possible cushings disease?
Hi everyone,
I was originally worked up for Cushing’s because of my symptoms and some hormone results, but my endocrinologist has now ruled it out after testing (including a dexamethasone suppression test where my cortisol dropped to 0.7). I fit some of a cushings-like appearance such as a large, bloated stomach (weight sits here), face bloating, and some stretch marks across my legs. I do not have a neck hump. Based on my DST test, my doctor believes Cushings is now off the table.
I still feel pretty confused though because I’ve been dealing with a lot over the past year.
Some of my labs/symptoms:
ACTH and cortisol were described as “inappropriately normal” at one point (ACTH 54, cortisol ~25)
prolactin was high at first (87) but dropped to 45 within ~1.5 months, so my doctor doesn’t think it’s a prolactinoma
DHEA-S has been elevated (480 → 520)
17-OH progesterone was slightly high (157)
testosterone, thyroid, LH/FSH, AMH, SHBG, A1C, IGF-1 all normal
2 small pituitary microadenomas (4mm & 6mm), but they’re being considered incidental
My symptoms often come in waves, some weeks good some weeks bad.
My symptoms have been:
rapid weight gain (~20 lbs in a month)
very long/irregular cycles (40-80 days)
acne and new facial/body hair
fatigue
anxiety, especially in the mornings
mood swings
low and high blood sugar
fluid retention + salt cravings
extreme bloating
My doctor also said my pattern doesn’t really clearly fit classic PCOS either, which is why I’m kind of stuck in the middle trying to understand what’s going on.
I’m still waiting on a midnight salivary cortisol test,
and I also have an ACTH stimulation test coming up.
I guess I’m just wondering if anyone else started down the Cushing’s path but got ruled out and ended up finding another explanation for similar symptoms?