November 23, 2025
Adrenal abdominal pain, Adrenal 1 Comment
Newly diagnosed upon incidental finding on CT related to abd pain. Just want these adrenals out, but I fear the recovery.
I don’t know which is worse…Cushings or Addison’s??
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November 22, 2025
Adrenal, Adrenal Surgery, Golden Oldies, Other Diagnosis, Thyroid, Treatments Adrenal, cortisol, CT scan, goiter, kidney stone, nodule, thyroid Leave a comment
My name is Teri and I was dignosed with cushings about a year ago though I believe I have had it a long time.
I went to the emergency room for a kidney stone and the did a c-scan and found a large mass on my right adrenal gland and later found out there is another one on my left. I had my adrenal gland removed the first of November.
I am also about to have my thyroid removed due to several nodules and a large goiter! Cortisol levels are still high!!!
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November 20, 2025
Adrenal, Adrenal Surgery, In Memory, Treatments Adrenal, BLA, cushing's syndrome, In Memory, surgery 1 Comment
A small, somber crowd of family members and Temple Terrace police officers gathered on Saturday, October 05, 2013, at Riverside Park in Temple Terrace, Fla. Marking seven months since Temple Terrace Police Detective Christopher “Migs” Migliore succumbed to a life-debilitating illness –Cushing’s Syndrome– family, friends, and police colleagues congregated to commemorate Detective Migliore’s life.
“Migs”, as he was widely known, now has three bricks cobbled into the groundwork at the Angel of Hope statue in the park, his name beveled into each. The Angel of Hope concept is based on honoring sons and daughters who have perished, with commemorations from surviving parents and loved ones.
A uniformed contingent of police officers –Migs’ colleagues from the Temple Terrace Police Department– stood in honor of their fallen comrade.
Temple Terrace Deputy Police Chief Bernie Seeley was in attendance and one of many to place a rose upon the outstretched hands of the Angel of Hope statue.
A semi-circular phalanx of Temple Terrace police officers stood attentively listening to the eulogy-based speeches orated by surviving parents and friends.
As the patronage stood amidst other family members whose loved ones have passed, each understood the silence, the pain, the loss of precious life…and the aura of carrying on the memory of those lost too soon.
At age 31, Migs fought gallantly his battle with Cushing’s Syndrome. Diagnosed in late 2012, Migs endured a surgical operation in February 2013 to excise both his adrenal glands. The objective was to combat the effects of Cushing’s Syndrome.
During the operation, complications arose, extending his hospital stay; Migs was discharged from Tampa General Hospital a few weeks later and returned to his parents’ home first.
Days later, Migs returned to his home in Hillsborough County where he passed away.
Remembered not only for his perpetual, bold and radiant smile, but more finitely for his humanitarian traits. Quiet and reserved in nature, Migs lived life in service to others in his own special way, extending grace and humility to those with whom he interacted. Non-judgmental. Serene and calm, just like Riverside Park.
As a police detective, building his cases was an iconoclastic component of his investigative prowess. The elusive clues and tiny details he knew existed gnawed at him…until he pieced all the parts together and effected arrests.
Migs’ parents, Mari and Louie, in remembrance of their wonderful son’s life, decided to have bricks specially made. Each of three bricks has “Christopher Migliore” and an endearing message etched within.
Migs’ parents, Mari and Louie Migliore, endeavored to maintain their son’s legacy not only as a stellar cop but also as a loving son and fine human being. In his honor, the Migliore’s had bricks designed and etched with the words “Cop Angel” in each. “He is watching over and protecting us from Heaven now, as a Cop Angel,” said Mari Migliore of her son.
“He was the greatest son” intimated Migs’ father, Louie Migliore.
Migs’ sister, Michelle Tovar, said “Even though he was five years younger than me he always protected me.”
Some of the bricks were petitioned by his other family members. Now, the triad of bricks is eternally fitted into the grounds at the Angel of Hope statue and place of remembrance.
After speeches were orated to the crowd, and as each congregant placed a rose at the feet or in the outstretched hands of the Angel of Hope statue, it became official: Another memory created by Migs was born…and his legacy eternally carries on.
The Angel of Hope is an enclave in Riverside Park which was opened in 2009. With the property donated by the City of Temple Terrace, a new place for family, residents, and visitors was created. A contemporary playground sits in the center of the park, providing an acute angle for all parents/guardians to observe the children.
The Hillsborough River laps up against the southern part of the park, and a huge swing set overlooks the waterway and its abundance of wildlife. Hence, Riverside Park was coined appropriately as the park’s namesake.
Before Riverside Park was even a thought or blueprinted on paper it was a solitary tract of land, thickly-bearded with brush, with a makeshift dirt road leading to/from a cul-de-sac. Before its groundbreaking and upon that cul-de-sac often sat Detective Migliore, when he was a street cop working duty on midnight shift.
It was upon these grounds that Migliore sat in a fully-marked Temple Terrace police cruiser as he wrote his police reports.
The irony is not small: No one could have predicted that those same natural grounds would some day be developed into a picturesque riverfront city park, with a cobbling of bricks attesting to Detective Christopher “Migs” Migliore as a “Cop Angel” among the Angel of Hope memorial site.
November 19, 2025
Adrenal, Adrenal Surgery, News Items, Success Stories, Treatments Adrenal, adrenal gland, Blood test, cortisol, cushing's syndrome, gastric bypass surgery, kidney, plastic surgery, pregnancy, skin, surgery, tired, tumor, weak, weight, Weight loss Leave a comment
A woman who weighed 32 stone has told how her excessive weight was due to a hidden tumour.
Naomi Benton baffled doctors for over a decade as she continued to pile on the pounds despite following an 800 calorie-a-day diet and undergoing gastric bypass surgery.
The 34-year-old from Haddington, East Lothian, pleaded with doctors for help after she ballooned from a healthy 10 stone at age 20 to more than 32 stone.
Naomi Benton baffled doctors for over a decade as she continued to pile on the pounds despite following an 800 calorie-a-day diet and undergoing gastric bypass surgery
The mother-of-two failed to drop any weight after her bypass surgery in 2008 and medical staff assumed her huge frame was due to secret snacking.
But when she was hospitalised after a bad fall the following year and her weight continued to balloon, she underwent tests which revealed the hidden deadly mass.
Further blood tests showed she was suffering from Cushing’s syndrome – a collection of symptoms that develop in the body due to high levels of a hormone called cortisol.
The tumour, which had developed on her adrenal gland located on top of the kidneys, had grown to the size of an orange and Ms Benton underwent an eight-hour emergency operation.
Ms Benton, who now weighs 14 stone, needs plastic surgery to remove four stone of excess skin.
She said: ‘I was always fit and healthy but when I hit 20 I started to dramatically put on weight.
The 34-year-old from Haddington, East Lothian, pleaded with doctors for help after she ballooned from a healthy 10 stone (pictured) at age 20 to over 32 stone
When she was hospitalised after a bad fall and her weight continued to balloon, she underwent tests which revealed a tumour on her adrenal gland. She is pictured in hospital after having the tumour removed
‘Just after my first pregnancy I managed to put on over five stone despite not changing my diet and just couldn’t drop the weight.
‘I went to the doctors numerous times about the dramatic gain but no-one believed that my weight wasn’t just down to a very unhealthy diet.
‘It was so frustrating, no-one was listening to me when I told them I wasn’t stuffing my face.
‘I was sent to see a dietitian who helped monitor my 800-calorie-a-day diet. Every day I was weak and tired, but still hadn’t lost any weight.
Ms Benton lost weight quickly after her tumour was removed and now weighs 14 stone. She needs plastic surgery to remove four stone of excess skin (left). She is pictured (right) before her weight loss
‘Even my friends and family were convinced I was eating in secret and complete strangers would tell me I needed to go on a diet.
‘Finally I signed up for a gastric bypass but after the op still didn’t lose anywhere near the kind of weight that was expected.
‘The breakthrough came after I was laid up in hospital for eight months after breaking both arms and legs in a nasty fall.
‘A junior doctor stopped by and asked if he could take run some new tests which finally showed what was wrong.
Ms Benton said: ‘Now I’m just glad the tumour was discovered, as I’d hate to think what would have happened if it had gone on for longer’
‘The tests revealed I had Cushing’s syndrome and a large tumour on my right side.’
Just weeks after having emergency surgery, the weight began to fall off her.
Ms Benton said: ‘Now I’m just glad it was discovered, as I’d hate to think what would have happened if it had gone on for longer.’
She has now shrunk down to a dress size 16 and but hopes to reach a size 12 and weigh 10 stone.
She added: ‘I’m a work in progress and I’m taking it in baby steps. I can’t wait to look and feel like my old self again.’
Cushing’s syndrome is a collection of symptoms that develop due to very high levels of a hormone called cortisol.
The symptoms include weight gain, thinning skin, stretch marks and decreased interested in sex.
The condition often develops as a side effect of treatments for inflammation and autoimmune conditions.
It can also develop as a result of a tumour inside one of the body’s glands.
The main treatment is to stop taking the medication that is causing it or to remove the tumour.
If these options are not available, medication can be used to counter the effects of high cortisol levels.
If left untreated, it can cause high blood pressure which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
It affects about one in 50,000 people.
Source: NHS Choices
November 17, 2025
Adrenal, BlogTalkRadio, Ectopic, Interview, News Items, Pituitary, Pituitary Surgery, Recurrence, Treatments Adrenal, BlogTalkRadio, bruise, ectopic, hair loss, interview, media, pituitary, pregnant, Stretch marks 4 Comments
From http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2004/032004/03092004/1287556
Cushing’s didn’t rob woman of her fertility
Photo by Scott Neville / The Free Lance-Star
Jayne Kerns holds her 5-year-old daughter, Catherine, and 2-month-old son, Brian, at their home in Spotsylvania. Kerns, who was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease two years ago, became pregnant despite her illness, which usually makes women infertile.
By MARCIA ARMSTRONG
The Free Lance-Star
DATE PUBLISHED: 3/9/2004
THERE WAS A moment in 1999 when Jayne Kerns just knew that something was wrong with her body.
The Spotsylvania County resident was tired and irritable. Her muscles hurt. Her hair was falling out.
The silvery stretch marks acquired while pregnant with her daughter Catherine turned into angry, purple streaks. Kerns wasn’t losing the pregnancy weight, either. In fact, the pounds were still piling on.
“I was walking every day, eating right, doing the ‘Best Odds’ diet,” said Kerns, 40. “But, it wasn’t helping. I just didn’t feel right.”
One doctor said Kerns’ complaints were not unusual for a postpartum body. When another told her to exercise more and eat less, she kept a diary of the fat, carbohydrate and caloric content of everything she ate and began walking a mile three times a day.
But, a year later, Kerns was even heavier and her health was getting worse.
The slightest bumps caused her skin to bruise. Hair began to grow on her face and arms. Her eyesight was plagued by double vision, tunnel vision and spots. She had trouble concentrating and was beset with short-term memory loss. Her blood pressure skyrocketed to stroke level. Her menses stopped.
Doctors tested for lupus, diabetes and fibromyalgia, but the results were negative. One physician gave up on a diagnosis, telling Kerns he didn’t have time to listen to her roster of complaints. He referred her to a psychiatrist for a prescription for antidepressants. Another told her to see a nutritionist.
By then, Kerns’ muscles hurt so badly it was hard for her to hold Catherine or let her climb onto her lap. She couldn’t get down on the floor to play blocks with her daughter or push her on the swing set. Bedtime became a struggle.
“I’d go upstairs and she’d run downstairs, and there was no way I could grab her and carry her back up,” Kerns said.
Kerns’ appearance took on that of a much older woman, even though she was only in her mid-30s. She had a hump in her back. Her thinning hair was turning gray. People who didn’t know her thought she was Catherine’s grandmother.
Then, in May 2000, a physician’s assistant told Kerns her symptoms matched those of Cushing’s disease, a hormonal disorder caused by the overproduction of cortisol, the “fight or flight” hormone needed in times of stress.
The diagnosis was a long shot, as the disease is rare, affecting only 10 to 15 people out of 1 million each year, according to the National Institutes of Health.
But, tests revealed that Kerns’ cortisol levels were 25 times higher than normal.
The physician’s assistant was right. Kerns had Cushing’s.
A tumor on Kerns’ pituitary gland was causing her adrenal glands to produce the overabundance of cortisol, but the mass was so small doctors couldn’t find it.
Kerns had four options.
Doctors could remove her pituitary, taking the obscure tumor with it. Or, they could zap the gland with gamma-knife radiation. The third choice was to put Kerns on medication that would lessen cortisol production. And last, she could have her adrenal glands removed.
With any of the choices, she was unlikely to ever have another baby.
“Usually, people who have Cushing’s are infertile because the disease alters the normal endocrine milieu of the body and interferes with ovulation,” said Dr. Fay Redwine, a perinatologist with Richmond-based Central Virginia Perinatal Associates.
In fact, it is so rare for a woman with Cushing’s disease to get pregnant that Redwine said she expects to see only two or three such cases during her medical career.
Kerns took the cortisol-suppressing medication until it began to destroy her liver. Then, she had her adrenal glands removed.
Immediately after the surgery, Kerns’ eyesight cleared. Her blood pressure dropped to normal levels. And, three months after the operation, something else changed, too.
Kerns became pregnant.
“That was a surprise, a big surprise,” she said. “I was happy to know that I was still fertile.”
The pregnancy lasted only 10 weeks before ending in miscarriage. But, 15 months later, Kerns was pregnant again.
“The first thing I felt was total elation, then total fear of losing the baby,” she said.
Her anxiety was warranted, Redwine said, because the fetus of a mother with Cushing’s is at much greater risk of intrauterine fetal death and pre-term birth.
But, it was during this pregnancy that Kerns began to feel almost normal again.
Her muscles quit aching. Her moods leveled out.
“My body somehow said, ‘We’re going to have this baby, so we have to be healthy,'” she said.
Kerns’ obstetrician, Dr. William Hamilton, increased the dosage of Kerns’ hydrocortisone pills to cover the stress pregnancy put on her body. Redwine monitored the baby’s growth and movements.
And, on Dec. 15, 2003, Brian Matthew Kerns was born, full-term and healthy.
“He is our miracle baby,” Kerns said.
Cushing’s has taken a permanent toll on Kerns’ life.
The purple stretch marks will never go away. Weight will always be a problem.
Kerns must have a magnetic resonance imaging scan every six months as doctors keep looking for her pituitary tumor.
Kerns regrets that she was so sick when Catherine was an infant and toddler that she couldn’t devote herself to mothering. And, it’s hard for Kerns to keep from crying when Catherine, now 4, doesn’t recognize her in the pre-surgery pictures in the family photo albums.
Even so, life is still very, very good.
Kerns spends her days cuddling her son and playing with her daughter. She’s getting stronger. She feels much better.
She’s thankful that the only effect the disease had on her relationship with her husband, Robin, was to make it stronger.
“Some men can’t handle it,” Kerns said. “I’ve read stories online about women who are getting a diagnosis and a divorce. But, Robin stood by me through everything: the surgery, doctor’s appointments, all the questions.
“He has kissed my stretch marks and said ‘No matter what happens, you are still a beautiful person.'”
But, for all it’s taken from Kerns, Cushing’s has given her something back: the courage to speak out.
She recently contacted Gov. Mark Warner’s office to enlist his support of a national day for Cushing’s awareness.
And last September, she approached a woman in the grocery store who she thought looked like a mirror image of herself: the same moon face, the same upper-body obesity, the same hairy arms.
“Excuse me,” she said to the woman. “I have to tell you my story.”
“I was a little taken aback,” said Laura Zastrow, who lives in Locust Grove. “I’d never heard of Cushing’s.”
Zastrow, 34, told Kerns she’d been looking for a diagnosis for her weight gain, mood swings and stretch marks for four years.
Kerns referred Zastrow to an Internet Cushing’s support group that features a lengthy list of Cushing’s symptoms.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Zastrow said. “It was like me, all the symptoms, everything.”
Tests showed that Zastrow has a tumor on her pituitary. But, unlike Kerns’ tumor, doctors know exactly where it is. She will have it removed this spring.
Zastrow calls Kerns her guardian angel.
“If she hadn’t said anything,” Zastrow said, “I’d still be wondering what in the world is wrong with me.”
For more information about Cushing’s disease, visit the Web site cushings-help.com.
To reach MARCIA ARMSTRONG: 540/374-5000, ext. 5697 marciaa@freelancestar.com
JAYNE KERNS IS A MEMBER OF THE CUSHING’S HELP AND SUPPORT MESSAGE BOARDS.
Jayne has seen several potential Cushies and spoken to them. Many have contacted their doctors and turned out to have Cushing’s Syndrome. She was also instrumental in setting up the first Cushing’s Awareness Day and continues to provide Cushing’s Awareness tables at local health fairs.
One of the patients Jayne urged to check out Cushing’s is Laura Zastrow. In the article about Laura, all the credit is given to Jayne.
Jayne answered questions in an online Voice Chat January 31, 2008 at 6:30 PM eastern. Archives are available.
Jayne and Robin also hosted a Special Cushing’s Awareness Day live chat April 8, 2008. Archives are available.
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November 16, 2025
Adrenal, Adrenal Surgery, Golden Oldies, Other Diagnosis, PCOS, Treatments ACTH, Adrenal, anxiety, cortisol, depression, Golden Oldie, hydrocortisone, laparoscopic, Moon face, MRI, PCOS, pituitary, Polycystic ovary syndrome, steroids, stress, surgery, sweat, tumor 2 Comments
Hi my name is Liz and I underwent a laparoscopic adrenalectomy 5/9/12 to remove my 3cm tumor that was releasing high doses of cortisol causing cushings syndrome for what I believe has been about 3-5 years now.
I was diagnosed with PCOS about 5 years ago so everytime I went to a Dr. complaining of my symptoms they blamed it on the PCOS and stress and sent me home. I knew there was something else wrong, the symptoms didn’t add up, my face would get SO red it was embarassing, I would sweat through my clothes 2-3 times a day, my face became puffy, I would gain weight despite healthy eating and working out like crazy, I was anxious, depressed, I never slept, it didn’t add up.
Luckily I am a physician assistant and remembered learning about cushings briefly in school. I read that most tumors were in the pituitary gland so a year ago I convinced my Dr to let me get an MRI of my brain to look for this ‘tumor’ that I was sure was there. Well the MRI came back negative and I was ironically disappointed! I was so sure I had cushings but maybe I was just crazy? The symptoms continued to get worse and I just knew that I had cushings even though everyone told me I didnt because I was still petite and didnt ‘fit the picture’.
I had a colleague write a script for me to check my cortisol level and it was a whopping 56. I immediately called my endocrinologist and got more testing done that week. My ACTH level came back undetectable and I got an MRI of my adrenal gland done and suprise! There was my tumor. I am getting married in August and I am so happy that I got this miserable tumor out now so I can restart my life as a normal person. No one understands unless they have cushings the severity of the disease and how much it can change and effect your life.
I hope that people become more aware of the disease so it is no longer misdiagnosed and brushed off like mine was for so long. I am so frustrated with my Doctors and with myself for being so ignorant, I feel like I wasted a good portion of the best years of my life suffering with this tumor and I hope people read this and realize there is hope! Just 10 days out of surgery I feel like a whole new/better person. I am on oral hydrocortisone now until my pituitary and other adrenal gland wake back up and start producing cortisol on their own but even with the steroids I feel great, a lot of my symptoms have started to resolve since I am at a lower dose of steroids and I can’t wait to start tapering down and be completely off of them hopefully by my wedding.
I am so happy that I was proactive and never gave up looking for my tumor and I cant wait to restart my life 🙂
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November 15, 2025
Adrenal, Adrenal Surgery, Golden Oldies, Treatments adrenal gland, laparoscopic 1 Comment
Only recently diagnosed after several medical issues.
I had to do my own research and had someone non-medically related suggest that I might have cushings. I was in denial and then after having two others suggest it, I asked to be tested.
The result is that I have Cushings of the adrenal gland, I will be having laproscopic surgery on the 15th of November (2010) and have no idea what to expect.
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November 14, 2025
Adrenal, Adrenal Surgery, Treatments Acanthosis Nigricans, ACTH, Adrenal, anxiety, cortisol, CT scan, daughter, DEXA scan, hair loss, hump, laparoscopic, memory loss, menstruation, Weight gain 1 Comment
My daughter had hair loss since age of 15
At 16 she had a hump at the back of her neck
Age 17 had anxiety, negative thoughts and memory loss.
Weight gain, acanthosis and menstrual irregularities.
I had shown her to many dermatologists for hair loss. At 16 had shown her to 2 endocrinologists
At 17 to psychiatry, gynaecologist and 2 more endocrinologists finally arriving at diagnosis after cortisol and ACTH tests followed by dexa suppression and CT abdomen.
She was operated laparoscopically and is now 7 mths postop.
She is off steroid supplementation and is improving steadily.
I WISH THERE WAS MORE AWARENESS ABOUT THIS DISEASE !!
My daughter has suffered a lot and I pray she recovers completely 🏼
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November 7, 2025
Adrenal Adrenal, cushing's syndrome, gland, tumor Leave a comment
I have recently been diagnosed with cushings syndrome and awaiting removal of gland and tumour
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