Pituitary tumors, although somewhat common, shouldn’t just be shrugged off. Over time these brain tumors can grow in size, cause pregnancy complications, decreased bone density, and even serious vision problems by compressing the optic nerve.
My #prolactinoma is small, it measures about 3.5mm. It is a microadenoma. Surgery isn’t even in the question at this point. When I learned that the pituitary adenoma could grow I knew I needed to start some sort of treatment. I will have to monitor it for the rest of my life. I was super reluctant at the start of my diagnosis about taking the medication. I thought that the routine office visits and brain scans would be enough. I didn’t want to be on medication. I requested to see a different doctor at one point because I thought they were pushing the meds too hard. Part of the monitoring process includes regular blood tests to test the level of prolactin. A normal range is between 4.8-23.3. When my test results jumped from 28.5 to 39.1 I knew I needed to start some sort of treatment. A treatment that would likely include medication.
After talking with my family, my husband, and my doctors I decided that taking the prescription would be the best thing to do. I am currently taking a dopamine promoter called cabergoline. I take half of a tiny white pill two times each week. Cabergoline stops the brain from making and releasing the prolactin hormone from the pituitary gland. It can be used to treat some menstrual problems, fertility problems, and pituitary prolactinomas. It’s still early and it's still new to me.
For some reason I always have a hard time explaining or narrowing down symptoms and side effects. Like is this fatigue or lightheadedness just part of being a normal human person? I don’t know what’s normal, really. I’ve only been taking #Cabergoline for a couple months or so but I have noticed that my menstrual cycle is starting to become more regular. I was reading that it's typically prescribed for six months. What happens next? I'll have to ask because I don't know. In a few weeks I’ll be meeting with my doctor again to discuss details about the medication. And we’ll be doing more blood tests to monitor my prolactin levels.
Commentaires