Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Autoimmune Disorders Community
This is an un-mediated Patient-to-Patient Forum only. This forum is for questions and support regarding Autoimmune topics such as: Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), Addison's disease, Ankylosing spondylitis, Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS), Aplastic anemia, Autoimmune hepatitis, Autoimmune Oophoritis, Celiac disease, Crohn's disease, Diabetes mellitus type 1, Gestational pemphigoid, Goodpasture's syndrome, Graves' disease, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), Hashimoto's disease, Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, Kawasaki's Disease,
Lupus erythematosus, Multiple sclerosis, Myasthenia gravis, Opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome (OMS), Optic neuritis, Ord's Pemphigus, Pernicious anemia, Polyarthritis, Primary biliary cirrhosis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Reiter's syndrome, Sjögren's syndrome, Takayasu's arteritis, Temporal arteritis, Warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia, Wegener's granulomatosis
Hypopituitarism w/Addison's????
by phillybrainchild, Nov 29, 2007 03:26PM
I may be jumping the gun here, but here goes...I broke my elbow in July. around August I began dropping weight (I was 5'1'' 143lbs., and currently I'm 112lbs.) and starting to feel all around "weird". Specfically this is my list of symptoms:
Pressure on the front and right sides of my head. Pressure is mainly on my sinuses, my forehead and all around the bridge of my nose. Sharp pains that come and go mainly on both sides of my head which causes pressure on my ears. Sharp migraine headaches that cause me to lay down and try to be as still as possible. Blurred and at times doubled vision with floaters. My eyes are swollen (I always have bags under my eyes) worse in the AM but continue to be swollen less throughout the day. They feel dry even when they water. I get a funny sensation on the bridge of my nose and my eyes start to water. My eyelids feel heavy, hurt and feel pressure behind them. My sinuses feel “full” and my nose keeps running even though when I bloe it, nothing comes out. I feel like a have a slow leak that drips down my throat causing me to constantly clear my throat. Bridge of my nose feels like something is pressing on it. I have to squint whenever I look at something near or far, mainly far. It’s difficult to focus on written and typed words without them running together. My speech gets slurred and words become hard for me to pronounce unless I speak slowly and concentrate on what I’m saying. I don’t think anyone has noticed yet, I hope. :) It’s hard for me to remember things that I have recently learned or been taught to do. I forget how to spell words that I normally could spell and I have to constantly look them up during the day. I’m having heart palpitations every now and then (I’m on 25mg of Atenolol) and I’ll feel my heart pounding and beating harder than my usual. My ears have been getting hot and itchy, especially the tops of them. The also feel pressure and feel full. Almost like they are stopped up with water but not exactly. My hearing is getting dimmer to me also. I have lower and upper back pain around the top of my head and shoulders. My left shoulder has shooting pains (and a burning feeling?) No matter what position it is in or if I’m sitting, standing or lying down. Shooting, constant and frequent pain either right above my belly button, on the lower right side of my pelvis or in between the bottom of my rib cage. It feels like there is a lump on the right side of my pelvis and the spot in between in rib cage is tender to touch. They both hurt really bad after I eat. My joints, especially my hips and knees ache no matter the weather. Either I am hot, cold or clamy. I rarely feel comfortable temperature wise. I sit with direct heat on me after work from my portable heater when my thermostat is on 80 degrees. (I’m burning my poor family up!) My hands and legs become very shaky whether I’m using them or lying down. Last thing, that I can think of of the top of my head, when I eat anything, I feel my food moving down really really slow, Unless I have a good amount of fluids w/my food, it gets stuck in my throat and chest. After I eat, my stomach & abdomen feels very tender, sore & a bit swollen.
I went to an endo and had blood tests taken. Some of my levels from last week (I only have partial results) are:
Aldosterone 2 ng/dL
Sed Rate (ESR) 4 mm/h
ACTH Plasma 7pg/mL
TSH, .67 miU/L
Cortisol, A.M. (Taken @ 12pm) 6.3 mcg/dL
Glucose 95 mg/dL
BUN 15 mg/dL
Creatinine .88 mg/dL
Potassium 4.6 mmol/L
Calcium 10.1 mg/dL
Albumin 5.1 g/dL
Two months ago, the only difference in my levels were:
Glucose 75mg/dL
BUN 8 mg/dL
Potassium 3.1mmol/L
Calcium 9.6 mg/dL
TSH .749 miU/L
Albumin 4.7 g/dL
Some of my levels are within the normal range, but how do I know what's normal for MY body? My PCP didn't think I should've made my endo appointment but I think I may be on to something. Something serious. Does anyone else have any the same or similar symptoms who believes that it’s due to Hypopituitarism (possibly a pituitary tumor) – causing Addison’s – possibly causing secondary Hypothyroidism or Polyglandular Automimmune Syndrome? I may be jumping the gun but, I may not be either. My endo ordered the blood tests to be repeated earlier in the A.M. I’m at a lost and honestly, am very nervous. Oh yeah, I forgot about my depression, anxiety, mood swings, hot flashes, dizzy spells, all around weakness and exhaustion.
Sorry for the long post, but you all are the first outside the medical profession that I'm reaching out for help to. Thanks!
Pressure on the front and right sides of my head. Pressure is mainly on my sinuses, my forehead and all around the bridge of my nose. Sharp pains that come and go mainly on both sides of my head which causes pressure on my ears. Sharp migraine headaches that cause me to lay down and try to be as still as possible. Blurred and at times doubled vision with floaters. My eyes are swollen (I always have bags under my eyes) worse in the AM but continue to be swollen less throughout the day. They feel dry even when they water. I get a funny sensation on the bridge of my nose and my eyes start to water. My eyelids feel heavy, hurt and feel pressure behind them. My sinuses feel “full” and my nose keeps running even though when I bloe it, nothing comes out. I feel like a have a slow leak that drips down my throat causing me to constantly clear my throat. Bridge of my nose feels like something is pressing on it. I have to squint whenever I look at something near or far, mainly far. It’s difficult to focus on written and typed words without them running together. My speech gets slurred and words become hard for me to pronounce unless I speak slowly and concentrate on what I’m saying. I don’t think anyone has noticed yet, I hope. :) It’s hard for me to remember things that I have recently learned or been taught to do. I forget how to spell words that I normally could spell and I have to constantly look them up during the day. I’m having heart palpitations every now and then (I’m on 25mg of Atenolol) and I’ll feel my heart pounding and beating harder than my usual. My ears have been getting hot and itchy, especially the tops of them. The also feel pressure and feel full. Almost like they are stopped up with water but not exactly. My hearing is getting dimmer to me also. I have lower and upper back pain around the top of my head and shoulders. My left shoulder has shooting pains (and a burning feeling?) No matter what position it is in or if I’m sitting, standing or lying down. Shooting, constant and frequent pain either right above my belly button, on the lower right side of my pelvis or in between the bottom of my rib cage. It feels like there is a lump on the right side of my pelvis and the spot in between in rib cage is tender to touch. They both hurt really bad after I eat. My joints, especially my hips and knees ache no matter the weather. Either I am hot, cold or clamy. I rarely feel comfortable temperature wise. I sit with direct heat on me after work from my portable heater when my thermostat is on 80 degrees. (I’m burning my poor family up!) My hands and legs become very shaky whether I’m using them or lying down. Last thing, that I can think of of the top of my head, when I eat anything, I feel my food moving down really really slow, Unless I have a good amount of fluids w/my food, it gets stuck in my throat and chest. After I eat, my stomach & abdomen feels very tender, sore & a bit swollen.
I went to an endo and had blood tests taken. Some of my levels from last week (I only have partial results) are:
Aldosterone 2 ng/dL
Sed Rate (ESR) 4 mm/h
ACTH Plasma 7pg/mL
TSH, .67 miU/L
Cortisol, A.M. (Taken @ 12pm) 6.3 mcg/dL
Glucose 95 mg/dL
BUN 15 mg/dL
Creatinine .88 mg/dL
Potassium 4.6 mmol/L
Calcium 10.1 mg/dL
Albumin 5.1 g/dL
Two months ago, the only difference in my levels were:
Glucose 75mg/dL
BUN 8 mg/dL
Potassium 3.1mmol/L
Calcium 9.6 mg/dL
TSH .749 miU/L
Albumin 4.7 g/dL
Some of my levels are within the normal range, but how do I know what's normal for MY body? My PCP didn't think I should've made my endo appointment but I think I may be on to something. Something serious. Does anyone else have any the same or similar symptoms who believes that it’s due to Hypopituitarism (possibly a pituitary tumor) – causing Addison’s – possibly causing secondary Hypothyroidism or Polyglandular Automimmune Syndrome? I may be jumping the gun but, I may not be either. My endo ordered the blood tests to be repeated earlier in the A.M. I’m at a lost and honestly, am very nervous. Oh yeah, I forgot about my depression, anxiety, mood swings, hot flashes, dizzy spells, all around weakness and exhaustion.
Sorry for the long post, but you all are the first outside the medical profession that I'm reaching out for help to. Thanks!
Post Comment
I read your post and i have been having literally identical symptoms to you apart from weight loss, i have been having noticeable symptoms for about 6 weeks, and they are slowly worsening. My brother was recently diagnosed with addison's disease and he also had many of these symptoms. My family is convinced i have addison's disease but we are having to wait for my symptoms to reach a more critical stage for me to be diagnosed as it does not show up on the test enough, my brother had symptoms for over 6months it was only when he had been collapsing for a few weeks that he was finally diagnosed. If i read your test results correctly your potassium level has increased which is common in addison's disease usually there is a low sodium/salt level and a raised potassium level, have you had an ACTH/synacthen test??