“Nancy” writes…

I was sick with steroid-caused Cushing’s Syndrome. Another doctor had overdosed me with Flovent (an inhaled steroid), and I developed this disease. I saw Dr. H. very early in my illness. Cushing’s Syndrome causes muscle to turn to fat, especially in certain areas (face, back of shoulders, etc). I was a classic case. Dr. H. noted that I looked like I had Cushing’s. He sent me off for tests. But since my case was caused by a drug, and not by a tumor, the tests didn’t come back the way he expected. FYI, I was 5 feet, 8.5 inches tall and weighed 165lbs. I had shot up from 130lbs.

He refused to call me with my test results. I was so sick, I couldn’t walk to my classes at school and had to take medical leave (from muscle wasting). I got a letter in the mail telling me that there was nothing wrong with me, and I needed to see a dietitian. He even provided me with the number of the dietitian in his clinic.

There was no mention of my symptoms. I had dizziness, migraines, severe fatigue (muscle wasting), etc. Yes, I had gained a sudden amount of weight, with no changes in my diet. And with my height, I wasn’t even considered medically overweight.

I called his nurse when I got the letter and rudely told her that I was sick, not fat, and was going to see a real doctor that would address my symptoms.

I shudder what would happen if someone saw him with a real medical problem that was overweight.

I ended up seeing 8 other doctors in my area who couldn’t diagnose me. But at least they never called me fat.

I ended up going to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN to get diagnosed. The delay in treatment caused great damage to my body - brain damage, severe muscle wasting, scaring over most of my body from connective tissue breakdown, and my marriage ended from the emotional stress.