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Cushings? I’m a mystery!
Hello everyone,
I truly appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this and share their thoughts.
I’ll start from the beginning. In 2015, when I was around eight years old, I was diagnosed with osteopenia. I saw many doctors at the time, but no one could determine the underlying cause. About three years later, I slipped while it was raining and fractured my femur, which required surgery. During that time, one of my doctors suggested testing for Gaucher’s disease, but the results came back normal.
Around this same period, it was also discovered that I had high blood pressure. At the time, I assumed it was related to being overweight. In 2019, I had the hardware from my femur surgery removed. After that, I didn’t see a doctor again until 2025, largely due to fear about my blood pressure and, admittedly, some immaturity when it came to managing my health.
When I finally returned to a doctor, they ordered basic blood work. Everything came back normal except for low vitamin D and a low-normal testosterone level (338). I was referred to an endocrinologist, but I never followed up at the time.
We began treating my high blood pressure with losartan (50 mg with HCTZ), but it didn’t help much. The dose was increased to 100 mg with 25 mg HCTZ, still with minimal improvement. Propranolol ER (60 mg) was added but had little effect, so it was discontinued and replaced with amlodipine. At 5 mg, there was some improvement, but not enough. Increasing to 10 mg caused side effects I couldn’t tolerate, so I settled at 7.5 mg, where my blood pressure is still slightly above goal.
Last month, I had a more extensive workup, including iron studies, thyroid tests, cortisol, prolactin, testosterone, and free testosterone. Everything came back normal except:
Cortisol: slightly elevated at 27 (drawn at 8 AM)
Testosterone: 308 (low-normal)
Free testosterone: normal
I’ve now been referred to an endocrinologist and have an appointment scheduled for June 10.
In addition to this, I’ve been experiencing chronic dizziness since around 2018. It feels like a sudden drop or sinking sensation, almost like my heart drops, followed by a swaying feeling. Taking hydroxyzine seems to help relieve these symptoms.
I’ve also developed a few pink stretch marks on my abdomen over the past 1.5–2 years. They are about 3–7 inches long and roughly a quarter inch wide.
Recently, I came across information about Cushing’s syndrome while researching my symptoms, and I’m wondering if this could be a possibility. If not, I would really appreciate any insight into what else might explain what I’ve been experiencing.
I’m feeling overwhelmed and honestly scared, and I don’t know what to think or do next. Thank you again to anyone who takes the time to respond.
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Good morning test T S H are not normal ??? Test Your antibody Thyroïde, to research myxoedeme.
Good chance
Pierre Demers
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2 Reactions@pierredemers57
Hello,
T3 was normal, T4 was normal, and TSH was normal!
Wow. Well, I know I didn't get the best of medical care as a kid, don't even get me started, parents had no real grasp of medicine, of course this was eons ago and nobody had much real grasp of medicine, the doctors I did see were totally underwhelming, my obese, smoking pediatrician dropped dead at age 55, etc.
Of course staying away from doctors because of high blood pressure was exactly the wrong thing to do - unless you were actively trying to figure out and pursue treatment on your own.
Check the easy and obvious stuff first!
Have you addressed the low vitamin D? That's pretty easy, get some 5000iu supplements, available everywhere and cheap, and take one per day. How's your diet generally? You might want to take a simple multivitamin every day, that covers a multitude of sins. I scoffed at that for years - but should not have!
If you are still obese that has to be addressed, whether some problem causes obesity or the obesity causes the problems is never clear, yet 99% of the time obesity causes the problems.
You didn't mention your A1C or blood glucose numbers?
Do you get a reasonable amount of exercise? You'd be amazed at how many problems are mitigated with even modest amounts of exercise, starting with just walking around the neighborhood. I'm about two miles from the nearest Trader Joe's but I take that walk once or twice per week, carry back a bag of (healthy ... mostly, lol) goodies. Exercise! In any case I take at least two one-mile walks per day, that's just a couple of blocks up, a couple of blocks over, and then any route home again.
So whatever a doctor may find, and prescribe, it SHOULD include diet and exercise. They usually mention it but not with nearly the emphasis that it deserves. That's a whole topic in itself. Good luck!
@carbcounter
Hello! Thanks for the response! They didn’t test my A1c, but I believe my glucose came back as a 94. I wouldn’t say my diet is the best but I have really cracked down at my highest weight two months ago. I was 274 pounds. I am now down to 254. That is strictly from calorie counting and setting myself on a calorie deficit. I have extremely bad health anxiety and when I get stressed, I start eating in a matter of about 6 months I went from 234 pounds to 274. I’m getting about as much exercises as I can at this point being a full-time student and trying to prepare to either go to medical school or pharmacy school. The only problem I have with walking, especially outside is I didn’t mention this. I have a super bad heat intolerance like I mean literally I get so dizzy that I feel like my whole head is just spinning around on top of my head and I’m swaying from inside the side. So instead of taking walks around the neighborhood, I try to walk my wraparound porch at our house to equal up about a mile.
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1 ReactionSounds like it’s possibly Hyperaldosterone causing your high blood pressure, abdominal markings, etc. Your Endocrinologist will test you for this & Cushings when you go. Best wishes!
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1 Reaction@chrisfd
A blood glucose of 94 is pretty good, even excellent if you did not fast first, so that sounds like good news.
If you live where the weather is not conducive to walking I understand. You may wear out that wraparound porch! Can't you sign up for a 1 unit gym class of some kind, hopefully in a nice air-conditioned gym?
The rest you should of course review with your doctors.
Best wishes.
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1 Reaction@carbcounter
I did fast so there is that. I have went to the gym but I feel very self conscious the ones in my area that I have tried I feel so judged; like I don’t fit in. There were a couple of guys about my age laughing at me and it just sucks. So it never really worked out for me so I’ve been doing kinda my own thing at home. Weights, push up’s, sit ups, walking, etc.
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1 ReactionThat's tough. Any gym I've ever been in the regulars would offer all the help in the world to any newbie. The toughest thing in the gym is walking in the door, you get that far you're IN!
(ok, well, one story exception, my first weeks in college I looked up where there was a gym with exercise equipment and walked in. there were others there all much bigger than me. old guy came over and challenged me being there, thought I was a high school student from off-campus, I said no, just a freshman. turned out it was the football team in there and he was the conditioning coach or something, he muttered something and walked off - but I didn't use that gym much the rest of the time I was there, lol. fwiw the team did win the Rose Bowl that year!)
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1 Reaction@carbcounter
I’m also from a smaller town so there is not much options where I am so it makes it difficult.
@chrisfd
What about the rest of your full thyroid panel? Were your antibody levels high? Do you have other autoimmune issues? Some Endocrinologists get too focused on test results while not realizing that not everyone either tests normal or fits within what medicine has deemed the comfort zone to maintain and feels good.