# Possible Cushings levels?!



## kginak (Oct 2, 2012)

~~ Note: I've never been on ANY kind of medication for my Thyroid. Nothing, ever.~~

I'm almost 32yo, and had half my Thyroid removed in 2011 (had 2 goiters attached, so they removed that half) and was fine until around 2006 when I had my daughter. After her birth my body has literally been going downhill. It took us 3 years to get pregnant with my son, and I FOUGHT my weight that whole 3 years, then after his birth (his pregnancy was veryyy hard on my body) in 2011 I have been getting exponentially worse. I'll give you a list of my symptoms of the last few years (the most prevalent ones):

** Gaining weight at a rate of 3-4lbs a month, despite increased activity and zero changes (negative) in my diet. I've gained 45lbs since my husband returned from Afghanistan this past February!! 

** Hip joint and lower back pain so severe I can rarely pick up my son, and climbing the stairs of my new home is slow & difficult.

** Weird sleeping patterns/abilities. I'm awake til 1-2 but then sleep til 9, and still need a 3 hour nap everyday and even after getting one am STILL exhausted all day.

** My eyesight and hearing are starting to get a bit worse, as well as my memory and focus. Those have become abysmal!

** I seem to be gaining weight ALL in my stomach area, which is causing wide, bright pink stretch marks.

** I have been having repeat Ovarian cysts that are alarmingly big, that recur every few months, but my Dr's won't remove. Last one was 14cm!!

** Irritating, coarse black hairs on my chin and neck, that just keep coming back.

** Noticing it's taking me months to heal from bruises and scrapes AND I now suddenly have a raging case of Eczema on my right hand. Special creams aren't making it go away either!

** It took us 3 years to conceive my son because my periods are highly irregular, but once I get one, it's intense and painful and alarmingly heavy. Like, so scary I've been to the ER many times. 

** The depression and lack of desire to do anything I used to love are things I hear are also associated, but I'm not sure, but am adding them in here anyways.

I have been to 3 Army posts in 5 years, and all 3 places have been full of Doctors who tell me I'm fine because they're ONLY testing TSH levels and ignoring my symptoms. I just went to a new Dr last month, who ran more tests when I vehemently insisted........but all he did was FT4, TSH, ACTH and Cholesterol. In any case, those levels are below:

FT4 -- 0.77
TSH -- 2.8
Cholesterol -- 193
ACTH -- 32.5

The Dr said these levels were all "fine" and I need to drink more water and exercise more, that's all. I am to the point of screaming!! NO one is listening!! My husband has now said we're going to go to an Endo and just pay the $800 the Appt and testing will cost us. However, we're stationed in north Alaska, so it's a longlonglong drive down to the nearest ones.........and winter is setting in, so it may be months. 

Do these symptoms and test results sound like Cushing's to anyone but me?!?!


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## 1kate1 (Oct 3, 2012)

Yes, it sounds like possible cushings. You can order your own saliva cortisol tests through the mail. The test and the results are about $130. www.zrtlab.com Look for cortisol test there. Good luck and I will be thinking about you. Let me know what the results are.


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## Sarah31905 (Sep 3, 2012)

I am also an Army wife... You do have the option to request from your PCM to refer you out to a specialist. If they refuse then you can call Tri Care and see if they will help you. I have never had trouble getting my referrals to specialists. As long as you get a referral then you won't have to pay for it. Tri Care will cover it 100%. If you are Tri Care standard then you might have a co-pay, usually no more than $40. I hope this info helps.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Has your doctor considered PCOS? Take a look at this link and see if it matches what you're experiencing:

http://women.webmd.com/tc/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos-symptoms

And welcome to the forum!


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## monarchmomx2 (Dec 6, 2012)

if you need help finding online Cushings resources, please message me --

Cushings is a very difficult diagnosis and takes multiple labs over period of time to correctly rule in or out. One test doesn't cut it --

I have Cushings and I understand your frustration!


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