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At 45 years old, I was finally diagnosed as having a pituitary tumor. My weight had been steadily increasing over about 14 years from 168# to 204#. I tried Jenny Craig, a nutritionist and over the counter drugs, but nothing helped. My abdomen was so large that my doctor suspected a uterine problem was causing it and did a hysterectomy. Besides the weight gain, I hurt everywhere, my joints being the worst. Light bothered my eyes, my face was very red, I was depressed, had trouble remembering things, perspired a lot, and had severe acne on my back.
On a visit to my family doctor, he suggested I see an Endocrinologist in nearby Boston and I was diagnosed with Cushing's Disease caused by a pituitary tumor. I was sent to Massachusetts General and on December 15, 1997, the tumor was removed. After, I took replacement Prednisone for six months and then started to taper the dose, and 18 months later, I was off all cortisone.
The recovery period was difficult, I slept a lot of the time and felt bad everywhere. My sister came from Belgium to help after the surgery, and my husband and daughter were very understanding and helpful. We own a restaurant and I kept active working in the evenings, even though I was very tired and ached. I still have pain in my joints from Rheumatoid Arthritis and have to take Tylenol regularly. I am down to 174# now, and my weight is fairly stable except when I have short episodes of retaining fluid, and I gain a few pounds overnight and feel tired and get upset easily. I get a check-up every three months, but my doctor is unable to give me a reason for the temporary weight gain. If anyone has had a similar experience, I would like to hear about it. |
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