And It's About Time There Was Some Support For Cushing's!
Hello, my name is Janie.
My first symtoms first started appearing around 2002. I had suffered from depression off and on for years, but I never thought that would lead to the numerous amounts of problems I was about to face.
I would say sometime in 2002, I started suffering from high blood pressure. My blood pressure was always so normal. My Docter that I had had for years, since I was a kid, told me it was because of my age. I was only 37 years old.
After that I started gaining weight. I've always been around 105 to 115. In less than six months I had gained 40 pounds. People I hadn't seen in a while didn't even recognize me. It was so depressing. Everytime I went to see my Docter, I begged her to run tests. She did all the normal bloodwork, and it always came back Ok. I didn't know what to do, I knew there was something wrong with me.
I started persuing more Docters. All of them did bloodwork,they all came back with the same answers. I needed to lose weight, and my blood pressure would go back down. My husband and I decided we would start losing weight. It was going well for him. I would lose some but couldn't keep it off no matter what I did. I started feeling guilty and like a failure because my appetite had just gotten so large. I tryed execising, but everytime I tryed anything, I started ending up with injuries, twisted ankle from just walking. My face just kept getting rounder and rounder.
By the beginning of 2003, my blood pressure was skyrocketing. I went to the emergency room numerous times for anxiety and blood pressure. I went a couple of times for kidney stones. I had no idea what was going on with my body. I started getting more and more tired. I became a recluse because I just didn't feel good anymore. I never thought about going to an endocronoligist.
We were at a my Husband's Company picnic in June of 2003, and my Husband's bosses wife used to be a nurse, she told my Husband that it looked like I may have something called Cushing's. She had seen people before with Cushing's. We had never even heard of it. We came home and got on the Internet, and typed in Cushing's. Sure sounded alot like my symptoms. I had maybe every symptom listed, except for maybe one or two.
We decided to call an endo the next day. I was in to see her within a week. I was lucky. She did in fact suspect Cushing's after one exam. I started in on my battery of tests that followed. First they thought they were dealing with a pit tumor, according to some results. I thought OK, since pit tumors are the most common. Then the tests started leaning towards an adrenal tumor, only about thirty percent of cases. I didn't like the way my odds were shaping up. I didn't want to be in the thirty percentile range of people. I would have rather been in the seventy percentile, I thought at the time. My panic attacks were overwhelming me. I was a real basket case. My Husband started persuing the Doctor for my surgery date, he didn't think my nerves would take much more. I knew they wouldn't.
I had my surgery in October of 2003. I had a 2.5 cinimeter tumor removed off of my left adrenal gland. Laproscopic surgery is the best way to go for sure.
Boy, little did I know that my real problems were just starting. I recovered from surgery fast, but the other was a nightmare. My hormones were all over the place. I had to enter rehab to get off of Ativan, that I had been given for years to even help me function somewhat. I am happy to say that everything everyone ha stold me on these boards has come to pass. After a year of recovery I am still tapering. I am down to 12.5 of hydrocortizone. it has been a rough tough battle, but I did it. I almost feel like the old me again. I don't look like the old me, but as long as I feel good I don't care. I can once again enjoy my life. This is a nasty horrible illness, but you can overcome it.
Ok this an update to my bio.
I was completely weaned off of my steroids and back to the old me by the end of 2005. I had to take my recovery in baby steps. My body was slowly recovering without me really realizing it.
It was as if one day I woke up and thought, "Hey am back to normal now". It was a wonderful feeling.
