2006

2013

2012

For those of you who don’t know me I am a 28 year old who was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease in 2007. I have probably had my brain tumor since I was in high school but I was not diagnosed until I was 22 years old.

Cushing’s disease is a condition where you have high levels of  glucocorticoids within the body, caused by the presence of an adenoma in the  pituitary gland. This pituitary gland tumor releases high levels of the ACTH  hormone, adrenocorticotropin ,from the brain, into the blood, which then causes the adrenal glands to make too much cortisol.

Some typical symptoms of Cushing’s Disease are:

rapid central weight gain

weight gain in the face (moon face)

stretch marks that are extra wide and super dark purple)

excess hair growth in females

buffalo hump on the back of your neck

kidney stones

depression

mood instability

high blood pressure

high blood sugars

decreased immune response

poor wound healing

hair thinning

insomnia

red face

muscle fatigue

memory loss

acne