The effects of Cushing’s: my new skin
I’ve finally worked up the courage to post a couple of pictures of myself to show the effects Cushing’s has had on my body. Cushing’s does strange things to a person’s body, things that you can’t control. Because our society equates anorexia to beauty, a body that falls outside that stigma is often looked down upon and made to feel an outcast.
I can personally attest to to this stereotype. Before getting sick with Cushing’s, my body fit into those ideal standards. I ate well, I exercised and my body reflected it. But when Cushing’s took over, my looked abused and uncared for - even though I was eating well and exercising. I had become one of those people. You know what I’m taking about. And you know what, people I didn’t know and even some people I did know started treating me differently. In their eyes, I had let myself go. What they didn’t know was that I was probably eating healthier and exercising more than most of them.
This had a devastating effect on me. I began to feel ashamed of my body. It just wasn’t fair. I had been so good to my body and now it was turning on me.
Even after I was diagnosed with Cushing’s and there was an answer to what had happened to my body, I still felt ashamed of the scars that covered my body. But as the months have passed and I’ve grown into my new skin, I have begun to make peace with my body. It’s the only body I’ve got and we’ve been through a lot together.
fat deposits on back of neck left behind from Cushing's syndrome
9 months post-op, scars from adrenalectomy
9 months post-op, stretch marks caused by Cushing's syndrome
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12 comments
Thank you so much for sharing–I’ve been struggling with my weight for years and have had so much trouble getting doctors to take me seriously–they simply see a fat woman. But I’m so sick of looking pregnant and feeling awful that I think I’m ready to try again and seeing these pictures helps me feel surer that Cushing’s is what I’ve got. Thanks so much & the best of luck!
* Jessica - know that you have some more information on Cushing’s - and the effects it has on your body, I hope that you can get the answers you need - and I hope your doctor will listen. Like you said, too often doctors will overlook things and simply see an over weight person and assume they don’t eat well and don’t exercise - when you and I both know that’s just not the case.
I wish you luck!
I’m thinking this may be what I have….I’m really confused because my doctors really won’t listen to me and they just think it’s an easy fix. That I just didn’t exercise, eat well….trust me I’m not the healhiest but as a 17-yearold girl with a pretty busy schedule I gained 95 lbs in 7 months or less…something is not right. I have since then had weight loss surgery and I’m having a hard time as it isn’t budging….I’m starting to wonder if I didn’t have cushings as not many diseases cause such a rapid weight gain….
* Key - to gain 95lbs over a 7 month span is cause for concern. And the fact that you’ve had a difficult time loosing weight after having weight loss surgery may also be cause for concern. I urge you to keep track and write down the symptoms you’ve been having and bring them to your doctors attention. And if your doctor won’t listen, them maybe it’s time to look for a new doctor.
I wish you the best of luck!
I’m currently getting tested though my doctor is sure I have PCOS…though my period’s always been regular:S…Also it’s hard because for ten years prior to the rapid weight gain I was about 20-30 lbs overweight and then all of sudden it started. And it’s hard because I just sort of want to just say well hey it was my fault I’m just fat but it’ was just sooo rapid. Also I have lost 50 lbs with weight loss surgery but I’ve been stuck at that weight loss for 6 months…as in I only lost weight the first 3 months…And I’ve been eating less and less…not the best foods mind you(I am in college:S) but I average about 800-1300 a day..and nothing:(
* Key - it’s so frustrating to get the constant run around from doctors - at times it can feel like you’ll never get an answer. I encourage you to research the symptoms you’re having & to ask your doctor lots of questions.
I wish you the best of luck & hope you get the answers you need.
took a 24 hr cortisol and i got an 18 (range ?? to 45)…:( who knows. I have started a symptom diary though…
Just wondering when going to family doctor what tests should I ask to be given. I tried endocrinologist, but they said I had to see family dr. first. I was told 10 yrs ago I had PCOS. I believed them up till a few days ago. I was always thin, too thin. Always active, one summer I gained 80 pounds. The only way I can loose weight is to stop eating. I have stopped eating before. I don’t eat the healthiest but not many do. I have purple stretch marks, hump, and only have a fat stomach and fat face. My butt even is thin. After loosing weight due to not eating I gained back 30 lbs, then 30 more. I now am 100 pounds over weight. I walk, I try to eat right. I am still very active. If I was to loose 100 lbs today, I would gain all of it back within 2 months. IDK! I just want to make sure I am given the right tests.
* Karen - I would ask your doctor (family doctor, but preferably an endocrinologist because they would be able to interpret the test results more accurately) for these tests:
No single lab test is perfect and usually several are needed. The two most common tests used to diagnose Cushing’s syndrome are:
- 24-hour urinary free cortisol test
- measurement of midnight plasma cortisol or late-night salivary cortisol
I would encourage you to read my post ‘Do You Think You Have Cushings?’
I wish you the best of luck!
[...] asking me first. No amount of exercise, creams, lotions or oils will diminish the wreckage of stretch marks I have accumulated over the years due to what plagued my [...]
[...] will always be apart of me - the scars are a silent reminder. But I think I’m in a place where it doesn’t have to consume my [...]
hi Kristin,
I came across your site in serch of some answers. I am almost 25 years old and in the army. I am on the verge of getting kicked out because i am overweight. I have always been a big girl, i grew up on a farm. I eat right tried every diet in the book and i exercise sometimes four hours a day and dont hardly eat anything. About the middle of last year i gained about 30 pounds it seemed like overnight and i started having these headaches, ( and i NEVER get head aches) so i went to the doctor they just told me to exercise more and eat right, they sent me to a nutritionist, that they know be by first name now since i have been there so many times. My period has never been regular, i have started to get the purple strech marks on my stomach, im always so tired, seriously depressed, have more facial hair and do bruise a lot easier than i have before. A couple of weeks ago they did an MRI to check to see if they could figure out the cause of my head aches but there was nothing. But the Doctor that i went and saw to do my physical before they knick me out told me to look into this and see if i could get some answers.
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