The story of Victoria
Hi My name is Victoria,I’m 39 and I have Cushing’s Syndrome. Cushing’s Syndrome is when your body has excessive levels of cortisol for a long period of time. I had many symptoms with my Cushing’s: high blood pressure, diabetic, anxiety, depression,acne, hair loss, weight gain, nose bleeds, tiredness, aches and pains in joints and back, weakness, swelling of feet and ankles,sleepless nights, thinning of the skin, confusion, lack of appetite, low potassium, loss of muscle mass, memory loss, libido, etc. It was a nightmare with my Cushing’s. It took the doctors 2 months to figure out what I had. Normally you have a tumor in your pituitary or your adrenal glands. I had neither, I had an ectopic tumor in my lung. I had a carcinoid tumor that was not cancer. There are some test you can take for detection of Cushing’s : late night salivary cortisol test and 24-hour urinary free cortisol (UFC). After they removed my right lower lobe of my lung my cortisol levels dropped down to normal and most of my symptoms went away. It’s been 2 months since my surgery and my hair is starting to grow back, I’m getting stronger everyday. You have to be on steroids for awhile. You have to wean yourself off the steroids, it may take a couple of months or even a year. You may even have some withdrawals from the steroids. Having Cushing’s Syndrome is and was the hardest thing I have ever been through in my life. To be able to get up ever morning and see my families smiling face is the greatest thing ever, You need to be strong and brave. It WILL get better you have to hang in there! My warmest regards Victoria xoxo (be brave)