Cushing's Bios

A Golden Oldie

Hi.  My name is Catie.  I am 49. I am asthmatic and have COPD.  I am tired of being sick and no one listening to me and knowing that something is wrong.

I have been pretty sick since November 1999.  I am constantly on steroids of one kind or another because of my lungs being pretty bad.  I have to use steroid inhalers daily and I have an updraft machine that I use daily also.  I had a complete hysterectomy in January 2000.  The doctors all told me that was what the problem was.  I was still sick afterwards.  I started having stomach issues in 2001.  I was vomiting all the time.  My primary doctor of 23 years would not listen to me when I would tell him that something was wrong, that the pain in my stomach was horrible, that I was vomiting bile all of the time.  He told me flat out that couldn’t possibly be true because I wasn’t loosing any weight.

I had a heart attack in 2002 and while in the hospital my heart doctor ordered an endoscope done.  I was then told that I had acute gastritis and GERD along with gallstones.  My gallbladder was removed.  I was still sick most of the time and now on even more medicines to calm down the gastritis.  I was becoming so tired and so weak that my heart doctored ordered a sleep study in 2003.  I am now using a CPAP.  It has helped my sleep and the GERD, but I still felt so bad all of the time.

The weight kept piling on, mainly in my stomach, neck, face and shoulders and what is that bulging fat pad between my shoulders?  I just cry when I have to look in a mirror at myself.  I am not a vain person but I used to have such pretty eyes, now my eye lids are red all of the time.  I wear sunglasses whenever I go anywhere and I never wear any low cut blouses because my chest is red all of the time.  I was becoming so depressed about not being able to loose any weight at all no matter what I did and no one really listening to me when I would tell them that something was wrong.  Why was my face so red all of the time?  Why couldn’t I loose any weight, even a pound?  Why am I so tired and weak all of the time?  I have to have my glasses replaced every 6 months because my vision is so distorted.

One doctor gave me antidepressants that almost killed me.  I am so allergic to medicines now that if a doctor gives me a new one I am afraid to take it, especially all of the new and improved medicines.  I basically gave up on going to any doctors because no one would listen to me.  I am constantly getting pneumonia no matter how careful I am and in 2009 things became worse and I found a new doctor.  He ordered a complete blood test and told me that I was diabetic.  I was put on meds to try to control it but nothing worked.

It doesn’t matter if I eat carbs or not, my sugar is uncontrollable, so I was sent to a specialist.  On my first meeting, a month ago, he sat down with my blood test results and told me that I had abnormal liver levels and my AC1 was 14.8.  Yeah, way high, it should be below 5.  Then he said that just by looking at me he was 95% sure that I had Cushings disease and that is probably the reason for all of my sugar problems that are going on.  I was put on insulin immediately and I had to do a 24 hour UT.  I am supposed to go back this week on Thursday 10/21 for the results.

Nothing has been said about the abnormal liver levels that are pretty high, so I don’t know if or when that will be talked about.  Will the UT show what that is all about?  I had never heard of Cushings and started looking it up to see what all it entailed and I found this site.  I have been reading through the posts and it sure sounds like a lot of my complaints.  I know this sounds awful but I really feel like it would be a relief to say, “YES, this is what is wrong with me!”  Does that make sense?  I do not take hormones, there is too much cancer in my family for me to take them.

I have a horrible time with stress issues and I try to avoid any stressful situations but not knowing what is wrong with you is stressful in itself.  I do take 2 high blood pressure meds, blood thinners because I have 3 stents.  I have 2 arteries that are 50% blocked but they won’t do anything until they are 60% or you have another heart attack.  How awful is that?  I was put on a diuretic and potassium and boy they give me leg cramps that are out of this world but it has helped the pitted edema in my legs.  I take 3 stomach meds when I have flare ups but not all of the time.  I do not drink alcohol or smoke.  I can not exercise much because I just don’t have the energy or the air to do much.

I basically am stuck until someone somewhere decides to try to find out what the problem is and doesn’t just pat me on my head and tell me to not worry and here take this pill.  I am so frustrated and tired.  I have a good family support system but even they get tired of hearing that I am not doing well.  I don’t go anywhere or do anything anymore.  I used to do needlepoint, sew time period clothing for rennaissance fairs and oil paint but I can’t see well enough to do it anymore and my hands shake too bad even if I could see to do it.  Boy, talk about a pity party.  Sorry.  I collect Tonner dolls, Barbie, love to read even if I have to use a magnifier over my glasses, take animal pictures, watch movies, cook and I adore cats.

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