Aa
prolactin level
Can someone please respond to me :( I am freaking out n just need something to calm me down. I am a 38 y r old male I recently have had my prolactin level checked and it was 31 I have all symptoms of pituitary tumor and my doc thinks that's what it might be.i am a nervous wreck thinking I have a brain tumor that is non treatable. All of my other blood work came back normal and from what I am reading if it was cancerous it would have shown up in my blood work. Is 31 even extremely high alot of what I am reading people's levels r in the hundreds and thousands. Ty in advance for anyone who can give me some relief!
Odds are 99.5% is is benign.
I had a 31 level. I had a tumor and full lactation.
Let us know how it goes - but if you do have a pituitary tumor, go to a pituitary center.
I keep responding to your other post and it keeps getting wiped out!
I had a 31 level. I had a tumor and full lactation.
Let us know how it goes - but if you do have a pituitary tumor, go to a pituitary center.
I keep responding to your other post and it keeps getting wiped out!
And please keep me updated on what the surgeon says when u go for tour appointment I will b praying for u!
Well I hope everything goes well for u n ty so much for sharing your information with me.
I'm a 48 year old female with 3mm tumor diagnosed in Jan 2014. My prolactin level was at 48. Normal for a non pregnant female is up to 20. I took Cabergoline for six months and went off twice for med side effects. It lowered prolactin to 22. Had a MRI last week and its now grown to 4mm x 9mm in 8 months. It also its on a bed of cysts and/or past damage. Having a surgery consult in two weeks. I'm still taking different tests and trying to figure whats going on as blood work has also changed. Sometimes pit tumors are simple and straightforward, sometimes they cause other health issues.
Well, I'm glad you're feeling better! Stress is just gonna make you sick. The more info you get, the more prepared you'll both feel. It's the unknown that's scary. Pit tumors are fairly common with a frequency of nearly 1 in 5 people having one in their lifetime! The cause of most pituitary tumors remains unknown, so it's more about how you're gonna treat it, than why it's there. Let us know what his MRI results are? I wish you both the best.
Ty all so much for responding!! I did have my mri today and it was a specific one to check for puitary tumor. Is my level considered very high 31? Everything I read I see in hundreds and thousands. I truly appreciate all of your information. This is actually my husband that is going through this and I am the one freaking out and making myself sick over all this. U think sometimes I make it worse for myself always thinking the worst! I can tell u all of u have truly made me feel better.
Here's what the National Cancer Institute has to say about cancer and the pituitary:
Pituitary carcinomas: Tumors that are malignant (cancer). These pituitary tumors spread into other areas of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) or outside of the central nervous system. VERY FEW PITUITARY TUMORS ARE MALIGNANT.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/pituitary/Patient/page1
Pituitary carcinomas: Tumors that are malignant (cancer). These pituitary tumors spread into other areas of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) or outside of the central nervous system. VERY FEW PITUITARY TUMORS ARE MALIGNANT.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/pituitary/Patient/page1
Hi,
I'm not a Dr. just a person with a pit tumor. Try not freak out! (Even though its a normal reaction.) Stress is not what you need right now. What you need is information. Is your Dr. an endocrinologist? Has he/she dealt with pituitary tumors before? If not, try to find a specialist, that's called a neuro-endocronologist. You can search the internet for a pituitary program near you, most usually found at teaching hospitals. Has your Dr. ordered a pituitary MRI? make sure you get the right imaging protocol:
A typical targeted MRI examination with and without contrast of the pituitary region includes coronal and sagittal small field of view T1 and T1 post contrast images, as well as dynamic contrast enhanced coronal images, which are critical for the identification of small microadenomas. T2 weighted sequences are often also included, although are of relatively little added benefit.
http://radiopaedia.org/articles/pituitary-mri-an-approach
You need to collect up all the information you've gathered (mine is in a folder that has tabs dividing difference test results) makes it easier to grab before a drs appt, flip through for reference during an appt and file your papers after your visit. You need to list your symptoms down on paper, for easy reference during an appt. It's also good to file in a timeline so you can see if symptoms have gotten worse or disappeared over time. I also want to stress to stay calm during your appt. Its easy to overwhelm the Dr. and more than a few of us have had Endos that get overwhelmed and tune us out or don't take symptoms seriously. Getting a sympathetic Dr. with experience is job #1.
It's been my experience that diagnosis and resolution doesn't always come quickly. You need to gather info to get the full picture. #1. Find the right Dr. #2 Find out if you have an adenoma (tumor) through MRI. #3. What size is it? Micro adenoma 1cm. #4. What type is it? Secreting (will find hormones like prolactin in blood work or non-secreting called Clinically Nonfunctioning. Here's some good info:
http://pituitary.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=47
Once you have a more clear picture of what you're dealing with, you can make educated decisions. Your symptoms and tests will lead you down a prescribed path of treatment. If you have a small, micro adenoma that secrets prolactin chances are you will take medicine to lower your blood prolactin and reduce your symptoms and have regular MRI's to watch its size. If it's a large, macro adenoma chances are you'll have a surgery and take meds to balance your hormones and support your pituitary function. If your path leads you to surgery make sure you find THE best surgeon available to you (even if you have to travel) to get the best results. That's two of many scenarios. You have to gather info to find out your situation.
All this said and done. To alleviate your panic (we all panic in the beginning!) pituitary tumors are rarely cancer, like really rarely! Pituitary tumors are not brain tumors! Hopefully your MRI will show a nice, normal brain with a pituitary abnormality. This is usually a life long thing to deal with but not usually fatal. It's a huge imposition now, but things will become more clear when you know what you're dealing with. Read reputable medical sites for more info. I found reading back on this site helped me to identify my symptoms with others further down the road than me. Check back in and let us know what's going on?
I'm not a Dr. just a person with a pit tumor. Try not freak out! (Even though its a normal reaction.) Stress is not what you need right now. What you need is information. Is your Dr. an endocrinologist? Has he/she dealt with pituitary tumors before? If not, try to find a specialist, that's called a neuro-endocronologist. You can search the internet for a pituitary program near you, most usually found at teaching hospitals. Has your Dr. ordered a pituitary MRI? make sure you get the right imaging protocol:
A typical targeted MRI examination with and without contrast of the pituitary region includes coronal and sagittal small field of view T1 and T1 post contrast images, as well as dynamic contrast enhanced coronal images, which are critical for the identification of small microadenomas. T2 weighted sequences are often also included, although are of relatively little added benefit.
http://radiopaedia.org/articles/pituitary-mri-an-approach
You need to collect up all the information you've gathered (mine is in a folder that has tabs dividing difference test results) makes it easier to grab before a drs appt, flip through for reference during an appt and file your papers after your visit. You need to list your symptoms down on paper, for easy reference during an appt. It's also good to file in a timeline so you can see if symptoms have gotten worse or disappeared over time. I also want to stress to stay calm during your appt. Its easy to overwhelm the Dr. and more than a few of us have had Endos that get overwhelmed and tune us out or don't take symptoms seriously. Getting a sympathetic Dr. with experience is job #1.
It's been my experience that diagnosis and resolution doesn't always come quickly. You need to gather info to get the full picture. #1. Find the right Dr. #2 Find out if you have an adenoma (tumor) through MRI. #3. What size is it? Micro adenoma 1cm. #4. What type is it? Secreting (will find hormones like prolactin in blood work or non-secreting called Clinically Nonfunctioning. Here's some good info:
http://pituitary.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=47
Once you have a more clear picture of what you're dealing with, you can make educated decisions. Your symptoms and tests will lead you down a prescribed path of treatment. If you have a small, micro adenoma that secrets prolactin chances are you will take medicine to lower your blood prolactin and reduce your symptoms and have regular MRI's to watch its size. If it's a large, macro adenoma chances are you'll have a surgery and take meds to balance your hormones and support your pituitary function. If your path leads you to surgery make sure you find THE best surgeon available to you (even if you have to travel) to get the best results. That's two of many scenarios. You have to gather info to find out your situation.
All this said and done. To alleviate your panic (we all panic in the beginning!) pituitary tumors are rarely cancer, like really rarely! Pituitary tumors are not brain tumors! Hopefully your MRI will show a nice, normal brain with a pituitary abnormality. This is usually a life long thing to deal with but not usually fatal. It's a huge imposition now, but things will become more clear when you know what you're dealing with. Read reputable medical sites for more info. I found reading back on this site helped me to identify my symptoms with others further down the road than me. Check back in and let us know what's going on?
Is that correct if it was cancer my blood work would have came back abnormal in some way?
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