Print this Page Cushing's Message Boards

Melissa's Story

May 2005--weight went from 190 to 240 in 4 months! Dr. told me I needed gastric bypass! Resting heart rate of 120 bpm. Acne all over (Dr. told me it was folliculitis). Strange purple stretch marks start all over distended belly. What is that fine hair all over my face????? Where did my face go? It's flat! Dry skin to oily...weird! Strange headaches, fatigue, memory is shot. Somethings wrong.

June 2005--diabetes developes. No kidding. Overnight. A1C didn't back up the increase, so Dr. didn't want to do anything. Average blood sugar was 325. Decided that I needed a new Dr!!!

July 2005-Start all the testing for heart troubles, cause of the high resting heart rate. All is fine!

October 2005--Found a new Dr. Spent about 45 minutes with her. "I think we're looking at Cushings". Blood taken, and 24 hour urine collected. My urine was over 550--pretty high!! Sent to neuro-surgeon.

November 18, 2005--Surgery. Diabetes Insipadus! Yikes--it sucks! Kept in ICU for a week--output was too high. Weight topped at 278 lbs.

December 2005--depression--man they aren't kidding! It's real! November 2006--Doing better! Weight is better-- 198 lbs. Face is back and striae is gone. Most all symptoms are gone. Panniculectomy and abdominoplasty done!

January 2007-Move to Utah

April 2007-Greasy skin coming back, fine hair all over face returns. Upper abdomen swollen, as well as the top of the pubic area. Since I had the plasty done of the tummy, it looks like the areas around are swelling and the tucked areas are sunken!! Having trouble at work with logicing math and excel functions...all critical since I have a Masters in Finance! Can't catch things as easily!

April 20, 2007- Found Dr. Cauldwell at the Huntsman Cancer Center. 24 hour urine showed that I had a recurrance.

May 11, 2007--Last day of work--Temporary Disability

May 17, 2007--2nd Surgery for tumor removal.

May 17, 2007--Endocrinologist convinced surgeon to hold off, cause elevated cortisol could be sleep apnea. (Had that study done, didn't have it.) or elevated ACTH levels could just be normal for me. He called neurosurgeons "hacks".

May 29, 2007--New Endo...surgery rescheduled. Show up and team starts to get me ready--Dr. Cauldwell again canceled my surgery. He wants a Petrosal Sinus Sample.

May 30, 2007--PSS done. 2 Dex tests done. Suppressed both. Nightime salivary done--didn't suppress.

June 2007--Dr. Cauldwell receives PSS results, and says he doesn't know what to make of them. Contacts outside Dr's to help him interrept them. Makes my confidence in him dimish!! Now, he says that he will go in one time, and just remove the whole pituitary gland, and do a BLA. Endo says that this is a bad choice. Maybe a zero carb diet will help the tumor not to grow. Told that maybe living with the tumor would be better then living without.

July 2007--Dr. Cauldwell is doing a paper to be published on cyclic cushings...decides that I might just have that. We'll just watch and see. Been living on 20 gms of carb daily and faithfully -- no weight loss...humm imagine that. I just might know what I'm talking about--been here before.

July 2007--Ditching Dr. Cauldwell and considering a new Endo too. Thinking about going back to Tennessee, and having original surgeon help me! Starting to think going to a teaching institution isn't such a good idea!!

HOME | Contents | Search | Adrenal Crisis! | Abbreviations | Glossary | Forums | Donate | Interactive | Bios | Add Your Bio | Pituitary | • Melissa |