Cushing’s: it’s a family affair

by Kristin

I’ve been in a reflective mood lately. As it gets closer to the holidays, I’m reminded of the good times (and bad ones) my family and I have enjoyed during the Christmas break. It’s the one and only time of year that our family comes together from near and far to spend a week with each other.

This holiday season is an important milestone for me - and my family. Last year, at this time, I was under going testing to find out what the hell was making me so sick. Shortly after Thanksgiving, I learned that I had Cushing’s syndrome and had no idea of the struggles that lie ahead. I think I was at my sickest during Christmas. I was so bloated and swollen. I felt like the Pillsbury dough boy - ready to POP. My face was very swollen and my eyes looked like they were going to explode. I can remember looking out the window and seeing it a light snowfall outside and but my body felt like it was inside a sauna, I couldn’t stop sweating.

It was at this point, I came to realize that Cushing’s had not only made me sick, but my family sick as well. Because of Cushing’s, I became difficult to live with. My family had no idea what was wrong with me, but ultimately, they were the ones who had to live with it day in and day out. My husband didn’t understand why I could only sleep 3 or 4 hours a night. I became short tempered, isolated myself and could NEVER sit still. I didn’t know how to shut my body down and rest. There was a laundry list of things that caused tension and stress in our house.

My family could see me struggling, but they were helpless to do anything. My husband took on many of the household responsibilities and became the primary caretaker of our son. There was distance growing between me and my husband, along with my son. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, we had become victims of Cushing’s.

A lot has changed over the past 12 months since being diagnosed with Cushing’s and it’s been a hard road to get here. As I’ve slowly recovered from Cushing’s, my family has begun to recover from my absence and has welcomed the old Kristin back into their lives. The most difficult adjustment has been with my son, who recently turned 5. In all honestly, I was for the most part a figure in the background for the last 3 years leading up to my diagnosis. I had missed out on a lot of activities with my son because I was ill. The bond between my son and husband became stronger and my husband became the go to parent of choice. That was tough, really tough.

Now, almost a year later, the relationship between my son and I has gotten stronger and there is more balance in our household. I make an effort to be active with him and he loves the time we spend together. In fact, just last weekend, all three of us went to our neighborhood park and I played on the playground like I was a kid again. It felt great.

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