Check out Jessica's new look! Fondly known as Jess or Jessie by those who love her, she is a 15 (soon to be 16) y.o. gal who has already had one surgery to remove a pituitary tumor causing Cushing's. She's still fighting the battle with a recurrence. She does it with spirit and grace. I love reading her blog. I think you will, too.
Steven Waguespack, M.D., associate professor in M. D. Anderson’s Department of Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders [said], “Kevin had gained about 30 pounds in a year, but he had not grown any taller, which is very concerning for an underlying endocrine problem in children...Weight gain around the middle is a classic symptom in adults, but in kids the weight gain is often distributed all over the body. That’s how it was with Kevin. However, he didn’t have some of the other classic symptoms of Cushing’s like muscle weakness, stretch marks or skin thinning.”The type of tumor on Kevin’s pituitary was unusual as well. While most Cushing’s tumors are very small, often not visible even on an MRI, Waguespack says Kevin’s was large.
“Kevin is proof that every case of Cushing’s doesn’t always have classic symptoms,” Waguespack says.
Kevin's tumor was removed by Dr. Ian McCutcheon of M.D. Anderson within a few weeks. A year later, Kevin has lost 18 pounds and grown 3 inches in height.
