Cushing’s Syndrome
Introduction
This essay will illustrate a case study of a woman who battled with obesity and Cushing’s syndrome for sixteen years. The main cause of Cushing’s syndrome is an extremely high level of glucocorticoid in the body system. This may either be caused by the body making too much cortisol of taking steroid medication for a long term. There are many reasons behind production of excessive cortisol, and hence the need for complex tests in order to find the main cause of overproduction. Among the most common causes of excess cortisol is a tiny, benign growth in the pituitary gland resulting to excessive production of ACTH Hormone which leads to stimulation of the gland to produce excess cortisol (Blevins, 2002). Behavioral sciences, is a field that can help to equip learners with skills required for helping individuals to deal with Cushing’s syndrome.
Discussion
Kate Myers is a 39-year old attorney from New Jersey. Myers was well until the age of 23 years, when she started experiencing obesity-like symptoms. Her menses which started at the age of fourteen were regular for nine years and then suddenly stopped. While in college, Myers actively participated in sport activities such as athletics, handball and netball. She weighed one hundred and forty pounds and was a size eight. In terms of personality, Myers could be described as an extrovert. She was highly sociable and had a lot of friends in college. Her dream career had always been to be a lawyer, and for this reason, she was greatly interested in legal issues. At some point, she was appointed as a students’ leader. One of the key strengths that Myers had was the ability to inspire and motivate others. She has the qualities of a good leader.
At the age of 23, Myers began to grow stout and her weight tremendously increased. This change greatly lowered her self-esteemed and affected her social life. She began isolating herself and lost a lot of friends. The only groups that Myer interacted with at this point of her life were family and religious groups. Her family constantly encouraged and supported her. Myers felt that the support received from her family was the key source of her strength to go on and hope for the best.
Fifteen years later, Myers weight has increased from 140 to 340 pounds. She suffered from frequent headaches, vomiting and nausea sometimes accompanying the more of several attacks. She also complained of aching pains in the eyes which latterly became prominent, and there had been occasional periods of seeing double.
Other noteworthy symptoms that Myers experienced were tinnitus, insomnia, frequent sore throats, extreme dryness of the skin, palpitation, shortness of breath, recurring nosebleeds, dryness of the skin and marked constipation accompanied by bleeding piles. A definite growth of hair had appeared on the face with thinning hair on the scalp. Moreover, Myers had become increasingly round-shouldered. Muscular weakness had become extreme and there was constant complaint of epigastric pains and backache (Blevins, 2002). Myers searched for answers to her condition for a period exceeding fifteen years. She consulted different medical professionals but failed to find a definite cause of her condition. Despite maintaining a healthy diet and exercise schedule, Myers condition became worse by day.
Her condition affected her routine activities and daily normal life schedule. Prior to her condition, Myer was actively involved in a community program aimed at helping orphans and vulnerable children. She used to collect funds for helping such children from her fellow members of the community. The community program comprised of fifty young people from New Jersey. Other than helping the children, Myers and other group members used to conduct frequent voluntary services such as training activities and creating awareness on civil engagement and other issues affecting the community. When Myers gained tremendous weight as a result of her condition, she ceased to actively engage in community activities and voluntary service programs. She experienced frequent muscle weaknesses, which deterred her from walking over long distances and doing most of the normal activities.
When Myers realized her immense weight gain, she first experienced internal distress and depression. This is because she realized what this would mean to her social circle, neighborhood and even her peers. The first thought that came to her mind was that of losing friends that she had made since childhood. She felt that her friends would not associate with her they way they used to. She feared that she would be a victim of discrimination and stigmatization. There had been so many speculations and news concerning discrimination and stigmatization of overweight and obese people in the United States, and Myers was certain that a similar fate would befall her. Many are the times when Myers would spend countless hours crying and agonizing over her condition. She even resorted to skipping meals with the hope of reducing her weight. She would wake up every morning to do physical exercise but still, there was no notable change.
Myers later joined an organization or group of obese women in the New Jersey. She gained constant and strong support system through the new group. The group was made up of about one hundred members, who would meet thrice a week to encourage each other and share their life experiences. Through the organization, Myer finally learnt to accept and live with her condition. She soon gained the motivation to fight and hope that someday she would overcome her condition. With the help of the organization’s members, Myers visited a remarkable number of medical professionals in the United States. Most of the specialists she visited believed that she was suffering from obesity, and advised her to stick to a healthy diet and exercise. This however was not the case because Myer developed the condition despite being physically active and eating healthily.
One of the major weaknesses that Myers had in dealing with her condition was worrying too much. This led to increased stress and depression level. It is however essential to note that Myers was willing to fight till the end. She always had the hope of recovering some day. She never gave up and always hoped for the best outcome. Another key strength is that she always believed in herself. She never allowed anyone to put her down or look down upon her. It is therefore clear that she had a positive attitude towards life. This attitude enabled her to adapt to her condition and go on with her daily activities, owing to the fact that she is an attorney.
One prominent characteristic of Cushing’s syndrome is lack of ability to cope with stress (Bronstein, 2010). There are several coping mechanisms that can be employed in order to manage symptoms related to the condition. Getting some counseling is one of the common things that can help Cushing’s syndrome patients to cope with the symptoms. Through counseling therapy, it is possible to calm fear and assist the patient in finding the intrinsic resources needed to handle the situation. Diet changes also aid in managing the symptoms. The condition may necessitate avoidance of particular foods and increased consumption of others (Fink, 2009).
Myers eventually decided to see Doctor. Theodore Friedman, an endocrinologist, following a friend’s suggestion. Doctor Friedman performed several tests on her. Physical examination revealed a round face which was cyanosed and dusky, and there was an abnormal hair growth, particularly noticeable on the sides of the forehead, chin and the upper lip. The mucous membranes had a bright color despite her history of frequent bleedings. Her abdominous body appeared like a full-term pregnancy. He breasts were hypertrophic and pendulous and there were pads of fat over the posterior and supraclavicular cervical regions.
The cyanotic appearance was especially apparent over the body and lower extremities that were spotted by subcutaneous ecchymoses. Many purplish striae were seen over the stretched skin on the lower abdomen and also over breast, shoulders and hips; and fine hirsuties were seen over the hips, back and around the umbilicus. The skin, which was rough, showed considerable pigmentation, especially around the groins, eyelids, areolae of the breast and pubes. The peculiar painful and tense adiposity affecting neck, face and trunk was in marked contrast to her comparatively spare extremities.
From a neurological perspective, nothing was notable apart from what at the time were taken to be symptoms of intracranial pressure. These symptoms include slight exophthalmos, headaches, and puffiness of the eyelids, diplopia and congestion of the optic discs. The cranial X-ray revealed what was regarded as normal sella turcica. The epiphyseal limes were still visible roentgenologically. The skin bruised easily and the spontaneous ecchymoses appeared frequently. There was a consistently high systolic blood pressure. The results also revealed a non-cancerous tumor in the pituitary gland. According to Dr. Theodore, this tumor triggers excessive production of cortisol.
Under normal circumstances, cortisol is plays the role of regulating blood pressure and providing tools required for handling stress (Bronstein, 2010). However excessive production results accumulation of fat in certain parts of the body such as the abdominal and spinal areas, resulting to obesity-like symptoms. A surgery that removed the tumor successfully ended Kate Myers’ sixteen years’ battle with Cushing’s syndrome.
Behavioral science covers all the fields that investigate the activities as well as interactions among living things in the natural world (Fadem, 2008). As a behavioral science student, I can help an individual with Cushing’s syndrome to understand the essence of interacting and communicating with others. In majority of the cases, patients will the syndrome tend to isolate themselves, due to low-self-esteem. Moreover, I can support and encourage such individuals to learn to accept their condition in order to lead normal lives (Fadem, 2008). A behavioral science student can help individuals with Cushing’s syndrome in decision-making process. It is evident that individuals, like Kate Myers, who have Cushing’s syndrome have to make various decisions in life. Decisions range from those relating to lifestyle changes to decisions concerning therapy options.
As a behavioral science student, I can help such patients come up with appropriate life choices of decisions that would impact them positively. A good example is the decision to undergo surgery in order to remove a non-cancerous tumor that is responsible for excessive cortisol production. It is essential to inform the patients the essence of undergoing the operation, risks and benefits associated with the operation. It is also essential to give a full explanation regarding the patient’s medical condition prior to guiding them through the decision-making process.
Behavioral science is a study field that may equip learners with a wide spectrum of skills including counseling skills. With the counseling skills acquired, I can successfully help individuals with Cushing’s syndrome to manage symptoms and handle the depression and stress associated with the condition (Fink, 2009). Through counseling, I can help such individuals to get through their fears embrace a positive attitude towards life. Hence, behavioral sciences, is a field that can help to equip learners with skills required for helping individuals to deal with Cushing’s syndrome.
Conclusion
The essay has clearly examined a case of Kate Myers, a 39 year-old attorney who battled with Cushing’s syndrome for sixteen years prior to finding a reliable therapy option. Cushing’s syndrome is a condition resulting from excessive production of cortisol due to steroid drugs medication or presence of tiny, benign tumors in the pituitary glands. This condition can be easily mistaken with overeating or obesity as seen in Kate Myers case. There are several symptoms associated with the condition, which may result to stress, depression and even disruption of day-to-day activities. Having the know-how in behavioral science is of the essence in helping Cushing’s syndrome patients to manage symptoms and stress associated with the condition.
References
Blevins, L. S. (2002). Cushing’s syndrome. Norwell, Massachusetts: Kluwer Academic Publishers
Bronstein, M. D. (2010). Cushing’s syndrome: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Treatment. New York: Springer Publications
Fadem, B. (2008). Behavioral science. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Fadem, B. (2008). High-yield behavioral science. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Fink, G. (2009). Encyclopedia of Stress. San Diego, CA: Academic Press
Fink, G. (2009). Stress Consequences: Mental, Neuropsychological and Socioeconomic. San Diego, CA: Academic Press
Video retrieved from on May 14, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxSAhLyKVqw&feature=related
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