Chronically Yours – a Column by Noura Costany

I’ve clawed my way through the same pitfalls over and over and over again: the self-doubt, the crippling lack of self-worth. Sometimes I feel like I’m in a wonderful place, as if I’ve put my anxiety behind me. Yet it always seems to come back in full force. Cushing’s…

This year, I have new motivation. I’m hoping to have a healthy pregnancy sometime between now and 2026, and to do that I need to change a few habits. I’m adding a few vitamins, working on cutting out processed food, and trying to be more consistent with my workout plan.

Lately, I’ve been getting my period every two weeks. While I work on getting that back to normal, I’m losing a lot of blood, and my body is especially fatigued because I lack iron. That was especially hard during the holiday season, when I was trying to put my…

Another year has come and gone. 2024 was a big year for me. I went through several medication changes and increases in dosages, an egg-freezing cycle, started a new job, and made a few big life decisions. I worked on writing a novel and shared my story with all…

“How are you feeling?” “Me? Oh, a bit better.” During the holiday season, I have a version of this conversation repeatedly. My family and friends have seen me at my worst, bedridden and throwing up, completely unable to function. Life with Cushing’s disease often feels like a roller coaster:…

Slow-healing wounds are one of the Cushing’s disease symptoms that most annoy me. In the time that a regular person heals from a wound, my healing journey has barely scratched the surface. For example, I have an infected ingrown toenail that I’ve been warding off for two months and…

Cushing’s disease can exacerbate any stress I have. It can get overwhelming, especially when it seems to be piling on — as happened during the recent election season. Many people with Cushing’s experience something like post-traumatic stress disorder before pituitary surgery because their anxiety is just too…

Halloween was just the start of the holiday season. I’m now looking forward to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, as well as my wedding anniversary and several birthdays. While I adore this time of year, it comes with challenges. Not only are the holidays expensive, but all of the commitments…

Because of major muscle and bone issues caused by my Cushing’s disease, I’ve been an ambulatory wheelchair user, which means I can sometimes move independently but use my wheelchair when I feel I need it. Through treatment, though, my muscles and bones have slowly strengthened, so I’ve been…

Getting diagnosed with Cushing’s disease in 2020 changed my life — and my career path. I’d been out of college for only a year when I became sick and had to quit my job. I could barely get out of bed, let alone work or study. It was impossible to…