I recently completed a clinical trial at NIH because of an adrenal nodule. I also have hyperplasia of both adrenals.
Turns out I have primary hyperaldosteronism (which had previously been diagnosed) as well as elevated cortisol. I was told I don’t have Cushings but could develop it. Yet I do have unbelievably excessive sweating and have just begun to develop what I assume to be a buffalo hump–a lump at the top of my spine between my shoulders that is hard to the touch and painful.
My ability to handle stress is nearly nil; I sleep upward of twelve hours and more a day and yet get exhausted doing the littlest things. I’ve lost a lot of weight over the past two years because of nearly daily diarrhea–which I now believe may be caused by a deteriorating liver as I also have Heptatis C–and yet I have a fatty paunch which is beginning to show stretch marks I didn’t know I had.
My skin heals poorly and bruises very easily. I have splotchy skin, i..e, dark patches and totally pigment-less patches on my face. I was told my hypothalamus produces too much CRH which, in turn, triggers the ACTH to produce too much cortisol.
With two, possibly three, chronic conditions, I am beginning to worry about returning to work after my medical leave of absence ends this January.
I was on the pheochromocytoma support board until my diagnosis, and I know how helpful it was to have a group to turn to. I’m glad to see this one looks like a similarly supportive and informative group.
I’ve been gaining weight for about 3 1/2 yrs since having my thyroid removed due to a 25 yr old nodule that was calcified. My thyroid levels have always been good, before and after removal. There were A typical cells in the nodule, that’s why they advised removing the thyroid.
As I gain weight and have lumps of inflammation now over all of my body, all I have been told is to eat less and exercise more. Even though I have told my drs that I barely eat at all.
I have been through the cardiologist, rheumatologist, ent, gastroenterologist, pulmonologist, 2 gen practice drs and finally now an endocrinologist.
I still have the same symptoms; weight gain, headaches, abdominal distention, inflammation in ribs, feeling of breathlessness, buffalo hump, heart palpitations, acne, worsened vision, poor memory, insect bites take weeks to heal, teeth have moved leaving large gap, no armpit hair but facial hair instead, etc…
I have been waiting to see this endo for so long and she switches my levothyroxine (generic synthroid) to name brand synthroid plus gave me a paper to have many labs done. Day 4 of the synthroid, I woke up with hives. I took benadryl and it helped. Day 5 again hives but also feet swelled very bad. So I went back to the generic and those issues are gone.
Now i have to wait 2 months to have labs done and see endo again. I’m so upset and depressed. I feel like just doing the labs now and get a copy so that atleast I might have an answer. Waiting is frustrating. I keep telling these Dr’s that I’m not looking for something to be wrong with me, there is something wrong with me.
Whether it is adrenal/ pituitary or something else entirely, I don’t know. I feel like I am begging them to find out. All of my appointments with the specialists have been, come back in 2 months. WTH. This is very frustrating. I just want an answer. I will update if I ever get one. Best to all of you.
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!!!
After 2.5 yrs of testing, I was diagnosed with Cushing’s (which was un-diagnosed for over 20 yrs). My Pituitary Tumor was removed on 10/20/11.
My surgeon has recommended Radiation/Gamma Knife treatment which will be discussed at my post srgery checkup 1/10/12. I also have noduals on both my adrenals.
Other symptoms: obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, muscle weakness, sleep apnea, fatigue and depression.
Susan submitted a second version of her bio.
My testing -> diagnosis -> surgery journey took 2.5 years. I have always had a weight problem. All my Doctors ever asked if I was interested in a liquid diet, liposuction, gastro bypass or go to Weight Watchers, and eat less. But when I reached 375 lbs I knew something had to be done. Things were way out of control. I could no longer handle this by myself, I needed HELP.
I had seen comercials on TV which talked about excess Cortisol leading to excess belly fat . So, I asked my Primary Care Doctor if she could test my Cortisol level. She just laughed and said I would have to go to an Endocrinologist (Endo). She did not even provide a referral. Through my insurance company I found an Endo. On 7/3/09, my first appointment with the Endo, she agreed to test me but felt I just had a fatty liver.
When the test results came back, they showing excess Cortisol. This started a series of saliva, blood test, 24 hr urine, MRI, and CAT Scan tests. Then I was referred to another Endo Dr Findling in WI (I live in IL) for another opinion and the IPSS test.. (Dr Findling said I looked like I had Cushings for over 10 yrs.) This was followed by Ostrascam and PET Scan. Armed with the diagnosis of Cushing’s Disease we were off to get a surgeon. The first doctor I seen in IL was a bust. Then I was referred to Dr Oldfield in VA, who performed my surgery on 10/20/11.
Now in recovery, I still get weak, tired and sleep a lot. I have been using a walker and cane to get around. Interesting to see that other Cushings also have problems with mobility, aches and pains. I hope this gets better. I have follow-up appointment 12/21/11 and 1/11/12 with the Endo and surgeon. I am off my High Blood Pressure and 2 of the 3 Diabetes meds. I have lost 30 lbs in the 7 wks since surgery. I can;t wait, 1 more wk before I can start swimming again.
Hello. My name is Sharon. Im 42 years old from Saskatchewan, Canada. I’ve been lurking on this site for about 3 weeks now, and finally decided to add my story. I appologize now if I get carried away, but here goes.
As a youngster, I was always a healthy kid, seldom sick. Always active, very athletic. Sports were my life. But I did always have very heavy periods, and painful ones, right from day 1. Doctor said it was Mother Nature, and was told to live with it.
Got married, had 2 children. In between the 2, I had to have my gallbladder removed, unfortunatly it was an unsuccessful surjury. I still get attacks till this day. A hernia operation, 3 months later, a hysterectomy. (due to endemetriosis) a year later, the removal of one of my ovaries. I must admit I never felt right after the hysterectomy, but chalked it up to being in early menopause.
Then a year ago, my husband had to rush me to the ER. My heart was palpatating so fast I could feel it in my ears. A second visit to the ER for more of the same. The Doctor on that visit seemed annoyed, and said, get your thyroid checked. I thought, why not. I’d been suffering from freezing cold hands and feet anyways. Tests came back normal, and after a holter test, they told me my heart had an electrical problem. I was put on pills to regulate it.
At this time, the weight gain started to elevate. Being thin my whole life, I was startled by this. I’ve always eaten healthy. We are not an eat out type of family, I prefer to cook at home. But I decided to become more strict with what I ate. I always walked for excercise, now I added a half hour of core workouts and a half hour of abdominal workouts, 6 days a week. Plus my daughter, who was a health coach at Herbal Majic, put me on a plan.(minus the herbs, just the menu) Weight loss after 2 months was zero. She said, Mom, this plan works, why is it not working for you? Good question.
Im also into alternative methods to maintaining health as well. I purchased a chi machine and far infrared hothouse. While it has helped with my constipation issues and seems to have kept the gallbladder attacks away, it had done nothing to help aid in weight loss. (my friends and family however, have all lost weight in it)
Then more puzzling symptoms appeared. Always covered in bruises, major hair loss. Feeling very tired. And it showed in my face, because I have countless people who tell me I look tired. Yellow eyes from time to time. (could be from the gallbladder issues) This went on for a year . And in that year, I gained 25 lbs, 5 of that was literally overnight. .
Then 2 months ago, my heart medication stopped working. The palpitations are back, as well as a very low heart rate at times. And a shift from freezing cold hands and feet, to not being able to tolerate being hot. Noticed facial hair, my normally straight hair if full of waves and curls. Wake up drenched in sweat (chalked that up to menopause too) While I have maintained my weight at 142 lbs (115-120 lbs is my norm) my belly continues to grow. If it wasn’t for the hysterectomy, I’d swear I was 6 months pregnant. Then I developed a burning pain in my right shoulder. The pain is always there, makes it hard to use my arm at times. Some days its severe, at times during the day, the pain is tolerable. I thought maybe I dislocated something excercising. After a bath I decided to have a look in the mirror, and discovered a hump on my back I never knew I had. I think the hump and shoulder pain are related. I lay on a far infrared heating pad for the pain and it helps. Pain medication does nothing for it.
But not only is my belly growing larger, I noticed my face and neck growing larger as well. And my once smooth skin has turned rough, and red. Acne breakouts that leave scars and even a couple of skin tags on my face. This is all new to me. After careful examination of my neck, I realized I had a few lumps on the right side, and a fatty pad under my right collarbone. And when I press on that fatty pad, I feel the pain in my shoulder. Im exhausted most days now, from the pain, and not sleeping through the night for the past 2 months. I get up 2 to 3 times a night to pee. The other day I noticed that my pee had a really foul odor.(sorry for the TMI) But it never burns.
Well, the final straw was a rash that appeared on my back. Even though I had a Doctors appointment in a week, I decided to go to the ER as the rash had me freaked out. I made the mistake of telling the nurse I thought I might have cushings. (had been reading the patient bios. It all seemed to add up) She smirked, and took me to another room. The Doctor came in and in a condecending tone, asked me,”what does google have to say about cushings” I should have told him that I leaned more from actual patients who had been diagnosed than I did from google. But we ran through my symptoms. He assured me he thought I didn’t have it. It was probably all menopause. He asked to see my drivers license and told me he thought I looked no different. I asked him if he could feel the lumps in my neck, he said no. (at this point I knew I was wasting my time)
He asked if I had used a heating pad, I lied and told him No.(Because he ticked me off) That may have been my saving grace. He called in another Doctor to have a look at this rash and neither one could figure it out, so he ordered alot of blood work. (odd though, i’d been using this same heating pad for years, and never developed a rash until now) They took blood sugar (a little high) urine, shoulder x ray. I was told to follow up with my Doctor. A week later my Doctor informs me that my blood sugar in the ER that day was very high. And a large amount of sugar in my urine. He never said a word to me about my urine that day. She told me that one of the blood tests that came back showed abnormal for lupus.
Although she feels I am neither diabetic, or have lupus, it lets her know that there is something definatly not right. But the affirmation I got was from my Doctor who took one look at me and told me I did in fact look different. She could see the lumps without actually touching them. I guess Im not crazy after all.
She set me up with a specialist who told me flat out that he did not think I have cushings, because he sees the worst of the worst. I then showed him a picture of what I normally look like, and took a pause. Well, he’s looking into plenty of things, he has included cushings after all. And assured me if the tests come back normal, we will retest, and retest. Im also scheduled to have a thyoid ultasound in April. I feel like there is now hope that we might find an answer to all of this.
I went from being a shy person, to someone who is outspoken. I felt I needed to be, because I wasn’t being heard. Im angry at being dismissed over the years, and to the Doctor in the ER, i know i must have bruised his ego by telling him what I felt was wrong with me. Although I have alot of things wrong with me, there was nothing wrong with my hearing that day, when I over heard the Doctor and Nurse making fun of me.
I feel for each and everyone of you who’s stories I have read the past 3 weeks, who have had to endure way worse hardships than myself. I read how often you are mistreated by Doctors, and the horrible situations that you have gone through.
It breaks my heart. But each of those stories have given me the courage to fight for myself and for that, I can’t thank you enough, for being so open in sharing your lives with us.
God Bless You All!
Update May 18, 2012
Since my last post, there has been some developements, I’ve had a thyroid ultrasound and cat scan on my neck. They discovered 3 thyroid nodules the size of a pea. My Internist says that it does not explain my symptoms. An incidental finding was arthritis and disc degeneration in my neck. I am also newly diagnosed as active hypoglycemic.
Another 8 lb weight gain in 2 weeks. During those 2 weeks I lost my appetite and got the flu twice in 1 week. I barely ate enough to stay alive in those 2 weeks and still gained weight. My Internist told me he is at a loss. The swelling in my neck is now on my left side as well, and a chunk of thigh muscle in my left leg has all but disappeared. I ended up spending Mother’s Day in the ER. I woke up that morning with a burning pain in my chest and was so dizzy I couldn’t walk a straight line. Stayed dizzy for the next 5 hours. The heart checked out fine. The ER Doctor listened to my history and wished me luck, he had no idea either. I have had 3 Doctors tell me that if it is cushings, “do you know how hard that is to diagnose?” Meaning it’s to hard for them to figure it out, so they won’t bother. My Internist who tested me for cushings took a blood test, and told me that the 24 hour urine test, is old school. We don’t test for it that way anymore. Just a blood test. Of course mine came back normal. All my tests seem to be coming back normal, however I decided to document my findings as NO ONE believes me, except my Primary Doctor. But she knows nothing about cushings, she just sees the physical changes in me. I video taped the yellowing of my eyes, took pictures of my expanding belly, the hump on my back, the loss of muscle in my leg. And these strange muscle twitches that are happening throughout my body. The only thing my Doctor can do for me is to refer me to an Endo, which she is now doing.
My husband grows increasingly frustrated, and has told me that, you’ll be dead before they find out what’s wrong with you. I feel the same way. Knowing my Birth Mother died when she was 49 years old from a massive heart attack, but had the same physical symptoms as me, is scary. I am almost too tired to fight anymore but my Husband and kids keep me going. It’s been a battle, and I am far from winning yet. Will keep you posted.
Jordy is a British man who has been dealing with Cushing’s and many surgeries.
He finds rollercoasters boring, barely broke a sweat zip-wiring off the Tyne bridge and even a parachute jump did not raise his heart rate.
Just a few years ago even the thought of daredevil exploits would have terrified him, but now Jordy Cernik is frightened of nothing.
While that might sound an ideal scenario, the 38-year-old’s new-found bravery is actually the unexpected side-effect of surgery for a rare condition.
Cushing’s Syndrome resulted in the dad-of-two having an operation to remove the gland which produces adrenalin, the hormone which makes us feel scared.
He says: “I would never have had the guts to do any of this, but now nothing fazes me. I’m up for anything – I’m even thinking about doing a wing-walk on a plane too.
“I nearly did a bungee jump a few years ago, but I just couldn’t do it.
“Now I just take whatever is thrown at me and if a challenge helps me raise money for charity, the more daring the better.”
Over the past four months he has completed the parachute jump and zip-wired from the top of Newcastle’s Tyne Bridge and now he is getting ready to complete the last of a trio of challenges – next month’s Bupa Great North Run.
“The doctors didn’t tell me this could be one of the side-effects of the operation,” says Jordy. “But then the condition is so rare I don’t think they know everything about Cushing’s yet.
“Doing the skydive was the ultimate test. I thought that if I was ever going to get scared again then that would be the moment.
“But as we took off in the plane I felt nothing, and when I edged towards the door to jump I felt nothing, and even when I leapt out and pulled my parachute, I didn’t feel scared at all.
“It can be quite frustrating as well though.
“The first time I realised I had changed was when I went on the rides at a theme park with my kids and I just didn’t feel a thing. I just sat there, bored.”
However, the last of his hat-trick of challenges, the Run, will require him to push through the ever-present pain which he has endured for years as a result of Cushing’s.
Britain’s biggest mass participation event, for which The Daily Mirror is a media partner, takes place over a 13.1 mile course from Newcastle to South Shields.
But the syndrome has left Jordy, from Jarrow, near Newcastle, with arthritis, back problems and brittle bones. Worse still, the absence of adrenalin means he now lacks one of the body’s natural painkillers.
“I’m always in pain,” he says. “I’ve just had to learn to zone it out day-to-day and I’m going to have to do that even more when I’m on the run.”
Cushing’s affects around one in 50,000 people in Britain.
It causes a malfunction of the adrenal and pituitary glands which means increased amounts of corticosteroids are produced – often leading to massive, irregular weight gain.
In just three years 5ft 8in Jordy ballooned from 11st 5lb to almost 17st.
While his limbs remained slim, the former Territorial Army recruit saw the pounds pile around the major organs in his torso and head.
“I went through years of hell and I can only describe it as living in someone else’s body,” says the part-time radio presenter and events host.
“I developed this big round moon face and really quite large man boobs, which was so embarrassing.
“But there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. I could go to the gym six days a week and still couldn’t lose any of the weight.
“One of the worst things was that people would stare.
“Sometimes they’d take the mickey – often to try and make me feel better, by making light of things – but it would almost always hurt my feelings.
“And my career as a presenter suffered. I tried to play up to the character of being a big, jolly chap but I always felt I was too fat for TV, which is what I would have liked to do a lot more of.”
But it was the effect on his home life with wife Tracy, 43, and daughters Aimee, seven, and four-year-old Eive that for him was far worse.
“I had other really difficult symptoms which included profuse sweating which meant I couldn’t even hold my kids without wrapping them in towels first,” he says.
“Anyone who has children knows how hard that is, not to be able to do normal things. I often used to be in tears.
“Another symptom was extreme grumpiness, so I would find myself suddenly getting really angry and just exploding at them, plus I was always too exhausted to play with them. It was terrible.”
Jordy believes he can trace his symptoms back 15 years although his Cushing’s was only diagnosed in 2005.
He had visited his local surgery with a string of complaints, but by chance saw a different doctor one day and the syndrome was diagnosed.
“I don’t have any ill-feeling about that,” he says, “because the syndrome can be tricky to spot, partly because it is so rare.”
He went on to have both his pituitary and adrenal glands removed but needed a total of seven operations between 2005 and 2010 and not all went smoothly.
During one to remove his pituitary gland, which is inside the skull, the lining of his brain burst due to the stress of repeated surgery.
And while removing a rib to access the adrenal gland in his torso, his lung was punctured.
That wasn’t the end of the complications. He later developed severe meningitis and ended up on a life-support machine.
“But I still consider myself lucky,” he says. “The doctors told me, ‘You died twice really, you shouldn’t even be here’.”
Things have begun to look up in the past few years, however. The Cushing’s is in remission and Jordy has lost four stone.
His life hasn’t returned to normal entirely – he still has to take 30 pills a day, a cocktail of painkillers and hormones, plus drugs to slow the corrosion of his bones.
He has also been diagnosed with another rare condition, sarcoidosis, which creates nodules of irregular cells in the body and can cause serious complications. He’s convinced he has always had it but it has lain dormant until his body was at its most vulnerable.
At present the nodules can only be found on his skin and he’s being monitored to ensure that it doesn’t spread to his internal organs.
Thanks to the surgery, his life has improved enormously since 2010.
In July he had a breast reduction op which not only improved his appearance but also removed the dangerous accumulation of fat around his heart.
Part of this new chapter involves taking part in the Great North Run and raising money for the Cash for Kids appeal run by his local radio station Metro Radio.
The appeal aims to help children and young people in the North East who are disabled or have special needs, or those who suffer from abuse or neglect.
Jordy’s fundraising goal is a relatively modest £1,000, but for him joining the half marathon’s 56,000 participants on September 15 will be as rewarding as hitting his target.
“I really don’t know if I’ll be able to complete the course.” he says. “But I’m looking forward to it and I’m going to give it my best shot.
“Not feeling fear may feel like the power of a superhero, but what I really need for the Great North Run is superhero strength.”
The Bupa Great North Run is Britain’s biggest mass participation event and is organised by Nova International.
It will include world class athletes Mo Farah, Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele – plus 56,000 other runners.
The event is live on BBC One on Sunday 15th September between 9.30am to 13.30
I am a 34 year old woman, not yet diagnosed, but suspect Cushing’s.
When I came across this website, it was like other people writing my life story.
I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 15 years ago, with depression about the same time. Once on thyroxine, I improved.
About 8 years ago, I started gaining weight, especially around the stomach. Then as time passed, other symptoms appeared. The depression was coming back worse than ever, despite increased doses of anti-depressants. I suffered with extreme fatigue, joint and muscle pain, shortness of breath and rapid heart rate.
I had tests for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Latex sensitivity, ECG and echocardigram, stress echocardiogram, chest X-ray, lots of blood tests. The only thing abnormal was low iron. I tried iron supplements, which do not agree with my stomach, so had to abandon.
Since then, I have pretty much struggled with further symptoms, the latest being the red stretch marks, the buffalo hump, fat on my shoulders (makes it hard to carry shoulder bags – they just slip off!), red, hot, puffy face, excess sweating, even in cooler weather, night sweats, pins and needles in arms, cramps in legs, high blood pressure, bruise easily, sores slow to heal – and that’s just the physical symptoms.
I am so depressed and low on self-confidence that hardly go out anymore, don’t have many friends, and had to stop working as nurse, which is the job I love.
I finally got my local doctor to send me to an endocrinologist in March this year. She did an ultrasound of my thyroid (showed a tiny nodule) and ordered a 1mg dex supression test. When the dex test came back negative and I went back to see her, I just cried my eyes out. She referred me to see a psychiatrist, and said she was done with me. The usual – you can’t have Cushing’s, its too rare. No urine tests, nothing.
I called the Pituitary Foundation in my state who are really helpful, and gave me loads of information. The lady mentioned cyclical Cushing’s. But they can’t tell you which doctor who can help you, it is different in Australia because you need to be referred by your local doctor, and they have no idea who can diagnose Cushing’s or what tests to order. So now I have really lost hope of getting a diagnosis, it like fighting everyone all the time, just to be taken seriously.
There are days when I have no fight left in me, and wonder how bad it is going to get, will I get diabetes, heart disease?
Hi I am a 34 year old female who has just been diagnosed with Cushing’s Syndrome. I am married with two children ages 10 and 4. My husband is an active duty Marine and I am a former Marine.
I’ve always been healthy up until now. I had pretty much a yawn worthy medical history and I wish I still did. I guess it started two years ago when I started having to use the bathroom frequently at night. I did go to the doctor and they just told me to quit drinking before bedtime. I chalked it up to having children and maybe just a weak bladder. I wasn’t thinking rare disease.
Then I noticed that I started to gain weight and my close weren’t fitting right at all. I chalked that up to sitting at my desk job all day and not getting enough exercise. I did go to the doctor to have my thyroid tested and it came back normal. So once again I am thinking it is me and I just need to exercise more.
My husband received orders to California and we moved here in July of 2012. By this time my emotions are all over the place, my weight keeps creeping up but I think it is just stress. Determined to get back in shape I start exercising everyday at 630 in the morning. Normally I am not a morning person by any means but since we moved here I find it hard to sleep. I worked out for three months following an exercise regiment but the weight stayed on. My periods started to be further in between and would only last a couple of days, I went to the doctor for that as well. I was told there is “irregular” periods and then there is “irregular” periods and mine were not that bad. I had them test my thyroid again, it was normal.
Once again determined to beat the weight I started walking vigourously and watching my calorie intake. I noticed that I would have tingling in my toes at times and that my calves seemed weak. I thought I pulled a groin muscle but I didn’t let it slow me down I just kept going. My face started to get rounder and puffier, my skin seemed so thin that I could see all of the vessels. I knew something was wrong but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
I started to do my research on the internet and that is when I discovered Cushing’s. But I thought it is so rare I can’t have this. I started going to a Chiropractor for neck pain and when they took my blood pressure they were so alarmed they took it a couple of times to double check.
In March I went back to the doctor and told them to test my cortisol levels. My husband was due to deploy in April so he planned a surprise vacation to Angel’s Camp in Northern California. By this time I can hardly walk because of my pulled groin muscle, but I was determined to have fun with my family.
The second day we were on vacation I could hardly walk so I went to prompt care and had x-rays done. The x-rays did not show anything so they sent me on my way with crutches. By the 4th day of vacay I stayed in bed resting because I really couldn’t walk. I got up to use the restroom and I had the crutches and fell backwards. I ended up fracturing my hip. I had surgery and told the doctors I was currently getting tested for Cushing’s and that my 24 hour urine test came back abnormal.
They had a really hard time keeping my blood pressure under control during my hospital stay. While I was on vacation the endocrinologist office had called me to schedule an appointment but first I had to have another 24 hour urine test and dexamethasone test done before the appointment which was scheduled for April 23. Well upon our arrival back home I was referred to Orthopedics because of my hip.
Ortho took x-rays and it was determined that after the surgery my hip was not aligned right and a second surgery ORIF was needed. It was conveniently scheduled for April 23 (the day I was supposed to see Endo). I had my second hip surgery done and while I was in the hospital they were so concerned with my heart rate and blood pressure they did a CAT Scan for pulmonary embolism.
Well thankfully I did not have a PE but they did discover a nodule on my left adrenal gland. I am having it removed on June 11th and from what I’ve read I am terrified of the aftermath.
Is there any good news out there? I really hope so, I just want to be healthy and enjoy life again!
I have been seeing the endo for the last couple of weeks. Lots of blood tests, saliva test, 24 hour urine test. Thyroid scan, with nodules, thyroid biopsy benign, small goiter,and diagnosed with hashimoto.
Currently type 2 diabetic fairly controlled with Victoza, but very insulin resistance. First blood tests showed high cortisol, high ACTH, second series of blood tests showed normal to high cortisol and still high ACTH. Doctor said possible cushings. Have had extreme fatigue, beard on chin. Muscle and bone pain consistently. Wake up with headache and extreme fatigue.Bone scan diagnosed with osteopenia. Appt. with endo tomorrow to get results of 24 hr. urine test. Salavia test said was normal.
Have problems with sleep, sleep all day off and on, or have days when I cannot go to sleep at all. She said that I had the hump, muffin top, and belly fat, lean arms and legs. Eyes are puffy all the time now. Have problems losing weight even though I eat healthy all the time, and have excluded gluten, sugar, and going to go diary free. Eat lots of vegetables and fruit as well as a little protein. Have not had a mri or cat scan yet. Probably will be next on the list. Will post after my doctor’s appt. tomorrow and update my bio.
I have a lot of symptoms of cushings and she mentioned this with my second doctors visit after the first series of blood test, but wanted to do other tests to make sure.
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