DAY 26: Thought I could do this...

I thought how hard can it be to write something about Cushings for 30 days? Well, being in remission means I have more energy to do stuff during the day but then I'm wiped by 9pm. My cold is gone & I've been catching up on things. Like housework & doing my room mom duties for my sons class, taking my kids to all their extracurricular activities, practices & games. After I'm done at the end if the day, I'm too tired to get on the computer & I can't figure out how to blog via email/text from my cell. So I do it the long way on my phone & it sucks. So that's why I just haven't done it at all. The weekends are the hardest too because that's when all the games are. Between soccer & baseball & photographing both, it's crazy! I'll try to do the last couple days tho!!

DAY 23: Steroid Induced Cushings

Have you ever had to take steroid medicines long term? For any medical condition, like asthma, crohns, or other inflammation issue? Well I mentioned a few days ago that my son was sick with kidney issues when he was younger.  Three years old to be exact.  It was the scariest time.  He had something called Minimal Change Nephrotic Syndrome. His damaged kidneys leaked protein into his urine. As a result, not enough protein was left in the blood to soak up water. The water then moves from the blood into body tissues and causes swelling. He gained quite a bit a weight very quickly before we realized what was going on.  He wasn't peeing and he started getting edema.

Fluid Retention 2003

We saw a nephrologist (kidney specialist) who put him on high doses of steroids.  It was the oral version of prednisolone - Orapred. He was on this for months and we even had to wean him off it.  We had NO CLUE what this medicine would do to him and the doctors didn't tell us.  Or if they did, they stuck it in there with "it will help make him better" which is all that parents really listen to! They also gave him some Lasix to help remove all the excess fluid from his body.  While taking the Lasix, he peed and peed and peed!! He lost all the weight he'd gained in fluids!  But then came the steroids.  It came on slow, that we didn't even really see it til it had already made an impact on him.  I hate showing pictures and I feel so bad for my lil' guy, but you can see in the pictures I added how he's got total moon face.  He also got very moody and angry too.  It wasn't until my issues that I understood why.

Swelling in face due to Steroid use 2004

Could there have been another drug to help him? I don't know.  I know the doctors could've been more informative, but I would've done anything to make him better.  That's the problem with steroids.  It's so easy to be used to just fix an issue.  But long term use can really mess things up inside the body.

Today doing just fine.

My son is fine now and has not had an issue since.  (Knock on wood!!) But I will always be looking for any damage that the use of steroids did to him.  I pray it did nothing, but now I think twice before letting my family take steroids if it's not absolutely needed!

DAY 21: eHow sucks for medical advice!

eHow.com is just one of the reasons why doctors say don't rely on the Internet for reliable information! Another Cushie blogger found an article that was written by eHow.com about Cushings. Or at least what the author thought cushings was! After I saw that, I went to eHow.com directly & searched for cushings. OMG! There were many articles! Not all by the same person and unfortunately not all those were correctly informed about cushings either!!

People look cushings up in Google and this is what they find?! Misinformation that they take back to doctors. Doctors then get annoyed at those of us who really do suffer. It's a never ending cycle because I know eHow isn't the only site misinformed about cushings. So please when you read eHow, read it with a grain of salt, especially when it comes to medical advice. Here's the link to the other Cushie blogger that you should read. http://blogforacushiecure.blogspot.com

DAY 20: Medical Community

One of the hardest things about Cushings in general is getting diagnosed.  It's hard that this disease puts us through horrible symptoms, but what makes it harder is doctors not believing us and blaming it on something completely different.  Doctors who don't listen, don't care, don't want to learn.  Doctors who want to treat and street.  Unfortunately, that's not Cushings.  Cushings needs lots and lots and LOTS of testing to be diagnosed.  Like I've said before, everyone is different and needs different medical care.

But in the last 10 years, my faith in the medical community has wavered. Oddly enough it didn't start with my Cushings ordeal.  It started with my husband and his missed cancer, and then my son who had kidney issues. It just happened to have ended with me and cushings.   I am now sooo on top of doctors when they start passing out a diagnosis!  I question everything.  I research everything.  I feel like I can't rely on them anymore.  I've called one endocrinologist already.  This was how my call went to one of the physicians' assistants.

Me: Hi there! I was wondering if Dr. Xxxxx is familiar with Cushings Disease and has treated any cushings patients all the way through to surgery?
P.A.:  The doctor is familiar with Cushings, but he's never had a cushings patient.  Cushings is not a common disease.  Though if the doctor saw a Cushings patient, he could diagnose them.
Me:  Has he diagnosed anyone with PCOS?
P.A.:  Of course! That's a more common issue, especially among women. It is treatable too.  
Me:  Is it possible that any or all of those patients could've had Cushings, since they do show similar symptoms?
P.A.:  No.  That's not possible.  Doctor Xxxxx has been in the field for 40 years and would know a Cushings patient if he saw it.
Me:  Oh.  Ok.  Thank you very much for your time.

REALLY?!?!?!!  I wanted to scream! I wanted to tell this so called assistant to really look it up! That it was more prevalent than she thought!! Because that doctor has no clue what he's doing?!?!!  All those poor women who have no clue if they really have PCOS or Cushings or both?!?!

If you are reading this... Question EVERYTHING! From everyday diagnosis, to medicine to getting a second or more opinion!!   There are good doctors out there, but you really have to look to find them!! So my Endocrinologist search continues...

DAY 19: Media giving the wrong impression?

One thing I hate so much, is seeing articles in the media about stress and not how it relates to Cushings. They are all over the place! Some of the claims include just enough scientific fact to make even the savviest consumers say, “That makes sense, I think I’ll try that.” They hit home emotionally by focusing on that common hot button that stress is (and who isn’t at least a little stressed in this day and age?). Brilliant marketing. Convincing even. Unfortunately, most of the claims being made are completely false, with only a tiny thread of truth woven in.  There are so many people out there struggling with Cushings and they read this stuff and think it will help!  Hopefully they see that it doesn't and a doctor will listen to them, but that's not always likely either!!

Here's one article: How to Stop Stress Eating.  It talks about things you can do to stop eating so much.  This is one of the first things that doctors tell patients, is that they have to lose weight.  Many Cushings patients actually try to eat well and yet how can we really prove that when cushings makes us LOOK like we are eating everything in sight? Some people probably do eat when they are stressed.  I know I was one of them.  But I know not all my weight was because of that.  High levels of cortisol are merely one contributing factor to storage of abdominal fat, not the primary cause. An excess of calories from too much food and not enough exercise is what makes someone gain weight.  Stress is not what causes someone to get fat. Not everyone who is stressed gains fat. Many people even lose weight while under stress.

Here's another article:  Five Questions to Live Stress Free! This one tells you what to do so you aren't so stressed.  But there's not real help here at all.  If someone is struggling from Cushings, none of these questions will really be answerable.
First questions is "What is Really Bothering Me?"  Most cushies have no clue what it is that's really bothering them.  It also could be a myriad of things that just doesn't go together.
Question two is "Who Am I Angry At?"  Again another question that a cushie is going to say, I don't really know? Rage can come out of no where and for no good reason!
Third question is "What is My Vision?"  Well that we may be able to answer, sort of.  We all want to feel better. We want to do things and get on with our lives.
Question number four: "Who is Draining my Energy?  "Really good question! Too bad most people won't look deeper to the cortisol connection.  Too bad doctors will blow it off and not look further themselves.
Last Question: "Who Do I Need to Forgive?"  The answer would be yourself.  We as cushies are sooo hard on ourselves.  Especially when still trying to get diagnosed.  There's no need to forgive it all until a doctor apologizes for not looking into Cushings to rule it out completely first!!

So be careful when reading these articles as they may not be giving you the whole story.  Maybe one of these days in the future we'll see a story on stress AND how it may relate to Cushings.  Hopefully someday.

DAY 18: Hand it to Cushings

Cushings takes so much away from each and every one of us.  Fight back and get informed!! Learn what your options are, learn what Cushings is and what it can really do to you if not taken care of asap!

DAY 17: Guilt post Cushings

One thing that I have left over post pit surgeries, especially since my MIL died, is guilt over how I treated people while I had Cushings. I'm reminded my by my mom, husband, kids what I was like just a few years ago. And how my MIL never really got to know the real me post Cushings. I'm a better person now, but I wasn't back then. I yelled, I was rude and generally wasn't pleasant to be around. Everything bothered me. At the same time, I couldn't stop it. The rage would come on & leave just as fast. I felt like I couldn't help it. I can make it up to all those that are still here but I feel bad I can't make it up to my MIL. She tried so hard to be good to me & the kids…

DAY 16: Hyperpigmentation caused by Addison's Disease

The cause of hyperpigmentation usually is traced to the activity and presence of melanocytes. When there's sun exposure or idiopathically in some disorders, hyperplasia of melanocytes occurs and causes hyperpigmentation. Freckles is one form of hyperpigmentation. That is something that I have developed since my pit surgeries! I never had freckles before. Ever. But now, as soon as I spend more than 10 minutes in the sun, my whole face bursts out into freckles!! I've never had my melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) tested before but I'd love to get it done to see what my levels are. With my ACTH levels still at the upper end of normal it's got to cause some of these little issues! Elevations of MSH and ACTH levels occur as the pituitary gland tries to stimulate the adrenal glands, melanin production increases, causing hyperpigmentation. The hyperpigmentation is diffuse, but more pronounced in sun-exposed areas. Hence, the freckles.

DAY 15: How I found out I had Cushings

This was taken in the fall of 2006  (Ick)

It's been 5 years since I first found out I had Cushings. It started with my annual trip to my OB/gyn. I told my gyno that I'd been having symptoms that I'd never experienced previously with having PCOS & Endometriosis. He thought it might be a good idea to see an endocrinologist. So I made an appt & saw a local endo 2 months later (in Jan 2007). I was asked to do many blood tests. I had no idea what they all were or what the endo was looking for. When I had my follow up appt, the doctor seemed surprised at the results. I asked the endo what she thought & she told me she didn't know. She asked me to retest again & see what happens. Worried, I asked her for a copy of the tests. I went home & looked up the results. Sure enough, it all pointed to Cushings. So I retook the tests & went back to the endo. She told me she believed I had Cushings.

Taken recently April 2012

 I was in denial & she still was still confused because my levels didn't make sense to her. My cortisol levels were normal, but my ACTH levels were high. My urine tests were high but my salivaries were normal. I continued testing every month. Finally endo told me to see a neurosurgeon to get an IPSS done. I did just that. Unfortunately the neurosurgeon told me the results of my IPSS were inconclusive. So after spending a year w/o moving forward, I went out west to find a real Cushings Specialist. I decided to go to Seattle to go through Cushie Camp. I went at just the right time because all the testing came up high. Because of family obligations I had to wait on surgery but in June of 2008 I had pit surgery & the rest is history!! :-)

DAY 14: Things that raise & lower cortisol

One of the first things one should do when testing for Cushings is to get off all medication if possible. That includes the birth control pill for any women that are on it.  There are many drugs out there that will mess up results and may even make cortisol levels higher or lower than they really are!

Even after surgery there are some meds that I can't take, because they lower my cortisol.  My cortisol is already low enough, I don't need it any lower! I learned the hard lesson yesterday.  The night before last, I took NyQuil.  I knew I was sick with a cold and thought I could handle it.  I felt fine for the most part.  But as I learned today, I have a sinus infection.  That infection alone, lowered my cortisol levels.  Then on top of that I took NyQuil, which lowered it some more! No wonder I felt like total crap yesterday!! It took 50mg of hydro yesterday and 30mg of hydro today to feel better.  But I digress...


Things that will lower your cortisol levels:

1. Grapefruits & Grapefruit Juice
2. Medicines like: Xanax, Azithromycin, Biaxin, Bactrim, Dextromethorphan, & some Anti Depressives
3. Supplements like: Grape Seed Extract, Co Q 10, Ginseng, St. John's Wort, Fish Oil, & Vitamin C

Things that will raise your cortisol levels:

1. Alcohol
2. Dehydration
3. Caffeine & Guarana
4. Exercise
5. Herbal Supplement Licorice
6. Estrogen, Progesterone, & Testosterone

There are a lot more medicines and supplements that affect your cortisol levels.  Just ask your doctor if any medicine you take will interfere with your testing! Or if you are postop, will that medicine lower your cortisol levels so you will have to stress dose with hydrocortisone! I'd hate for you to find out the hard way like I did!

DAY 13: Sick. Stress dose sick.

Since coming home from Hershey, I seemingly caught my kids cold. On top of the fact that I've been on rides & up late while we were there. It has just hit me like a truck!! I feel tired, weak, lightheaded, dizzy, headache, nauseous, on top of being congested with a sore throat. I've been in bed & couldn't get up except to go to the bathroom. I ended up stress dosing. I took my 20mg & when I realized I was weak & nauseous going to the bathroom, I took another 10mg. It didn't get better. I took another 20mg & I didn't start feeling better til 8:30 pm tonight.

 I'm still weak & tired but hopefully tomorrow I'll feel back to normal. Sick, but fine that is. I get so scared & paranoid when I get like this. I have yet to have to go to the ER for a crisis, but I'm sooo afraid the docs won't know what to do with me. It's one if the things I have to deal with tho postop. It's scary. But thankfully I'm ok.

DAY 11: Cushie Faced Celebrities

Ashley Judd is one of the newest celebrities to be struck by the evil that is steroids. To be judged by that insidious moon face.  I feel bad for her & I wonder if her doc even knew that putting her on that much steroids could cause her to look like that.  It's sad that the media is tearing her apart.  They are saying she had plastic surgery. But that's not a compliment! No one would  pay to have moon face!? In any case click HERE to read Ashley's story!

DAY 10: Finacial Aid to Help Get Diagnosed

  http://www.rarediseases.org/news-events/news/cushings-pap
"In partnership with Corcept Therapeutics Inc., the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has established a Cushing's Syndrome Patient Assistance Program for patients with endogenous Cushing's syndrome who need financial assistance with certain costs related to their medical diagnosis and/or care."

This is a great help since testing for Cushings can be so costly! Even just going from doctor to doctor and then deciding to see a Cushings Specialist that's across the country! It all adds up! This is a nice program for those that need it!! I hope many people can take advantage of it!

DAY 9: Find endocrinologist!

This week it's very important that I find an endocrinologist! I was told by Pfizer that they really want me to have an endo monitoring my GH use & levels. The guy on the phone made it sound like they won't be sending me another pkg of shots. :-( That would totally suck!! I also need someone to help me watch my cortisol & ACTH levels. So I will be calling some around my area & see if I can find anything!! I have to come up with some questions that will let me know if this guy is serious! Like 'what is his test of choice to help find out if someone has Cushings?" I'll also see how he does with me knowing something he may not. I'll show him all my testing & see what he says with that too. I will post about my visits after they happen. But I can tell you I'm not looking forward to it!!

DAY 8: Happy Birthday Harvey Cushing!

Harvey was a neurosurgeon & "shortly before retirement, Cushing delineated the syndrome of pituitary basophilism, which was almost immediately called “Cushing’s disease.”" Because I'm on my phone & away from, I'm going to leave you with some links to check out if you're interested!

http://www.med.yale.edu/library/historical/cushing/family.html

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Williams_Cushing

DAY 7: My body & mind after Cushings

Today my kids, hubby & I are in Hershey Park. My kids wanted me to go on the scrambler, tilt-a-whirl or even the carousel & I had to say no. I just can't do it. Since my pit surgeries I just haven't been able to go on anything spinny. I did once & it haunted me for 2 days. This isn't just an age thing, I get wicked headaches, nausea & lightheaded for hours after & it comes & goes for a day or two! I can go on a roller coaster but 2 days after that it usually catches up to me too. Just not at the moment like the spinny things do.

The other thing that gets me (and I've mentioned it before) is that my memory is shot. We walked all over the park, but when my kids asked ME where this certain ride was I couldn't tell them because I couldn't remember!! We had just been there 45 min earlier! My muscles aren't what they used to be either & I had to take quite a few breaks. But we made it through & everyone enjoyed themselves. Even after resting a bit, I'm exhausted so am off to bed!!

DAY 6: How Cushings Made Me a Better Person

For many months after my pit surgeries I was sure Cushings was going to come back. it was always a thought in the back of my mind. Too many people I knew had had a recurrence, so why not me? Well that didn't happen. It was about my 1 year anniversary that that changed. There was nothing special about the day, I just felt 'normal' like everything was going to be ok! From that moment on I felt a new appreciation for life. Im a better person now because I had this disease. It made me appreciate the little things in life. Hearing the birds, watching my kids laugh, even being able to touch my toes & not come up dizzy! I was more grateful for the people in my life & was even more sympathetic to any medical issues they went through! Because of Cushings I'm a stronger, wiser & more sympathetic person. It's a horrible disease to have, but when you get to the other side & are well it makes you see things so much differently!

Day 5: What I learned the hard way

When I finally got to the point that I was ready for surgery and ready to feel better, I wanted the doctors to go in and take it all out.  "Be as aggressive as possible!" I told the surgeon.   I learned the hard way, that the aggressive way comes with it's own issues.  Once the pituitary has been sliced up and the Cushings tumor is gone, what's left is a lack of functionality.  That was the one thing that I didn't read up on before my surgery.  I didn't know about, let alone understand, about being hypopituitary.  What does it entail?  Is it bad?

3 weeks postop, recouping.

Well let me explain to you what I felt like the first 6 months after 2 pituitary surgeries.  For 2 weeks, I felt great.  I was on 90mg of hydro and could only imagine if this was what my body produced (and more) to make me feel so great before surgery.  As I weaned down, the only way I could describe it was like a roller coaster.  You feel ok once you first take the lower dose. Then you go up that giant hill as the days progress on the lower dose.  You think things will be ok, then BOOM! Day 3 or 4 and you start coming down that hill. Your head hurts, your stomach hurts, you are weak and you just don't want to move! Eventually I got to a dose that I could stick to for awhile, so finally I was at an even level.  No more headaches, body aches etc, EXCEPT when I would do too much in general! So I had to still take it easy until my body got used to this dose. 

my thinning hair 3 mos postop

Three months out now and my body now is used to being on 20mg of hydro, but I still had some weird symptoms going on! My hair was falling out, my nails were brittle, and I still had muscle weakness as my joints just burned! I was depressed and having hot flashes and just felt like I was 80 years old!  The doc finally puts me on thyroid replacements first and that helps some! My hair and nails get a little better, but I still get wicked hot flashes and I learn that my memory and concentration suck! I couldn't remember my own phone number when someone asked me for it! So I go see my ob/gyn who puts me on an estrogen/progesterone patch. That definitely helps with the hot flashes and depression. 

Months go by and I still don't feel "normal."  I try to wean again, thinking maybe that's it.  The fact that I could be cushie again is always in the back of my mind.  Every symptom comes back to that.  It's hard to fight that feeling of a Cushings recurrence! But I finally get some more blood tests done, my thyroid is tweaked and the doc tells me to go back up to 20mg of hydro.  I do and I feel so much better and even lose weight doing that!  The doc finally gets back the IGF-1 test and it shows a level of 50.  VERY low.  So he finally starts me on Genotropin.  OMG what a difference!!  Even the lowest dose made a huge impact!!

I had my surgery in June and it wasn't until January that I felt even remotely normal!! I had energy, my hair was growing again and my muscles didn't hurt!  I still have to get my hormones tweaked to this day, but getting on the GH was what pulled it altogether.  That's when I realized that we really have no clue how much our body does! And how much the pituitary really affects every day life! 

I'm not sorry that I told the surgeon to be aggressive.  I have to make sure all my hormones are correctly replaced to work together and I have to be conscious that when I get sick that I have to stress dose.  But while taking all these meds sucks, I wouldn't change that for Cushings any day!!

DAY 4: Support Cushings with a Click

For all those still struggling with Cushings, there's finally a medicine that will help besides surgery!

Korlym (mifepristone) is a cortisol receptor blocker indicated to control hyperglycemia secondary to hypercortisolism in adult patients with endogenous Cushing's syndrome who have type 2 diabetes mellitus or glucose intolerance and have failed surgery or are not candidates for surgery.

Corcept Therapeutics will donate $5 for every person who clicks to support people with Cushing's. Corcept has jump-started the effort to build awareness and support with a $15,000 contribution to provide support through the Cushing's Support and Research Foundation and Cushing's Help. With your support, we can aim even higher!* Take part...and spread the word!   cushingsawareness.korlym.com/

DAY 3: The First Time I...

Taken in 2008 before my trip to Seattle

The first time I heard the word Cushings, I was scared.  Another "C" word that meant tumor in my body that I could die from. I was in denial for a long time that I could have this.  I just didn't feel I had a lot of the symptoms.  I wasn't fat because of this disease, I was fat because I was an emotional eater. I didn't get much sleep because I was a mom who was worried about her kids.  The stretch marks were bad because I was overweight!  My face broke out and was oily because my menstrual cycle was crazy!  You see where my thoughts went!

After I got back from Cushie Camp, where I got all high results, I realized just how in denial I was.  I had this horrible disease, but it wasn't going to kill me.  I was going to beat it.  I jotted down all the symptoms I had and even some that I wasn't sure were related.  Who would've thought that plantar fasciitis was a symptom of cushings??  But it was.  It's totally gone now since my surgery.  I have lost all those symptoms of Cushings tho.  It's not such a scary word anymore, because there is something after it that's not death.  While Cushings has taken it's toll and my body is not completely the same as it was 10 years ago, it's better than it was with Cushings. 

DAY 2: Ten things I can't live without

There are lots of things in life that we can't live without.  But there are things a former Cushings patient now Addison patient must have, that they really can't live without.  That's literal and figuratively. For me, the following ten things are what I cannot live without:

1.  Hydrocortisone.  My life sort of depends on this one right now. 
2.  My other hormone medications.  Levothyroxine, Genotropin and my Estrogen patch.  I could physically go without these hormones, but they would make me feel symptoms that I'd rather not have to deal with.  They add to the big picture and make me feel whole. I can't go without these.
3.  An Endocrinologist. Right now, since Dr. L has left, I have no endocrinologist.  I am in the process of looking for one to follow me during this journey.   I will write another post another day on this issue.
4.  My Primary Doctor.  My primary doctor here locally has been a doll.  He will give me any tests I ask for and he's on call for me should I ever need him.  Usually in an emergency, they go to a service to help. Not for me, as all I have to do is ask for him.  He's been there since day one of this Cushings journey and never questioned me when I said I needed to go to Seattle.  He's worked with Dr. L and I just can't do this without him.
5.  Sleep.  Now that I can sleep 8 hours and feel fully refreshed and ready to go, I wouldn't give it up.    My body needs down time to recoup as well and that's just something I can't live without. 
6.  Food.  Now this is pretty basic and obviously we can't live long without food.  But because my body has suffered from what cushings did to it, I need to feed it right.  That means lots more fruits and veggies, whole grains, and even some salty foods thrown in there.  Sometimes I crave salty potato chips or pretzels and nothing else will satisfy it! 
7.  Water. Since my surgery, I drink more water than anything else.  I hated the taste of water before that and never felt it quenched my thirst.  Now it does.  I remember the days in the hospital when I had DI and had pitchers lined up of water.  I'm not that bad now, but I drink just under a gallon a day.  
8. My parents. My mom was the one that went out to Seattle with me each time and was there for me when I had my surgery.  My dad worked hard and paid her way to go each time, as well as called Dr. L before my surgery and asked questions & told him to take good care of me. 
9. My kids.  They really are number one to me, but in this case they aren't.  But I could never live without them.  They are who I live for.  I want to get better and be a better person for them.  During my cushings days, I was a yeller.  I hated it.  I felt like I had no control of myself tho.  Now I'm different and I know they see it.  We get along much better now too.  I love my lil' M & Em's.  
10. My husband.  He was unsure what was going on with me and told me to rely on the local doctors.  But after a year with no help he told me to go ahead and go out west and see if Dr. L could help me.  He stayed with my kids because we were both afraid to leave them, even tho he could've come with me to Seattle.  He dealt with my symptoms day after day and still loved me despite it.  I am grateful to him and I know now our relationship is better, now that I am too.  
11. The Cushings Help Board.  As much as I wanted this to make my top ten, it was just under.  But I couldn't live without the help of those ladies and men during my Cushings days.  I try to post there when I can now to help others.  But they are such an amazing resource! I would recommend that message board to anyone!

DAY 1: I write about my health because…

I blog about my journey with Cushings because I want my family, friends & all those diagnosed or waiting to be diagnosed with Cushings to see it is possible to move past Cushings & it's symptoms. It's such a lonely & stressful place to be in when you are going through it.  Not many people understand, even the doctors.  It seems so easy for docs to blame it on something else.  Not eating right, not working out enough, too depressed, etc etc.  Many relationships are challenged during this time.  It's unfortunately one of those illnesses that's hard to understand unless you've been through it.  But it is possible for people to try to understand and have some empathy and sympathy.  Not easy sometimes, but possible.  I do this for my kids tho.  They are what strive me to get healthy and to teach them as well as others about this awful disease.

Everyone who happens to be on this journey takes a different path.  I don't think I know one cushie that had the exact same symptoms, test results or even surgery outcomes.  Everyone is just a little different.  That's one of the reasons that makes this disease so hard to test for and fix.  But that's why I like to share my story, my moving on past Cushings, and what I've been through to get to this point.