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What is postoperative care like when treating Cushing’s disease? In my experience, this question isn’t always fully answered by our physicians, and as patients, sometimes we must navigate the solutions on our own. After I had transsphenoidal surgery to remove a pituitary tumor in 2015, I expected…

It’s hard when you lose friends. It’s even harder when you lose them because you can’t invest the same amount of energy in them as you did before Cushing’s disease. People have their reasons and seasons in your life, but losing them is a hard pill to swallow. They…

My wife and I have been exploring the huge city of Houston, where we recently moved. She came across the downtown Buffalo Bayou Park for us to check out. I thought this would just be a park we could walk around a few times to take in nature. I…

“Life threw me a curveball” is a saying people use to describe an unexpected situation that’s come up in their lives. In baseball, a curveball is a common part of a pitcher’s arsenal. It’s used to throw off the batter’s timing and keep him off balance, not knowing where the…

In the Cushing’s disease support groups I belong to, I often see questions about medications. People frequently respond by giving advice about these medications based on their personal experiences. I take medications to treat hypogonadism, a result of having a pituitary tumor. I’m often asked about testosterone…

Years ago, the sunrise didn’t have any meaning for me. Stars were merely decoration for the sky. “There’s always tomorrow” was the mindset I used to excuse procrastination and mistakes. Raised voices and the silent treatment seemed like acceptable solutions. Every day, many of us walk around forgetting that we…

Last week, I had a conversation with someone who injured their knee and will need an MRI. They expressed concern about the procedure, so I tried to advise them about what to expect and how long the process lasts. This got me thinking about the times I’ve had an MRI…

While chronic illness comes with many unknowns and changes, it can also involve a lot of repetition. I was diagnosed with cyclical Cushing’s disease in 2016. The years leading up to my diagnosis were full of repetition as my medical team searched for answers to why I felt…

In January 2016, I returned to work after having my pituitary tumor removed, through transsphenoidal surgery in November 2015 and a gamma knife procedure a month later. I figured returning to work would be a good distraction as well as a way to test how I was feeling.

When I was younger, I was very active as a two-sport athlete. I also spent a lot of time outdoors with friends. I was constantly getting bruised and scarred. Sometimes I knew where the scars came from, while other times, I’d notice them later when someone pointed them out. Scars…