For a couple years I'd suffered fatigue, mood swings, and menstrual issues. I thought it was stress, it turned out to be a pituitary tumor. Since one of my hormones, prolactin, was elevated they thought it was a prolactinoma.
Medication is successful at shrinking prolactinomas in over 90% of people not, however, with me. Instead the tumor grew aggressively until it was the size of a golf ball within the pituitary gland, which normally is the size of a pea.
My health declined. The gland started to fail and the mass was compressing both optic and facial nerves. On Feb. 13th 2007, I had surgery to remove it.
Pituitary tumors often grow back but my hormone levels remained normal and a series of MRI's reported that the tumor was completely gone. The endocrinologist liked to a miracle given my condition just before surgery. I felt blessed!
But as time passed my health again declined yet my routine hormone levels and MRI continued to be normal. Other tests were run, a biopsy, an ultrasound, a cat scan, and many exams over the following year but every result was normal. I thought I was going crazy.
In December 2008 my MRI revealed the pituitary tumor again. Since my prolactin was still normal it couldn't be a prolactinoma. I was sent to Dr. Johnny Delashaw at OHSU pituitary center for evaluation.
if anyone wants to learn more about pituitary tumors - http://www.ohsupituitary.com/patients/pit.asp
