Pituitary Gland Tumor

[Slsheeba567]

I'm a 19 year old female that has dealt with generalized anxiety and OCD for many years now. I went in to get my results from a blood test I had done recently, and they just told me that my endocrine levels are high, and that I need to see a specialist and get an MRI. Basically, pituitary tumors are rarely cancerous, but the fact is that it's so rare for people under 60ish and over to get them. I'm so scared you guys. What if I have a tumor and they need to do surgery to remove it? What if I die in the surgery? What if I have a tumor, and it comes back and becomes cancerous? I am literally full blown panic spiraling right now. I've dealt with HA in the past, and every time it's always been nothing, but now that I don't have it anymore, it finally turns out to be something. Did stress cause this? Please, please help, I'm so scared. I have had a on/off headache for weeks now, and I assumed it was from a concussion, but now I'm realizing that it might be from something far more serious. I just keep thinking, oh god, what did I do? Did I sleep with my phone beside my head too much? Am I eating too badly? I'm too young for this, I must be dying.

[nomorepanic]

Woah calm down please.

You have not been diagnosed with anything yet so take it one step at a time.

What have they said they think it is?

[Slsheeba567]

I don’t know, they didn’t really explain it much, just handed me my results and filled my prescriptions. They just went over the possibilities.

[pav1984]

I don’t know, they didn’t really explain it much, just handed me my results and filled my prescriptions. They just went over the possibilities.

Sorry you are feeling like this. Were any of the possibilities harmless? It could easily be something harmless like a cyst. Only reason i mention this is when my little lad had mri scan for something else they found a cyst in the pituitary gland. I panicked and started googling (against the docs advice). One thing i read was that lots of people have cysts but only find out when they have a problem. Most dont even know. My understanding is that hormones can be affected by a cyst.

Easy said than done but try focussing on the harmless outcomes.

Worth noting that i would stay off google. I have been a lot better since i have sacked dr google.

[Slsheeba567]

Yeah, they really didn’t go over the possibilities. I think I was my doctor’s last patient of the day, plus he’s foreign so it’s kinda hard to understand him. He just told me I might have a tumor in my pituitary gland, and they would need to check my endocrine system. I’m really trying not to focus on it, and move on with my day, but my headache is hurting and then I start thinking about tumors. I’m trying to resist my old habit of Dr Google though.

[Slsheeba567]

I went over my test results last night, and basically my prolactin levels, cortisol levels, and TSH levels are all high, either slightly or mildly over the normal limit. Also my triglycerides, and lymphs, but I already got tested for my lymphs and they told me I was ok, and my triglycerides are always slightly higher than normal.

[lucymarie]

Hi Slsheeba. I don't comment on the forum anymore but saw your post and had to drop by to (hopefully) give you some reassurance. I had a very similar situation to yours a few years ago and it was actually what started my health anxiety. I had some routine bloods to check my hormone levels and it came back with high prolactin levels. My doctor ordered a CT and said nothing more than "we have to check for a tumor in your head". Obviously I thought shit and because he didn't explain anything, went home and googled - first mistake and my undoing! Boom boom boom a TON of results about pituatry gland tumors and I stopped at that point and ended up in floods of tears on the floor. HOWEVER! (HUGE however) - the very very very very vast majority of these tumors are completely benign! Infact, they are actually quite common and most people live their lives without ever knowing they even have one. For others, they are noticed on routine tests or if someone has symptoms such as lactation or irregular periods. I had an MRI and as it happens, I don't even have a tumor (or it's so small they can't see it) this can happen to and then they class it as idiopathic. In the majority of cases the prolactin levels are controlled with medication, surgery is only recommended if it's particularly large, pressing on your optic nerve and causing visual disturbance or your levels are super high (which yours aren't by the sounds of it). The comment you made about it being rare under 60's isn't true at all, who told you this? It's actually one of the most common causes of fertility issues in young-middle aged females, after PCOS which I also have and can be another cause for raised prolactin levels.

Take a deep breath and stop googling! This is a common condition with relatively simple treatment. Your scan will help identify if you even have the pituatry tumor and help your doctor decide if treatment is even necessary. Hugs x

[Slsheeba567]

Thank you so much for your response, lucymarie! I’m so glad that things turned out to be ok for you! I hope things are the same for me! I admit, reading your post did give me some reassurance, so thank you :)

[lucymarie]

You are most welcome! If you have any questions or need a chat about it feel free to PM me anytime and I'll get back to you when I can :)

[Slsheeba567]

So my appointment was this Monday with the endocrinologist, and he basically went over my results and said it’s extremely unlikely I have a tumor, as my levels would be much higher than they are. Still, just to be sure, he’s ordering another blood and urine test. I feel much better after having seen him, and hope my results will be ok!