Acromegaly Support Group

Acromegaly (from Greek akros "high" and megas "large" - extremities enlargement) is a hormonal disorder that results when the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone (hGH). Acromegaly most commonly affects middle-aged adults and can result in serious illness and premature death. Join the group to discuss symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments.

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Endocrine System
/ Acromegaly Support Group

When do symptoms go away?

tbeckner
tbeckner
For those of you that have had surgery already, I understand a lot of you felt better almost immediately after surgery, true? And how long did it take for your appearance to go back? Weeks? Months? Years?and how many of you had diabetes and it was gone after surgery? Thanks!!!!
Trys
Trys
Quite a few months, but some things (like bone growth) don't go back. I can't say I notice a lot really - but my wedding ring size went down two sizes. My shoe size is still the same (didn't do down).

The main thing is the 'puffiness' I suppose went down.

The important thing is that your health improves, and so you have more time to make a difference!

All the very best,
Trys
www.acromegaly.wordpress.com
Aworriedwife
Aworriedwife
That is going to depend on how successful the surgeon is at removing the tumor. It will, also, depend on the duration of the disease. Things like bone changes will never get better. Soft tissue swelling should start to improve rapidly. My husband lost a huge amount of retained water while he was in the hospital. At first, they were afraid it was DI, but it was rapid diuresis from the sudden drop in GH. So, he looked different immediately. People were shocked seeing him a couple weeks after surgery. His endo is still amazed when he sees him. His blood glucose dropped right away and he never took his blood pressure meds again. His IGF-1 has dropped slowly. I wouldn't say he felt better immediately after surgery. It's not unusual to have a few bad weeks. Like the neuro told us, "we've just fiddled with your brain". Add to that the fact that your body is adjusting to changes in multiple hormones. If the are able to remove the entire tumor, your husband should feel much, much better in the future. In general, patients seem to have a much different recovery when they hear their surgeon say they got the entire tumor. It's very different to go through the experience and here that it wasn't a success.

Best of luck to both of you.