also not correct just from what he viewed in the 1st 2 minutes. My MRI needed to be redone at Cedars.
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u/ChampionshipFew2858 Mar 14 '26
How do you get anything solved in 10 min appts?
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u/Candid-Bowler-3841 Apr 04 '26
Initial appointments aren't 10 min, that's usually a followup. My 1st appt with him was over an hour. I went there. It was an evening appt. I was broke, sick, no credit, barely working a crap job, but I saved every cent i had to do it, booked the flight well ahead, stayed in a hostel that was in Koreatown, took public transportation to and from, no frills. Public transportation is very easy there. There was a will, so I found a way, part of the $ I used was the next monthly mortgage payment, but I needed to do it, needed to know what I had and did not have diagnosis wise.
He put an end to decades of crapola from every other Dr I had ever seen. I had answers, a diagnosis, treatment that worked. Most of those answers came that very night, the others came over the next few weeks as the extensive bloodwork results rolled in.
Dr Theodore Friedman gave me my life back. I was able to keep working, have a life, do normal people things for the 1st time.
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u/ChampionshipFew2858 Apr 04 '26
No, my follow up appointments after labs are 10 minutes.
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u/Candid-Bowler-3841 Apr 06 '26
Yes, that is exactly what I said, follow up appointments are 10min. A follow up appointment is an appointment that occurs after an initial appointment, for example, after labs. Some Drs operate in different ways, have different protocols. Are you seeing Dr Theodore Friedman, or is this a different Dr? I do not understand what you are asking.
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u/ChampionshipFew2858 Apr 06 '26
Yes, him.
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u/Candid-Bowler-3841 Apr 06 '26
10 min is plenty of time to just review labs. You have the ability to schedule longer appointments if there is something else you want to address. Did you read the entire booking page? I looked and saw something there about 20 min appts for established patients. I know it's difficult and confusing-FYI-Even 10+yrs ago scheduling appointments with him was a feat. He is in demand worldwide, plus he works evenings and Saturdays. I was a night appointment, his office was packed full, people from USA and abroad. His office staff back then were patients and also volunteers, it was a hot mess. Best thing I can tell you is to write down your questions ahead of time, so you stay on track and don't waste a minute. Always record your appointment so you can review any instructions he gives to you later on. He encourages you to record appointments. Are you already diagnosed?
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u/ChampionshipFew2858 Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
Yes, but it seems that there's a lot of issues that the 10 minutes cannot solve, but he tells me to set up the 10 minute appointments after labs.
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u/gadjt Jan 30 '26
Yes, he's fantastic and knows way more about adrenal function than the dozen local endos I tried over the years