And It's About Time There Was Some Support For Cushing's!
It's been a long haul. As of today 2/23/06, I still don't know what I have, but the latest guess is Cushing's. I've always had problems with memory and organizatinal skills. As the years have gone by I just accepted it as just part of me. In 1995 I saw something on 60 minutes or some such TV show about something they called ADD. My wife said That's what you have. So I went through interviews and tests and the doc said that I had it. They tried me on all kinds of drugs that should have helped. They didn't. I moved to Washington state in 1996. Sometime after I moved I had heard that Saint johns Wort helped with ADD. I tried it. It helped. I went to see that doc and he explained that while it may help, it was un reliable due to it being and herb. He put me on Effexor it helped. Since then I have lots of problems. Pinched nerve in my shoulder. The removed part of my colar bone. It helped. Bouts of constipation and diarhea, torn cartilige in my ribs, almost daily problems with daytime sleepiness, falling asleep at the wheel and Sleep Apnea.
About a year ago I developed a pain in my neck and pain in my right arm with pins and needles. The doc sent me to Neurology and they determined that I had a bulging disk in my neck. He had me put myself in traction for 30 minutes 3 times a day for 6 months. During that same time i started having pains in my arms, legs, ribs, abdomen, tinitis, exhaustion, depression, severe daytime sleepiness and these weird bulging and puffy eylids. While the docs seemed to pay attention they didn't seem to be getting anywhere.
I went to the sleep specialist. He put me on ritalin, Oh my god that was horrible. I got more depressed and angry at the world. My wife made me quit taking it.
I went to a Cardiologist and had a Cardiac stress test. All I got from that was " well Your heart is fine. You should see Rheumatology and perhaps Neurology." Oh and by the way you dont have ALS.
I went to Rheumatology and they told me I don't have Fibromialgia.
I went to Neurology and I was pretty much told that there wasn't anything wrong Neurologically and that I needed to go back and see my GP.
So here it is 23 February 2006 and my GP feels that I may have Cushing's. He is testing me for cortisol levels. Results are expected next week.
At this point I am starting to need a cane to go up and down stairs because of leg weakness and knee pain. I have arm, leg, rib, back and abdominal pain thatcome and go. My memory and concentration are horible, and I can't do much of anything without being completely exhausted.
