Friday, May 23, 2014

My Sister and I were Diagnosed With Cushing's: MALE Cushing's patient

Meet Gabriel


The year was 2007 I was age 16 I woke up like any other day went and played some games with my friends. That night, something happened. It began with a small pain in my side that grew stronger and stronger we went to the hospital thinking it was appendicitis. It wasn't after a few tests and the pain not going away they (doctors) were stumped as to what it was. I stayed in the hospital for about three weeks getting tests done and nothing was found the pain stayed the only thing that was wrong was my level of cortisol was slightly elevated.

 A few months went by and many doctor visits later nothing was concluded. Doctors were doing random strange tests and nothing. One doctor wanted to start treating me for Addison’s disease which is the opposite for Cushings but they were on the right tracks. About a year went by and test after test being negative I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia my body was exhausted and my mind was numb. After a year of testing to be told nothing's wrong really made me sick. But like always, I moved on from it. I rolled with it and I was treated for fibromyalgia with the help of sleep aid and the knowledge of certain things that can trigger intense pain episodes.

 Around the year of 2009 my sister was diagnosed with a brain aneurism and had surgery. The doctors who were doing her tests noticed a small link between mine and her results .She recovered from her surgery. And began seeing an endocrinologist after a few months of testing she was diagnosed with Cushings. During this time of her surgery and testings I was trying to finish highschool and start college. The year was now 2011 I was living my life with fybromyalgia but I began getting sick I remember having an adrenaline rush and nearly passing out because of it something wasn't right we were for sure of it. I began seeing my primary doctor letting him know what was happening. I had weight gain, low immune system, blackouts and pain. The doctor’s response was I was depressed. Cool story right.


I sucked it up and dealt with it for another year. My sister was diagnosed with Cushing’s and my parents noticed we had similar symptoms and started and put two and two together. I made an appointment with my sister’s endocrinologist and she noticed right away that something was wrong. For me, I felt joy that someone was going to help. She noticed the straie on my neck and underarms and jotted down my symptoms which included bone pain, muscle weakness, excessive urination, thirst, fatigue, headaches, thin skin,  and bruising. I was text book Cushing’s.  They immediately started testing me for Cushing’s. My first urine test was the worst they have ever seen. My cortisol was sky high at a level over 70. Other family complications that happened through the year put my treatment on hold. Meanwhile my sister was able to participate in a cushings study with a medication that was new to the market called Signifor, it was a daily injection that had the chances of shrinking and stopping the growth of the tumor. After a year, her results were great; she lost weight and looked healthy. I began going back to the doctor and had more testing. My cortisol was really high around 60s. The levels made my body constantly tired and sent my body into over drive. I did an MRI and Dxa scan. They stuck a tube into my brain to see where the leak on the pituitary is. 3 months later my results came back and the conclusion reached was that I had Cushings Disease. I had multiple tumors but none were visible. That was why my body was shooting out cortisol. My life flashed before my eyes. Years and years of waiting, crying, and testing I finally had my answer. I got into the case study for CD.

 I was the only guy in my state to be diagnosed with CD at the age of 22 and my sister 19. We were the talk of the town. Unfortunately testing requirements were very complicated and I decided not to do the study and instead go for the medications. It took a few months to get the medications since they were new and pricey. It was okay to wait since I’ve been waiting for years. After 7 weeks I got my first order of Signifor. I began taking the injections. The first injection made me vomit and I continued to vomit after for two weeks. One morning I woke up smiling, I no longer felt a lot pain in my body and my mind felt clear.  I was on the road to recovery. After 2 months of taking the medication I feel great. My mind is right; I still have pain for fibromyalgia. I had my first adrenaline rush and didn’t pass out. My mental status is good I have always stayed positive despite what has happened. I keep my mind away from the depression. Now life is falling into place. The next thing I need to worry about is what to do in life without wondering if tomorrow will be my last day on this earth.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Chasteberry (Vitex) Extract

During the time my menstrual cycle started becoming irregular, I tried many herbs to induce a period. Like literally all of the hormone balancing herbs. One herb did work for me, I read online that Chasteberry (vitex) extract is good for PCOS and helps regulate a woman's cycle. So after 6 months of researching about it and not having my own cycle, I decided to take the pills. I forgot what brand it was but after two weeks of taking vitex, I had a period. And it came back the next month. I thought I found my cure, but after the two period cycles, my period stop coming for a year. That was the biggest red flag that something was extremely wrong. But yeah, I am not saying "hey take vitex if you want a period", please consult your doctor before anything but I just remembered that it is one of the things out there that does work during my Cushing's days. It must be a very powerful herb to work on a cushie. But ultimately, my cure is removing the tumor.

Chasteberry

Chasteberry, this one kinda looks like a blue bonnet

Sunday, May 11, 2014

My Feature Story On Cushing's Support and Research Foundation


I will frame this!

So I received my spring Cushing's support and research foundation (csrf) in the mail. I was so excited to read it. Inside has a lot of interesting new research on the disease and doctors answers for questions people want to know about Cushings. I thought I knew all about it through my own research and experience but it had alot of answers and information I did not know. It also talks about cyclical cushing's which is harder to diagnose and alot of people have been emailing me about why they have all the symptoms and features of cushing's but their test are never positive. So I think that we always have to prepare for other possibilities. I am not a doctor to say whether you have it or not but I do encourage anyone to find a professional to investigate to why they aren't feeling "normal". Also the newsletter features patients stories.

Well I read this newsletter a few times and not once did I realize my story was featured inside the newsletter until a cushie emailed me saying they saw my story! Wow, I feel so honored to be chosen to share my story to csrf readers. My feature page was stuck together so I had no idea it existed but thank you Benji for informing me! I hope you are feeling better these days. I want to thank CSRF, cushies, and supporters. To help me through hard times and to share my story for awareness. You guys are everything.
Stress is not the cause of Cushing's. Having Cushing's causes stress.
 But it sure will feel worse if you're in a stressful situation!
Most Cushies suffer from bad memory, I still do.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Cushing's Patients Story for MAY! Yay!

Happy May! So I have an idea that I want to start some new blog posts that are about experiences that others have had with Cushing's. I will still write occasionally about myself here and there but I want to start focusing about other topics. So get ready! If you want to share your story please email me at: yumnguyen07@yahoo.com or vannievan12@yahoo.com
You can be in any stage of this process or any kind of advice you would like to share. You can choose to be anonymous =]

I am honored to share the story of one of the first Cushie sisters I have talked to. She has been extremely helpful with my whole process and was an angel sent to me during my hard times. Here is our short interview.

(Click^ to view full picture) Our Cushie Sister's transformation
 ME: Wow you didn't look overweight or classic "textbook" Cushing's.

 Cushie Sister: Yeah, that's part of the reason the doctors didn't really believe.  But I was exercising like crazy and eating nothing.  I should have been super skinny. But, I do think it prevented me from getting obese. 

ME: What was your biggest obstacle looking back at that time before and during?

Cushie Sister: I guess the biggest obstacle while having Cushing's was knowing something was off but being told nothing was wrong.  I definitely felt like I was a crazy woman. 

After surgery, I was expecting to feel great right away and the insane tiredness was unexpected.  It was like a heavy, wet blanket on me for almost a year.  Also, I didn't like being dependent on the hydro (steroids), and had it in my head that if I weaned, I'd recover faster.  That's not actually true - it's actually detrimental.  You can't force your adrenal gland to wake up; it just takes time.

Now, I feel like the world is available to me and I am open to life.  It's the best feeling ever, so in some ways, I'm grateful for Cushing's for giving me new eyes to see it.

Me: any advice you can share to other viewers or patients?
Cushie Sister: as far as advice, I know it's the hardest thing, and I'm not sure that I could have done it but... I think it is important to separate yourself from the disease.  You have/had Cushing's but you, the person, are separate from the disease.  In some ways, I felt more important because I had Cushing's.  I needed the disease to feel special.  That was a mindset that was difficult to shake once I was well. 

There it is guys. Thank you for the informative advice and congratulations on your awesome progress!

Friday, May 2, 2014

Happy One Year Anniversary

Wow it's been a year since my adrenalectomy woohoo! Must celebrate! Honestly I've been feeling a little paranoid about Cushing's. I don't know why but in my head I feel like my face is getting a little bigger.. I've been bloated and for some reason I feel fatigued and my joints are aching. I still get headaches and faint often. My MRI confirmed nothing but low blood flow. So I hope maybe I can start weaning off the steroids I am taking. Overall I do feel much better. I have a greater sense of self.  my moods have been happy often. I don't feel like laying in bed crying anymore. The paranoia has disappeared and anxiety. I don't feel awkward anymore and of course the physical change still amazes me. I hope that by the time my hormones regulate and and fully wean off steroids I can feel 100% like myself. I want to thank everyone throughout my whole process and for reading my crazy whiney rants at times. Thank you for accepting me sick or healthy. Remember that this is a long process and that you will get back to yourself and even better. Much love. XOXO