Im currently 24. In 2008 I was diagnosed with PCOS because of my very absent periods, an ovary full of cysts and acne. At that moment the gyno only gave me contraceptive pills.
In 2013 another gyno started giving me also metformin 2x500mg. Also because all these years my cholesterol and triglicerides were always high even though I have been vegan and vegetarian for over 7 years.
In 2010 I fractured one ankle and in 2014 I fractured the other ankle and Ive had multiple surgeries to try to fix that. Ive had continuous weight gain all these years even though I watch my diet and I exercise all the time.
I recently asked my GP to test for cortisol, also because now I’ve been almost a year without any libido. It turned out that my AM cortisol was high, and she repeated it a month later and it came out even higher. Now she referred me to an endocrinologist.
I have the appointment with the endocrinologist in three weeks. Im very nervous about this appointment, and I really just want to figure out what is wrong with my body. Wish me luck 🙂
Hello all
I’ve only just been referred this week to go see an endo so very much at the start of what I think will be a long journey.
I don’t seem to be a typical case of Cushings although I have “the hump” and some slow weight gain which is are the things that have gotten me referred.
Over the past umpteen years I’ve been going to the doctor with all manner of debilitating symptoms (mainly fatigue) and 15 years got diagnosed as B12 deficient and put on injections for it. Then after about 7 years I had to go back as symptoms worsening and was diagnosed as Folic acid deficient. Saw an improvement on taking the tablets but after a year was back to being utterly exhausted, waking at 3/4am every morning, aching everywhere in my body and multiple other symptoms that came and went. After pushing at the docs was diagnosed as low ferritin and put on iron tablets.
Over the next 2 years and ever increasing doses of iron we still couldn’t get my ferritin raised and I had started logging when I felt utterly gubbed and it seemed to be happening anything from immediately after getting my B12 injection to a few weeks after. Because it wasn’t easily definable as related to the injections, doctor didn’t want to make any association but it got to the point where I refused to get any more injections as I couldn’t face the 6 weeks of misery I knew would come after it so he agreed to put me on B12 tablets instead. And low and behold my ferritin started rising and I started feeling better. Luckily I was able to absorb the B12 orally as not everyone can do that. Almost all my symptoms disappeared except the sparse fluctuating periods, some vision problems and my reaction to eating sugar/carb food (Ok, I’ll admit it – biscuits) as I fall asleep at my desk sometimes directly related to what I’ve just eaten.
I believe a lot of what I was experiencing was down to my low ferritin and I’m actually feeling very good just now – but, since my blood has improved I’ve been slowly putting on weight around my middle (I only eat about 1400 calories a day so couldn’t understand it) and I’ve now got hump, and fine blond hair growing on my face. I’m 50 so doc had previously presumed I was just menopausal and that was what had stopped my periods but after 8 months one appeared. I had previously shown my hump to another doctor last year when I was there for back pain but was just told to sit up straighter at my desk. On showing my present doc the hump he said immediately he was going to send me to and endo.
So, I’m not sure what the outcome will be. I don’t seem to be a typical cushi as I don’t have a moon face and my weight gain has only been gradual and I actually feel fine. It was only at my partners insistence that I went to the doc as he kept saying my hump was getting bigger.
Does anyone have any advice on what I need to ask/say when I eventually see my endo?
Thanks
Pauline
ps, sorry, forgot to mention that I was only born with one kidney and also had an ovary removed due to a cyst.
Hello, everyone. Below is information from my introduction at Cushings-Help.
“So, about me…I’ve had various non-specific symptoms since I was a child and various specific diagnoses as an adult … hypothyroid, fibromyalgia, adult ADD (misdiagnosed and treated as bipolar from 2005-2008), chronic atrophic gastritis and chronic duodenitis (diagnosed via biopsy), colon polyps, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, sinus polyps, insomnia alternating with hypersomnia (sometimes I sleep up to 15 hours a day), plus an REM sleep disorder (REM sleep latency 287 min/378.5 total sleep time, REM sleep 37.5 min with 12 upper airway resistance episodes during that time) … and the list goes on. I have multiple vitamin deficiencies too (C, D, zinc and iron) and other abnormal blood levels (low arginine and dopamine, and high folic acid, glutamine, glycine, norepinephrine and ornithine). The levels that made some people suspect Cushing’s (vs. PCOS) were my DHEA and Testosterone. My highest DHEA was 1342, lowest Free T is 0.2.
From a CT scan of my abdomen in August 2011, I know there’s a “probably benign” lesion on my liver, a cyst on my kidney (plus medullary sponge kidney), a 10 mm cyst on my ovary and an umbilical hernia. My PCP considers all of this normal. Also, I’ve had four fractures as an adult (two in 2008 alone, one that required surgery) partly because of poor balance and coordination (frequent trips and falls, dropping things, etc.). I was through an EEG and 24-hour EKG because I fainted and collapsed on the sidewalk outside of my kids’ school at the end of December 2011. Those tests were normal.
…In terms of my physical appearance, I don’t have stretch marks but the shape of my face changes almost daily. It’s been hard for me to piece together a visual timeline since I hate having my picture taken and therefore, steer clear of camera lenses. (NOTE: I did manage to put a timeline together…You can find it here. http://cushings.invisionzone.com/index.php?app=gallery&album=408) How sad is it that I have very few pics with my kids because the person I see in the mirror is a stranger! I don’t even resemble the person I once was…my weight just continues to creep up regardless of how little I eat or how much I exercise. The fatigue has gotten REALLY bad lately and my tolerance for any physical activity is gone. I have regular shortness of breath and my blood pressure and heart rates are all over the place. Just the thought of doing stairs to throw in a load of laundry is overwhelming. And after showering to get ready to go somewhere, the only place I’m ready to go is back to bed. I also have a small buffalo hump and my neck is very thick. 16″ necklaces that used to fit comfortably won’t even close now.”
January 30, 2012
Today I had an initial appt with an endo who ordered the following tests:
Gave blood today to measure:
UR/CS/CBC/FT4/T3RIA/TSH (have confirmed hypothyroid; TSH has been remaining high even on 125 mcg Synthroid)
GONAD #1
Thyroid Antibodies
Vitamin B12/Folate
IGF-1 (have two kids with GHD being treated, third child is being tested; endo suspects IGF-1 may come back low)
IGF-BP3
ACTH
Cortisol
Cardio CRP
DHEA (history of high DHEA … 554, 717, 1342)
Ferritin
Prolactin
Free Testosterone (history of low Free T)
Vitamin D, 25 (have confirmed Vitamin D deficiency, rechecking levels)
Vitamin B1
Vitamin B6
Vitamin C
Tuesday, January 31 having DEXA scan of spine, hips, and right wrist and ankle (have had multiple fractures on right side…cuboid (foot), anterior process (heel), elbow, wrist).
Thursday, February 3 having nerve conduction study because of peripheral neuropathy in hands and feet
Friday, February 4 meeting with opthamalogist for vision testing (peripheral vision is diminished, causing dizziness, balance issues, resulting in falls)
I’m waiting for endo’s order to have an MRI of the pituitary. Endo reviewing report from the CT scan I had in December 2011 after my fainting episode/collapes on the sidewalk outside my kids’ school. The report says nothing except there were not hemmorages, so anticipate order for MRI will be coming soon.
This seems like a lot of tests, but I think the endo wants to determine where to dig deeper. The nurse practitioner asked a lot of questions that led me to believe she may have been suspecting Cushing’s and/or growth hormone deficiency. And they were interested in a timeline I’d put together demonstrating my eight month experience on Ketoconazole, which allowed me to shed weight and caused an improvement of symptoms. (The weight went back up and symptoms flared off Keto as posted above.)
I guess I’m in a waiting pattern now as the endo pulls together the results of all these tests and decides which tests will be next. The only next test that was discussed was GH stim testing, again leading me to believe the endo may think he’ll uncover that issue, especially since I have two kids who are GHD. (My son also has smallish pituitary and chiari malformation and my daughter has a Rathke’s cleft cyst.) I know a lot of the standard Cushing’s tests are missing from the above list, but this is a starting point. I’ve never had such a full endocrine workup, so at least I’ll have a baseline.
I’ll post more about my journey as my test results start coming in.
I’m a 37 year old female that has been going through the Cushing’s diagnosis process for a few months now I just had surgery on Monday and it looks like the mass on my left ovary was the source of elevated acth.
It has been extremely hard to find information or finding  anyone else going through this process and that is why I decided to join.
I’m on Prednisone for a few more weeks and then I will be tested again to see if surgery was successful. In the meantime, I’m trying to find some answers. Â Any response is helpful and I look forward to learning more about this condition.
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