Laid Off

Due to medical, or the economy, or whatever, I was let go today. It was supposed to be my first day back and although I wasnt ready to go back to work physically, I was a little excited to get back in the editor's booth.This is has been such a hard year, I really hope and pray this is the last major obstacle we have to deal with. Im not sure either of us can take much more.
I have some options in both regarding this position, and others. But I am forcing myself to take one thing at a time. It is so hard dealing with this when you are so sick. I dont know how people do it. I really dont.

The Weary (jobless) Zebra

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A rock and a hard place

Well, its been a rough road. Its been a while since I did an update so here goes.

First: after the six months post op, I am not completely better. In many ways, I am worse. But the docs told me to expect much of this and I was a bit to optimistic when I began this journey. We still do not know conclusively if I still have Cushing's. The MRI that was taken last week doesn't show any tumor left, but I still show many cushing's symptoms. We cant test to see if I still have it because I have a massive sinus infection since surgery and the last few months I have had to take massive amounts of steroids to just keep it at bay. Those would throw off any testing on my adrenals.

My pituitary still isn't working. I am low on several hormones, including testosterone and growth hormone. Because of this, I hurt all over and many of my systems are not working correctly, including my immune system.
And because of my sinus infection, I am due into surgery in the next few weeks. Thankfully it is local, at UT Southwest. But these guys dont like me much. Hopefully they will now, since I am going under THEIR knife. Its supposed to be as bad as my immediate post op from pituitary surgery. Fun stuff. Just found out today!

So hopefully none of this will affect me trying to get back to work. I miss cutting video and making graphics! I need to stay off of work, but waiting on disability will break us. We cant afford to wait years. Maybe I can find a loophole in the mean time.

More to come as it happens!

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Latest in my fight...

I know I haven't updated in a long time so I thought I would. There hasn't been much to update honestly. I still feel like junk, but its slowly getting better. I still have no Growth Hormone, and my sinus infection is as bad as ever. I finally got a perception for nebulised antibiotics but I cant find a place that will work with my small insurance company named Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
My motion sickness that was going away, has come back and the steroids Im on now for the infection make me SICK AS HECK!
The good news? Well, the swelling has REALLY gone down. I have dropped several pants sizes, which is nice. Now I just need to quit sweating when its 20˚F outside!

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2.5 mo post op: ugh...

Sorry I have not posted in a while. I've been extremely depressed for weeks now. The lack of growth hormone and testosterone has really done a number on me. I still have no function in my pitutary, at least as far as we can tell. But I am having spikes of cortisol that I can feel, and it sends me into a panic rage. This is consistent with the post op cortisol numbers that never stayed below 1. This means I am still not producing growth hormone, which would give me energy and motivation, as well as help with the aching and stiff mussels, and not making testosterone either, which would help my motivation and depression too. I am taking HCG to make me produce testosterone, but I only see small improvements, none effecting my mental state. This is also week 5 of the third sinus infection I have had since surgery. I'm on my 2nd round of antibiotics and nothing is helping. I'm scared to go to the ENT because last time they sent me to UTSW and they hate me there, prompting them to send me out the door and not filing correctly with insurance and charging me with the full bill. I'm still fighting it. I'm tired of being told I should be better, that I need to fake it, that I just need to get over it. No, I feel miserable, I feel like a giant green blob is inside my nose and lungs, I have not tasted or smelled a damn thing over a month, I can't sleep, and I refuse to take peoples crap anymore. Either there is a tumor somewhere, or my pitutary is freaking out and trying to wake up in spasms. That's what I'm hoping for anyway. I never want another pitutary surgery again...

via sendy

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Dejected

What a day.

I went to my 2 month check up on Monday. I had two doc appointments and a battery of blood tests. I got the results yesterday. Most of the results I was ready for. I am extremely low in all my hormones: Testosterone, prolactin, Growth Hormone. I was prepared for that. These things are fixable. Or at least I thought they were. What I was surprised at is my cortisol is still higher than it needs to be. They want to retest, but cant until I am completely weened off the steroids. That should happen within a few weeks. They warned me I was an oddball case. Im not worrying over the cortisol as much. Im worried about the other hormones right now.

Without Testosterone, I dont have the energy or motivation I need, and the lack of it kills my bones. The GH will also make me feel better and help my mussels rebuild. I cant have the GH yet because my sugar was high the day of the test. I had been out of my meds for a few days and coupled with stress, didn't help my sugar. So they want proof it is ok. Plus, if I DO have a tumor still, or even just tumor cells, the GH will make them grow faster.

I was going to get the Testosterone perception, but that might kill my chances to have children. The docs suggested I see a reproductive specialist to get other hormones that can boost my testosterone. The problem with this is that out of all the reproductive doctors I have talked to, most do not deal with men, and the rest just tell me to go back to my endo. I HATE doctors here!

So Im stuck. I dont know what to do. I was hoping I would stain deficient because I could get meds that way, but I cant get any meds. I am beginning to think surgery was a bad idea.

The Weary, Dejected, Zebra

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7 weeks post op

Well, its been a while since I posted a blog so I thought I would. I have weaned from 90mg, or 30x3  day to 20mg x1 a day. I feel deflated by 2pm, which is 6 hrs after my dose. I have no strength or energy to do anything. I hurt constantly, but except for needing help up and down and showering, I seem to be taking the weens better now. I found out last week that I can't drive without a high dose in me yet, and I still have nights I can't sleep.

But at least my appointment with Dr. Ludlum is a week away. I hope he hooks me up with some hormones. I have not regained any sexual urge since before surgery. And other Cushies tell me my growth hormone is probably low now too. But hopefully we will find out soon.

I'm getting stir crazy so as the weather starts to cool in the morning (we wake up in the low 80s now) I have been trying to get the mail and will be trying to go for a "swim" in the pool, which is really just laying on a float or wading in the water until I exhaust myself.

Keep us in your thoughts. It's time to lay down.

The Weary Zebra

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5 Weeks Post Op

Well, it's 5 weeks after surgery. I got a call from my doc on Friday when I sent them an email about my last ween. The last ween I did, the morning after I was not functional at all. Mrs. Zebra and her father nearly dragged me to the living room to take my meds and eat. I honestly woke up an hour later, not knowing how I got there, in a great deal of pain. I sent my nurse practitioner an email about it.

My doc called and I explained it wasn't getting any better over the weens and that the NP kept pushing me. He told me I messed up a ween (not bad, just mis read it) and to go back one week. So I ended up actually going back 2 because I messed up on one. But Friday, I'm scheduled to ween again. Almost the same one: no evening dose. 

I think I still might have a small CSF leak, but it comes and goes. It didn't help either that I was battling an upper respratory infection. This whole this is still a huge struggle. I know almost for certain my pit is not awake yet. No libido at all, and I think my Growth Hormone is low. I won't get that checked until September. I just hope AFLAC pays soon so we can get plane tickets.

My taste isn't 100% back, but much better. Smell too, sometimes I wish my smell was still gone! My lengthy visits to the rest room are not fun at all! Try being so constipated that you have to push hard CAREFULLY, then right after the plug is loosed, having the runs so bad, a Bantha would run from the smell. Sorry. Just a fact of life for me now. And so weak still. And people stil want me to do this and that. And in 110° heat! No way! I can't wait to explore life after cushing's. 
Mrs. Zebra is scared though. Mostly, because she is afraid we won't be able to have kids now. I just tell her that we will cross that bridge when it come and if worst comes to worst, there are so many kids out there that need moms and dads. God may have some picked out for us. It's hard dealing with my own hormonal and emotional issues, but to have to deal with both of ours is harder. Then again, she has had to do the same. Neither one of us stands straght up, we lean on each other. And it if it were not for her, and all of you readers, I could not have made it this far. Now, its nap time!

The Weary Zebra

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