Facebook Pixel
EmpowHER Guest
Q: 

Should I give up on thinking this could be Cushing's?

By Anonymous August 12, 2016 - 3:16pm
 
Rate This

I feel so frustrated right now. So much testing has been done, and every single result is within the normal range. I even had a brain MRI and a CT scan of my abdomen, so both glands were looked out with no visible tumors. I will give you a back story of what lead me to get tested for Cushings.
About a year and a half ago, I wasn't feeling good at all, and I woke up with a lump of fat that had grown overnight, between my neck and shoulder blade. At this point, I already had the buffalo hump. Anyway, I went to the doctor, and he immediately suspected Cushings. I did blood work, and 2 of 3 24-hour urine tests. Since I went to an Army doctor, in the middle of the testing, the doctor got transferred to another base. I decided since I didn't think I had a moon face, that his hunch had to be wrong, so I didn't follow up with a different doctor.

Shortly after that, I had a broken bone in my foot, and found out that I had osteopenia at the age of 43. Recently I have had high blood pressure and some kind of weird spots on my hands, so I went to a dermatologist, and she thought I should talk to an internal medicine doctor, based on my abnormal appearance. He comes in the room, and right away, says "I'd like to test you for Cushing's". So, basically I've done blood tests, 1 24-urine test, a brain MRI, an abdomen scan, and a dex suppression test. All tests were in the normal range.
If this is the case, why do doctors keep thinking I have Cushings? I am so tired of this awful appearance. My neck is wide with a buffalo hump on the back of it, my face is red and hairy, my arms and legs are thin but my abdomen is not, I sweat horribly, have depression and anxiety, and most recently headaches.
Please let me know if you think I should persue this diagnosis or just accept this appearance as normal.

Add a Comment1 Comments

Guide

Hello and welcome to EmpowHer,

Even though the tests results are not positive for Cushing's, you do have all the symptoms and your doctor may proceed with treatment for Cushing's despite the test results. This is entirely your doctor's decision.
Cushing's in in the family of Endocrine Disorders. Other disorders that cause hormonal dysfunction include: Adrenal insufficiency, Gigantism (acromegaly) and other growth hormone problems, Hyperthyroidism, Hypopituitarism, Polycystic ovary syndrome .

You may have symptoms relating to some of these conditions as well. However, the Buffalo hump is very particular to Cushing's.

Below I have pasted a couple links that talks more about Cushing's symptoms and treatments.

https://www.empowher.com/cushings-disease/content/overview-cushings-syndrome-part-1
https://www.empowher.com/cushings-disease/content/cushing’s-syndrome-treatment-options-part-2

I hope that helps.
Faith

August 13, 2016 - 11:18am
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
By submitting this form, you agree to EmpowHER's terms of service and privacy policy
Add a Comment

All user-generated information on this site is the opinion of its author only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. Members and guests are responsible for their own posts and the potential consequences of those posts detailed in our Terms of Service.

Cushing's Disease

Get Email Updates

Health Newsletter

Receive the latest and greatest in women's health and wellness from EmpowHER - for free!