Perhaps I really have just gone mad. Yesterday I saw yet another endo who completely dismissed my issues that I believe are related to my pit tumor. Yes, like many others, my story began with symptoms that were all over the place. I had a baby almost 5 years ago and within 6 months of giving birth had lost all the weight. Then over the next 6 months I proceeded to gain 40+ pounds for absolutely no reason. I was told I must have post-partum depression, my TSH levels were high which must be post-pregnancy thyroiditis, I just needed to eat less and exercise more, I was so sick and nobody listened to me. I was written off. Although I was unable to breastfeed due to literally no milk production, I suddenly started lactating over a year after giving birth. I was miserable, fat, depressed, had pitting edema in my legs, blurry vision, and was lactating and yet everyone told me nothing was wrong with me.
I finally went to see a specialist in another city. After many blood tests, he ordered an MRI which showed a pit tumor (3-4mm). I tried cabergoline even though my prolactin levels were only on the high side of normal. It made me stop lactating but had no effect on the tumor and gave me terrible headaches so I stopped. Nothing in my labs was terribly out of whack except my TSH for which I was given synthroid. I do not have hashimoto's or thyroid nodules or any other reason to have hypothyroidism. Over the past couple years, I have cycles of feeling sort of normal and then it all begins the same way. My feet/ankles will start swelling, I can't think clearly, I cry over everything, my weight goes up drastically. This happens for about a week or two and then just as suddenly goes away. No one, except for me and my husband, believes this has anything to do w/ my pit tumor. Apparently I am just getting older and this is normal. I am so discouraged and disappointed. I exercise hard for 45mins at least 3 days a week. I don't eat like a gluttonous pig. If I didn't do what I do, I'd probably weigh 300 pounds. Yet, despite my best efforts, my base weight won't budge.
I was told yesterday by an endo "expert" that there is a reason weight management has spun off from endocrinololgy..."they are completely separate issues" and "you don't look like someone with an endocrine problem". Seriously. So I am back to square one, where no one believes my waves of symptoms are due to anything but age (I just turned 40). I know my body and know something is not right.
Why is it if you don't fit into the perfect little box that medicine has created, you must not really have an issue? I worked as a ER nurse for years and am completely disgusted with the healthcare I have received and am baffled by the ignorance of an entire medical community who believe a small pit tumor can't possibly be symptomatic.
So I guess I go back to my madness and take some measure of comfort in the fact I am not alone. I'm starting to wonder, is this all just in my head???