Posted: 5/2/2009 6:02:29 PM EDT
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So in the last two months, max, I've felt like I've had some kind of major shift in metabolism. Tired all the time. And, gaining fat even though I'm eating better and working out more thoroughly and consistently than anytime in the last 5 years. I've never been skin and bones, but –– and this is hard to explain –– but I'm not gaining the weight "right."
My dress shirts are very suddenly tight in the neck and shoulders, and I swear I'm adding a fat cache on my neck and shoulders –– never happened before. And although I have a sudden beer belly, my thighs are just like they were before christmas –– better actually because of the working out. Thyroid problem? Should I get my testosterone checked? Could it be a circulatory issue given the fact that I'm putting weight on in a weird way and despite working out? WTF?! |
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Quoted:
So in the last two months, max, I've felt like I've had some kind of major shift in metabolism. Tired all the time. And, gaining fat even though I'm eating better and working out more thoroughly and consistently than anytime in the last 5 years. I've never been skin and bones, but –– and this is hard to explain –– but I'm not gaining the weight "right." My dress shirts are very suddenly tight in the neck and shoulders, and I swear I'm adding a fat cache on my neck and shoulders –– never happened before. And although I have a sudden beer belly, my thighs are just like they were before christmas –– better actually because of the working out. Thyroid problem? Should I get my testosterone checked? Could it be a circulatory issue given the fact that I'm putting weight on in a weird way and despite working out? WTF?! Have you looked in a mirror? Are you angry when this happens? Do you turn green or a greenish color? Dude, I think you're the incredible hulk! |
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yep. First thing I thought of. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
Congrats
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Symptoms include rapid weight gain, particularly of the trunk and face with sparing of the limbs (central obesity). A common sign is the growth of fat pads along the collar bone and on the back of the neck (buffalo hump) (known as a lipodystrophy) and a round face often referred to as a "moon face". Other symptoms include excess sweating, telangiectasia (dilation of capillaries), thinning of the skin (which causes easy bruising and dryness, particularly the hands) and other mucous membranes, purple or red striae (the weight gain in Cushing's syndrome stretches the skin, which is thin and weakened, causing it to hemorrhage) on the trunk, buttocks, arms, legs or breasts, proximal muscle weakness (hips, shoulders), and hirsutism (facial male-pattern hair growth). The excess cortisol may also affect other endocrine systems and cause, for example, insomnia, reduced libido, impotence, amenorrhoea and infertility. Patients frequently suffer various psychological disturbances, ranging from euphoria to psychosis. Depression and anxiety are also common.[3] Cushing's syndrome may present with striking and distressing skin changes including hyperhidrosis, dryness, fragility of the skin, facial acne, susceptibility to superficial dermatophyte and malassezia infections, a plethora over the cheeks, anterior neck, and V of the chest, and the characteristic purplish, atrophic striae on the abdomen.[4]:500 Other signs include polyuria (and accompanying polydipsia), persistent hypertension (due to cortisol's enhancement of epinephrine's vasoconstrictive effect) and insulin resistance (especially common in ectopic ACTH production), leading to hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) which can lead to diabetes mellitus. Untreated Cushing's syndrome can lead to heart disease and increased mortality. Cushing's syndrome due to excess ACTH may also result in hyperpigmentation. This is due to Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone production as a byproduct of ACTH synthesis from Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC). Cortisol can also exhibit mineralcorticoid activity in high concentrations, worsening the hypertension and leading to hypokalemia (common in ectopic ACTH secretion). Furthermore, gastrointestinal disturbances, opportunistic infections and impaired wound healing (cortisol is a stress hormone, so it depresses the immune and inflammatory responses). Osteoporosis is also an issue in Cushing's syndrome since, as mentioned before, cortisol evokes a stress-like response. Consequently, the body's maintenance of bone (and other tissues) becomes secondary to maintenance of the false stress response. Cushing's syndrome may also elicit hirsutism (male-pattern hair growth in a female, and/or cause hair to become extremely dry and brittle) and oligomenorrhea (decreased frequency of menstruation) due to elevations in androgens (male sex hormones), normally at low levels in women. Additionally, Cushing's may cause sore and aching joints, particularly in the hip, shoulders, and lower back. Fatigue is also very common. |
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Shit, we docs cause enough of it iatrogenically that we should be able to recognize it. 
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| Get blood checked for possible thyroid problem. Six years ago I went through a bout where I lost about 25 pounds in a few weeks. Turns out that I had a hyperactive thyroid. Some people get opposite - hypoactive thyroid.Treated with synthoid, daily thyroid medication. |
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the old addage. you might not be seeing Cushings Patients, but they are seeing you. |
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Go to the doc. Took me a long time to figure out that going to the doctor can be a good thing-I gutted out 3 years of myasthenia gravis symptoms (including ptosis, slurred speech and problems swallowing food) before I finally broke down and went in. My wife was worried it was a brain tumor-when the doctor said that they just had to give me some meds and cut open my chest (thymectomy), I was happy to hear they weren't going to need to cut open my head.
Funny story now, but with the degree I was affected, I am very lucky I didn't end up in a myasthenic crisis and die..... |
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Quoted:
Cushing's is RARE (something like 3 in a million) and is more common in women, but this description is too close to ignore. Quoted:
That, thyroid disease, and a skewed testosterone are all valid concerns.
Diabetes Good luck.  Good lord... guess I'm seeing the doc. I just spent some time googling "Cushings" and some of the stuff I'm reading is dead on –– drinking and pissing a lot, for example... But a lot of the stuff they are saying isn't even close. But the fat thing is a big one. I've worn the same neck size on my dress shirts for like 11 years, and I've never ever had such a sudden change in how they fit.
The thing is, a lot of the sites say that it is a consequence of other medical treatment. I haven't had any. I've been fit as a fiddle for quite a while, haven't had any major medical stuff since I had hand surgery for a nerve that got cut back in 04. Well, I'll update as I find things. |
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Beat me to it. You need to see an Internist. |
