“Trauma is an inescapably stressful event that overwhelms people’s coping mechanisms…” — Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
I think it is fair to say that Cushing’s can be traumatic. For me the diagnosis itself was surprisingly calming but the years preceding it, while attempting to articulate the ever-mounting symptoms to numerous medical professionals and not feeling adequately heard, were traumatic. … Continue Reading
Question: Post pituitary tumor, if my cortisol tests are normal, do I need an MRI every year? Answer: I do not perform follow up MRI’s in Cushing disease patients if they remain in remission. By Dr. Roberto Salvatori, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, Summer 2015
Question: Can Cushing’s cause glaucoma? Are we predisposed to development of glaucoma after remission? Answer: Elevated steroid levels can cause glaucoma, whether due to steroid medications, steroid eye drops, or Cushing’s syndrome. This risk usually declines after the steroid levels fall, such as after remission for Cushing’s syndrome. We do recommend that patients with Cushing’s… Continue Reading
Question: I am 4 years post pituitary Cushing’s and this year showed an elevated late night salivary cortisol. Are there things other than a recurrence of Cushing’s that could cause a high test result? Can you tell by how high the value is whether it is a recurrence? Answer: First of all, most patients who… Continue Reading
Question: Why do you need to be awake for the IPSS procedure? Answer: Inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS) for ACTH is a procedure that is needed in patients with an ACTH secreting tumor causing Cushing syndrome and a normal pituitary MRI. This test samples blood from the venous drainage of the pituitary: small catheters are… Continue Reading
