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I was very unwell with various symptoms for a long period of time with weight gain, mood swings, depression, thinning of the hair, dry scalp, stretch marks, spotty skin, high blood pressure, and hot flashes. In addition, my periods had stopped. I visited my General Practitioner who advised me to go on a diet and try and loose weight. He said my headaches were from working on a computer every day and the pain at the back of my neck was tension headaches, nothing more.
I visited many different specialists; they couldn't find anything wrong. In 1998, I pursued my symptoms myself and visited a neurologist who ordered a MRI scan. It showed a "Giant Benign Pituitary Tumor" which was so large that it was pushing against my optic nerve. He thought I was Cushingoid and ordered further tests. I underwent Transsphenoidal surgery in November of 1998. I took sick leave from work for two months as I felt so tired, lethargic and weak. I was placed on hydrocortisone directly after the operation in order to bring my cortisol levels back up to a normal range. I developed Diabetes Insipidus and was given Suppression tablets to control my thirst level. This helped greatly.
Eight months after my surgery, I was advised there was a 50% chance that my tumor could reoccur unless I underwent a course of radiotherapy. I worked all through my five-week course of radiotherapy albeit I was feeling very tired and nauseous after each one.
I am pleased to report that six months after the radiotherapy, a follow-up MRI scan was looking clear. My hair and skin now look better and my moon face has gone. I have lost some weight since my operation in 1998 however this has been an extremely slow process for me and I would like to loose a lot more weight in the future.
I cannot express what a terrible time I have had in the past six years with my health. The most frustrating thing is that I didn't know what was wrong with me. If I had not pursued all of my symptoms myself, I believe I would not have got to the bottom of my illness, which if left until now could have been fatal.
I have looked at your website and would very much like to become involved with your Foundation. I would like to learn some more from your members and be able to help other people who are/were in the same position that I was.
The support I received from my family through my illness was nothing less than "tremendous". Without them, I truly believe I would NOT have survived. Support from those who are close to you is a paramount medication to get you well. In addition, positive thinking is important too. My advice to anyone suffering from this condition is try to KEEP OPTIMISTIC and remember that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. If you would like sometime to talk, please feel free to email me anytime. |
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