And It's About Time There Was Some Support For Cushing's!
I have recently suspected that I may have Cushing's mainly because of my rapid weight gain and the distribution of the fat. I grew up as a very thin person, trying everything to gain weight. After my last child was born I was able to retain some of the weight. I wore a size 10 or medium in most clothes. Five years ago I left a bad marriage after 18 years and moved to Indiana to be with an old high school boyfriend I had discovered on Classmates.com. It was the best decision I ever made.
Steve's wonderful cooking allowed me to gain pounds in all the right places until I weighed a comfortable 140. (I am 5'6") In less than a year my weight has shot up to 190 plus and none of my clothes fit. I feel like a sausage....no waist, just like a barrel from the neck to the top of my legs. My lower legs and arms from the elbow down are thin. The worst part is the fat through my back, particularly the upper part, with what I now refer to as my "buffalo hump" that seems to grow by the day. Even some X-lg. tee shirts, depending on the cut are too tight in he chest and arms. Finding clothes and getting dressed is now a source of tremendous sadness for what was and yet I am angry at what has caused this huge shift in my appearance. I no longer take pride in how I look although I still try to look clean and neat.
My other symptoms seem mild because I have been battling peripheral neuropathy in my feet for six years and am currently being tested for diabetes. It's hard to walk, much less exercise and I still smoke to deal with the things that are wrong in my life. However I thank God every day that I am still drawing in breath each morning and I know things could be 100 times worse. The old saying, "Just when you complain about having no shoes, you meet someone with no feet" always brings me around when I am on the verge of self-serving self pity.
My wonderful doctor is arranging for me to see an endocrinologist soon. I did research on the Internet and got information on Cushing's from Web,M.D. I printed out the information and gave it to my doctor the day before my last appointment and I think he was grateful that I had done the research and was prepared to ask the right questions. I hate to "self-diagnose" but as another doctor told me, "You live in your body and you know what is wrong, even if it doesn't have a name yet".
I am very happy to find this site and will return when I have a diagnosis. Until then, God bless all of you. Together we can beat this thing as they say in the peripheral neuropathy world that is just gaining awareness too.
Sincerely,
Kathy M
Rochester, IN
theblockwatcher1948@yahoo.com
