Cushing's/PCOS?

reganbrownreynolds · 05-21-2007, 06:02 PM

i have been working with my pcp since december to figure out what has been "up" with my body. in late december, we determined that i had almost no b12 or iron in my body. i was referred to a hematologist to determine the cause/fix for the issue. in january, i received a 1 b12 shot per week and iron infusion therapy. since january, i have received 1 b12 shot a month.

last week, i was fed up with the mess again... i am sick and tired of being tired all the time, getting random bruises, having low blood sugar issues, etc. i went to my pcp and he discovered that my b12 was extremely low again. with the other blood work he did that day, it was noticed that i had low cortisol levels too. so, here i am in a rut again. i have done what every doctor wishes their patients would not do -- i googled low cortisol.

i found information on cushing's disease. are PCOS and cushing's similar? has anyone been diagnosed with PCOS then later diagnosed with Cushing's? what were your symptoms?

i have several appointments this week in hopes of getting this mess figured out soon. i will have a b12 injection tomorrow, glucose tolerance test on wednesday morning, and an appoinetment with my endocrinologist on wednesday afternoon. any suggestions? i am at the end of my rope with not feeling well!

R0xyg4l · 05-22-2007, 02:12 AM

Personally, when you say that you bruise easily it makes me think of Cushings, thats from what I know not really a s/s of PCOS. When it comes down to it they're both pretty similiar when it comes to the manifestations of the conditions. However, ultimately your endo can tell you what you have. If you have Cushings you're going to have a high cortisol level and with PCOS you're going to have something going on with your estrogen/testosterone. I swore at one point that I had Cushings as I have the classic "buffalo hump" as they call it which is a fat pad on my upper back up towards my neck. However, I checked my labs with my endo and he said the cortisol was fine. I hope that you find out whatever it may be... best of luck!

mommyharwell · 06-14-2007, 11:51 PM

i know that this original post was in may, but i've read it for the first time tonight and something caught my eye....I too have a hump below my neck on my back and have often wondered why but never asked the doctor about it. I guess it never occured to me. I just thought it was always fat...so maybe I need to check into it further?