And It's About Time There Was Some Support For Cushing's!
Hi, Ronda here! Close family and friends call me Ronda-roo! I'm new to this and searching for answers. I can remember symptoms consistent with Cushing's beginning in my early 20s. In fact, that is the first time I had a fever that I could remember. Weight gain, acne on the face as well as groin, armpits, and under my breast. My doctor advised me to use warm compresses at that time.
Worked on an ambulance service for 10 years overlapping with police dispatching for the last 13 yrs. I am now 39. That stress is nothing compared to my stress level nowdays and I'm only in administration. I believe this last round of stress late last year up to the present has brought me to this forum. I began experiencing congestion and my blood pressure began to climb. I went to the doc because I was feeling like I did when I had gestational diabetes 5yrs ago so I was tested and that came back negative. I was to the doc more times in the last 8 months than I have been in 10yrs. I was beginning to worry that the doc was thinking I was a hypochondriac! I asked him if there was any medication for the excessive facial hair and he suggested I get tested for a certain disease. I had read about a ovarian disease that cause's the same type of symptoms and I was sure I did not have this. Little did I know at the time that he was referring to Cushings. Well, that was my mistake in not trusting him.
For the last 3 years, I have been experiencing an intolerance to our WI winters, moreso than any other time and this was right about the time of my divorce. I was able to only sleep 4 hrs a night but now I feel as though I can sleep forever.
Well, I went back this July for high blood pressure, heart palpatations, muscle weakness, an inability to lose weight (was on the low carb diet), and a 24 hour urine tests early July 2003. BP was high, EKg was good, urine was abnormal. Doc ordered the Dexa suppression test and tomorrow (Aug 5th) I go see him for the results. The muscle weakness and fatigue has gotten so bad that I'm no longer able to excercise or walk the usual 5 miles/day. I also noticed a decline in my hearing and eyesight, an intolerance to noise and bright light. I am also now experiencing low grade fevers almost on a daily basis. Highly unusual for me. I recall a time when I could handle several stress related tasks at once but now I can barely handle answering the phone or doing my paperwork. People know me as one that would get the job done no matter the circumstance or degree of difficulty. Will that ever come back? A part of my mind says go, go, and another part wont let me get motivated enough to do the simplest tasks. I have a difficult time making decisions, whereas before with my training background, I made life or death decisions with little effort or thought. It frustrates me and fuels my stress level. Thanks for reading my story. I'm thankful that I'm not alone and I wish everyone the best... R-r
