this & that - Cushing’s recovery update month 24

by Kristin

It’s hard to believe it’s been a whopping 24 months since I went into recovery from Cushing’s syndrome. For those of you who are also on the path to recovery, you know all to well about the many ups & downs we face every day. 2009 proved to be a year filled with more triumphs than disappointments. I’d like to share a brief year in review with all of you.

Jan 2009 - Kicked off the year feeling pretty good. A lot of my post-Cushing’s symptoms started to diminish. Started a regular workout regimen.

Feb 2009 - Started experiencing hot flashes again, but subsided by summertime. Began writing about patient advocacy.

March/April 2009 - Launched the Cushing’s Partner Program support group on meetup.com. (currently 55 members strong!)

May 2009 - Still experiencing memory lapses and having a hard time maintaining long-term memory.

June 2009 - Started gaining some weight back and had severe food cravings. Decided to switch from a traditional endocrinologist to a naturopathic doctor.

July 2009 - Had a complete workup on the function of my neurotransmitters and discovered that I was still very unbalanced. Began a new regimen of natural supplements.

Aug 2009 - Tried hot yoga for the first time and started going on a regular basis.

Sept 2009 - Began weening off prescription meds.

Oct 2009 - Invited to participate in the 2nd Annual HealthBloggers Award competition. Began feeling run down and having insomnia. The Cushing’s Partner Program support group launched on Facebook.

Nov 2009 - Test results show my thyroid is acting up and went back on synthetic meds.

Dec 2009 - Synthetic meds aren’t working well, decide to switch to a natural thyroid hormone. The HealthBloggers Award competition ends, My Battle With Cushing’s Syndrome wins Best 100 and comes in at #17.

I’m starting 2010 off pretty strong. My energy level is good, sleep is great, food cravings are gone and my weight has stabilized. But I’m having some knee and hip pain. My workouts have dwindled over the past two months, so I’m hoping that getting back to the gym will help build my strength and the pain will start to dissipate.

My goal in 2010 is to stay symptom free - continue eating healthy and working to make my body stronger that it’s been in years.