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Voices from the Past: Lydia M, Pituitary Bio

August 19, 2025

MaryO Pituitary , , , , , Leave a comment

The pituitary gland

 

I started showing symptoms of sinus pressure three years ago,

I have asthma now from the drainage, I have moon face, buffalo hump, rosacea, and a 50 lb weight gain. Many other symptoms.

My journey has begun. It’s a blessing that I returned to my family doctor after moving back to the area. He knew what it was right away, many others missed it.

After the initial breakdown I feel great relief that I have a diagnosis and my journey now has a direction.

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Rsh (Rsh), Undiagnosed Bio

August 8, 2025

MaryO Cyclic, Diabetes, Other Diagnosis, Undiagnosed , , , , , , Leave a comment

undiagnosed3

I am currently undergoing tests for cushing’s as I have all of the symptoms including 50 pound weight gain in 6 months, thin skin, buffalo hump, mid body weight gain, new diabetes and new high blood pressure, red spots on my face.

Some of the tests have come up high but some have come up normal so my endocrine doctor is thinking perhaps I have cyclical cushing’s. Becoming very frustrated as I continue to gain about 10 pounds a month ( have not changed my diet which is low carb).

I hope to have some answers soon, but the Dr wants me to wait another two months to test again.

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Voices from the Past: Jason, Adrenal Bio

August 6, 2025

MaryO Adrenal, Male , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

adrenal-medulla

 

Growing up, I was always quiet and withdrawn. I struggled in school with memory issues and was always embarrassed by my excessive sweating. I continued to have issues growing up and then something happened in 2001. I would have fits of rage, massive sweating, psychotic episodes, periods of major highs and periods of massive lows.

In 2003, a psychiatrist labeled me bipolar, schizoaffective, ADD, ADHD, and major drepressive. I took their cocktail of meds to only get worse. I would end up in a mental hospital (5 times).

In approx. 2005, I was done with them and I stopped everything and I just hid behind closed doors so to speak. Also in 2003, I just found records(2015) of bloodwork I had done in 2003 which showed high Hemoglobin and also high Hematocrit levels with high WBC count. Nothing was mentioned to me about this. I keep struggling to get answers.

In July of 2014, I started massive pains in my stomach with rectal bleeding and major flank pain. I went to the doctor and he ordered a CT of my abdomen. The CT showed bilateral Adrenal masses(left was 2.2cm and right was 3cm). He said these were “incidental Adenomas”. I am waiting two more weeks to have my low dose cortisol test performed. When I did the 24h urine to rule out pheochromocytoma , all was fine except plasma metanephrines which was slightly elevated and the doctor said there was a “near zero” chance of me having a Pheo.

I am still having these symptoms: weight gain (20Ibs. since 2014), “moon face starting (2015), thinning, fragile skin that bruises easily, slow healing of cuts, bites and infections, decreased libido, Fatigue, Muscle weakness, Depression, anxiety and irritability, Loss of emotional control, Cognitive difficulties and worsened high blood pressure and pulse.

I now have a new mass in my right armpit. An ultrasound was inconclusive.

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Taylor D, Pituitary Bio

August 3, 2025

MaryO News Items, Pituitary, Pituitary Surgery, Treatments , , , , , , , Leave a comment

 

FLORENCE, S.C. – After struggling with a mysterious illness for nearly three years, Florence resident Taylor Davis is using her diagnosis of Cushing’s disease to raise awareness.

Davis was a healthy young adult when she started as a student at the University of South Carolina in the fall of 2015, but soon into her college career, she began experiencing several symptoms, such as weight gain, insomnia and panic attacks. Davis spent the next three years going from doctor to doctor trying to get a diagnosis for her symptoms.

Since her diagnosis, she has been trying to raise awareness through social media about her experience with Cushing’s disease.

Cushing’s disease is a hormonal disorder caused by high amounts of cortisol, or the stress hormone, in the body, according to the Mayo Clinic website.

During her freshman year, Davis began struggling with insomnia and started gaining weight. At the time, Davis brushed them off. Davis’s symptoms progressed to having panic attacks during her sophomore year.

“I’d be driving down the road, and my whole body would start freaking out,” Davis said. “I’d get heart palpitations, my heart rate would go crazy. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. It was intense panic attacks.”

In addition to the onset of panic attacks, Davis’ insomnia got worse, and she continued gaining weight. Davis also began losing clumps of hair, but she searched the internet and thought it was just normal.

The summer after her sophomore year, Davis said. she went to the doctor for answers with little luck.

“My doctor just kind of like brushed it off,” Davis said. “She told me it was probably just stress from school and stuff like that, and that I needed to diet and exercise more, but I was like, ‘A girl can only diet and exercise so much.’”

As Davis started her junior year, she said. her symptoms progressed to losing larger amounts of hair, which left bald spots that she tried to cover with extensions. At the time, Davis attributed the hair loss to bleaching her hair.

Then Davis began craving copious amounts of salt and large amounts of water.

“I started drinking water bottles by the case each day” and having to go to the bathroom frequently, Davis said. “It would just run straight through me.”

By the time the spring semester came, Davis’ panic attacks began causing blurred vision, nausea and dizziness. She said they felt like heart attacks.

Davis’ mother, Amy Lewis, got her admitted to McLeod Regional Medical Center for testing over spring break. Her kidneys were tested. An MRI and other tests were conducted, but Davis received no answers except that she was fine.

Davis’s panic attacks continued to get worse, so she and her mother began researching all of her symptoms for answers. Their research pointed them toward Cushing’s disease.

After another episode that caused Davis to pass out, her family took her to the emergency room. This time, the doctor had an answer: a brain tumor on her pituitary gland.

“It was so crazy the feeling I had at that moment,” Davis said. “I was so relieved, because I was so terrified for months at that point, and no one was going to help me because I had all of these problems.”

After the emergency room visit, Davis had to wait weeks for an endocrinologist appointment in Florence, but the doctor said she didn’t know enough to diagnose her.

She and her mom found an endocrinologist and neurosurgeon in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The encodrinologist told her Cushing’s disease is too rare for her to have and said Davis needed to lose weight. The neurosurgeon told Davis an endocrinologist would have to prove that the tumor was causing Cushing’s disease before he would take it out.

By this point, Davis medically withdrew from USC because she could barely walk to class.

Determined to get answers, Davis joined several support groups on Facebook for Cushing’s disease.

The Facebook group led her to make an appointment with Dr. Theodore Friedman in Los Angeles, who was able to diagnose her with Cushing’s disease in October of 2018. In November of 2018, Davis had surgery to remove the tumor from her pituitary gland.

Since the surgery, the tumor removal has caused adrenal insufficiency, so Davis has to take a steroid-replacement medicine. She has been weaning herself off the medicine so that her pituitary gland will begin making cortisol again.

Davis has been using social media, especially Instagram, to post updates on her journey with Cushing’s disease. While she was at USC, she was a public relations major, and she has always loved telling stories.

“It just came natural to me as it (Cushing’s disease) started happening to start sharing my story,” Davis said.

Davis said she receives a few messages with questions about her experience every day from people who see her posts.

“ That (Cushing’s disease) really gets to me sometimes, but talking to those people, helping other people and sharing my story, that brings me back up,” Davis said. “That’s what keeps me happy and keeps me from getting to that dark depression.”

Davis said she is also in the process of starting a YouTube channel to document her experience with Cushing’s disease, because she wants to help others as they go through the process of a diagnosis.

This bio is from https://www.scnow.com/news/local/article_9c54e1e6-9615-11e9-84d3-8ff51e77dc88.html

Voices from the Past: Kendra D, Adrenal Bio

July 29, 2025

MaryO Adrenal , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

 

My journey to writing this bio started in 2014, 34 years old.  I ended up in an emergency room in Denver while travelling with severe and unknown abdominal pain.  It came on rapidly during a lunch and I was taken to hospital via ambulance from my hotel room.  Luckily, in Denver, you get a CT scan when there is something wrong with you.  The source of the abdominal pain was never determined, however, the attending physician gave me a CD of the CT, letting me know they had observed a small tumor on the left adrenal gland and even though likely benign, I should discuss with my family physician in Canada.

Back home, I did let my family doctor know and they dismissed it.  Over the next year, I struggled with weight gain and depression, since a surgery the year prior to treat WPW (Wolf Parkinson Whyte syndrome).  It’s an extra electrical pathway in the heart that produced rapid heartbeat (SVT), starting in 2011.  3 years and several physicians later, I underwent and electrocardiogram catheter ablation after a trip to the emergency room with a heartbeat of over 200 BPM’s for approx. 5 hours.  Luckily the emerg room physician was also a cardiologist.  He recognized a small irregularity on my ECG.  I was admitted that night and had the procedure done in 5 days.  After that procedure, I noticed a decline in my energy.  Started gaining weight and just didn’t feel like I had.  I chalked it up to the rapid heart rate accounting for all the gusto I used to have not being a medical professional and that being the only real change in my life to date.

I went to see a naturopath to discuss my symptoms and try to find some answers.  I was ‘diagnosed’ with adrenal fatigue syndrome which I’m sure many of you have heard of.  And you also know how much the mainstream medical community thinks of the ‘condition’.  Not much.  But the books I’d read fit my situation and I went down the road of hormone replacement therapy.  Months of hard to find prescription pills and creams that are not covered by insurance became the bain of my existence and I wasn’t seeing measurable improvements.  I became frustrated and started cleansing, diets, supplements, and working out regularly.  Between strict diet control and working out hardcore daily (crossfit, running, weights), I started to feel pretty good.  I also started taking antidepressants, which really pushed my energy levels up, especially in the initial 6 months.  Then they would plateau, so I would try something different.  Same thing over and over.

That was the last 3 years of my life.  Trying a new drug.  A new routine.  A new relationship.  A long yo yo of up’s and down’s.  If I gained weight and felt lousy, I attributed it to the pills not working anymore.  A relationship that wasn’t working.  Stress.  Work.  Being a single parent.  If I changed something up, I could lose the weight.  If I looked good, I felt good.  That was the litmus test – never mind the depression and anxiety that was ever present.

In 2018, I began to put on weight.  I began to suffer from unmanageable anxiety/depression.  I was so tired, I completely stopped going to the gym.  I went to see the doctor about a new antidepressant.  In the clinic, they noticed my blood pressure was unusually high and started to monitor.  I was prescribed a high blood pressure medication as well as a new antidepressant.  The antidepressant was intense.  I started reading up and what I read scared me.  In conjunction with high blood pressure, I started to really consider that I’m possibly doing more harm than good.  Plus, I was not feeling better like I had in the past.

I quit both the antidepressant and the HBP meds.  Started up with the more natural approach – CBD.  Supplements.  Giving myself a break from hard core exercise.  And reading.  Everything.  In 6 months, I had gained approx. 40 lbs and weighed as much as I had the day I gave birth to my son.  My depression was unmanageable.  I was going through a lot of work/relationship stress as well.  I had tried the ‘chill out’ approach and it simply was not working.  I went back to the doctor, who referred me to an endocrinologist.  I remember bawling in her office bc I felt like a failure and a total loser.  Admitting how my weight had spiraled out of control and how I could not manage my mental health and I’d stopped taking my prescription for HBP – I felt crazy.  She looked me in the eyes and promised to do everything she could to figure out what was wrong.  In that moment, I felt like maybe there was something wrong, maybe I wasn’t crazy.  TBD.

So we spent the next year doing all of the tests.  High cortisol being the constant result.  I started back on a HBP med that acts also a diuretic – which at least helped with water weight.  At the end of all the testing, my endo revealed that she suspected cushing’s syndrome and since we knew there was an adrenal tumor from way back, we re scanned and determined it had doubled in size.  Good chance it could be the culprit, especially if increased in size, it’s a good indication that it is active.  She referred me to one of the best endo surgeons in Calgary and let me know that if her diagnosis did not make me a candidate for an adrenalectomy, the surgeon would not perform it.

I’ve spent the last several months not knowing what to expect.  I think many of you can relate to living in a state of being thankful for an answer but still in disbelief.  I still battle in my head with ‘did I cause this’, ‘is this actually what’s making me sick’, ‘what if I remove my adrenal gland and I never feel good again’, ‘what if the tumor isn’t the culprit’.  I have one last CT scan upcoming Aug 7, prior to setting a surgery date and suspect it will fall within a few weeks of the scan.  I’m looking forward to getting it over with one minute and then feeling really scared the next.

I know I can’t live my life in my current state so I have to proceed with whatever solutions are being offered to me.  That rationale promotes a positive mindset.  But it’s one day at a time.  Some days I feel great, some days I can’t get out of bed.  Still living a yo yo life.  My work keeps me pre-occupied and gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning.  My therapist helps keep me sane.  No antidepressants.  My family has been a great support.  Most people have never heard of Cushing’s so I just stopped telling people. It is isolating.  People assume I’ve gained weight bc people get fat.  And I have to just embrace where I’m at and not let that affect me so negatively.  This is a rare disease.  I’m excited to share more of this journey on the other side.  These bios have given me such peace of mind over the last several months.  Thank you for listening.

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Voices From the Past: Maria, Pituitary Bio

July 15, 2025

MaryO Golden Oldies, Pituitary, Pituitary Surgery, Recurrence, Treatments , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

 

Originally from December 29, 2007

 

Hi there, I am 26 but I was diagnosed at the age of 16 with a pituitary tumor, 17 when I had removed the first time and 19 the seconded time.

Here is the story. I was pregnant at 15 and gave birth at 16. My son was born in June (I was 135 lbs) by December I was 240lbs. I had all the classis symptoms. Weight gain, thin skin, upper back hump, moon face, lack of a menstrual cycle, high cholesterol and the strata (all over stretch marks).

I was diagnosed in March in July (1999) since I live near Pittsburgh I had surgery with one of the doctors who developed the use of the Endoscope for removal of pituitary tumors. I had been told that the tumor would not come back. It was fine to have more kids. There was one in a billion chance that it would be a tumor that grows like cancer, and then there was a one in a million chance that there would be any of the tumor left behind that could grow back. A

fter words I lost most of the weight and the moon face. I had no need for hormones, because they only remove part of my pituitary, I also graduated high school and was married.

I felt very good when I gave birth to my 2nd son 22 months later (April 01). I was 160lbs. Well, I tried to ignore the weight gain, the lack of menstrual cycle, but when my hump started to come back and when in infant’s finger nail scratched me and I bleed, I self diagnosed this time and went to the doctor for confirmation.

I was 280lbs when I went in for the second time in November (2001). Now I am 90% sure there is a tumor up there I do not know I do not want to have a M I R to see. My husband and I will not have any more kids.

I still have a fear that it will come back on its on or if I suffer a body troma that causes the pituitary to enlarge that it will cause the tumor to grow and I will have to go through this again. I am still struggling to lose this weight. I am now 230

 

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Voices from the Past: Jestina (jestina902), Pituitary Bio

July 2, 2025

MaryO Diabetes, PCOS, Pituitary, Pituitary Surgery, Treatments , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Hello there! My name is Jestina and I’m 16 years old. I just recently found out that I have Cushing’s from an endocrinologist in Washington D.C. It has taken three years to find a diagnosis. I have struggled with hormone issues ever since I was thirteen and my old family doctor originally diagnosed me with diabetes and PCOS. I didn’t think that it was unusual, especially because my mom has PCOS and diabetes runs in my family. My doctor told me that I was going through treatment for PCOS by giving me a pill to take. When I would take it, I would become very sick and I had unbearable stomach pain. It got to the point where I stopped taking it because it was hurting so badly. I was also not having any results. I still had unusual hair growth and I was starting to gain weight. This went on for a year.

About a year later, I started to face horrible back pain. I have scoliosis and my family, along with my specialists believed that it was caused by my spinal fusion. I started physical therapy when I was 15. I started to develop the “buffalo hump” and my physical therapist believed that it was the cause of spending too much time online. I thought that it was very strange though because I didn’t go online very much. I didn’t even have Facebook or any other type of social networking account. So, I went through about six months of therapy and I saw a small improvement but it didn’t last very long.

When I turned 16, I started to face even worse pain than before in my upper back. I went through multiple rounds of X-rays and spent two months home from school while my specialist was trying to find what was wrong but each time, he could never think of a reason for why I would be facing so much pain. I ended up going through a round of pain injections and it eased the pain enough for me to be back in school for the remainder of the school year. On my follow-up appointment after having the injections, my specialist suggested that maybe my pain had been caused by a hormonal problem. My mom decided to change family doctors and we went into her office less than a month ago. When my new doctor reviewed the medicines that I had been taking, she then informed us that the medicine that my old doctor gave me was actually for my diabetes and that it was the reason why I hadn’t seen any results. After I described my symptoms, (buffalo hump, moon face, unusual hair growth and weight gain, etc.) she left the room for about forty minutes to research. When she returned, she suggested that I had Cushing’s and that I should see an endocrinologist. She ordered a few rounds of blood tests and gave a referral to a doctor in Washington D.C.

My endocrinologist reviewed the blood tests and agreed with my family doctor that I most likely had Cushing’s. He ordered more blood tests and a 24-hour urine collection and they came back the way that he expected. I am now awaiting a CT scan for my surgery which should happen sometime in the next few weeks. I am hoping for great results. Apparently once my surgery is finished, I shouldn’t see anymore problems with diabetes, PCOS, or the symptoms that come along with Cushing’s.

Thank you so much for reading my bio!

In Memory: Kalyn Allen, June 28, 2017

June 28, 2025

MaryO In Memory, Pituitary, Pituitary Surgery, Treatments , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

We lost another Cushie sister today. Kalyn Allen’s husband posted this on Facebook:

This afternoon my beautiful wife and mother of my children completed her path in this life so that she may be reborn again into the next. She was surrounded by her children, family, and friends when she transitioned very peacefully. She now is free to be reborn again and continue the cycle of life to hope one day to reach nirvana. While we will morn her passing our attachments to this world of suffering and rebirth are what bring us back over and over. So let us not mourn a loss today but say good luck in the next. For we are full of desire for this world and we will surely meet again.

Yesterday he posted:

Kalyn is in critical condition in the CV-ICU at St. John’s in Tulsa in a medically induced coma due to pulmonary embolisms in her lungs and thrombosis in her legs. She had a procedure last night to install a VC fiter and to remove as many clots as possible in her lungs. They cant use tPA to dissolve the clots without a great risk of bleeds in the previous brain surgery. Today was difficult. Kalyn had a cardiac event and coded for a few minutes this afternoon. They quickly resuscitated her with only 2 sets of chest compressions but at this point we are unsure why it happened. She stabilized very quickly afterwards with good rhythm and pressure. A blood clot may have temporary blocked something. She is still being kept sedated and intubated and they can’t move her yet to to do anymore scans and at this point they would not be able to use contrast due to the stress on her kidneys. At this point we are still just touch and go. Because she is in ICU you can not send flowers and if you would please ask a family member if there is an appropriate time to visit. Instead of flowers we are still in need of funds as the children and I are having to make daily trips into tulsa and back home each night and the cost of meals while we are there so any donations would be helpful. Thank you everyone for your kind words of support.

Kalyn’s story from https://www.youcaring.com/kalynallen-786017:

My name is Kalyn I am 41 years old. I am married and have three children. In Nov ‘16 I was diagnosed with Cushing’s Disease.

My journey began in June ‘16 when I attended a health screening provided by my employer. It was discovered that my blood pressure was dangerously high and I was sent to my physician. I was prescribed blood pressure medicine. A couple of weeks later I joined a wellness program to turn around my exercise and eating habits in hopes that it would help me lose weight and lower my blood pressure.

Over the next few months I was seen by my physician numerous times. I was beginning to have strange symptoms. I was easily bruising. Dark purple stretch marks started to appear out of nowhere. I had hair loss on my head but excessive hair growth on my face. My ankles and hands swelled along with a loss of muscle mass in my legs, horrible acne and a shortness of breath. While my physician tried several different medications they were not alleviating my symptoms. At this point I was having trouble getting in and out of my car and the shower. I also started seeing a therapist because the excess hormones in my system were causing uncontrollable mood swings. During this time I was exercising and following the wellness program losing 52 pounds from June until the end of Oct. But there were still issues controlling my blood pressure. It was at this point that my physician referred me to an endocrinologist.

The endocrinologist ordered a multitude of tests to measure my cortisol levels as Cushing’s disease was suspected. To be thorough an MRI was ordered of my brain to see if they could find a tumor on my pituitary gland. This was done at the end of Dec. It was discovered that I had a 3.7 millimeter tumor on my pituitary gland. From there I was referred to a brain surgeon.

My condition continues to deteriorate as I am experiencing extreme fatigue, intense muscle and joint pain while having excruciating headaches almost everyday. Among other agonizing symptoms that complicate the situation.

I now have surgery scheduled for the first week of May ’17 to remove the tumor. I will be in the hospital for 3-7 days and my recovery time will be from 6-8 weeks. I will have to travel hours away to have the surgery and remain there during my stay in the hospital. My parents will be by my side during surgery. But unfortunately my children and husband will not be able to accompany me due to the expense and not being able to leave our farm animals unattended for that long.

During this time away from work I will be on short term disability. My employers short term disability plan only covers 80% of my wages during this time. This will result in my family undergoing a financial hardship as my husband and parents undertake the task of my care during recovery and attempting to cover the missing 20% plus extra expenses such as medicines and doctors appointments.

I am asking for your compassion and support to help my family and I through these trying times. This journey has been a roller coaster of emotions and physical pain for myself and my family. My Mother has been such a rock for me listening to me complain and cry. My Father has also been there for me always willing to talk and making me smile and laugh even if I didn’t feel like it. My Husband has taken over so much responsibility that was mine. And my children are always willing to help me out with the little things. It is frustrating going from being very active and able to do so many things I love to now only being able to go into the office to work several days a week and the rest of the week working from home doing little else because of the pain and the fatigue. I just want to get back to normal.

Update 5/3/17:

Kalyn’s surgery was very successful and the doctors said they where able to see and remove the tumor only taking 40% of her pituitary gland. She is in recovery now and will be in the hospital for the remainder of the week. She would like to thank everyone for their continuing support over the next few months while she recovers.

Update 5/4/17:

We got some bad news today. After removing the tumor along with 40% of Kalyn’s pituitary gland, her cortisol levels are still high, meaning there is still something else causing her cushings. So we are back to square one. Now we wait to see what the surgeons and the endocrinologists came up with. She is still in a lot of pain and exhausted because it is hard to sleep with all the packing in her sinuses. With this news she will probably have to stay in the hospital longer and may have to have another surgery to remove the rest of her pituitary if they can’t find anything else. The Dr’s may order a PET/CT scan to look other places for tumors but that may take up to 48 hours to get access to the machine.

Update 5/8/17:

Kalyn went in for a PET/CT scan this morning at 6:45 to look for any other tumors or cancer that could be causing the Cushing’s disease. Baring the scan finding anything, later this week the surgical team will go back in and remove the remainder of her pituitary gland. This will result in her being required to be on several medications the rest of her life. While removing the pituitary should solve the Cushing’s it opens the door to increased risk of complications and additional heath problems in the future. She will have to stay in the hospital much longer then anticipated and may have a longer recovery time. The children and husband where able go to OKC on Saturday to visited with her in ICU. This was the first time we have been able to see here in a week besides video chats. They spent several hours together and everyone enjoyed the short time with mom. Thank you Bob Eden for driving the family to OKC and for the pizza lunch everyone enjoyed. Kalyn remains optimistic and in high spirits considering the circumstances. She enjoys and appreciates all the kind words and support she has received though this difficult ordeal. The results of the PET/CT scan should come back quickly and we hope to not have to deliver any more bad news. This ordeal has been very stressful for her and the family and we are hoping for a favorable resolution soon. Kalyn and the family thank you for your continuing support and donations.

Update 6/26/17:

Kalyn is in critical condition in the CV-ICU at (hospital ommited) in Tulsa in a medically induced coma due to pulmonary embolisms in her lungs and thrombosis in her legs. She had a procedure last night to install a VC fiter and to remove as many clots as possible in her lungs. They cant use tPA to dissolve the clots without a great risk of bleeds in the previous brain surgery. Today was difficult. Kalyn had a cardiac event and coded for a few minutes this afternoon. They quickly resuscitated her with only 2 sets of chest compressions but at this point we are unsure why it happened. She stabilized very quickly afterwards with good rhythm and pressure. A blood clot may have temporary blocked something. She is still being kept sedated and intubated and they can’t move her yet to to do anymore scans and at this point they would not be able to use contrast due to the stress on her kidneys. At this point we are still just touch and go.Because she is in ICU you can not send flowers and if you would please ask a family member if there is an appropriate time to visit. Instead of flowers we are still in need of funds as the children and husband are having to make daily trips into Tulsa and back home each night and the cost of meals while we are there so any donations would be helpful. Thank you everyone for your kind words of support.

Hannah, Pituitary Bio

June 24, 2025

MaryO Pituitary, Pituitary Surgery, Success Stories, Treatments , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

A woman who piled on 10 stone due to a rare condition has shed the weight in just two years, thanks to a daily exercise routine.

Hannah Mai, 37, was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease, a hormonal disorder caused by high cortisol levels, in October 2020 after gaining 10 stone in just two and a half years.

Following her diagnosis, Hannah underwent brain surgery in February 2021 to remove the pituitary tumour causing her condition and was prescribed steroids to manage it.

In April, 2023, Hannah was taken off her steroid medication and was determined to shed the 10 stone she gained due to the disease – who weighed 20 stone 5lbs and was a size 26.

Through a combination of high-protein meals and daily pilates sessions, Hannah impressively slimmed down to 10 stone 4lbs, fitting into a size 10, all within two years.

Hannah, from Coventry, Warwickshire, said: “Once I started losing the weight, I just kept going.

“It isn’t easy, you really have to push yourself, and focus on who you want to be and think about who you want to be.”

When she turned 30, Hannah noticed she started gaining weight and went from nine stone to 16 stone in a few months. She revealed that despite frequent doctor visits, she was constantly asked if she was expecting or if her weight gain was due to hormonal changes.

Hannah shared: “I was always around nine stone, but I noticed how I started to gain a bit of weight. I knew there was something wrong with me, but people around me thought I had changed my diet and asked if I was eating more.

“I was asked if I was pregnant six times, and told that my weight gain could be caused by hormones. I went up to 20 stone at my heaviest.”

In October 2020, over two years since her weight began to increase, Hannah woke up one day with a hunched back.

After a quick Google search suggested Cushing’s disease as a possible cause, and noticing the other symptoms including weight gain, she immediately sought medical advice.

She was referred to University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire, where an MRI scan and blood tests confirmed she had Cushing’s disease.

Hannah added: “I printed off the list of symptoms and took them to my doctor, who then referred me to the hospital.

“There, I had an MRI scan and blood tests, which confirmed that I had Cushing’s disease.

“I was relieved but scared when I got the diagnosis. I had been saying for years that there was something wrong with me.”

Five months post-diagnosis, in February 2021, Hannah underwent brain surgery to remove the pituitary tumour causing the condition, and was put on steroids to manage her symptoms.

After battling with her health and spending two years on steroids to manage her condition, Hannah came off the medication as her health improved.

After she came off her medication, Hannah said she knew she was better and became determined to lose weight.

She said: “It wasn’t easy to lose weight whilst I was still on steroids, as soon as I came off them, I knew this was my body and I was a lot better.

“I really pushed myself, I worked super hard, cut out all sugar, cut out dairy, and gluten after I was diagnosed with celiac disease.

“I have a low-carb, high-protein diet with lots of vegetables, and I do pilates every day.”

Her commitment paid off as she impressively slimmed down from 20 stone to 10 stone within two years. She went from wearing a size 26 clothes to wearing a size 10 – back to where she was before Cushing’s disease.

Hannah said: “I am super proud of myself, I am always worried that the weight will come back.

“I feel so much happier. When I look back at myself, I just can’t believe I was that size.

“When I look back at old photos, I feel very sad about what happened to me, but it makes me think that I need to be proud about how far I have come.”

Adapted from https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/health/i-gained-10st-due-rare-35432462

Alyssa, Pituitary Video

June 12, 2025

MaryO Pituitary , , , , , 1 Comment

Alyssa is a busy wife and mother who finally found the time and space in her life to train as a triathlete.
Everything went well until her body started to rebel. She and her doctors were mystified when her exercise was derailed by fatigue, unusal aches, and worst of all, a significant weight gain despite careful eating and loads of exercise.
When she saw she was burning more calories than she was consuming she became her own medical sleuth. Through the process of elimination and revealing testing, she was  finally diagnosed.
Today Alyssa is back to her demanding athletic training and managing very well despite having Cushing’s Disease.
Here is her story.

 

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