Miss Diagnosis: Do You Know Someone?

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Do You Know Someone?

Maybe you know someone? Do you have a friend or relative that complains that no matter what they do they can't lose weight? Sure, there are folks who complain, but I mean the ones that really are doing "everything right" and yet are overweight and having health issues. In the Cushing's Community most of us believe that Cushing's isn't as rare as they say, only rarely diagnosed. Case in point: Alex was told by no less than 6 endocrinologists that she "couldn't have Cushing's because it was too rare", aside from the loss of logic, this means each of those doctors will still claim that they have no Cushing's patients. I have to wonder how many others were turned away and went home to suffer or die. Cushing's can't be diagnosed with a single lab test, it generally takes many, many tests. If your gut tells you something is wrong, and your doctor won't listen it's time to find a new doctor.

Here are some of the symptoms~ you don't have to have them all~ I hope they don't sound familiar!

Unexplained Weight Gain
Central Obesity
Moon Face
Buffalo Hump
Stretch Marks
Headaches
Acne
Anxiety
Insomnia
Daytime Fatigue
GI Issues
Diminished Resistance to Infection
Menstrual Irregularities
Easy Bruising
Body Temperature Abnormalities
Visual field disturbance
High Blood Pressure
Depression
Fertility Problems
Male Pattern Hair Growth in Women

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Transphenoidal Pituitary Surgery- From the UCSF web site

What happens during surgery?
The surgical removal of the pituitary adenoma is performed by a technique called a transsphenoidal operation. The word 'transsphenoidal' describes the path the surgeon follows to reach the pituitary gland. The word comes from 'trans', meaning 'to cross or pass through', and 'sphenoid', the name of the cavity (the sphenoid sinus) that is passed through to reach the pituitary gland. Newer techniques and improvements in technology now allow removal of these tumors without the need for an incision under the lip or within the nostril. The surgeon begins the approach by entering through the nostril on one side. The surgeon uses a brilliant fiber optic light to illuminate the internal anatomy, a microscope to magnify the area of surgery to 12 times the actual size, and very tiny microsurgical instruments especially designed for this particular operation. The surgeon guides the surgical instrument into the nasal cavity and an opening is made in the sphenoid bone. The sphenoid sinus is entered, and then an opening is made in the wall of the sella turcica to expose the pituitary gland. The adenoma can be readily distinguished from the normal pituitary gland tissue and is removed without removing the normal gland. After the surgeon removes all the tumor tissue, the small cavity that is left is treated with alcohol to destroy any tumor cells that may remain. This cavity is then sealed, sometimes with a piece of fat that the surgeon removes from the patient's abdomen. The surgeon then applies a biological 'glue' that helps seal the pituitary area from the nose and promotes natural healing. No nasal packs are used with this approach.