Columns

After having transsphenoidal pituitary surgery to remove a pituitary tumor in November 2015, followed by a gamma knife procedure a month later to remove the residual part of the tumor, I was closely monitored by my neurosurgeon. For the next three years, I would routinely meet with…

I always find myself in nightmares I struggle to wake from. Sometimes I’m running away from the make-believe shadows I create in my subconscious, and other times I’m hiding from a maleficent being that somehow finds me in every corner of my mind. These dreams always end with iPhone alarms…

In 2018, I decided to stop using testosterone replacement therapy due to the side effects I was experiencing, most notably, increasingly aggressive behavior. One concern I had at the time, though, was that ending the treatment would cause an increase in Cushing’s-related symptoms, because other hormones might be…

Recently, I saw a tweet that responded to the old saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” by urging people to “stop glorifying trauma as a life lesson we’ve been blessed with.” This challenged me. If you’ve been reading my columns, you know I often talk about how…

In the Cushing’s disease and pituitary tumor community, families, friends, and significant others sometimes provide limited support, if any, to patients. There are many reasons for this, such as a patient’s lack of physical symptoms or even a misdiagnosis. But the main issue, I believe, is…

Diagnosing Cushing’s disease is a tough task, and I’m sure anyone who has gone through the diagnostic process can attest to that. Cushing’s can be cunning because its symptoms can appear as though they’re separate issues, rather than part of a bigger problem. Unfortunately, many social media…

My grandma always said there were two things that mattered in life: God, and finding a rich husband. While I don’t necessarily agree with the latter, religion certainly was a core element of my life — until I was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease. I grew up in a…

How do I lose weight? What is the best diet for Cushing’s disease? How long until I start to see weight loss? Why do I lose a little bit of weight, plateau, then put it back on? These questions are frequently asked in the Cushing’s community. The answer is…

As a child, I always envisioned myself helping people. This is reflected in some of my earliest memories of getting ready for Halloween: I always wanted to be a doctor or a ninja. As I grew older, my career aspirations changed, but they always centered around saving lives or helping…

Eight is the number of doctors who didn’t listen.  Five is the number of diagnoses that were wrong. Two is the number of doctors who referred me to a psychiatrist for “making up” too many symptoms. Four is the number of new doctors who finally listened to me and…