Cushing's Disease: My Symptoms

Disclaimer: I am not a Cushing's expert. This post is based off of my personal experience as a patient and I am only sharing the information that I've learned so far.

If you do a google search on Cushing's, you will find this disease has two names. Cushing's Disease and Cushing's syndrome. Cushing's syndrome is when an adrenal tumor is causing your adrenal glands to overproduce the cortisol hormone. Cushing's Disease, however, is when a pituitary tumor (or a tumor from another source) is overproducing the ACTH hormone, which then influences your adrenal glands to overproduce the cortisol hormone. In my case, I am suspected to have Cushing's Disease. The doctors will not confirm until I have the IPSS procedure that I mentioned in my last post. Essentially, Cushing's Disease/Syndrome is a result of too much cortisol in the body.

Here are my symptoms:

1. Extreme fatigue

2. Insomnia

3. Anxiety

4. Panic Attacks

5. Depression

6. Extreme irritability

7. Hirsutism

8. Weight Gain

9. Moonface / changes to facial features

10. "Buffalo Hump"

11. Irregular / missed periods

12. Brittle / breaking hair / slight balding

13. Blurry Vision / Eye Floaters

14. Memory Loss / Cognitive Difficulties

15. Loss of Emotional Control ( <-- THIS right HERE, y'all...)

16. Easy Bruising

17. Joint Pain

18. An electric / Buzzing sensation all over my body. (Sometimes feels like I'm on fire)

19. Purple Stretch Marks (Striae)

20. Shortness of Breath

21. Headaches

22. On & Off Muscle Weakness

23. Water Retention (hands, feet, legs are swollen)

24. Gray Hair

If you're living through or have lived through Cushing's Disease/Syndrome, what are/were your symptoms?

With heart,

B