Prolactinoma Support Group
A prolactinoma is a benign tumor of the pituitary gland that produces a hormone called prolactin. It is the most common type of pituitary tumor. Symptoms of prolactinoma are caused by too much prolactin in the blood or by pressure of the tumor on surrounding tissues. Prolactin stimulates the breast to produce milk during pregnancy. After delivery of the baby, a mother's...
Hello all,
A few years ago (I was probably 22) I noticed that I was secreting liquid from my breasts and it scared me to death. I have always had pretty light/absent periods so that wasn't alarming for me. But after Google-ing like crazy I realized that it was probably connected. I finally got the neve to tell my mom (not about the breast milk but about the late periods) and went to the doctors. For some reason I am VERY embarrassed and ashamed about any problems with my body, not sure what I am afraid of but I rarely tell people when something is wrong with my body more than a surface injury. Anyways it took a lot of courage for me to go to the doctors and tell him about the symptoms I was experiencing. He (I wonder if it would be less stressful with a female) sent me on my way to get a blood test and referred me to see a specialist, with the suspicion that it was prolactin levels. A few weeks later I was able to get in to see an endocrinologist who asked me a bunch of questions and reviewed my blood work and agreed that it was probably a prolactinoma and ordered some more blood tests and an mri. Well I got the blood tests but then never got a call back from the office. After a month I felt that I had waited too long for them to call me and it would be embarrassing to call them (plus in the meantime I got my period back for the month). More months passed and I my period would still come and go but it was definitely too late to call them back. Now here I am 3+ years later and I have not been back to the doctors. None of my symptoms have gone away, I now am noticing increased hair growth (some on my chin, around my nipples, and on my butt) and lower abdomen (dull) pain. I know I NEED to go see a doctor and it sounds extremely funny and immature but I can't bring myself to go. Does anyone have any similar experiences and if so how did you overcome them to admit that you had a problem?
Whew that was a long one but I hope someone is able to convince me to go. Thank you :)
I was definitely ashamed at first to admit there was something wrong with me, or to tell the doctor about my symptoms, or to even monitor myself. I just wanted to pretend like I was "normal" and nothing out of the ordinary was happening to me. In other words, I was in denial. But the reality is, there is no need to be ashamed. Everyone has their own problems, and everyone just wants to help you with yours. Your family wants to help, and so do your doctors. You have to be open, admit there is a problem, and accept that this is your situation. That acceptance is the only thing that will give you back the control over your body that you wish you had.
Obviously I am speaking from experience. This condition has taught me a lot about myself over the years, but the most important lesson is that no one is able to motivate you as much as you can motivate yourself. Just admit out loud that you have a condition that requires maintenance, that you love yourself and that you are the only one who can take care of it. For years, I would struggle with taking the medication regularly and going to doctor visits, but I finally realized no one else was going to put the pill in my mouth, and no one other than the doctor could prescribe my medication or monitor my prolactin level.
Life is all about perspective, hopefully I helped you to see things a bit more clearly. Best of luck. :)