Hi,
I have only recently been diagnosed with Cushing’s syndrome,and it is due to the mediciine i take for asthma.ilast year i kept collapsing in the street and iwas suffering from low blood-pressure and hypoglycemia.
I live in france where this illness is practically unheard of. I am on two different medications to treat my illness but have gained a lot of weight,have a ‘camel’s hump’,edema on my legs and feet as well as having a ‘moon-shaped face”. I am British-American and would love to hear other people’s stories of living with this disease.
I am exhausted all the time,depressed,can’t concentrate on anything…i have trouble leaving the house because i get dizzy and people stare at me and judge me because i am obese.
I came to this website to hear other people’s stories and to feel less alone because Cushing’s syndrome is a nightmare.
I am trying to find help and an answer. I have had urine tests and a suppression test using Dexamethasone. This text was done twice because the first time I still had high cortisol. The second time a larger dose was given and suppression occurred.
Interestingly for a couple of days after the test I felt great. But then I crashed and felt terrible and then levelled out again at my usual fat, sweaty self.
No investigation to my pituitary, no further tests other than a picture of my adrenal gland (which was taken because I was being treated for diverticulitis and issues with my digestive tract.
So here I am. No doctor is willing to take on my case, I still have hyper cortisol levels. But I’ve been told it’s because I’m fat. And
I’ve also been told that high cortisol causes weight issues. So currently I feel like I’m being told I’m fat because I’m fat. How is that helpful?
I have been to the dietician like I was advised. Weight loss occurred but was super super slow.
I have been to CBT cognitive behavioural therapy because that’s apparently something you HAVE to do when diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue.
So here I sit with a Pseudo Cushings and chronic fatigue diagnosis and no help and STILL high cortisol levels.
I did visit an Osteopath, who said he though I had Adrenal Fatigue. And adrenal supplement under his supervision for a few months which helped slightly but I had to stop because it’s dangerous to use for prolonged periods.
But hey, isn’t Having excessive cortisol for a prolonged time even more dangerous ?
I just don’t understand why I have to become an expert in cushings and hypercotisol before any GP doctor will listen to me and help me.
RYAN TYLER MONDS (FONZ) December 29, 1981 – September 4, 2016 Ryan passed away peacefully and is free from illness and pain. Heartbroken by his passing are his mother Anne (Dave); father Ron (Charlene); brother Cody; stepsisters, Emily and Grace (Kyle); and nephew Nathan.
Also mourning his loss are aunts, uncles, cousins, many life-long friends and friends through Cushing’s Disease Awareness.
Respecting Ryan’s wishes, there will be no funeral service. A private family interment will take place at Sunnyside Cemetery.
Donations to Siloam Mission in Ryan’s memory would be greatly appreciated.
Goodbye came too soon. We love you. Miss Me But Let Me Go When I come to the end of the road And the sun has set for me, I want no rites in a gloom-filled room, Why cry for a soul set free? Miss me a little, but not too long, And not with your head bowed low, Remember the love that we once shared, Miss me, but let me go. For this is a journey we all must take, And each must go alone, It’s part of the Master’s plan, A step on the road to home. So when you are lonely and sick at heart, Go to the friends we know, And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds, Miss me – but let me go.
As published in the Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 10, 2016
I’m not sure how long I’ve had Cushing’s. I think it’s been a slow progression for about 20 years.
In April my father passed away and we were on our way to Church for his mass. We got smashed from behind turning into the Church’s driveway, we ended up in an ambulance. At the hospital they did a full body CT scan. (I would have never gotten one if the accident never happened.) They found a growth on my adrenal gland. That started the ball rolling. I believe my father was responsible for helping me discover the problem.
I started looking on the internet about adrenal tumors. It talked about Cushing’s. Each and every symptom they described I had. It explained soooooo much. I thought I was going through early menopause. I was suicidal, and severly depressed, on 2 different medications to help. I chalked everything up to being “fat”. I didn’t go to the doctor because I didn’t want to hear “you just need to lose some weight.”
I went to an endocrinologist, she started me on the first urine test and some blood work. Two weeks later, I went back to get the results. I told her about Cushing’s and that I had all the symptoms. She said the results were abnormal but it could be a number of different things. She wanted to repeat the urine test and said that I SEEMED to be convinced that it was Cushing’s Disease. Needless to say I felt pretty stupid. When the results came back guess what?
After the accident the tumor seemed to have gotten aggravated. I was having a lot more confusion, loss of focus, etc. I chalked it all up to the accident, maybe it was a concussion. Since then it’s become worse. I get frustrated and depressed because I’m experiencing a lot more forgetfulness, and confusion. My depression meds are holding me up but barely. I’m tired all the time. My husband sometimes, I feel, doesn’t believe me and gets frustrated. My kids are always asking me if I’m okay (and usually the answer is no). I don’t want them to grow up remembering how I was always so sick and tired.
My next step is to get the tumor removed. The neurosurgeon is busy and my tumor is not life threatening so I had to wait a long time (couple of weeks) for a consultation. I finally saw him an now I’m waiting for the ENT to get back from vacation to set a date. So, I’m in limbo. Not helping!
My next step is to get the tumor removed. The neurosurgeon is busy and my tumor is not life threatening so I had to wait a long time (couple of weeks) for a consultation. I finally saw him an now I’m waiting for the ENT to get back from vacation to set a date. So, I’m in limbo. Not helping!
After the surgery am I supposed to be “normal?” I’m afraid of “normal.” I don’t know what it’s like to be “normal.” Will I be a different person? Will I no longer be fat? Will I get rid of the hypertension, and diabetes? the redness everyone thinks is sunburn? will I be able to get into a standing position from the floor? I’m very FRIGHTENED of the “normal” that I’m supposed to become.
The surgery, no problem, my dad’s watching over me. I’m convinced he’s responsible for finding the tumor and will help me through.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, although this bio only scratches the surface.
Hello, 47 year old female with two adrenal adenomas. Gaining weight like crazy, feeling tired, can not sleep, pitting edema in legs, bruise easily, pain in side, back, joints….and many other things.
Frustrated….had two 1mg dex suppression test that both came back high levels of cortisol. Had two 24 hour urinary cortisol that came back fine. Now on my 3rd doctor as I keep getting refered out.
Having a 2 mg dex suppression test Monday along with saliva test which I have now read that with adrenal adenoma saliva test may come back negative.
Everything in my life is changing and I am tired of feeling bad along with how long the process is to get a diagnosis.
Any support and information would be greatly appreciated.
First, thank you all for sharing your stories. While I am not thrilled to me joining the group, it is nice not feeling alone in this journey anymore. My thoughts and prayers to all of you who have traveled this path and continue to do so.
My case is rather complex. It seems I have a myriad of problems going on and I am still navigating toward a diagnosis. I am a 41 year old who is 5’5 and last I checked, idling at 184 lbs despite a daily calorie intake of around 1200.
In brief, I have battled weight issues since puberty despite being a relatively healthy eater and involved in sports until I was 16. Other than weight issues I have had a relatively healthy life until I decided to start having kids in 2004 (age 28).
First pregnancy: diagnosed with “borderline” gestational diabetes. Monitored with finger sticks before meals and controlled by diet. Despite healthy eating, I gained over 60lbs with my first pregnancy and gave birth to a nearly 10 lb baby via c-section. My cycles became horrible thereafter.
Second pregnancy: experienced secondary infertility issues (it took us 13 months to conceive). I was diagnosed with low Progesterone and put on a supplement into the beginning of my second trimester. Delivered a healthy baby, nearly 9lbs, via c-section. I gained 35-40lbs with that pregnancy.
About a year or a little less after my second pregnancy (around 2010) I was diagnosed with hypertension after my readings stayed in the 140-150s/80s-mid 90s. I was placed on a hypertension medication but I discontinued it after about 6 months because of the development of a chronic cough (and thinking I could change my lifestyle a bit and the BP issue would follow suit). I was also experiencing pretty bad fluid retention in my feet and ankles but nothing was done about that.
During 2011 to the end of 2014 I lost my health insurance and therefore did not seek any medical care. In 2015 I regained it and changed PCPs to an internist since I was approaching 40 and knew the next phase of life could bring on major health changes. Boy did I plan that right.
Feb 2015 I had a routine workup done with my new doctor. The labs showed elevated triglycerides, a BP of 182/128 (yikes), continued fluid retention (so bad at times I can’t fit into anything other than slide on shoes) and a very low Vitamin D level. My new doctor placed my on a BP med with a diuretic, ordered me to go on the Atkins diet, watch my sodium intake and to take 5000mg of Vitamin D a day. Then follow up in 6 months.
At the 6 month follow up, my triglycerides barely decreased, instead of losing weight on Atkins, I gained 6 lbs and despite the diuretic, I was still having fluid retention (though not consistent). (They did not believe that I had changed my eating habits by the way). I was told I needed to really focus on eating better and I was scheduled for a 3 month follow up and if I didn’t lose weight then we would have to have a more serious talk (I was 172lbs at my first appointment). I missed the 3 month follow up because I am also a caregiver to a chronically ill parent.
Fast forward to March 2016 (late March), I developed an upper respiratory infection. I typically get them every April but this one was very different. The fatigue was debilitating. It hit me like a ton of bricks at the checkout counter of a drug store and it took every single remaining ounce of energy for me to walk to my car, a mere 100′ away. I was diagnosed as having a bad viral bug but………..they also found a new heart murmur and I had informed them about a couple episodes of shortness of breath and waking up with a racing heartbeat (110 beats per minute). They put me on a steroid and had me follow up in a week or so.
April 2016 I followed up and while there, pointed out a palpable mass just above my navel and slightly to the right. I told them about a weird abdominal “catching” type pain I had been experiencing since last Fall and maybe it was adhesions from c-sections or a hernia. And so began the unfolding of many many tests and findings ever since……….
During the journey to figure out the hernia (which was finally picked up by a 2nd surgeon at a teaching hospital) I began experiencing relentless right upper quadrant pain which led to a lot more tests, several specialists (a GI doc, 2 surgeons, 1 OB Nurse Practitioner, 1 OBGYN and my PCP).
Findings:
Gallbladder normal on ultrasound, normal on CT with contrast and normal on MRI but HIDA Scan shows an ejection fraction rate of 18% (Cholecystectomy recommended). The 24/7 pain has subsided but I do have pain daily though oddly enough, it is triggered by not eating as well as eating (and more often by healthy food than fatty ones).
CT with contrast showed bilateral adrenal adenomas. An in phase/outphase MRI was ordered. MRI result: 2.6cm adenoma on right adrenal, 1.7cm adenoma on left adrenal 3 lesions (cystic type) on my liver. (I asked my PCP if I should be concerned about these, He said no “They’re incidentalomas”. I don’t think they have anything to do with what is going on with you.” I told him I had read the Endocrinology Society recommended a workup to see if they are functioning or nonfunctioning and that I was concerned about my weight gain (difficulty losing it over the years), increasingly bad blood pressure and fluid retention issues. He said he would to the 1mg dexamethasone suppression test but to wait to have it done after I had other workups done). I could tell he was only ordering the test to appease me. More on that in a minute.
GI specialist did an endoscopy and colonoscopy: Endo fine, colonoscopy discovered 3 polyps (2 benign, 1 precancerous adenomatous) and a diagnosis of mild diverticulosis
OB visit led to 3 vaginal ultrasounds and the discovery and tracking of a suspicious, large ovarian cyst (turned out to be hemorrhagic) and a thickened endometrium. Endometrial biopsy done – negative for hyperplasia and cancer.
After all of my other testing sessions slowed down, I went in to have the 1mg dexamethasone suppression test done (July). My AM cortisol came back with a result of 5.9 (my PCP is calling this borderline). He ordered the 2 day test per endo protocol…..the AM cortisol came back 7.1 and my ACTH came back undetectable. I sent him a journal from the Endo Society with a bunch of hi-lighting and that I wondered if we needed to check for Aldosterone issues because of the fluid retention. He ordered an Aldosterone/Renin Ratio and 1 other lab test. Thursday will be 2 weeks and I have still not received the results. I do have an appointment to meet with him next week for him to “discuss” all of these findings. I am suspecting at this point, that I have sub-clinical cushings or something of that nature.
I have been delaying my cholecystectomy and hernia repair surgery pending these tests. Now I am concerned that I will be adding at least, a unilateral adrenalectomy to the list, if not bilateral which frankly, scares me quite a bit. I will be requesting a referral to Johns Hopkins or Duke to see an Endocrinologist. I asked my PCP early on when the adrenal adenomas were found if I should be referred to one and he said he didn’t think it was necessary. I am losing quick confidence in my PCP though he is well respected by other patients that I know.
Anyway, thus is my story…….and I know more is to come.
My name is Liz L. I live at the coast in California. I am married with two.
I was diagnosed with cushings in april of 2002. I had trasnsedoytal surgery in august. I lost some weight but not a lot. I thought things were going ok until maybe a year ago.
I started putting on weight. well it continued to go up so I saw my doctor. She told me I had some sort of blood disorder and cushings and I cannot eat carbs because it causes me to gain weight.
I have been seeing my encronologist and she basically has said everything is going pretty good nothing to worry about.
Recent Comments