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imbolcgirl (imbolcgirl), Undiagnosed Bio

March 31, 2017

MaryO Golden Oldies, Undiagnosed , , , , , Leave a comment

 

Originally posted Tuesday, December 23, 2008

I’m a 28 yo woman, and had been overweight growing up (Slavic diet!), but was able to take and keep the weight off with a sensible diet and excerise. I had viral meningitis in 2004 and ever since then, everything has gone south.

I gained 80-odd pounds in 14 months with no change in diet, and now several years later can’t stop gaining weight even on very restrictive diet/exercise regimens. I was tested for PCOS but came up with no cysts, am not currently diabetic but hoping to not become one, and tired, punky, and getting really really desperate. I do hit for most symptoms, excepting a prominent buffalo hump. I have worked in medicine (allied, not a dr or nurse) and am almost afriad to present my question of cushing’s to my dr, but I don’t know what else to do! I gain weight on 1400 calories a day, and exercised myself right into a torn-up A/C joint! I’m just so afraid to even ask for the tests because of “med-student’s disease” or being called a hypochondriac. . . and I do NOT want to have bariatric surgery unless I really really need it!

Currently, I am 130 pounds over my pre-meningitis weight, up all night drinking and running to the bathroom, have a seriously huge belly with lovely skinny ankles and wrists, stretch marks on breasts, belly, and underarms, look at me twice and I bruise, have weird temperature issues – my feet are numb, my hands turn blue, but if I go to bed under even one blanket I wake up soaked in sweat. I have a bit of the lovely “extra” hair, and haven’t been interested in the sensual side of life in months.

Things I do NOT hit for: I’m not quite a diabetic using home testing, close but no cigar, and I consistently have LOW blood pressure, usually. I’m on hormones, otherwise I have very long and heavy girly times, rather then short/light/nonexistent.

I see my doc somewhat suddenly tomorrow (I finally got completely frustrated being told to “just eat less” and decided to just ask for the testing.) This is the middle of nowhere, but my doc is not a bad guy by any stretch – but how do I ask without looking crazy? Can meningitis squoosh your pit enough to cause Cushing’s even? AM I just nuts?

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Stephanie (Stephanie), Pituitary Bio

February 7, 2017

MaryO Hypothyroidism, Other Diagnosis, Pituitary, Pituitary Surgery, Treatments , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

The pituitary gland

3 years ago, 2014, I was 43 and very active, running, doing HIIT workouts, volunteering, making and doing stuff, traveling like a maniac.

Then I started getting cysts that were benign but required surgery. One was endometriosis and ovarian, the second, lumbar. Which resulted in my having chronic, severe numbness and nerve pain in my left leg. I attributed the severe weight gain to not exercising.

Then I went to the emergency room for a abscessed cyst in my neck. An ENT did a follow up MRI and found a cyst on the pituitary gland late 2015, but I had to move to Fairbanks. early 2016.

Finally, I have a team of an Endocrinologist specializing in Cushing’s and a Neurosurgeon at Swedish in Seattle. I have to travel but it’s worth it because I’m being treated for something.

I had the first transphenoidal surgery in Aug 2016 that removed the bulk of the macroadema, but there was still elevated cortisol and they found some cyst left. Just had the second surgery January 2017 and will be going to post-op appointment soon.

I still have symptoms of Cushing’s Disease, don’t know yet if I actually have elevated cortisol, but I left the hospital with no change in cortisol from admittance to discharge. I looked at the scale today and despite watching my eating have gained weight- I have gained 60 lbs in 3 years! I still have the severe, chronic nerve pain so am on meds, go to p/t and a pain management specialist.

Have had hypothyroidism and take steroids. I go through cycles of good days but mostly bad with sleeping and bathroom problems and unhappy thinking.

I rarely leave the house anymore. I look and feel ugly and disabled – I just got a handicapped placard. I want to volunteer, travel, go outside but then when I try, I get sick and can’t. So I’m trying to find ways to be active at home or on my own time schedule. I do fiber arts at home but for my own sanity- it’s not good enough to sell but I have enough stuff to sell! I’m also an introvert with a social phobia, I don’t have any extended family, and I’m new to this area so have not made any friends! So this is the great challenge of my life, where all my roads have led me to, to which my strength and knowledge must apply and conquer.

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Rita (Rita), Steroid-Induced Bio

June 2, 2015

MaryO Steroid-Induced , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Hello to those who are frustrated & suffering!

My real search for a diagnosis began vigilantly just over 2 years ago. I was extremely hot,exhausted,weight gain (unexplained) and not sleeping well and sleeping all the time but extremely fatigued!!! My face became very round and my facial & body skin was a nightmare.

My husband kept saying that he thought it was systemic but I wasn’t sure. And, this sounds so sill but completely true, I was watching an episode of Doc Martin (UK series) where a woman was having trouble and he told her she had Cushings. Well, I had never heard of this disease so I looked it up on the internet and told my husband that’s what I have. Of course, he said that I was being silly.

I had very upset stomach most of the time to I had an endoscopy & colonoscopy where large cysts had developed. I also had burning and nagging pain in my upper thigh area thinking it was my Lymph nodes. Many more cysts were discovered on my ovaries and all the doctors cold focus on were the cysts and telling me that my blood pressure was too high and that I needed to lose weight.

I few months later I noticed small purple striations on my abdomen and just knew I had Cushings. So, I asked my doctor if he could run cortisol test on me and he said no problem. I had also told him at this time that I was using a steroid cream to control my eczema and he said that would not cause not effect me in such a way to cause such problems.

I had beeen to the emergency room, had 4 CT scans, atleast 7 ultrasounds, 2 MRI’s and so many blood tests that I had lost count.

Another doctor had recommended that I see an Oncologist so I saw 2 of them…..still no idea and 2 more visits to the emergency room.

I sent all my files and tests to the best Endocrinologist I could find and still had to wait 6 months for an initial appointment.

During the 6 months of waiting to see my Endocrinologist, my body had taken a severe turn for the worse. I could barely step up onto a curb and would spend 3 weeks straight in a bed.

I was extremely depressed and felt like I was dying!!!

April of 2014 my long awaited appointment to see THE BEST ENDOCRINOLOGIST in the state finally came!!!!! He took one look at me and said you have Cushings without a doubt!!!! he saw all the other files and tests that the other doctors had done and said they all did the same exact tests and have absolutley no idea what they are doing.

This is the best doctor I have ever been to see in my entire life, he spent over 1 hour with my during my first evaluation. (Please know,that he is not even covered by my insurance but I didn’t care……shelled out $510 and it saved my life.)

He would stop asking me questions until he got to the root of what was causing the Cushings. And it was the cream that I was using to control my eczema!!!!!!! Yes, please know that Cobetasol Proprionate will cause Cushings if used on a long term basis.

I had no warnings or instructions from my Dermatologist. He just said use this on your eczema.

Dr. Neil Breit saved my life!!!! He said that I was hands down, the worse case he had ever seen!!! And he said that I would have definitely been dead in 1 or 2years at best.

If you live in the Northeast, please seek out this doctor. He is the best and very passionate & loves his work. He truly cares and brings lots of smiles with his treatment!!!!j

Dr. Breit still spends 1 hour with me on every office there. And I still pay full price but do not mind, because he saved my life!!!

Also, right before my diagnosis, I discovered GERSON THERAPY. Regardless of whatever is wrong or just being healthy, juicing helps me immensely with energy and just feeling better as a whole!!!

Thank you for enduring my long story!!!!! Keep fighting for your diagnosis and don’t stop till you get one!!!

Thank you kindly for reading my story,
Rita in New Jersey

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Shannon, Pituitary Bio

September 22, 2013

MaryO Golden Oldies, PCOS, Pituitary , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

A Golden Oldie

The pituitary gland

The pituitary gland

I’m 31 years old and feel like I’m 80.  I’ve been ill for so many different things over the past couple of years.

In the past year alone I’ve seen 5 doctors who couldn’t tell me the time. They made me feel like I was crazy. Even when I got double vision in my right eye and had to wear an eye patch for 3 months. No one could figure out why.  I still have vision disturbances but after two med packs of steriods the double vision went away.

I came across this web site last week and connected with so many things from other people. I printed off the sheets and took them to a new neurologist I was scheduled to see.  To my amazement he completly agreed with me! He said it was very likely I did have cushings and/or PCOS.

He scheduled an appointment for a Endocrinologist that specializes in this area and I am to see them Tuesday. I will update from then but I want to say I’m grateful for this site because it gave me some hope of an answer. I’ve been so miserable. I felt like my soul was trapped by my body and I didn’t even have the energy to make it better.

If you’re doctor makes you feel crazy, find another one. I know even with insurance it’s expensive but help is imperative.

Here’s a list of my symptoms:

-hump on my neck (have had for a while and thought it was from bad posture!)
-cyctic acne
-hair loss
-hair growth where it should not be
-loss of libido (I’m 31 this is so not right)
-fatigue
-muscle weakness
-back pain
-fat in the middle
-moon face
-horrible stretch marks
-no period for over a year (my last gyno told me I was just lucky)
-vision disturbances
-depression
-anxiety
-hypertension
-extremly low cholesterol
-hard to breathe, like there’s somthing heavy on my chest
-reoccurent kidney stones
-cyst on ovaries
-frequent bathroom visits
-terrible constipation
-swelling of legs and feet
-water rentention

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