MaryO

Lanita and family - your post has been moved to the Introduce Yourself board, where it will get more responses. Best of luck to you!

Tish, your post has been moved to the Introduce Yourself board, where it will get more responses. Best of luck to you!

A few years ago, Forbes magazine had this article on internet health sites, too http://www.forbes.com/best/2001/0625/026.html The whole text, plus cover picture is available at http://www.cushings-help.com/forbes.htm ... because this site was a part of the article

Hi, Fin - welcome to the boards and best of luck with your MRI. Remember that lots of the tumors don't show up on MRIs, though, which makes things a bit trickier. I'm putting a copy of your post on the Introduce Yourself Board, where more people are likely to see it and respond. Best of luck to you!

Rachel, I think that they're moving too fast. ?Many pituitary tumors don't show up on the MRI, but they're still there and the best way to find out where the tumor probably is, is with the sinus sampling. If they're not even sure yet if it's a pituity tumor, they should wait until all the test results are back. Removing the pituitary gland would be a real shame, if the tumor turned out to be somewhere else. ?She would have to be on replacement meds for that, for life and she would still have to locate the location of the tumor. Is her doctor experienced with Cushing's patients? ?It sounds like there's a lot of guesswork going on here. I'm putting a copy of this post on the Introduce Yourself Board (just click here to access) where more people are likely to read it and respond. Best of luck to your mother!

It's British Broadcasting - TV, radio and such. There's a list of the channels and stations here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/channels/

The BBC has an amusing little quiz on Cushing's. Most everyone here should get a perfect score Find it here: BBC Quiz :cheese:

CenterWatch also provides educational materials on clinical trials for patients, care-givers and health consumers. To view a more detailed description of these resources, please visit www.centerwatch.com/bookstore/pubs_cons_patientresources.html. 1) Adolesents and Women aged 8 - 35 wanted for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome study. This study is being conducted in: - Charlottesville, VA (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47598.html) 2) UCSF is currently seeking African American and Caucasian men and women for a Cholesterol and Simvastatin Pharmacogenetics study. This study is being conducted in: - San Francisco, CA (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47754.html) 3) Do you have liver disease and high cholesterol?. This study is being conducted in: - Chevy Chase, MD (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47531.html) 4) Adolesents and Women aged 8 - 35 wanted for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome study. This study is being conducted in: - Charlottesville, VA (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47599.html) 5) Effects of Lifestyle Intervention and/or Metformin in Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) on Metabolic and Reproductive Function. This study is being conducted in: - Charlottesville, VA (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47678.html) 6) Adolescents and Women aged 8 - 35 wanted for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome study. This study is being conducted in: - Charlottesville, VA (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47655.html) 7) A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group, Efficacy and Safety Study of a Flexible Dose of DVS-233 SR in Adult Outpatients with Major Depressive Disorder. This study is being conducted in: - Washington, DC (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47614.html) - Orange, CA (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47615.html) - New York, NY (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47608.html) - Newport Beach, CA (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47607.html) - Okemos, MI (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47602.html) - Havertown, PA (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47603.html) - Moorestown, NJ (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47611.html) - New Britain, CT (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47606.html) 8) Menopausal Women: Are Your Hot Flushes Giving You A Long Hot Summer?. This study is being conducted in: - Charlottesville, VA (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47660.html) 9) A Study of the Effects of Guided Imagery on Outcomes of Pain, Functional Status, and Self-Efficacy in Persons diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. This study is being conducted in: - Charlottesville, VA (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47671.html) 10) A Phase II Randomized, Double-Blind, Two-Dose, Placebo-Controlled Multicenter Study of 4-Hydroxy Tamoxifen Gel for Cyclical Mastalgia in Otherwise Healthy Pre-Menopausal Women with Regular Menstrual Cycles. This study is being conducted in: - Charlottesville, VA (http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47676.html) Additional Educational Resources CenterWatch also publishes educational resources for patients and their support network including: Informed Consent: A Guide to the Risks and Benefits of Volunteering for Clinical Trials. If you would like to order this book click here: http://www.centerwatch.com/bookstore/pubs_...infconsent.html Volunteering for a Clinical Trial Pamphlet. If you would like to order this pamphlet click here: http://www.centerwatch.com/bookstore/pubs_...ochureform.html For information on these and other educational resources click here: http://www.centerwatch.com/bookstore/pubs_...tresources.html

The article is at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn....ptop_tb I signed up for the do not call registry online (of course!) at www.donotcall.gov washingtonpost.com Do-Not-Call Registry to Begin Today Industry Faults FTC on Steps to Block Unwanted Telemarketing By Jonathan Krim Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, June 27, 2003; Page E01 Consumers angry and frustrated over telemarketing calls can take a significant step toward relief today, as the Federal Trade Commission launches a long-awaited nationwide registry for residents who want to block unsolicited advertising via their home and cellular telephones. Under rules announced by FTC Chairman Timothy J. Muris yesterday, residents can list their numbers on the do-not-call registry free. Companies or marketers have until Oct. 1 to remove any registered phone numbers from their calling lists. After that, enforcement will begin. Telemarketers who disregard the registry could face fines as high as $11,000 for each call. Consumers can join the list via the Internet at www.donotcall.gov beginning at 8:30 a.m. After July 7, residents on the East Coast can call a toll-free number (888-382-1222) to join the list. West Coast residents can use the toll-free number today. Commercial telemarketing is covered by the rule except for polling, surveys, and calls from political or charitable organizations. The rules also allow calls from firms with existing business relationships with consumers. Although the FTC does not have jurisdiction over the banking, insurance and telecommunications industries, the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates telephone-based communication, jumped in yesterday and brought its rules into harmony. Consumers who choose not to use the registry can still stop individual telemarketers from calling by insisting that their numbers be removed from telemarketers' call lists. Federal law mandates that the telemarketers abide by the request. More than half the states already offer do-not-call lists of various stripes, and many agreed to transfer their lists to the national database. But in some states, including Virginia, residents will have to register their numbers separately on the national list. Calling it "a great day for American consumers," FTC Chairman Muris said the agency expects the list to grow to as many as 60 million numbers. The agency hired AT&T Corp. to operate a call center to accept registrations and log complaints. Privacy advocates praised the rules and Muris for pushing forward despite stiff resistance from the marketing industry. "Muris should be commended for his skill," said Chris J. Hoofnagle, deputy counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "He was able to negotiate substantial consumer protection . . . surprising in a pro-business administration and Republican Congress." Muris said he was inspired by President Bush, who made clear his interest in personal privacy protections. A ceremony at the White House is planned for today. Marketing industry executives said the rules would cost jobs and pledged to continue legal efforts to block them. "We're not happy about it," said H. Robert Wientzen, president and chief executive of the Direct Marketing Association. "We still feel this is not an appropriate role for government; we would prefer this was a private-sector activity." The marketing trade group and the American Teleservices Association, which represents call-center operators, filed separate suits that are pending. Among other things, they argue that the rules deny marketers their First Amendment rights to free speech. "When you pick which types of calls that can be excluded, then it's the government deciding who's on the other end of the phone," said Tim Searcy, executive director of the Teleservices Association. Wientzen said the telemarketing industry generates roughly $200 billion in sales each year and that it's possible that total could be cut in half. Many of the 4.2 million people who work in the industry, including part-timers, could lose their jobs, he said. His association has maintained for years a working, private-sector equivalent of the national list that has roughly 8 million numbers, he added. But Muris was neither impressed nor sympathetic. "If the leadership of the industry had acted proactively a couple of years ago, they might have been able to head this off," he said. Muris would not predict how quickly the agency could respond when a complaint is lodged against a telemarketer, but he said "we think we can be very quick." Consumers must be able to provide either the name of the company whose product is being pitched, or the name or phone number of the telemarketer. Another rule, which will take effect in January, will prohibit telemarketers from blocking their phone numbers from caller-ID systems. Telemarketers also will be charged fees to help defray an estimated $18 million in costs for building and maintaining the registry and providing enforcement. ? 2003 The Washington Post Company

From: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...._cancer Hormone Pills May Spur Breast Cancer By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer CHICAGO - Estrogen-progestin pills may cause an aggressive form of breast cancer (news - web sites) and make it harder to find tumors until they have reached a later, less-curable stage, according to one of the biggest, most authoritative analyses yet. The study is part of a run of bad news recently about the hormones routinely taken by millions of women after menopause. "Hopefully, it will convince women to reconsider," said Dr. Susan Hendrix of Wayne State University in Detroit, a co-author of the new analysis. "We've got to find a better way to help women with their menopausal symptoms." Some previous studies suggested breast tumors might be less aggressive in hormone users; other studies indicated the opposite. Previous research also suggested that hormones might make breast tissue more dense, hindering the detection of tumors. To try to answer the questions more definitively, the researchers took a closer look at data from the government's landmark Women's Health Initiative study, which was halted last summer after it was found that estrogen-progestin pills raise the risk of heart attack, strokes and breast cancer. While last summer's findings led many women to stop taking hormones, an estimated 3 million women still use them, primarily to relieve hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause. The latest findings appear in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. The analysis involved 16,608 women ages 50 to 79 who used either combined hormone treatment or dummy pills for an average of five years. As of January, breast cancer had developed in 245 women who used the combined hormone treatment and in 185 women who had taken dummy pills. Hormone users' tumors were larger at diagnosis, 1.7 centimeters on average versus 1.5 centimeters in placebo women. Tumors had begun to spread in 25.4 percent of hormone users, compared with 16 percent of placebo women. The researchers said this appears to mean that in women on estrogen-progestin, the tumors both grow faster ? that is, they are more aggressive ? and escape detection longer. Overall, women on both hormones faced a 24 percent increased risk of breast cancer ? equal to eight extra cases of cancer per year for every 10,000 women taking the pills. The increased risk did not appear in the first two years of treatment. But Hendrix said the tumors may have been present early on but were not detected until later because of hormone-induced breast density. The new analysis did not examine breast density. But researchers think progestin may be the culprit because it can cause breast cells ? both normal and abnormal ? to proliferate, an effect that may be accentuated when the hormone is combined with estrogen. Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, maker of the Prempro pills used in the study, said hormones remain an appropriate therapy when used at the lowest possible dose for the shortest possible time. The latest analysis is by far the most conclusive, said Dr. Peter Gann, an associate professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University who was not involved in the study. It "further worsens the news for long-term hormone replacement therapy. It suggests the excess breast cancer risk is not trivial," Gann said. Last summer's Women's Health Initiative findings shattered long-held beliefs that hormones are good for women's hearts. Last month, another analysis of data from the study found that instead of sharpening the mind, hormones may double the risk of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. A second, smaller study in Wednesday's journal also confirmed a link between combined hormone treatments and breast cancer and suggested estrogen-only treatment may be safer. The study involved 975 Seattle-area women ages 65 to 79. The greatest breast cancer risk was in women who used estrogen-progestin for at least five years, even if they took the progestin component only some days a month. Those who used estrogen alone, even for 25 years or longer, showed no appreciable increased risk, according to the study, led by Dr. Christopher Li of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Estrogen alone is recommended only for women with hysterectomies because it can cause uterine cancer unless balanced by progestin. The researchers said more definitive answers will come from the continuing estrogen-only part of the Women's Health Initiative study.

New Asthma Treatment Gets FDA Approval By LAURAN NEERGAARD .c The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - Millions of asthma sufferers are about to get a dramatically different treatment that promises to short-circuit some attacks: a drug named Xolair that won Food and Drug Administration approval late Friday. It's only for patients with serious allergic asthma, where the breathing problems are triggered by allergies - and then only if regular asthma medicines aren't working. And it's expensive, requiring monthly shots that will cost between $5,000 and $10,000 a year, depending on the dose. But doctors have been anxiously awaiting Xolair because it works differently than any other asthma medicine, blocking an allergic reaction well before it triggers the hallmark gasping for air. That same reaction is behind a range of allergic ailments, from hay fever to peanut allergy, that scientists hope Xolair one day will prove key to treating, too. "This is radically new, it's not another antihistamine or another inhaler," said Dr. Bob Lanier of the University of North Texas Health Science Center, who led research on the drug for its three developers: Genentech Inc., Tanox Inc. and Novartis Pharmaceuticals. "It's the first of a new breed of bioengineered drugs that get to the root of the disease rather than just the symptoms," he said. In one study, Xolair cut by one-third to one-half the number of asthma attacks suffered by patients whose disease isn't controlled by today's standard treatments. Many dramatically cut back or even eliminated inhaled steroids and other asthma medications. But the FDA said its scrutiny of all studies of Xolair suggests it will help only about 15 percent of patients avoid an asthma attack. A week after the first shot, "I was able to do something I'd never done in my life: Play with a dog," said Joe Wagner, 44, of Stockholm, N.J., a study participant. "It was like somebody turned a switch off." The drug is generally safe, the FDA said. But three patients did suffer a life-threatening allergic reaction to the medicine itself. Also, there appeared to be a very small increase in the number of Xolair-treated patients who had various forms of cancer - half a percent compared with 0.2 percent of people given dummy injections. The FDA has asked the manufacturers to continue studying whether cancer is a real risk. Some 17 million Americans have asthma, a chronic respiratory disease that causes recurring episodes of breathlessness, wheezing, chest tightness and coughing. Many patients require daily medication to control symptoms and prevent attacks. Every year, asthma kills 5,000 people and is responsible for nearly 2 million emergency room visits. Allergic asthma is the most common form, affecting an estimated 7 million adults and 3 million children. Xolair is for those 12 and older with moderate to severe disease that isn't well-controlled by standard therapy. Xolair will be available by prescription in late July, with a wholesale cost of $433 per injectible vial, according to Novartis. In studies, 60 percent of patients required one vial a month and the rest two; the dose is determined by patient size and degree of allergic reaction. It's not clear how quickly insurance companies will cover Xolair, but despite its high cost the drug could actually save money for many patients, Lanier said. Add the numerous inhalers and pills that many patients require daily, plus emergency-room and doctor visits for asthma attacks, and the most severe patients today spend up to $25,000 a year. When people with allergic asthma breathe in allergens - pollen, dust, mold or animal dander - they produce large amounts of an antibody called IgE, or immunoglobulin E. Antibodies are immune-system cells crucial to attacking disease-causing microbes. But in people with allergies, IgE is essentially an antibody gone wrong, mounting a full-scale immune attack against normal environmental substances. The IgE attaches to cells lining the respiratory tract, causing them in turn to release chemicals such as histamine and leukotrines that cause inflammation - important if you were fighting an infection but breath-stealing when it happens in an asthma patient's airways. Xolair is a manmade antibody that seeks out IgE in the blood and binds to it so there is less available to damage airways, interrupting the allergic reaction earlier than other asthma medicines that generally target just the inflammation steps. 06/20/03 18:45 EDT Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Androgen Replacement Therapy in Women with Hypopituitarism. This study is being conducted in: - Boston, MA http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu47295.html This is a 12-month study investigating the effects of a natural hormone on bone formation, body composition, quality of life, cognitive function and libido. The study involves blood sampling, questionnaires and tests to determine bone density and the amount of fat and muscle in the body. Subjects will receive up to $600 for 6 outpatient visits after a screening visit determines eligibility. Patient Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria: Women ages 18-50 with adrenal insufficiency and/or estrogen deficiency from pituitary problems. Contact: Karen Miller MD Massachusetts General Hospital Fruit Street Neuroendocrine Boston, MA 02115 Telephone: 617-724-7388 Email: kkmiller@partners.org

I would think it's still ongoing, but I'm not sure. Lynn would know, though, since Sherri is her friend.

CafePress, where we get the T-Shirts and other stuff, is changing it's Terms of Service to something unacceptable to me on July 1. Among other things, they would own the use of our logos and images and we couldn't use them anywhere else without a possible lawsuit. There are several other clauses that I don't like at all, so if they don't change their TOS by the end of this month, I'm going to close these stores down - theoretically, they can chage me $25 each to shut them down, too. Possibly $125 - more than the total profit that these brought in in the first place Anyway, if you want any of this stuff, now's the time to get it. Cushing's Store Sue found a nice site for buttons and such. Maybe we could get embroidered polos and denim shirts from there.

Hi, Tish. Welcome to the boards I'm going to put a copy of your post on the Introduce Yourself Board, where you're likely to get more responses. I think that we all relate to this as being a very difficult and scary time. We'll keep you company while you wait for answers, though. Best of luck to you

The transcript of this chat is available here: http://www.power-surge.com/transcripts/shipko7.htm Others of his past chats are similarly named - http://www.power-surge.com/transcripts/shipko6.htm , http://www.power-surge.com/transcripts/shipko7.htm and so on.

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Journal Scan is the clinician's guide to the latest clinical research findings in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, JAMA, and The New England Journal of Medicine, among others relating to diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolism. Short summaries of feature articles include links to the article abstracts and full text, when available. (Access to full text usually requires registration at the journal's Web site.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism April 2003 (Volume 88, Number 4) Gender-Related Differences in the Presentation and Course of Cushing's Disease Giraldi FP, Moro M, Cavagnini F; the Study Group on the Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis of the Italian Society of Endocrinology by Ashok Balasubramanyam, MD, Kristin M. Richardson The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2003;88(4):1554-1558 Nearly three quarters of a century since the classic description of the syndrome resulting from a "basophilic adenoma of the pituitary body" by Harvey Cushing, the disease that bears his eponym still continues to fascinate endocrinologists. Progress in understanding its molecular etiology as well as the pathophysiology of its myriad complications has been rather slow, but one would have thought that not much remained to be described about its clinical manifestations. The road to making a diagnosis of Cushing's disease is notoriously rocky, but the journey must always begin with a strong clinical suspicion. Hence, it comes as a nice surprise as well as a welcome addition that Giraldi and colleagues have identified important gender-associated differences in the manifestations of the illness. The investigators compared clinical features, biochemical parameters, and surgical outcomes in 280 patients with Cushing's disease (233 women, 47 men). They found that men tended to be diagnosed with the illness at a younger age (mean age: late twenties, early thirties, compared with late thirties in women), even though there was no gender difference in the duration of symptoms. Men generally had a more severe form of hypercortisolism, with significantly higher levels of plasma ACTH and urinary free cortisol. End-organ damage was similarly greater in men, who had a greater frequency of osteoporosis, muscle wasting, striae, and nephrolithiasis. The remainder of the long list of clinical signs of Cushing's disease showed no gender differences, and there were no signs that were more common in women than in men. The analysis also brought out age-related differences in clinical manifestations. Striae were more common in younger patients of either gender, and muscle wasting was more common in younger men than in women and older men. Signs such as striae, muscle atrophy, hypokalemia, moon facies, and hypertension seemed to reflect a greater degree of hypercortisolism, as measured by urine or plasma cortisol levels. Biochemical testing is the cornerstone of the diagnosis of Cushing's disease, and there were important gender differences here as well. The high-dose dexamethasone suppression test had a much lower diagnostic sensitivity in men (57% vs 82% for women), an important consideration because this test is frequently used to differentiate Cushing's disease from hypercortisolism due to an ectopic ACTH-producing tumor. Fortunately, other tests commonly used for the same purpose -- the ACTH and cortisol responses to CRH stimulation and the ACTH gradient during inferior petrosal sinus sampling -- were equally diagnostic in men and women. Finally, microadenomas were less frequently visualized by radiologic imaging in men. This useful paper informs us that men tend to have earlier onset and a more severe form of Cushing's disease, and that some standard biochemical tests have significantly lower diagnostic accuracy in men. This may put men at a significant disadvantage with regard to identifying the proper cause of hypercortisolism, since men are more likely than women to have an ectopic ACTH-producing tumor. Hence, the more severe manifestations of Cushing's disease in men, together with the lower diagnostic accuracy of the high-dose dexamethasone test and pituitary imaging, make it even harder to differentiate it from the ectopic ACTH-producing tumor. This is an important cautionary tale to be added to the lore of clinical Cushingology. ? Ashok Balasubramanyam, MD Abstract: Gender-related differences in the presentation and course of Cushing's disease.J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2003 Apr;88(4):1554-8 (ISSN: 0021-972X)Giraldi FP; Moro M; Cavagnini F University of Milan, Ospedale San Luca, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Italy; Collective Name: Study Group on the Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis of the Italian Society of Endocrinology. Cushing's disease (CD) presents a marked female preponderance, but whether this skewed gender distribution has any relevance to the presentation and outcome of CD is not known. The aim of the present study was the comparison of clinical features, biochemical indices of hypercortisolism, and surgical outcome among male and female patients with CD. The study population comprised 280 patients with CD (233 females, 47 males) collected by the Italian multicentre study. Epidemiological data, frequency of clinical signs and symptoms, urinary free cortisol (UFC), plasma ACTH and cortisol levels, responses to dynamic testing, and surgical outcome were compared in female and male patients. Male patients with CD presented at a younger age, compared with females (30.5 +/- 1.93 vs. 37.1 +/- 0.86 yr, P Major Subject Heading(s) Minor Subject Heading(s) CAS Registry / EC Numbers [*]Cushing Syndrome [diagnosis] [physiopathology] [*]Sex Characteristics [*]Adenoma [diagnosis] [surgery] [*]Adult [*]Age Factors [*]Aging [*]Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone [diagnostic use] [*]Corticotropin [blood] [*]Cushing Syndrome [epidemiology] [*]Dexamethasone [administration & dosage] [diagnostic use] [*]Glucocorticoids, Synthetic [administration & dosage] [diagnostic use] [*]Hydrocortisone [blood] [urine] [*]Italy [epidemiology] [*]Pituitary Neoplasms [diagnosis] [surgery] [*]Prognosis [*]0 (Glucocorticoids, Synthetic) [*]50-02-2 (Dexamethasone) [*]50-23-7 (Hydrocortisone) [*]9002-60-2 (Corticotropin) [*]9015-71-8 (Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone) Indexing Check Tags: Comparative Study; Female; Human; Male Language: EnglishMEDLINE Indexing Date: 200305Publication Type: Owner: NLM; Status: CompletedPublication Type: Journal ArticlePreMedline Identifier: 0012679438Unique NLM Identifier: 22566140Journal Code: AIM; IM

Power Surge also has an Ask the Expert feature which has archives. Power Surge Ask the Experts Page includes Medical Doctor (Phillip O. Warner, M.D.), Revival Soy Doctor (Dr Aaron Tabor), The Pharmacist (Pete Hueseman, R.Ph., P.D.), The Women's Midlife Therapist (Stephanie Marston), The Anxiety-Panic Expert (Bronwyn Fox), The Relationship Expert (Steven Carter), The Intimacy Expert (Dr. Sandy Scantling), The Weight Watchers Expert (Denise Lamothe) It's so nice to have all these medical people offer their time and talents at no charge - for a change!

Thanks, Victoria! Where did this article come from? I especially love this quote: How true it is!

Power Surge Live! Invites You Join Us In A Discussion About Panic, Anxiety, Stress-Related Disorders How Common They Are During Menopause. The Pros And Cons of Anti-depressants and Anti-anxiety Medications Paxil, Xanax, Zoloft, Effexor, Prozac, Celexa, Serzone and More! color> THURSDAY, MAY 29th 9 PM (ET), 6 PM (PT) With STUART SHIPKO, M.D. color> STUART SHIPKO, M.D. is a Psychiatrist and Neurologist and one of the nation's leading experts on the adverse effects of psychiatric drugs. He tells the real story behind the widespread overuse of psychiatric medication and the negative consequences that have followed. Dr. Shipko has treated over 2500 patients with panic disorder and anxiety. As the Founder and Medical Director of PDI - the Panic Disorder Institute - Dr. Shipko is in private practice in Pasadena, California, and his specialty is in the area of panic disorder and stress-related medical conditions, stress and trauma-related disorders, psychiatric injury, psychosomatic medicine, general psychiatry. An outspoken expert in the area of psychopharmacology, Dr. Shipko will discuss the pros and cons of anti-depressants/SSRI's and anti-anxiety medications, such as Paxil, Zoloft, Luvox, Prozac, Celexa, Xanax, Serzone, Buspar. Read a previous transcript here. Meet DR. STUART SHIPKO Thursday, May 29th at 9 PM (ET), 6 PM (PT)color> Enter The Power Surge Guest Chat (It's where we have the Wed Cushing's Chats) Sign up to receive weekly announcements of special guest chats and scheduled events, plus a monthly newsletter on menopause and women's health issues and other information of interest to women at midlife. Remember, you can find the guest transcripts of chats you've missed in the Library 3-4 days after the chat.

Are these Tumors Connected? BOSTON, May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Jenny has a vascular brain tumor called a hemangioma. Uncle Ken has kidney cancer. Aunt Margaret is blind. Cousin Jim has an adrenal tumor called a pheochromocytoma. What do all these tumors have in common? They are in the same family of people, and in fact they are in the same family of disease -- they are all caused by a flaw in one gene, the VHL gene. May is National VHL Awareness Month. The VHL Family Alliance is the only national organization dedicated to improving the lot of people with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL). This year marks the Tenth Anniversary of this strong volunteer organization, working to cure cancer. VHL is a hereditary cancer predisposition syndrome -- like hereditary breast and colon cancer, VHL can lead to kidney or pancreatic cancer. With early diagnosis, and appropriate treatment, however, people today have a very good chance of avoiding the worst consequences of cancer. Research on the VHL gene has proven to be key to understanding how cancer works for everyone. "The Good Lord left us some clues," says Joyce Graff, Chairman of the Alliance. "By studying some of the rare diseases over the last ten years, we have learned a great deal about how cancers begin and grow." For example, changes in the VHL gene are responsible for 85% of kidney cancer in the general population. We are just now on the brink of an era where new drugs can intervene and slow or reverse the growth of cancer tumors in a number of conditions, including kidney cancer. For families with VHL, this news provides a glimmer of hope that perhaps by the year 2010 there will be a medication to stop, or at least slow down, the growth of new tumors. Families and medical professionals have joined forces in the VHL Family Alliance to share information with one another, provide morale support and work toward furthering our understanding of VHL and all other kinds of cancer. VHL may allow tumors to form in the retina, brain, spinal cord, kidney, pancreas, or adrenal glands. People who have tumors in their family, especially hemangiomas, in two or more of these areas should ask their physicians about VHL. For more information about VHL, please contact the VHL Family Alliance, 1-800-767-4VHL, or info@vhl.org. For further information about von Hippel-Lindau disease: Connect to the VHLFA Home Page at URL http://www.vhl.org Broadcast-quality video interviews available on request from: Cary J. Schwanitz, News Desk KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, NM 505-884-6324 Online press kit: http://www.vhl.org/aboutvhl SOURCE The VHL Family Alliance CO: The VHL Family Alliance ST: Massachusetts SU: SVY http://www.prnewswire.com 05/19/2003 05:20 EDT

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Hi, Des - welcome to the message boards! You're absolutely right, none of us have exactly the same symptoms, and that's one of the reasons that it's so hard to get a diagnosis. your experiences with the doctors are, unfortunately, all too common. I'm going to put a copy of your post on the Introduce Yourself Board where you're likely to get more responses. I think that most of us know what a difficult task it is to get a diagnosis, and we'll be with you every step of the way. Best of luck to you!