Growth Hormone-Producing Pituitary Macroadenoma

Alejandra (Ale) Pérez*

Corresponding Author: Alejandra (Ale) Pérez,

Copy Right: © 2022 Alejandra (Ale) Pérez, This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Received Date: September 07, 2022

Published Date: September 20, 2022

Acromegaly is one of the so-called rare diseases, most cases occur in middle-aged people and are usually diagnosed between 10 and 15 years after the onset of symptoms because they occur slowly and progressive, this is my particular case

My name is Alejandra Pérez, I am 38 years old and I have a disease called acromegaly, it is a hormonal disorder that occurs when the pituitary or hypophysis gland produces a large amount of growth hormone during adulthood, also produced by a tumor in the pituitary gland. this is my particular case

A common symptom of Acromegaly is enlargement of the hands and feet, it can also cause gradual changes in the size of the face such as a protruding jawline and forehead, enlarged nose, thicker lips and gaps between the teeth.

I did not perceive the physical changes that I had presented, now when I see my photos I realize the changes that were gradually appearing, an unbearable pain in the cervical spine was the trigger for me to realize that a small character lived in my brain maybe a couple of years ago

The diagnosis was received with the result of the MRI of the cervical spine which said this "pituitary macroadenoma with intra and suprasellar extension surrounding the carotid artery"

A little known case is that of a man named Maurice Tillet, he suffered from acromegaly in the 1940s and that person inspired the well-known character from the movie Shrek

In my case, the first important symptom that I present was the appearance of a very severe acne at the age of 19 and it was exacerbated to such a degree that the tone of the skin of my face changed to a kind of brownish color, the breakouts were enormous. , this condition lasted approximately 10 years

The following symptoms that I presented were galactorrhea, amenorrhea and progressive changes in my face, hands, feet and hair and my general state of health began to decline The tumor probably appeared at the age of 19 years and was diagnosed at the age of 31 years, It had already been 12 years since the onset of the disease and the size of the tumor was already quite considerable, it had overflowed the sella turcica, which is the place where the pituitary gland rests in the brain

IGF-1 is a hormone that regulates the effects of growth hormone in the body, at that time IGF- 1 reached levels of 950 ng/ml

The normal adult range is 122-400 ng/ml.

My surgery was on February 11, 2016, it was via the transphenoidal route, 95% of the tumor could be successfully removed and the remaining 5% could not be removed because it is located in the cavernous sinus.

As a consequence of the surgery I had a condition called diabetes insipidus but despite this the surgery was successful.

The remaining 5% of the tumor was treated with 25 radiotherapy sessions but unfortunately it did not have the expected result.

Growth hormone continued to be produced in excess and I had other ailments that were added.

The year after the surgery I had another surgical intervention for an inguinal hernia as a consequence of the same disease.

In 2018 I had another cervical spine surgery because this organ was the most affected by acromegaly, two vertebrae of the cervical spine c4 and c5 were broken, which is why they had to put two titanium plates

This was the reason for the unbearable cervical pain that had appeared for several years before, unfortunately I have chronic pain in the cervical spine. As a consequence of acromegaly, I suffer from secondary adrenal insufficiency which is controlled with oral hydrocortisone intake, glaucoma in the right eye and chronic pain in the cervical spine.

To control the excess of growth hormone, I apply a dose of a drug called somatuline 120 MG every 28 days, it has had a successful result.

Despite the aforementioned conditions, I have a moderately productive quality of life, I can work partially independently, I am a public accountant by profession, I do physical activity (walking) and growth hormone levels have dropped to almost normal levels

All this thanks to surgery and adequate medical attention, the application of medication, discipline in eating, exercise and I have added other alternative activities such as meditation, cellular nutrition, psychological therapy, music therapy (for pain control) and an attitude towards life of hope and not giving up. It has been a very difficult road to travel in which I have fallen and got up countless times but the love for life gives me the strength to continue fighting

I know I have a long way to go but I have enough strength to carry on I appreciate your kind attention to read my story.