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Kim, Undiagnosed Bio

November 11, 2013

MaryO Bipolar, Fibromyalgia, Golden Oldies, Hypothyroidism, Other Diagnosis, PCOS, Thyroid, Undiagnosed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

golden-oldie

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.

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Patty L (Answer hungry), Undiagnosed Bio

July 10, 2013

MaryO Hypothyroidism, Undiagnosed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

I’m a 33 year old female.  I have 3 young boys ages 8, 5 & 2.

About 1 year ago I started suffering from chronic fatigue to the point of crying halfway thru my work day not knowing how I was going to make it thru the rest of the day.  I went to my primary physician who stated I might need to have my thryroid rechecked.  I was previously diagnosed with hypothryroid but on a real low dose of Levothryroxine.  He ran some blood work and the test came back normal but with deficiencies in my B-12 & Viamin D.  He suggested I try a multivitamin.  I went out and splurged on the best vitamins I could find but they were of no help.

I returned after experiencing palpitations and dizziness.  I was then diagnosed with Vertigo and given meds that only made me more sleepy so I stoped taking them.  I noticed I was gaining weight even though at this time I was running 3 miles 4X/wk and loging in my meals.

My PCP thought I was suffering from depression because I cried at one of my appointments out of frustration because I just waned to make it thru a day without feeling tiered.  He suggested I take a sleep study test to check for insomnia.  The test came back cleared saying other than fallling asleep faster than usual patients nothing else was wrong.

I was referred to a cardiologist becasue I was also feeling extremely cold  and had a difficult time performing the same tasks I was able to do wihtout any problems months earlier.  I kept insisting I had a lot of the syptoms I had previous to start on meds for my hypothyroidism but because the blood work came back normal they said they could not change my meds.

I read somewhere about secondoray hypothyroidsm and requested a referal to an endocronologists.  My PCP felt there was no reason as everything came back normal but I pleaded until he gave in and authorized my referral.

I went to see my endocronologist for the first time and for some reason after telling her what I was experiencing she told me my issues could range from anemia to Multiple Sclerois but she also wanted to check for something extremely rare…..did not give me a name.  She requested blood work and sent me home with 3 cottong swabs she wanted me to saturate between 11 pm – 12 am, stick them in the fridge and return to their lab as soon as I was done.  I did this and she called me stating the tests came back abnormal and she wanted me to do another tests.  She was very vague about providing me with information other than assuring me that what she was testing me for was extremely rare and it was probably false results.  She told me not too panic and just go about life as usual.

I came home with a 24 hour urine collection container and another round of saliva tests.  I got a call from her nurse stating everything was normal.  I insisted I wanted a f/u visit with the Dr.   At the time of my visit she stated she was happy I had insisted on another appointment because the saliva test came back abnormal, but only on one of the swabs.

This time I came prepared with a list of symptoms and my own depression screening test (I’m a social worker and knew my some of my symptoms were similar to those of people suffering from depression), she took copies but again told me not to worry.  Well the more she told me not to worry the more worried I became and started researching Cushing’s the extrme rare disorder she had been telling me not to worry about.

My husband came across a website called Cushing’s with a Moxie, when I started reading the blog I started to cry I felt like finally someone understood me.  I still don’t have an answer by my Endocronologist but in my head I think I’ve figured it out and as silly as it sounds I’m wishing this is it, finally an answer to my symptoms.

~~~

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Jessica (JessicaAnn), Undiagnosed Bio

May 4, 2013

MaryO Hypothyroidism, Insulin Resistance, PCOS, Undiagnosed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

I’ve been struggling with a lot of health issues for a really long time now, and so far I have been diagnosed with multiple different things only to have the next doctor say the previous one was wrong.  None of them have yet to be able to explain why I am physically in pain over stupidly simple things like doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc.

I recently got tested for Cushing’s because my current doctor thought that might be it, and I was certain I did as well based on how much it sounded like me.  However, my 24 hour urine test came back normal.  So now I’m back to where I started, with no answers and losing hope that I’ll ever find out what’s wrong with me.

 

I have previously been diagnosed with the following:

ADHD – 2005

Insulin Resistence – 2005 (later told that was incorrect)

Depression – 2005 (though it started long before then)

Migraines – 2010 (they started when I was in high school, though, so roughly 2001)

Hypothyroidism – 2010 (I was laster told my thyroid looked fine, though I’m on Synthroid)

PCOS – 2011

Fibrocystic Breasts – 2012 (No tests were done, and I’m fairly certain this is incorrect)

Vitamin D Deficiency – 2012

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency – 2012 (probably caused by spironalactone since it apparently causes that)

 

Both the PCOS and Fibrocystic Breasts diagnoses were made without the presence of cysts, though my ovaries are enlarged.

 

My symptoms have included:

 

Headaches

Migraines

Irregular Periods

Severe Menstrual Cramps

Severe Acne

Oily Skin

Heavy Periods

Fatigue

Difficulty falling asleep (I average about 3 hours per night)

Difficulty staying asleep

Weight Gain (started when I was doing 30 minutes of cardio + 30 minutes of weights every day plus watched everything I ate.  I still to crossfit several times a week and watch what I eat)

Hair Growth (upper lip, stomach, neck, chin)

Nipple Discharge

Skin discoloration (neck, under arms, under breasts, elbows, inner thighs)

High Blood Pressure

Fast Heart Rate

Constant Phlegm in my throat (has been there for years and never gets better/only gets worse when I get the flu)

Hoarse by the end of the day/night

Deepened Voice

Difficulty Concentrating

Forgetful

Large Pink Stretch Marks on waist

Lack of period (started about a year ago)

Back pain from doing simple things (has progressively gotten worse/included my hips, neck, and left shoulder)

Nosebleeds for seemingly no reason (most often in the bath tub/shower, sometimes just happens while driving, walking, doing nothing that should cause them)

Depression

Loss of appetite (I usually force myself to eat light meals at work just in case I end up hungry at some stupid time like 4:00 PM)

Nausea (literally almost every day)

Diarrhea (usually after eating)

Often Stressed Out

Irritability

Buffalo Hump

Round face (I actually have pictures of me when I weighed less than in previous ones, but my face was horrible round in the ones where I weighed less)

 

More than anything, I care about getting the back pain, migraines, and sleep issues fixed because that’s what affects my life the most.  One thing I noticed with the exercise is I’ve been able to build muscle in my legs and arms, but there’s been no change to my stomach, and I have dropped no weight/inches off of any of my body (since I know muscle will add pounds).  I have been to numerous doctors, including several Endocrinologists, one internest, a rheumatologist, a breast specialist, and several gynocologists to get things fixed.  All of my symptoms have progressively gotten worse over the years, and I’m just worried with the amount of pain I’m end that I’m one day not even going to be able to walk.  I’m at peace that whatever it is could eventually kill me, but I at least want to know why it’s happening before it does.

 

So far the only lab work I’ve gotten that showed anything was my Vitamin D and B-12 levels were low, and my Testosterone was high.  My doctor said this would not cause the back pain, though.  I just don’t understand how I can have all of these issues at 28 years old to constantly be told there’s nothing wrong with me to cause the back pain.  I have had no trauma that would have caused it (like a wreck or something), so I know this isn’t normal.

 

If anyone has any suggestions on any other tests I can do/possible causes, I would be extremely grateful.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

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