Symptoms and Diagnosis Process

I went to the dr for dizziness 2 years ago, she looked in my ears and said I had a lot of wax and gave me a script. A year later I went in for my annual exam still complaining of dizziness, and again was given antibiotics.

The vision problems -- blurred vision, blacking out feeling, seeing spots, tunnel like vision have been happening on and off for years. I thought it was due to diet, dehydration, etc and adjusted my diet...still that didn't help.

I have always had tingling/numbness in my feet and attributed that to a car accident I was in where I injured my back and neck.

I started to get shakes and feel "drunk" while walking over this past summer...again I attributed it to the heat, dehyration (I am also not one to run to the dr for things until they are really bothersome).

I could not focus on written word and had been to the eye dr for my annual eye exam in July and was told my eyes were fine. I was told that maybe just a small adjustment but nothing really that would require glasses or affect my vision severely enough to get glasses for driving.

I attributed my problems to many things...then one day in July I went blind while driving. This was such a scary situation I called my dr right away. I blamed it on everything from exhaustion to diet to dehydration to heat, etc....

I had my husband go in with me for fear they would blow me off. I told them I had researched it on Dr. Google and had the EXACT symptoms of a pituitary tumor. Thankfully my dr is a good listener. I took a printout of the hormone tests that need to be run to rule out a hormone producing tumor and she had no qualms about ordering those blood tests. She also ran some other tests that weren't on that list to rule out things like Lupus, vitamin deficiencies and liver and kidney failure. She ordered an MRI to rule out MS and to see if there might have been a tumor.

She also referred me to the eye dr who did another exam to confirm it was nothing wrong with my eyes. He ordered a visual field test. At this point all of my bloodwork had come back as normal (except for high potassium) and my eyes checked out fine so I was in a severe depression thinking I had the same disorder my mother had (called somatatorm disorder, which is basically hypochondriac)...I cancelled my apponitment for my visual field test because I didn't want anyone to think I was as crazy as she had been.

By the end of the week I had the MRI done...I was tempted to cancel it, but went ahead and kept the appointment. I thought for sure my tumor would be a hormone producing one since I had so many miscarriages (10 losses in 22 months) -- and the hormone producing ones are known to cause infertility/pregnancy problems.

It was a long grueling 2 weeks before I got the results...and unfortunately the results were to have it redone with dye because there "was something there, but we need to confirm it with another MRI".

Another 2 weeks went by and my symptoms continued to get worse seems like daily...although I have good and bad days. It seems the more fatigued I get or the more strain I put on my eyes, the worse my symptoms get. I had the 2nd MRI and had the results by the end of the week...a confirmation that I had a tumor...the PCP didn't want to give me any more information than that because it wasn't her area of expertise and referred me to an endochronongist (not to be confused with a reproductive endochronologist -- Totally different drs) and the neurosurgeon.

It took another 6 weeks to get in to see the endo and 8 weeks to see the neurosurgeon. The endo reviewed my case and said that the only treatment for this type of tumor is surgery...had it been a hormone producing tumor it could've been treated with medications. He went over some of the things related to surgery and showed me my MRI. He warned me that side effects of the surgery could be damage to the pituitary gland which could cause diabetes insipidus and/or a need to be on hormone replacement therapy for the rest of my life. He told me to keep the appointment with the neurosurgeon.

This is a hard thing to live with and be blown off for years..it was so hard to believe I had a 3 year ear infection! But with my mother's psychiatric condition, I didn't really pursue it..I have tried so hard to be NOTHING like my mother.

Here's a link to the "official" page that outlines the symptoms and types of pituitary tumors: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pituitary-tumors/DS00533/DSECTION=symptoms

It seems the diagnosis took forever...but now I am a short 8 days from surgery and I cannot wait to be able to see clearly and without pain...to not be as fatigued...to be rid of the headaches...and to enjoy the wonderful sunshine again!

Ask away any additional questions...I am not shy :)

I did have the visual field test done recently and also learned I have Pigmentation dispersion syndrome...a flaking off of the iris of your eye and early glaucoma symptoms. However, the eye dr has said that the visual symptoms I am having are not related to this 'dysfunction'. They cannot treat me for this until after surgery but there is treatment available for this as well. I go in for another visual field test just before I go in for my 4 week follow up appointment with the neurosurgeon...that will determine my driving capability and remove my driving restrictions.