StaceyJenn, April 3.  StaceyJenn was diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency, hypothyroidism, and a host of other ailments in 2001 (candidiasis, intestinal permeability, 22 latent food allergies).

Once diagnosed, she was on specially formulated hydrocortisone for 7 years as she was allergic to the fillers in the meds. Her doctor stopped practicing and she was transferred to his associate. She switched StaceyJenn to medrol.

After Cushing's symptoms, a new endo started weaning her off the medrol and she had many problems. Read StaceyJenn's bio

• Monica (Monicaroni) and Crystal (Vinesqueen), March 27, 2008. The Call-In number is (646) 200-0162.

  Crystal and Monica went through every step of their Cushing's journey together--tested together, had surgeries the same days, and have become best friends because of it.

  Monica was diagnosed with Cyclical Cushing's. She had pituitary surgery in November 2006. An 8mm encapsulated pituitary tumor was removed.

  Since there was no post-op crash, she also had a BLA in December 2006. Both surgeries were in Seattle. She is now free of Cushing's and am on the road to recovery!

  Monica is a professional violinist.

  From Monica's bio

  Crystal had pituitary surgery surgery 11/06 followed by a BLA 12/06. She also had a sinus excavation 2/06 and sinus surgery 5/07. Her last surgery was an internal hernia repair 8/07

  Her blog is available at http://vinesqueen.blogspot.com/

  

Robin (Staticnrg) explains that diurnal variation is one of the ways to diagnose Cushing's. It's typical of those of us who have Cushing's.

Robin says "If you have pseudo-Cushing's, this variation doesn't happen. A typical/normal person has their highest cortisol around 8 a.m. and it goes down incrementally until it is around zero at midnight. This is true of a person with pseudo Cushing's, too. A person with Cushing's Disease/Syndrome will have the variation shown in the link above. It's important to have this measured. The easiest way to find out is to have late-night serum cortisol measurements (around 11 p.m.) to see what it is at that time of night. If you have elevated late-night cortisols, it indicates Cushing's Syndrome/Disease. One test in the a.m. will not tell you enough information.

Stress affects everyone's cortisol. But elevated cortisol over a period of time is due to something other than "stress". And it hurts your body. Even it is intermittent (cyclical), it is very damaging, but harder to diagnose.

I hope you will go for more testing. I believe you need to find a doctor who will test 8 a.m. cortisol levels and late-night cortisol levels, preferably by both salivary and serum tests. Also, high Urinary Free Cortisol (UFC) levels are the "gold-standard" for Cushing's and if high, are very indicative. However, many of us don't have high UFC's but do have high salivary and serum levels. You need MUCH more testing to determine if you have Cushing's and to determine if your diurnal rhythm is out-of-whack!"

This site provides information, support, RSS feeds, news, and education for people with Cushing's or other endocrine problems, their friends and families. Cushing's syndrome is a hormonal disorder caused by prolonged exposure of the body's tissues to high levels of cortisol. Cushing's is a debilitating disease which causes the overproduction of cortisol, the substance that regulates blood pressure, and the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Cushing's syndrome is a hormonal disorder caused by prolonged exposure of the body's tissues to high levels of the hormone cortisol. It can be caused by a tumor of the pituitary gland, adrenal gland, elsewhere in the body (ectopic) or by excessive steroid use.