Ali Rodgers

In April of 2018, I went into the doctor with what I thought was an ear infection. I was having headaches, dizzy, ear pain, and couldn't hear. After many referrals, tests, scans, and doctor visits I was diagnosed with a macroadenoma. This was an issue totally unrelated to the hearing and ear pain. A macroadenoma is a tumor on the underside of the brain on the pituitary gland. Mine was 1.9cm in size (larger than what they see most often). Unfortunately, this tumor tested positive for a rare disease known as Cushing's Disease. The disease affects about 1 in a million people per year. On 6-22-18, I underwent my first brain surgery to remove the tumor. 

There is no cure for Cushing's. They can put the disease into remission by getting all of the tumor cells out of the body. Due to my age of being young when diagnosed, it will come back at some point even if they get it under control. Some people can stay in remission for 10+ years. However, it will be a life long issue with standard treatment being brain surgery.