I just had my adrenal gland removed 4 days ago and I am so excited to get better!

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can anyone tell me if it is possible to lose weight again, to build muscle tone back, to lose the deformity in your body and actually have a waste again. I look and feel like I am 9 months preganant and am sooooo drepressed. Do I have hope?

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • Posted

    Hello! smile

    Im so happy you have had your surgery. There is lots to get excited about now the dreaded tumour is no more! I had my surgery sep 2014 and while i had quite a few weeks of having to adjust my medication im feeling just fine now! Sadly my right Adrenal never 'woken' up so im on Hydrocortisone for life now, 20mg a day. I will be honest it took a good 6 months for my face to go down and the same with my hump. I was already on a strict diet before i found out i had cushings so all in all i only put on 2 and a half stone. My 6 month pregnant belly went down quite quickly. Im now the lightest iv been for a long time! Im still really tired and my muscle or lack of is very poor but im alive and my dark mood has completely lifted. I feel like a new woman if im honest! I wish you a speedy recovery 😙 xxxx

    • Posted

      Thank you for getting back to me! I have so many emotions and I know that I have so much to be thankful for but I find myself dwelling on and being depressed with body image and how I feel. I never got a "Hump" but I am thicker around my shoulders and I have a few double chins. I teach aerobics, lol, and slowly became the fattest, less toned, weakest one in the room. My cardio is through the roof, excelletn though.  I gained alot of weight about 40 pounds and then have maintained 180 for quite a while. 

      What is a stone? My stomach with the bloating, the fat, the pregnancy look etc ware on me the most. People actually ask me when I am due! I have a hard time bending, can't put on my socks, and even taking deep breathes is a challenge. 

      Again I know that I am being too negative! I'll do better. Just very curious of what a stone is?

      xo cyndi

    • Posted

      Hi, a stone as in 14lb of weight.

      I know exactly how your feeling. It took me a good while to stop dwelling on what i went through, i still cant believe i went through all that and came out the other side!

      I was very weak for a long time. Im still not 100% and iv been told Cushings did that much to me physically that i may never be what i used to be health wise xx

    • Posted

      Hello, Happy new year. I have so many questions and mixed emotions. I am still trying to cut down my daily cortisol intake. I am currently taking 45 a day. I am feeling better. The bloating has gone done quite a bit, my face is not so red, I am not as achey as I was and I am sleeping better. I have not lost any weight and I am depressed. I know that they say be patient, and I am trying to. It's really hard for everyone hears that you should be recovered from surgery in 3-4 weeks. Nobody pays attention to the cushngs part of it. 

      How long was it unitl you could go to work and go about your daily routines on a daily basis? It's will be five weeks this Friday since I had surgery. I am doing better, but I get so tired. I get headaches, my back aches, my feet hurt, I get muscle weakness and twitches and just can't make it long without resting and sleeping. When I feel good, I feel guilty that I am not working, but then I also know that I crash quickly and would not be able to make it through an entire day. 

      How much did you push yourself to get back to "normal". I am so scared that I will never get there. I am so torn because I also feel that I should be able to be doing better. Im not one to be not active. 

  • Posted

    Hi,

    I didnt have adrenal surgery but had the tumour taken from my Pituitaty gland.  I had put on 4 stone and had a 45 inch waist.  I lost a stone very quickly and 3 years later I am back to being a size 12.  It does take time and excericse does help I am sure but great news that you are on the way to your tummy being normal again!!

    • Posted

      Thank you for getting back to me! I have so many emotions and I know that I have so much to be thankful for but I find myself dwelling on and being depressed with body image and how I feel. I never got a "Hump" but I am thicker around my shoulders and I have a few double chins. I teach aerobics, lol, and slowly became the fattest, less toned, weakest one in the room. My cardio is through the roof, excelletn though.  I gained alot of weight about 40 pounds and then have maintained 180 for quite a while. 

      What is a stone? My stomach with the bloating, the fat, the pregnancy look etc ware on me the most. People actually ask me when I am due! I have a hard time bending, can't put on my socks, and even taking deep breathes is a challenge. 

      Again I know that I am being too negative! I'll do better. Just very curious of what a stone is?

      xo cyndi

    • Posted

      Hello, Happy new year. I have so many questions and mixed emotions. I am still trying to cut down my daily cortisol intake. I am currently taking 45 a day. I am feeling better. The bloating has gone done quite a bit, my face is not so red, I am not as achey as I was and I am sleeping better. I have not lost any weight and I am depressed. I know that they say be patient, and I am trying to. It's really hard for everyone hears that you should be recovered from surgery in 3-4 weeks. Nobody pays attention to the cushngs part of it. 

      How long was it unitl you could go to work and go about your daily routines on a daily basis? It's will be five weeks this Friday since I had surgery. I am doing better, but I get so tired. I get headaches, my back aches, my feet hurt, I get muscle weakness and twitches and just can't make it long without resting and sleeping. When I feel good, I feel guilty that I am not working, but then I also know that I crash quickly and would not be able to make it through an entire day. 

      How much did you push yourself to get back to "normal". I am so scared that I will never get there. I am so torn because I also feel that I should be able to be doing better. Im not one to be not active. 

    • Posted

      Hi, Happy New Year to you too.  I am so glad that you are recovered from the surgery.  What people don't realise and they cannot unless they have experienced it themselves is that the surgery is a means to an end.  It has got rid of what was causing your problems but your body still has to deal with the effects the Cortisol has had on your body.  Do not push yourself, let your body tell you what it is ready to do.  if you have a good employer maybe later you can go in for a couple of hours 1 day a week to start.  Your body will take a long time to recover and your Cortisol level will be changed as and when necessary over a long period of time.  i am still on 20 a day 3 years on.  Your Endocrinologist should now be taking over and seeing what hormones your body needs etc.  You will feel tired etc, your body has been through a hell of a lot.  Myself and other Cushys I am in contact with all get very annoyed when the surgeons say you have not got Cushings any more.  That is true maybe but the after effects do not go away just liek that.  I am hoping that someone else on the forum who mave have had Adrenal surgery will be able to help you more.  if you are tired rest, have a "Duvet Day".  We are here for you.  Do not be depressed you are on your journey to recovery,  You will get there but there is no quick fix, don't push yourself.  If you need us we are here for you.  Take care and keep in touch.
  • Posted

    Hi Cyndi,

    When I said I had put on 4 stone I meant in weight, too old to do KG.  I went from a size 12/14 to a size 22 and often had to wear maternity clothes.  Your body has been through a huge ordeal, much more than anyone can imagine and you are not going to feel 100% yet.  Take each day as it comes, be grateful for the positive things and keep calm about the negative things.  It is a long haul but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is not an oncoming train.  Keep in touch we are here to help.  Vicky

  • Posted

    I also had my Adrenal gland removed in April 2014.My weight dropped off quickly because I couldn't eat much post-op and then I didn't have any appetite for a year.Now I am starting to put it on again as my appetite is back! My muscles are still fairly weak despite exercise, but my joints are generally better. Recovery is a lot slower than we would like, but as I look back I can see the improvement. The depression does linger,in my case due to continuing insomnia, but that now is improving too, although I will probably never sleep brilliantly.I lost my job due to Cushings and am now trying to get back. I did a return to nursing course last year and I am applying for jobs, but I am a bit limited in what I can apply for.I have been advised not to do shifts. I am still taking 20mg Hydrocortisone.You have been through a lot and it takes time to recover physically and mentally, so try not to worry about work yet at all, it's early days. Try to relax and use your time recovering doing the things you enjoy.xxx
  • Posted

    Hi Carolyn,

    Thanks so much for replying to Cyndi.  As I had Pituitary Cushings I could not help much although I do feel the same.  The insomnia is alwful.  I am now trying to come off my sleeping tablets which is really hard.  Glad you are feeling better too.

  • Posted

    Hi, yes i agree with Carolyns comments. It does take a long time to recover, i feel i still am and i had my surgery in sep 2014! As i said in my earlier posts i feel like a new woman but i do struggle at times. I too lost my job through my illness as i completely lost my mind and was so weak. I have applied for jobs - loads in fact but i never have much success. A few agency's told me its because iv been out of work so long? Il be honest at times i wonder if i would be capable due to how tired and drained i still get. I have bad joints through cushings which im under the hospital for but its the tiredness that bothers me the most. A day doing something i wouldn't normally do wipes me out the next day.... God it really sounds all doom and gloom but im just happy to be rid of that tumour! 😂 i had completely forgotten what 'normal' felt like! Lol

    Iv changed as a person and those around me see it to, il never be the same again and at times i think is this a good or bad thing? I dont know whether anyone else feels like this?? I had had the tumour for a very very long time and it had done serious damage to me. At the 'end' i couldn't even walk and my Consultant said it had ravaged me like a cancer.... maybe that's why iv changed? BUT yes i would definitely say theres light at the end of the tunnel, the symptoms eventually go, the weight comes off! 😃 all i need now is a job!!

    The only thing iv developed now is dizzy spells and my Consultant said if that happened id have to have other tablets to take alongside my Hydrocortisone. Il be seeing him in early march so il discuss it with him then.

    Anyway i hope your feeling better each passing day. Take care xx

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