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...
I am about to turn 30 and for the last 10 years i have been getting treated for a prolactinoma that they believe had been going on all through my teens.
Because they believe it was there when i was young teen it caused delayed puberty and secondary hypogonadism.... 10 years later i am being told all my levels are good and it has shrunk a little and is stable.
These are a list of symptoms i had before treatment and have not changed since treatment even with my own dietery,supplement and exercise regimes.
Weight gain.... i can only lose weight on a very strict paleo diet ( meat,veg and fruit ) and even then it is a struggle and requires 6 days a week working out.
Hair loss .... Scalp all over including sides.... eyebrows thinning.... no body hair and very sparse under the arms.
Poor wound healing... cuts dont heal and scar
Stretch marks.......
Acid reflux ( due to long term steroids im now on omneprazole long term.. )
Constantly bloated moon faced looking....
Overly sensitive skin come out in rashes,flakes if put anything other than water on it.
I could go on if everything is good then why is nothing improving ? i have tried to see if there are any medical experts in the field to question online but can't find one.
Because they believe it was there when i was young teen it caused delayed puberty and secondary hypogonadism.... 10 years later i am being told all my levels are good and it has shrunk a little and is stable.
These are a list of symptoms i had before treatment and have not changed since treatment even with my own dietery,supplement and exercise regimes.
Weight gain.... i can only lose weight on a very strict paleo diet ( meat,veg and fruit ) and even then it is a struggle and requires 6 days a week working out.
Hair loss .... Scalp all over including sides.... eyebrows thinning.... no body hair and very sparse under the arms.
Poor wound healing... cuts dont heal and scar
Stretch marks.......
Acid reflux ( due to long term steroids im now on omneprazole long term.. )
Constantly bloated moon faced looking....
Overly sensitive skin come out in rashes,flakes if put anything other than water on it.
I could go on if everything is good then why is nothing improving ? i have tried to see if there are any medical experts in the field to question online but can't find one.
That being said, I am taking a different route.
I'm finding so much conflicting information - if you have no symptoms, your high levels are likely NOT due to a tumor - and then others say that's absolutely not so. Some say that this is something you must address immediately and it's incredibly serious. Others say if levels are under 300 (in the US where under 26 is normal) to take a wait and see approach.
MRI's may or may not show tumors. Meds may or may not help. MRI's and meds may just make you worry more and get sicker. It's all very confusing and scary. In autopsies, as many as 26% of the population lives with these tumors and they usually never even know it and have no symptoms.
In speaking with my acupuncturist, who has treated a number of other serious issues we had in our family, she was very confident that she can help but told me this is important to address but not an emergency. And she's getting me in for an appointment right away. My endo can't get me in for 3 months but assures me this is an emergency which really confused the hell out of me.
I have done some classes with the acupuncturist and she has specifically spoken about her work with tumors. Tumors have been around for a LONG time and acupuncture has been used to dissolve them for the past 2,000 or so years.
I'll speak with the endo too but I can't go for an MRI due to other medical issues. I have no symptoms but do have a number of other conditions and medications that could cause a high prolactin level.
There are other choices besides the conventional Western medicine approach. I love my MD - truly - and I thought this issue was one that needed a Western approach but I'm finding that acupuncture, once again, may be the best answer.