Thyroid, Galactorrhea, Pituitary Gland

[lshanks]

Hi everyone. I am new to your board and am hoping someone can help me or give me advise on my situation. Several years ago (5+ years), I noticed I had a discharge from my breasts. I just thought the discharge was from breast feeding my daughter and it would go away. Well, as to today, it still remains a constant part of my life. I also developed type 2 diabetes 12 years ago but have been able to keep it under control and was doing well with weight loss. However, a year or so ago, I started having monumental health problems. My hair started falling out, was brittle and breaking. My diabetes when haywire and I had to go on an insulin pump. I started feeling run down, chronic fatigue (to the point that I could and would sleep all day and all night to get up the next morning and feel as tired and when I went to bed). I have become very forgetful, irritable, depressed, mood swings, horribel headaches, irregular and painful menstral cycles, foggy headed, etc. I have also gained almost 50 pounds since November. I fall asleep quickly out of pure exhaustion but am awake within 2 or 3 hours after going to sleep and can't go back to sleep. My sex drive has completely gone out the window. I have a horrible intolerance to cold. My list could go on forever.

I recently visited by OB/GYN and he thought my painful periods where due to endemetriosis. I had surgery to remove the affected areas but my periods are more painful now than ever. I mentioned to him that I had a discharge from my breasts. He sent me for a mammogram,ultrasound and a bilateral breast MRI which came back normal. He then sent me for a ductogram but the radiologist said that she couldn't do the exam because the discharge was coming from multiple ducts. She said that her experience tells her that my condition is due to my pituitary gland. I then went to my family doctor who told me that I had galactorrhea which is caused from a tumor on my pituitary gland and referred me to an endo.

I saw the endo a couple of weeks ago and I thought he was really listening to the problems I described. He ordered 3 days of blood tests but then called and said everything was normal and there was nothing he could do. I asked what could possibly be causing the discharge from my breasts and he told me there was nothing he could no and it would just dry up. Well it hasn't dried up in over 5 years so what would make it dry up now? He only tested my TSH, FT4 and prolactin levels. My TSH (which was only tested on day 1) was 0.83 and my FT4 (which was also only tested on day 1) was 0.81. My prolactin levels were 8.2, 9.5 and 7.9.

I am so frustrated! All of the doctors tell me there's nothing wrong with me but I know my body. I've never felt so bad in my life. I am normally a very active person but now my body aches too bad or I am too tired to do anything. Can anyone help me or give me suggests on where I need to go from here? Any help would be appreciated.

[jmbirds]

I'm 45 now  i had this leaky breast issue at 25 yrs  my gyno said culture was inert substance, my pituitary was normal catscan  iv iodine contrast i got hives! he said my preg hormones were whacky, i had my tubes tied at 23, he put me on parlodel , like i was pregnant and miscarried, this stopped, fast fwd i always felt sick like fma/cfs my thyriod levels up and down acted like hypo thyroid symptoms, all normal tsh  test well... at 42 i choked on bacon 911 came thankgiving am.. dx with multinodular goitors, went to endo she was useless got thyroiditis attack suspect i will be hashimoto , i gained weight  froze too death .. depressed vit d dangerously low vit b 12 low, new endo put me on synthroid 37.5 mcg holding me cfs/ fms more quiet ,went Gluten free for crazy IBS symptoms soo now got more energy , lost wt,  i just had my  u/s fri still difused goitors no dist nodual but enlarged lymphnodes, oh just chocked on mozzeralla cheese wed , the cheese stretched 6" long in back of throat!could not get a hold of it used toilet paper and got it out! but now i feel sick like a thyroiditis attack again taking an amino acid Lcarnitin helps with metabolism, cking my ANA this week having painful fatty lipomas in my arms and legs,,using TENS unit until i get an  EMG for nerve impingement leg muscle pain!  unknown!

[rumpled]

I had normal prolactin levels and I had... a prolactinoma. I also had another pituitary tumor, called Cushing's disease. You have all the symptoms - and it is possible that another type of pituitary tumor can be pressing on the prolactin area of the pituitary and making you lactate. Running three blood tests is so shoddy it hardly bears being an exam.

You are correct. It had not dried up before, it will not now. Find a neuro-endo at a pituitary center and get tested there. They may not take you as you have not had an MRI and established a tumor yet.

Get your GP to order a pituitary MRI (dynamic, with and without contrast) and make sure the place where you do is experienced in doing pituitary MRIs as they need to be done correctly.

Your GP can run the basic pituitary hormones, but he may not know how to interpret them - but the MRI should get you in the a Pituitary doctor.

The other endummy is a travesty.