And It's About Time There Was Some Support For Cushing's!
Hiya Everyone,
I have no idea if I have cushing Syndrome or not, but will ask my doctor about it on my next visit. Firstly I have had rather bad asthma all my life and have been on and off cortisone forever. I was never told there would be long term implications and told rather susintly that without the cortisone I could die. I took the damn cortisone. As and adult i was maybe a normal 110-120 pounds, had low blood pressure (100/60) and low blood sugar.
Not a huge problem, I would blow up like a balloon for a short while and with the cessation of cortisone I woudl go back to my trim self eventually.
Turned 32 and got a nasty case of meningitis, the end result was debilitating migrainne headaches. I was overweight and had recently come of cortisone for asthma. Not the end of my life but the beginning of more health concerns.
I had stabbing pains in my upper chest, like a knife turning, so they removed my gallbladder and stones in my pancreas. Didn't cure the pains but by then they had me on a huge amount of morphine to help with the chronic pain of migrainnes, and I learned to live with it.
I was diagnoised with depression and anxiety after trying to commit suicide more than once. They put me on ssri's which nearly killed me and i had a contra reaction. They then put me on a adrenaline suppresant and no more mood swings, cured!
Biggest problem and the reason I think the problem might in fact be somethign to do with Cushings occured when I was pregnant with my fifth child. I who had no real problems with blood sugar, blood pressure and such got incredibly sick. My blood pressure went up to 240/140 at infrequent intervals, I had suspected PE and Deep Vein thrombosis. My asthma was playing up and they put me on cortisone for a period of three months during pregnancy. My headaches were so bad that they upped my medications again. In short I was rattling when i walked.
Now the good thing is the baby was a fine healthy small baby boy (six pounds) and after five days intensive care to make sure my medications didnt knock him around too much, we came home.
My legs and hands continued to swell and my blood pressure remained over 160/80 for sustained periods of time. Now it appears I am developing a dowagers hump, my body which has always been trim had simply swollen like a lil puffy balloon and my hands and feet are small and petite again. I rarely eat depsite breastfeeding and I have actually gained weight since I had the baby. I havent been on cortisone for about ten months. I still get chronic headaches and stabbing pain in my upper torso/chest. My skin is papery and brittle and I bruise easily, luckily they do go away. I have stretch marks but this is so normal after pregnant.
I'm 41 years old and feel like I'm old, my periods are irregular and Ive been regular as clockwork since I was 12. I get bouts of irrational anger and rage. I hate being "fat" and diet and exercise to no avail. My sister has thyroid problems but I'm starting to suspect it's something else. All in all some days I ache so much I feel like a cripple. Oh and I have to pluck facial hair and hair on my breasts because it's embarrassing :s
