The hospital stay after surgery......

Okay so the next week I spent in the hospital was pretty much awful. I was in a lot of pain from having the drain in my back.... I would wait too long to ask for painkillers and the pain was excruciating ...... it literally felt like someone was stabbing me in the back. I was getting horrible headaches (probably from the fact that they had just dug around inside my head!), and I felt as if my sinuses were going to blow up because of the packing that was stuffed in my nose (the purpose of the packing was to make sure blood and stuff wasn't leaking out of my nose). Also because I had to be completely flat the nurses actually had a level to set on my bed to make sure it was level. I remember one of the nurses had an intern with her the one day and the intern bumped my bed when she was changing IV fluids and the nurse started yelling at her and immediately grabbed the level and had to fix my bed. Apparently it was extremely important that I was level because if I wasn't the fluids would not drain out of my body properly and I could have gotten a severe infection which could have actually killed me. Scary!

I was on some pretty good painkillers so the first couple days are blurry to me. I do however remember lying in my bed staring at the clock on the wall (it was the only thing I could really see) and I thought that I had seen one of my friends walk in.... then she was gone. I thought okay it is just the medication... most of my friends didn't even know I was having surgery, everything happened so fast that I didn't tell many people. I realized my mom had left and I was all by myself... it seemed like forever but it was probably only like 10 minutes. My mom walked in and told me that I had a visitor.... it was my friend, her and her mom were going to look at a school and had heard I was in the hospital and came to visit me. It really meant a lot to me to see her... I don't remember much about our visit... I just know that I was glad she had stopped to see me! I found out later that I had seen her walk in the first time but she wasn't expecting me to look as rough as I did and she started crying so my mom took her and her mom out into the hall so that she could compose herself before I seen her.... they didn't want to upset me. I honestly wish that I was able to have seen what I looked like..... it must have been rough!
Over the next week my mom was with me all day... everyday. I am not sure how she did it without going insane but she kept me going... she brought me all the apple juice that I could drink (she actually bought out every single vending machine in the hospital out of apple juice!). She has been one of the reasons that I have been able to endure everything that I have. she is such a strong, compassionate woman.... all I can say is that she is truly amazing!
I think it was the 4th or 5th day after my surgery and my Dad and Shannon came to visit. Again I don't remember a whole lot from that visit either.
Finally after about a week the doctors said that I could get the drain taken out of my spine, and the plugs taken out of my nose! I was very excited because this would mean that I could get out of my bed! I thought it would be painful to get the drain pulled out of my spine but to my surprise it actually wasn't that bad... a little uncomfortable but tolerable. The nose plugs on the other hand were AWFUL. The doctor would start pulling on the string to pull it out and it felt like he was ripping my nose out! Everytime I said "Owww! He would stop... and finally I was like just pull it out already! So he grabbed the strings and pulled them out. As soon as he pulled them out all the pressure I was feeling in my nose and sinuses was gone... it was such a relief! I can't even explain how great it felt to not have those "plugs" in my nose. I asked my mom how I looked and she got this horrified look on her face and told me that my nose was all screwed up.

I wanted to see what I looked like so my mom went downstairs to the gift shop to get a mirror so I could see myself. What she didn't tell me is that it was a kids mirror so it distorted everything. When I looked in the mirror my nose looked crooked and I started to cry... I thought that when they had broke my nose that they didn't set it properly and I was going to have a crooked nose for the rest of my life! Then she started laughing and told me that my nose was a little swollen but other than that it looked the same as it had before my surgery. I was so relieved. I am not sure why it was such a big deal to me but I was so happy that my nose wasn't all messed up! It was kind of a sick joke on my mom's behalf but I can't really blame her, she had spent an entire week in the hospital with me pretty much by herself!

The doctor told me that for the 4-6 weeks I was not allowed to sneeze, blow my nose or drink through a straw. The pressure from doing any of those things would loosen the tissue that they took from my leg and put in my head to block the wound. It was somewhat disappointing news, because all I wanted to do at that point was blow my nose. Guess I would just have to wait!

I wanted to sit up so badly, after being flat on your back for a week it's amazing how much you DO NOT want to lay down anymore! So the doctors sat my bed up so that I was sitting up, but I got so sick, the room was spinning. I had to sit in the upright position for more than 2 hours before I was allowed to even try getting up. After the 2 hours I was starting to feel better.... and my mom helped me get out of my bed. Thank goodness she was helping me because my muscles had become so weak that I could barely even stand by myself let alone walk. She helped me shuffle my way over to the bathroom so I could look at myself (all I can say is I looked rough...) Then she helped me into a wheelchair and me and my mom decided that I should go outside for a bit. It felt great to be able to get out of the bed, and out of the room. Every little bump that we went over made my whole body ache... but I didn't care at that point, I was outside!
Because they had waited until Friday afternoon to take out the plugs and stuff I had to spend the weekend in the hospital because I had to wait to see the doctor on Monday to make sure all my levels and everything was starting to become normal. For the next couple days I worked on moving around as much as I could to get my muscles working again. It was probably quite funny watch me move around, I looked and felt like a 90 year old woman. I had to hold onto the bed or hand rails along the wall and shuffle may way around. My mom wheeled me around a bit in a wheel chair too when she didn't want to wait for me to shuffle to where we needed to go.

Finally Monday morning the doctors came in and told me that I was able to go home. I had my stuff packed before my mom even got to the hospital that morning! I was so happy to finally be able to leave. The doctors were hopeful that I would go back to how I was "pre Cushings". That meant that I was going to lose weight, have more energy, and just feel better! I was so happy, mainly about losing some weight. I couldn't wait to look like I used to!

The first thing my mom asked me when I got out was what I wanted to eat... for some reason all I wanted was a nice juicy cheeseburger! I was totally elated when my mom took for for a cheeseburger. When I got my food I took a huge bite out of my burger... to my disappointment I had forgotten that because of them going in through my nose for my surgery I could not taste or smell anything. It would be at least 2 weeks before I would get the satisfaction of taste and smell back! Seriously!!! Grrrrr! Haha but I was free! Free from the hospital, the IV's, the noise, the uncomfortable beds, and the constant poking of needles. It was great!

Somewhat of a complication.....

So the next thing I remember is being in my hospital room in the Neuro ICU unit... totally out of it..... in quite a lot of pain. Before my surgeryt he doctors had told my Mom and Dad that my surgery would take approximately 3 hours. Well the doctors didn't tell my parents that I was almost an hour late going into my surgery and on top of that they ran into some problems during surgery so my 3 hour surgery ended up taking more than 6 hours. They never once came out to tell my parents what had happened so I could only imagine how worried they were. I was later told that my mom was pacing back and forth pretty much the whole time and would not sit down. She also kept telling my Dad to go find out what was going on. My Dad was like "I am sure they are just going to let me walk in to see what is going on!" Needless to say everyone was very worried about me, and had no idea what was taking so long.
When I opened my eyes I tried to move and the nurses like jumped on me yelling "Don't move! Don't Move!" Totally confused and unsure of what was going on I looked for my Mom and Dad. All I knew for sure is that I was in pain, my back, my head, everything......My mom looked worried, my Dad did too... and that scared me. Still groggy from the anesthetic, I remember trying to figure out where I was, who was there.... it was all foggy for a little bit. Once I was awake enough to comprehend my parents explained to me how the surgery had gone. Apparently my 3 hour surgery had turned into a 6 hour surgery. While trying to remove the tumor the doctors had accidentally knicked my brain fluid sack so they had to insert a drain (a long narrow tube) into my spine to make sure that any leaking fluid did not stay in my body and cause any infection. This meant that I was not allowed to sit up, in fact it meant that I had to be perfectly level for a couple days. At that point I didn't want to even want to move, I hurt SO bad... it was the most painful feeling I could have ever imagined! Then the nurse tried to move me over and she grabbed my leg.... I screamed because it hurt when she touch my left leg. When I screamed she had no idea why it hurt... she pulled the blanket back and realized that there were stitches in my leg. Apparently they needed to us some tissue from my leg to put in my head to block fluid from leaking out... would have been nice if they let all the nurses know!
I had a huge bandage across my nose (I later found out that I also had "packing" up my nose, which is pretty much like a tampon) and I had to wear a mask to keep my nose mosturized to prevent the packing from drying up inside my nose (which would make it extremely painful to remove), I had sore spots on my head from the clamps that were used during surgery to keep my head still and positioned correctly, both my eyes were black (from them having to break my nose, and move the cartilidge over to allow access to wear the tumor was located), and I had IV's in both arms. My mom said I looked like I had been in a car accident. I had wraps on both my legs that would inflate and deflate to make sure that I didn't lose circulation in my legs. I never got to see what I looked like, but I could imagine that I wasn't ready for a beauty pagent!
Following my surgery I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything for 12 hours. Because I was on so much pain killers I don't remember alot the first couple days after my surgery, but I do remember being SO thirsty. I was begging the nurses to let me have a drink, and they kept telling me I wasn't allowed any fluids. I remember literally crying because I felt as if I didn't get something to drink that I was going to die (harsh I know but thats how I felt). The next thing I remember is in the middle of the night my nurse Nikki (she had just graduated from nursing school and she was absolutely WONDERFUL) woke me up to tell me that I was allowed a drink. I don't think I could have received any better news. All I wanted was apple juice (don't ask me why), so she went and got a jug of apple juice and would pour a little in a cup. I couldn't sit up so I was lying flat on my back trying to drink. It was extremely difficult and I felt like I would never get enough to satisfy my thirst. Nikki got a brilliant idea... she went to the nurses station and stole someones water bottle for me. It was way easier to drink out of a water bottle than it was trying to drink out of a cup. That water bottle became my best friend!
Over the next couple days I struggled with the pain... I would wait to long to ask for painkillers and by the time I would get them the pain was so bad that I thought I couldn't take it anymore! Everytime I even moved my arm my IV would plug off and start beeping so I couldn't move my left arm. My mom figured out how to fix it so the nurses didn't have to come in all the time. Eventually they decided that they needed to move it because my vein was so damaged that it was plugging off all the time. The only problem was that they couldn't find a vein in my arm or even in my hand that would work and they didn't know what to do. My mom ever so brilliant that she is (sense the slight sarcasim) suggested that they put it in my foot! So the nurses took a look and found a good vein right away. Let me just tell you that it hurts WAY more getting an IV in your foot than in your arm or hand! ... thanks for that suggestion mom!
As I mentioned earlier my sister and her now 6 week old son were also visiting me. They would not allow Logan into the ICU unit because there was alot of infection and they were scared he would get sick. Luckily for me I had a room with a window out into the hall so they held him up so I could see him. I turned to look at him and remember feeling like I had been spun around in circles for an hour. I got really sick from trying to look at my sweet little nephew but I thought it was worth it... just to see him made me feel better. I remember wishing that I could just hold him. He seemed to have a way about him that just made everything bad disappear.
Now it was rest time.......

What is Cushing's Disease?......

I just realized that I haven't once in my blog explained what the heck Cushing's Disease is! Sorry! Here is my description that I have developed through lots of research, personal experience and asking the doctors lots of questions!

It is relatively rare and most commonly affects adults aged 20 to 50. An estimated 10 to 15 of every million people are affected each year. Cushing's was discovered by American physician, surgeon and endocrinologist Harvey Cushing (1869-1939) and reported by him in 1932.
Cushing's Disease is caused by an excessive secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) which is produced by a pituitary tumor. The ACTH then triggers your adrenal glands (which sit on your kidneys) to produce excess amounts of glucocorticoids (Cortisol). In most cases the pituitary tumor is a microadenoma (10mm or less). It is fairly uncommon to have a macroadenoma, but if you do have one it can cause optic nerve compression, bone erosion and sinus compression. This can cause headaches/migraines, vision impairements and other painful symptoms. Cushing's Disease is more common in females than males at a 5:1 ratio. It is more common for it to develop in women at the reproductive age but can occur at any age.

Symptoms vary, but most often involve upper body obesity, round full face also known as "moon face", increased fat around the neck (buffalo hump), and thinning of arms and legs. Other symptoms occurring in Cushing's disease are best described as an accelerated aging of the body: skin becomes fragile, thin, bruises easily and heals poorly, along with purplish pink stretch marks appearing on the abdomen, thighs, buttocks, arms and breasts; the bones are weakened (osteoporosis); severe fatigue, muscle weakness, irritability, anxiety and depression are common; high blood pressure (hypertension) and high blood sugar (diabetes) often occur.Direct pressure by an enlarging pituitary adenoma in Cushing's disease can affect the surrounding critical neurovascular structures. Optic nerves may be affected as a result of direct pressure by the tumor leading to visual field defects (mainly in peripheral vision). There are many other symptoms of Cushing's disease and each patient's symptoms vary. Children, tend to be obese with slowed growth rates. Women usually have excess hair growth on their faces, necks, chests, abdomens, thighs and their menstrual periods may become irregular or stop. Men, have decreased fertility with diminished or absent sexual desire.


Diagnosis: The evaluation of a patient with suspected Cushing's disease is complex and requires a number of tests which are necessary to diagnose and confirm Cushing's disease. An important screening test for Cushing's disease is the 24-hour urine collection with analysis for urinary free cortisol excretion. Low-dose and high-dose dexamethasone suppression tests, corticotropin assays, and a corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) stimulation test may also be used. Blood samples are obtained and measured for ACTH . Ultrasound examination can be performed to exclude or to determine if the primary cause of Cushing's syndrome is an adrenal gland tumor.Radiological evaluation of the pituitary by magnetic resonanace imaging (MRI), with and without intravenous contrast, is useful in localizing the lesion and determining its size and invasiveness.


I realize that some of this may sound really complicated or may be difficult to understand.I have explained it the best way that I can but if you have any questions feel free to ask!

Surgery

So it was time to go into pre surgery. I got taken into a small room where I got to get changed into the beautiful hospital gown. The nurse brought me in to get and IV put into my arm then I had to wait in a small room with my mom and Dad. Leanne, Logan and Grandma would be coming a little later. The nurse got me a warm blanket and I had to wait for what seemed like forever (probably only like 1/2 an hour) before they came in and I had to climb onto the bed. My parents were allowed to follow me to the doors then I had to say goodbye. I was so scared, I didn't know what to expect. I had never had surgery before and I was going in all by myself. Up until now I had my mom with every step of the way. I got wheeled into a waiting area where there were several other people on beds awaiting their surgery. My stomach was turning and a million thoughts were running through my head. At this point I thought I was going to throw up. Then the anesthesiologist came and asked me a few questions then I was wheeled into my surgery room.
Now this had to have been the scariest part of the whole experience. It was exactly how it was pictured in the movies. Teams of doctors and nurses EVERYWHERE! First I had the anesthesiologist team working on setting up things. Because they were going in through my nose I had the Ear, nose and throat specialists in another corner. They were going to break my nose and cut through my sinus bone to allow the nuerosurgeon access to where the tumor was located. I also had the neurosurgeon and his team preparing in another part of the room. There seemed to be doctors and nurses all over. There was a huge, very bright light shining in my face. The next thing I remember is that they were strapping my arms down to the table... not good for someone who is extremely claustrophobic!! Then out of nowhere Ryan appeared! He had gone to another hospital to carry on with his practicum but he had come back to see me through my surgery!! I was so happy. The next thing I remember is that they put a mask over my face... I felt like I was choking... it had to have been the scariest feeling in the world! The last thing I remember seeing was that huge bright light........

Next step

So after the idea of me having a tumor and everything had sunk in I had an important decison to make; I was given the choice of having surgery to remove the 1.5cm benign macroadenoma (non cancerous tumor). I was told that it was MY choice whether or not to proceed with the surgery, but was warned that if I didn't have the surgery there was a good possibility that I would have a stroke. Hmmm... the choice sort of seemed clear to me! I got to meet with my surgeon and my new endocrine specialist. They told me the risks that were involved with the surgery and I must admit they were pretty scary! The doctors told me that my tumor was pushing against my optic nerve and there was a possiblity that they could knick the nerve and I would wake up blind, there was a chance that they would knick the brain fluid sack (they never told me what would happen if that were to happen), they said that there was a chance that they wouldn't be able to get all the tumor and there was a small chance that I could have a stroke while in surgery. It was actually really scary once they told me all the possible complications. It was then that the doctor told me "This surgery is like flying a small plane... most of the time it goes well, but when it goes wrong it REALLY goes wrong....." Sounds pretty scary but I was still all for the surgery... the doctors told me that they were sure that after my surgery I would go back to what I felt/looked like "before Cushings". I was so excited that I was going to be "normal" again! I really got a good feeling after meeting with the endocrine specialist (the most intelligent and amazing person I know!) She was very thorough and explained everything to me very well. I had to get a bone density test done. People with Cushings Disease often have a low bone density and can develop osteoperosis and they had to make sure that my bone density was still good. I also went through alot of blood tests to see exactly how high my cortisol and ACTH levels were. After all the tests and stuff were done I was told that my sugery was going to be in 5 days. I got to go home for 3 days before I had to be back in Edmonton for pre-surgery admission.

Just before I was admitted to the hospital my sister had a little boy who I hadn't gotten to spend much time with so when I got home I spent 2 days at my sisters house. I got to spend time with Logan and he made me feel a little less scared. Its funny how someone so small can make you forget all your worries! After spending a little time with my family my mom and I headed back to Edmonton. We spent a night with my Grandma and then off to the hospital. My Dad (Jim) and my siter Leanne and her son Logan came down the day before my surgery to be there to support me and my mom. My mom was amazing she had already spent 3 1/2 weeks driving 1 hour each way every day just to sit with me in the hospital. On a couple special days I was allowed a day pass and she took me to the zoo, parks, Fort Edmonton, out for dinner, shopping, some days we just drove around and got lost just to see if we could find our way again. After being in Edmonton for 3 1/2 weeks you get a little stir crazy.... but she was so wonderful. She was with me from the time they would let her in in the morning until they were kicking her out at night. Sometimes my Grandma would come with her too. It was really important to me to have my family there. It was extra special that my Dad had brought my sister and my almost 2 month old nephew to be there for me too.... he was and is so special to me. It helped to ease the nerves.... at least a little bit!

Step 2- Diagnosis

June 2005

After doing a whole bunch of blood tests I was called into the doctors office. He informed me that my cortisol levels were 6 times higher than those of a "normal" person. Cortisol is is a corticosteroid hormone produced by the adrenal gland. The primary responsibility of cortisol is to activate the immune system; it also is involved with the metabolism of glucose, and can cause elevation of the blood sugar level. Stress increases the amount of cortisol your body produces. In my case it was dangerously high. The doctor warned me that I was not allowed to be under any stress because it could cause me to have a stroke (ya... tell an 19 year old that news and then tell them not to be stressed!) He also told me he wasn't sure what was wrong with me but that there was definately something wrong. He was going to refer me to a specialist because he felt that it would be in my best interest to let a specialist handle it. My mom and I chose to go to Edmonton because my Grandma lived near there and we could just stay with her instead of having to get a hotel.

Once my doctor referred me to Edmonton we received a call from one of the Endocrine Specialists in the U of A Hospital. She told my mom that my doctor had suggested that I may have Cushing's Disease and that I should been seen by her. She in turn told my mom that Cushing's Disease is so rare that there is no way I could have it and that she didn't feel it was nessecary for me to be seen by her. My mom lost it and told her she didn't care what she thought and that she was going to see me anyways. They agreed to see me and made and appointment for me to go to Edmonton. They told me to bring enough clothes for 3 days and that I would have to stay in the hospital.

When we arrived in Edmonton I couldn't believe how big the hospital was. We finally found the clinic we were supposed to go to and checked in. Needless to say I was sort of nervous, not knowing what to expect. Then Ryan stepped in. Ryan was a student who was doing his practicum. He started examining me and asking me a million questions. I told him all my symptoms and concerns. My symptoms were weight gain(mainly in the abdomen area) moon face (swollen, round face shape), inability to sleep through the night, mood swings, brusing easily, and not able to heal after getting a wound. He looked at my bloodwork from the previous tests I had done and looked at the pictures of me before (that my mom insisted that we bring with us). Then he relayed all this information to the specialist when she came in. Ryan later told me that they had known within the first 5 minutes I was there that I had Cushings. They just had to do the tests to prove it.

So I was admitted as a patient (this was done so I could have my tests done sooner. As an outpatient I could have had to wait 3 months just to get an MRI done). I had more bloodwork done, CT Scans, a dexamethasone supression test and had to do almost 2 weeks of 24 hour urine tests. Soon the 3 or 4 days I was supposed to be in the hospital turned into 2 1/2 weeks. During this time in the hospital Ryan came in and asked if I would consider talking to other medical students to help them understand the symptoms of Cushings Disease. I agreed, I thought that if I could help even 1 person to not go through what I had to go through then it would be worth it. Over the next week or so there would be GROUPS of students come into my room and stare at me. I don't think they knew what to ask, and I don't think they wanted to offend me. I just started telling them the symptoms I began getting (weight gain, intteruppted sleep patterns, bruising easy, not healing from small scratches ect.). I sort of felt like a guinea pig in a glass cage having them stare at me like they did but I just wanted to help someone. Then something sort of weird happened. I was sittin gin my hospital room one evening and a doctor came in and told me that he had a question to ask me. He asked me if I would consider having my picture taken so that they could show medical students what a person with Cushing's Disease might look like. I was slightly hesitant, I didn't want my face published in medical textbooks so that everyone could see all my stretchmarks, bruising, etc. That would be EMBARRASSING! After seeing the look on my face the doctor assured me that they would make sure that I would be unrecognizable, and that they would blur out my face so that no one would know it was me. As soon as they told me that I agreed, I wanted to do anything and everything I could do to let people know about about this disease and the horrible things that happen to your body. I didn't want anyone else to be told "You're just fat", or "There's nothing wrong with you". So I signed the waivers and all that fun stuff and the next morning a photographer came to my room and took pictures of me. I felt like I had done something good, and I hope that it has helped someone somewhere along the way!

A couple days laterI finally got to have a MRI done and they found a 1.5 cm tumor on my pituitary gland. At this point I am thinking what the heck is a pituitary gland? Apparently it is known as the "master gland". It is about the size of a pea, and it regulates the endocrine glands in your body such as your thyroid, growth hormones, adrenal gland etc.

I remember sitting in my hospital room on the bed, my mom sitting next to me crying, and all I could think was "Yes! Something IS wrong with me, it isn't all in my head!". I know it may be hard to understand that I was just told I had a tumor on my pitutitary, and I was actually excited. The reason is that I had been to many doctors and they all just kept telling me that I was fat. It was actually a relief to know that all the weight I had gained was not actually something that I could have helped. I was so happy that someone actually believed me when I said something was wrong (other than my mom). So while my mom was sitting on the bed with me crying, I looked at Ryan (he was the practicum student who first looked at me, and he was the one who asked to give me the news) and told him that I was actually happy for the news.

After everything had sunk in and my mom was able to relax a little bit we were both wondering what the next step was.

The next step for me was that I would be referred to another doctor who had more experience with pituitary tumors and who worked closely with a Neuro sugeon. Ryan had to move on with his practicum, but he promised to visit me if he could. I was sad that he would no longer be working on my case because he made me feel "normal" and he made me feel like he understood what I had gone through...

The beginning......

Okay, so I am new to this whole blogging thing but I guess it's a good way to keep people updated and informed with what has and is going on in the wonderful of Stacy. As most of you know I have been through alot in the past 4 years or so. But most of you just know that I have been sick and don't understand it. I would like to start at the beginning of when I discovered that I was sick, this will help you understand a little bit better of the struggle that me and my family have undergone. Here goes......

After highschool I took one year of college in my hometown. I was going to school full time (taking 5 or 6 classes each semester), plus working full time and trying to have some sort of a social life... lets just say I was busy! I noticed that I started gaining a little weight but thought nothing of it... my lifestyle had changed and I wasn't as active as I once was.

The following year I turned 19 and decided to move to a new town and continue my education in a new place. I started gaining wieght at a very rapid pace (I gained almost 90 pounds in 3 months)even though I was going to the gym about 5 times a week, and swimming every morning before I would walk to the college. I couldn't figure out what was going on with me so I had gone to the doctor a few times just to be told that I had to be lying about working out, and what I was eating. They told me I was just getting fat. After a few times of being told this I started to think "Hey maybe it is just me getting fat, I am not sick." I began to sink into feelings of depression. A once outgoing vibrant person I slumped into a shell. I didn't want to go out, I hid from everyone... including my boyfriend who I had moved with. I noticed that I began not being able to sleep through the night... only being able to sleep about 2 hours at a time, my hands would constantly shake, and my mood swings were terrible. This was not normal for me, I used to be a happy-go-lucky sort of girl.

I would phone home almost every night because I was lonely (even though I lived with 2 other people) and depressed. My family thought I was just homesick and that I needed to just get used to living away from everything that was familiar to me, I would get better. Things didn't get better for me. One night while I was sitting on the couch I started getting pains in my back which soon moved to the front into my sides. The pain got progressively worse and eventually I could not take it any more. I got my boyfriend to drive me to the hospital and turns out they were kidney pains... probably stones. It was the worst pain I could ever imagine. My eyes even swelled shut! I started getting these pains probably 2-3 times a month but the doctors couldn't figure out what was causing. I even went and seen a urologist but nothing showed up in the CT scan. As all of this was going on I continued to gain weight. I still was going to the gym all the time, and swimming and eating healthy but nothing helped.

I continued to go to school even though I was only getting 2-3 hours of sleep a night, the mood swings increased and the depression was high. After my first year of school I decided to move back home for the summer, fully planning to return to school in the fall. When I came home I didn't get the welcome home I was expecting. I walked in the door and my mom almost hit the floor. She has a look of sheer shock on her face, she later told me it was because my face was so swollen, red and shiny she almost didn't even recognize me. It was then my mom knew something was seriously wrong with me.

I refused to go to the doctor because I couldn't take them just telling me I was fat again. After alot of persuading and convincing my mom was able to convince me to see a new doctor. I went to the walk-in clinic and met one of the greatest doctors I could have ever met. I told him my symptons, how I had gained an enormous amount of weight in a fairly short period of time, mainly in the abdomen area, sleepless nights, mood swings, swelling of the face, and the list went on. I could see the concern on his face and he told me that he would do some blood tests and we would work on finding out what was wrong.

I was relieved that I was not told "Your just getting fat", and that someone actually believed me when I told him that I excersise regularily and eat fairly healthy. Little did I know that once I had gone back to work my mom had gone back to the doctors office with my grad picture (that was taken 2 years before that) and walked up to the doctor and showed him the picture. My mom said he was shocked and that he wouldn't have even recognized me.... he looked at her and said I think she may have Cushing's Disease.

That was the start of a very long journey that has changed my life.