Cushing's didn't rob woman of her fertility
Baby boy is miracle to mother with Cushing's disease
By MARCIA ARMSTRONG
The Free Lance-Star
Date published: 3/9/2004
THERE WAS A moment in 1999 when Jayne Kerns just knew that something was wrong with her body.
The Spotsylvania County resident was tired and irritable. Her muscles hurt. Her hair was falling out.
The silvery stretch marks acquired while pregnant with her daughter Catherine turned into angry, purple streaks. Kerns wasn't losing the pregnancy weight, either. In fact, the pounds were still piling on.
"I was walking every day, eating right, doing the 'Best Odds' diet," said Kerns, 40. "But, it wasn't helping. I just didn't feel right."
One doctor said Kerns' complaints were not unusual for a postpartum body. When another told her to exercise more and eat less, she kept a diary of the fat, carbohydrate and caloric content of everything she ate and began walking a mile three times a day.
But, a year later, Kerns was even heavier and her health was getting worse.
The slightest bumps caused her skin to bruise. Hair began to grow on her face and arms. Her eyesight was plagued by double vision, tunnel vision and spots. She had trouble concentrating and was beset with short-term memory loss. Her blood pressure skyrocketed to stroke level. Her menses stopped.
The symptoms worsen
Doctors tested for lupus, diabetes and fibromyalgia, but the results were negative. One physician gave up on a diagnosis, telling Kerns he didn't have time to listen to her roster of complaints. He referred her to a psychiatrist for a prescription for antidepressants. Another told her to see a nutritionist.
"I'd go upstairs and she'd run downstairs, and there was no way I could grab her and carry her back up," Kerns said.
Kerns' appearance took on that of a much older woman, even though she was only in her mid-30s. She had a hump in her back. Her thinning hair was turning gray. People who didn't know her thought she was Catherine's grandmother.
Date published: 3/9/2004
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