Welcome to Causes I Believe In

Hello! Welcome to "Causes I Believe In" which is a collection of posts regarding the causes and movements that I would like to help get their message out for awareness about a particular subject.
I have one cause on my mind lately that is very dear to me, and it's regarding a subject that is almost entirely unknown in the general population, as well as the medical community. There are several groups trying to get the message out there about this disease which accounts for almost 15-20% of brain tumors. This disease I am talking about is Pituitary Tumors.
Most pituitary tumors are benign, but because of where they are located and how they can grow, they can cause so many problems, psychologically, emotionally and physically. The symptoms they can cause can be so varied as well that it can be difficult for a doctor to pin down what is wrong, and usually they end up treating the symptoms, not the cause.
That's what happened to me. I had been having problems with many things for a long time, and for a long time no one could figure out what was wrong. They would tell me, (concerning my mood swings, which can be a symptom), your bipolar, your depressed, your ADD. But even when they said that was what it was and sent me home with medication, I knew that wasn't right. But I accepted it and took the meds. They didn't work. I went to a specialist for some problems I was having for something different and she ran some blood tests, which came back somewhat normal, except for my prolactin levels were extremely high. She ordered an MRI and they discovered and microadenoma. I did the research and suddenly, I had my answer! These were all the symptoms I'd been experiencing! Right on this list! I did more research, (which can be a bad thing, trust me.), and learned that its the second most common brain tumor, accounting for 15-20% of all brain tumors.
What scared me though, was that I had just been diagnosed with this and my doctor told me, in no uncertain terms, that this was something not to toy with. I HAD to get it taken care of.
Then I lost all my insurance.
These groups are trying to get the word out about pituitary tumors to people and medical communities, get a testing standard out there, and make sure that no one else has to suffer and possibly die because of something that's treatable. Early diagnosis is key, and without it, treatment can be difficult and very expensive.
I believe everyone must know about this disease, women and men alike, and realize that it's not a taboo subject. It needs to be spoken about and people need to know that it's real. It's not just "paranoia", "hypochondrism", or anything else. It's real. People who have these symptoms need to be tested and treated. It will be a long process, but it will happen someday. Testing for this will be as routine as anything else. I just hope it happens sooner than later.
The following are websites that I have found helpful resources at:

www.pituitary.org - Great website, but to access the forums you need to pay a membership fee. There's still great information on here regardless.

www.abta.org - American Brain Tumor Association. Wonderful website with so many resources! I've been looking through it for two days and still haven't seen everything! They have Tumor and Treatment Info, Care and Support, Research and Progress, as well as Events and ways you can help.

I will add more links and information as I find it.

Also, for your information:
"Adenoma" translates into "Gland Tumor".
The colors for pituitary tumors is Gray on one side, and white/red/white on the other. (Not officially, but it's a nice ribbon.)
Pituitary tumors affect women and men.
Until recently, they were considered very rare tumors. Now it is believed that one in five people have a pituitary adenoma.


That's all I have for you today. I hope I have peaked your interest in a sadly little known subject. If you have a story you'd like to share, feel free to do it! I like to know that I'm not alone in this. I have a couple more causes in the mix and will post them when the time is right. Have a wonderful day and I will see you all next time!
God bless!

-Rae McConnahan