NEW INSTAGRAM & HEALTH UPDATE

Hii! I changed my instagram handle to VANDALISST
Link: instagram.com/vandalisst
         


To anyone who still wishes to contact me about cushing's disease or interested to see what's going on in my life or new selfies please look for my new instagram name vandalisst. I still get messages, comments and emails regarding Cushing's disease so do not hesitate to ask me any questions!


***And to update on my health and why I was feeling bad, my cortisol was a bit lower than average but also my thyroid is a bit low. I am not sure if all of that relates to why I was feeling terrible but I also know when I go too long without a period I feel horrible so I just pray I can have normal periods so I can feel 100% in the future.

Pre Cancer? The Dogs Know...

Greetings From Mt. Bonell Austin Tx!

Hello to all who still keep up with my health/cushing's blog and to the new cushies who stop by to read more about my personal Cushing's journey (remember to read more about Cushing's Syndrome in my 2013-2014 archive).
 So another update on my health. I am so far feeling good. No more Cushing's related symptoms. Not even that much anxiety, depression. The insomnia has improved so much and I can pretty much sleep anytime I want. My weight has been fluctuating again, which causes me to worry. I recently gained 8lbs in the time frame of 2 months, though I still look the same size, the weight gain scares me. ( the paranoia never goes away) I have been weight training and lifting like crazy and taking protein so maybe that is the reason why I am gaining weight-- hopefully it's muscle gains!! Some days my face look a little rounder/moon face-y and it freaks me out but I have realized that I am very sensitive to sodium and sugar. So If I eat too much of those two.. I get pretty swollen and bloated all over. So water is definitely very important to flushing all the toxins out and keeps the bloat away.

So far Everything is going fine in my life. Things are feeling like they are coming together and I enjoy every moment of my life.  The last entry I wrote was to investigate more about my abnormal menstrual cycle. After surgery I got my period around a year later and it came every month and I was thrilled but then since this year it stopped and started coming every 3 months or so and I noticed a little bit of breakouts, moodiness, bloating and hirsutism come back Basically PCOS symptoms. So I went to see the doctor. She gave me a pap smear and when the results came back, they found abnormal cells. My doc was a bit concerned so she sent me to the Ob Gyn and had her check me out. They decided to take a biopsy of my cervix and so we went ahead and did that. When the results came back, it turned out that I have type 1 Dysplasia which is a mild case of abnormal cells in the cervix. There are 3 types. Luckily I was not at a severe case and so they did not have to surgically remove the cells in me. With type 1, it can go away by itself or it can progress to type 2 or 3(precancer). It generally shows up when the immune system is lowered (maybe due to my cushing's or adrenal insufficiency) but  could get better with healthy lifestyle choices. There is still a small chance of it developing to something more severe so I will always need to go get a pap/ biopsy every 6 months to make sure it is managed. But getting minor surgery to remove some cells is no where near the debilitating experience I had with Cushing's. at this point, I am no longer afraid of what else is to come of my health/life. I am grateful that I can enjoy my life so much more with very little symptoms.

So I hope you guys are doing well and still feel free to reach out to me on my email yumnguyen07@yahoo.com please note that I will only respond to real patients with valid questions. I have been getting a lot of fake people reaching out pretending to be sick and that makes me so angry..being sick is not something to lie about, it is just unfair to others who are seeking help, support, and information.

I want to share with some pics of our first road trip with my two dogs. I mentioned some time ago that one of my dogs (Van-key the corgi/jack russell mix) is getting older and he has diabetes insipidus so I want to spend more time with him since he was one of my main supporters during my illness always lending me his little body for comfort. So I want for him to explore more in his puppy doggy life. It was just an amazing trip to Austin and the dogs enjoyed it so much. Austin is a city very open to pets everywhere and you get to meet all kinds of animals every where you go. Vankey was so happy and took in the whole experience-- even kayaking! which makes me so happy I can't wait to take him back in a few months!

Austin Here we come!

"Why you do this to me mommy?" -Vankey

Rascal looking Handsome in his life jacket

"What are you looking at?" -Rascal

Captain Corgi-Jack

Vanks navigating us

Feeling wayyy more confident post steroids!

The boys enjoying @Amy's Ice cream

Rascal enjoying Buttercream Icecream  (ps. Amy's icecream

is dog friendly!)

All tucked in @ our 5 paw hotel

The kings in their Queen size bed

Taking over the State Capitol!

Enjoying Mt. Bonell

A wedding on the peaks of Mt. Bonell!

This acrobat

Taking in the views at the top of the graffiti wall

Thanks for stopping by!!! Bye now!

Health Update

Hi guys, it's been a while. Well it's a bit late over here but I thought about blogging so this will be just a quick update with what's going on with my health. So far I feel pretty good most days. I still do have some days where I feel extremely tired and the anxiety/depression comes back. But I really believe those changes connect with my menstrual cycle. I notice before my period I feel super PMS-y and tired to the point I want to stay in bed all week. I still feel that around that time my ache, pains, and moods are magnified. Also they get worse when I have a late period, like something building up that needs to be released -__-  Last month I finally got a visit from AF after 3 months and the week before AF came was terrible. I had bad cramps and cried at everything. Then after the period, I was back to feeling good again. Now I am 2 weeks late and I start to feel the bloating and mood swings come slowly. So I do believe alot of my bad days are due to my hormone fluctuations. I have a OB GYN appointment coming up so I will talk to the doctor about what is going on with my period and how terrible I feel during the times I miss my period. So now I think that PCOS is still a problem I need to figure out the cause of it.

Other than that I feel much better than how I felt this time last year. I still take 3mg of cortef because I am still slightly adrenal insufficient and I feel better when I take a little bit of hydrocortisone. Hmm.. My weight has stayed at around 112-115 lbs and I basically still eat what I want but I do want to start getting in a healthier lifestyle because my body is not as resilient as it use to be and I will feel terrible after eating unhealthy foods. I also still can't do anything too strenuous because I have the low blood sugar/pressure that I need to control. I really want to feel healthy all the time so I think I need to take care of my body more. I also have been trying to live in the moment and feed my brain good thoughts to avoid falling down the slippery slope of depression. The past few months I've been busy with school/training, and my family. Keeping busy helps to not think about the stuff I want to change about my life/self. I am trying to just focus on the positives in life. Well that's about it! BTW I am always still on my email and social media to answer any Cushing's or health related stuff.

My handy kitty period tracker!

Here are some pics from the 9 year anniversary with my boyfriend. We decided on San Francisco, CA and it was beautiful, cold and windy!

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

You're Finally here! I've Been Waiting For you...

Finally Aunt Flow came to visit!! Yes I am telling the world! After years of long distance relationship she decided to come for a surprise visit. This is too soon to tell if it's a rogue period so I will wait and see if it will start to come monthly again. But I am happy! It's funny how most chicks take their period for granted because it is a monthly annoyance but any former Cushie gets so excited for theirs. We gotta remember that our periods are a signal of fertility and health. Sure back then I liked having less but it was a huge red flag that something was really wrong. I told my family that I would throw a period party and everyone has to wear red lol but I think I will wait for the next one just to make sure I am not jumping the gun. Plus I am feeling soooooooo tired. let me explain...

 

 

 So lately I've been feeling all sorts of  "hormonal" which is just a nice way of saying I'm feeling crazed and dazed. Well for one, I was starting to try to taper down a bit after feeling somewhat okay these past few weeks and after a few days of tapering down the steroids. I started feeling extremely low and dizzy. I literally felt like crying every waking moment and I was overwhelmed everywhere I went and everthing I did. I couldn't understand why... I got that summertime sadness...Then a few days ago my boyfriend said that I've been really acting off and he started to question if I have been trying to taper down myself again. So I admitted yes I have been for a week now and basically I got scolded for tapering down without the doctors consent and now I am back up again... I have to agree that Muffin was right about this one. I feel MUCH better on a higher dose. This is hard because after years of my adrenal gland tumor producing way too much steroids, even taking the physiological dose is scary to think about. I heard many people get pseudo Cushing's even on a low dose for a long period of time so of course any Cushing's patient would not like that idea... But anyways I think I'll be okay with this higher dose now. I just need to let my body do it's thing.. My thought process is still strange since I truly believe that if I go on the lowest dose I can deal with, that my lazy lefty will feel challenged and start working again but I have learned this is not a good idea the many times I've tried to taper down. Anyways, I guess doctors and loved ones knows best.. This week I have been so sore and achy. I have been having  many digestive problems ever since the surgery and I am feeling tired. I woke up at 3pm today... My feet feels swollen again and my lady lumps are crazy swollen too I cant sleep but I guess that's what happens during this time of the month. It just feels magnified. But you know what? I'll take any of this pain if that means it's part of me recovering. Thank you Aunt Flo!

 

                                        ^ I think she's singing about her period