Cushing's and Cancer - the Reality of it all

This post is by Judy, a long-time message board member who is in the middle of Cushing's patients.  Both children and her ex-husband have dealt with Cushing's.  Judy is a Cushie-Blogger.

She posted this on her blog at http://judcol.blogspot.com/2011/06/okay-im-probably-ready-to-get.html

Okay, I'm probably ready to get politically incorrect here. Oh well.
It seems that at least once a day, sometimes many times a day,I see a post on Facebook that in its short version says a cancer patient has just one wish, that is to live. Repost.......

I have no doubt that is true. I have known several cancer patients & it is a real struggle and sometimes the outcome isn't good (understatement).

Now here is the *but* & my own little personal rant.

A Cushing's patient has many wishes.
1. Finding a doctor that believes they can actually be sick, not just fat & depressed (which happen to be symptoms).
2. Having friends & family that thought they were truly sick not just lazy.
3. Having enough energy to make it through the day and not being totally exhausted whether they did or didn't accomplish something that day.
4.Being able to find an understanding doctor that isn't halfway across (or clear across) the country. The same can be said of finding surgeons.
5. Wanting their mind to be clear enough that they can keep up with their job & their peers.
6. Wishing their body was physically able to do just some of the simple tasks set before it.
7. Wishing that they didn't feel like they could throw up most of the day.
8. Praying they can get a nights sleep so they can make it through work the next day. And that they didn't have so much muscle & bone pain.
9. Wanting their mood swings to go away so they can keep up with their emotions.
10. Praying (literally) that they live long enough to get a diagnosis.

This list could go on & on. The really sad part is that there were times I wished my family had cancer. Getting a dx would of (usually) been so much easier. Cancer doesn't usually affect every system in the body. If you get a cure from cancer you aren't usually left with permanent damage to random body systems.

Statistics say that Cushing's is rare. I know it's not. As the Cushie community says - it's just rarely diagnosed. Most people think they don't know anyone with Cushing's. Most people would be wrong. They just don't know a diagnosed Cushing's patient.

That overweight woman in front of you in the checkout line? The one that has terrible mood swings? She might have Cushing's. The coworker that suddenly can barely do her job because she is so exhausted and has terrible brain fog? She might also have Cushing's. You know that girl at school that now has arms so hairy it looks like fur? You know, the one that also smells funky sometimes? Yeah, she probably has Cushing's. You laugh at her but you know what? This disease doesn't discriminate. It might be you someday wondering why the weight keeps piling on when you barely have an appetite and work out every day.
As with the list of *wishes* I could go on & on because Cushing's truly is the disease that keeps on giving & giving & giving. Even after a cure (relative term) it still keeps on giving.

As a wonderful neurosurgeon has said "Cushing's kills." It just does it at a very slow, painful pace.

MaryO'Note:

This is fantastic, Judy. Thanks for saying it!

I've often seen that stupid FB post and haven't reposted it.

I am both a Cushing's and a cancer survivor. For me, the cancer was easier to deal with.

I have been dealing with Cushing's and the after-effects since the early 1980's.

All I'm left with after my cancer is a scar and some bad memories.

I think Sarah's death got lots of us thinking. We've seen so many unnecessary Cushing's deaths and it just breaks my heart.

Judy, may I use this as a guest post on my Cushing's and Cancer blog? It's perfect!