[[25 or so years ago I was diagnosed with a pituitary tumor.]]
Me too- Had it surgically removed- I hope this doesn’t discourage you, (Your surgery just might help you tremendously- I hope and pray it does) but in my case, I had a rare condition called acromegaly (one in something like 6 million get it)- and the thing with acromegaly, it can cause many of the exhaustion symptoms and weakness, and foggy thinking etc- so I was thinking “Finally, an answer to my exhaustion” and was kind of excited thinking that the surgery would restore my energy- It didn’t-
Mine was affecting the growth hormone- and like oyu say, when that happens, it can cause the very same symptoms as Chronic fatigue- but again- the surgery didn’t do much- if anything to alleviate my symptoms.
The surgery is much improved, and much safer these days- this big worry is if the tumor is on the optic nerve- as that can cause vision problems- but today, they are using a camera up inside to guide the surgeon- (I went all the way out to boston to get surgery from a renown pituitary surgeon just so it would be done with that newish device, and wouldn’t you know it, my bad luck, the machine not working- and so they had to do it the old fashioned way)
The surgery wasn’t bad, and the recovery was fine- just be aware that you will get some tissue and likely quite a bit of mucous discharge which can be unnerving if you don’t know it could happen- The tissue deal is because they take a bit of your skin.fat to reseal the nasal cavity with after the surgery- sometimes a bit can come out and be a bit alarming- but it’s normal I guess- My surgery was in 2005, and I’ve ben fine- no issues-
One issue you need to be aware of, and I don’t mean to scare you, but if the tumor is pressing on optic nerve, there is a bit of a chance you could lose your eyesight- but like I said, the new surgery techniques have practically eliminated this problem- The % is very low now for vision loss— I wasn’t too concerned going in- and it shouldn’t be what stops you from getting the surgery because if left alone, the tumor could cause blindness too- and infact has a higher % of doing so depending on it’s location
Sorry for the not so encouraging news- but I think these are important thigns to weigh when one has a pituitary tumor- and like I said, your surgery could very well give you back your strength and energy as well-
One thing I wish to mention- It could be that some might have a thyroid issue or even a parathyroid issue- You should all have your docs set up thyroid tests just to rule that out
There are quite aq number of diseases and conditions that cause ‘exercise intolerance’- McCardle’s is one such metabolic condition where the symptoms are almost spot on for what I experience, but again, another ‘let down’ in a way- I checked fine for such things-
with McCardle’s, I believe it’s an energy metabolism problem where the body doesn’t turn fat or food we eat into fuel very well
I’ve said right along that there is a problem with the way my body either produces fuel, or converts the fuel into energy- somewhere along the line, something is broken- not working right- not converting the food to fuel properly
There is also a ‘glycogen storage’ disease that has trouble using sugars or something-
But there are key markers for such diseases, non of which I had- and the tests are awful- they test the nerves in arms and legs with shocks=- quite painful too- Had the test 3 times now- and never again! Especially since 3 times now they haven’t found any issues- that tells me it’s something else- But I’m all doen looking for an answer- it’s been just too much for me- too much work, too much hope that gets dashed- too much money, too much time, too much -
My new motto is “Life is what it is and that is that” I’m just going to drink lots of soda now, eat lots of icecream, and smarties candies- and just enjoy life (while watching out for diabetes of course- Like the T’Shirt said [excuse the French] “Health food hell, At my age I need all the preservatives I can get”) And I’m going to enjoy what I like for awhile now- taking a rest from all the searching/hoping etc-