Cushing's

vinesqueen · July 30, 2006

I *H A T E* searching for things on the web - toooooooo many choices.
Could you please explain to the weak ones (me!) what cortisol levels mean to the body?

Seems like it would be easy for the 'skilled' to find a brain tumor??

You know Crys., Im sorry that YOU are going though this, but it makes me wonder HOW many others are dealing with similear symptoms and have NO idea what is really going on in their body.

Sorry I missed this Paula, I don't come to LBT as often, and I lost this thread when I came back.

This is from Ask.com about cortisol. I've left all their hot links active for anyone who wants more information http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/cortisol.htm

Cortisol and Your Body

Cortisol is an important hormone in the body, secreted by the adrenal glands and involved in the following functions and more:

Proper glucose metabolism
Regulation of blood pressure
Insulin release for blood sugar maintanence
Immune function
Inflammatory response

Normally, it’s present in the body at higher levels in the morning, and at its lowest at night. Although stress isn’t the only reason that cortisol is secreted into the bloodstream, it has been termed “the stress hormone” because it’s also secreted in higher levels during the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response to stress, and is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body.

Small increases of cortisol have some positive effects:

A quick burst of energy for survival reasons
Heightened memory functions
A burst of increased immunity
Lower sensitivity to pain
Helps maintain homeostasis in the body

While cortisol is an important and helpful part of the body’s response to stress, it’s important that the body’s relaxation response to be activated so the body’s functions can return to normal. Unfortunately, in our current high-stress culture, the body’s stress response is activated so often that functioning often doesn’t have a chance to return to normal, producing chronic stress.

Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream (like those associated with chronic stress) have been shown to have negative effects, such as:

Impaired cognitive performance
Suppressed thyroid function
Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
Decreased bone density
Decrease in muscle tissue
Higher blood pressure
Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, as well as other health consequences
Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, the development of , higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems!

To keep cortisol levels healthy and under control, the body’s relaxation response should be activated after the fight or flight response occurs. You can learn to relax your body with various stress management techniques, and you can make lifestyle changes in order to keep your body from reacting to stress in the first place. The following have been found by many to be very helpful in relaxing the body and mind, aiding the body in maintaining healthy cortisol levels:

Cortisol secretion varies among individuals. People are biologically ‘wired’ to react differently to stress. One person may secrete higher levels of cortisol than another in the same situation. Studies have also shown that people who secrete higher levels of cortisol in response to stress also tend to eat more food, and food that is higher in carbohydrates than people who secrete less cortisol. If you’re more sensitive to stress, it’s especially important for you to learn stress management techniques and maintain a low-stress lifestyle.

vinesqueen · August 2, 2006

This is a rare cross-post for me. The original is on a NC state support forum thread http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?p=269361#post269361 . I figured that I would add it to this greater Cushing's post, just to keep everything all in the same place.

Q: I'm just wondering if we know why we don't lose weight. Why we can't lose weight? As you know, I spent a month at less than 700 calories a day, an managed an impressive 1.5 pounds lost. Which I promply gained when I went to 1000 calories a day. Can someone point me to some links? (and also hopefully break it down so I can understand it when I'm in a brain fog.)

Is it true that excersize increases cortisol levels or production?

This is the information I got from my Cushing's board http://cushings.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=17111&st=0&gopid=145400entry145400 (might need to register to view the thread.)

The basic thing is that our bodies are designed to compensate when we're under stress. Our bodies haven't changed much since our caveman days. So when our bodies are under stress, like from a famine, the cortisol response kicks in and makes sure we have plenty of energy stores (fat) available to help us survive, just in case we need an energy boost while being chased by a sabertooth tiger. With Cushing's, of course, we have a source of stress hormone operating independently of our circumstances and it doesn't shut off. Our entire digestive and metobolic system changes. food, any food, is sent to our fat stores. Around our trunk/upper body is the most efficient place to store it for "easy access". We then receive all our energy from the breakdown of muscle. If not enough food is consumed for our needs, then the body will turn the muscle itself into fat.
Some people have been able to lose weight with Cushing's. It may have to do with intermittant cortisol secretion, so their bodies get a break once in awhile. Severe dieting (like a 700 cal. program) can actually make things worse. For example, anorexics have high cortisol levels. If their cortisol didn't kick in, they would die much sooner from starvation.

Wow, I don't know about anyone else, but this has been a lightbulb moment for me.

Ah-HAH This makes sense.

This headache that I've got that WILL NOT go away, started in Nov, the month I was *super* restricted with my band. This is also when my sysmptoms started to be real. I've always had the sysmptoms, always had these stretches where I would sudenly gain weight but otherwise feel prett good, vs long stretches where I felt practically imoblinzed with Fibro...

vinesqueen · August 31, 2006

So, if I can get ahold of my doctor today, it looks like I"ll be in surgery

next week. But this will just be the first of hopefully, just one more

surgery to remove the tumor. This first surgery will be a CSS, a cavernous sinus sampling, where they thread a cathiter up through my entire body, from groin to brain, gathering samples along the way.

http://abclocal.<wbr>go.com/wjrt/<wbr>story?section=<wbr>healthfirst&<wbr>id=4511973 is a link

to a news broadcast of one woman's experience with Cushing's. I met the woman in the story on Tuesday, she's lost about 60 pounds since this video segment was filmed.