Does anyone have or know anything about Cushing's Syndrome?

I watched a short story on TV about this last night and it left me with a great deal of questions. Until about 16-17 years ago I barely weighed 100lbs. I suddenly began to crave sweets and found myself eating huge amounts of sweets almost to the exclusion of anything else. While I have been able to gain back a little control and lose some weight (the most I ever weighed was 230 and I have lost about 35lbs) I was most intrigued by the areas the woman gained her weight. It is almost identical to my weight gain, right down to the hump on my back. I would very much like to hear from anyone who has had personal or has been close to someone who has had experience with this disease.

Please, I am serious about this so no push away from the table jokes please. (I already know them all - in fact, before I gained weight I made some of them up. lol)

For general information:

http://endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/cush...

I've seen it frequently in dogs (as a veterinary technician), my own dog even has it (his appetite and thirst went through the roof). I know that is little help to you ;P but all you can do if you suspect you have Cushing's is ask your doctor. They will likely start with a physical exam as usual and then if still suspected, you will likely have to perform a 24-hour urinalysis test first.

Then Dexamethasone Suppression test and the CRH Stimulation test can then be used to differentiate what the cause of the disease is. There are other tests and imaging that can be performed as well.

Ask your doctor about it, but take it easy and don't jump to conclusions from a television show. If you get regular exams I would expect your doctor to have suggested testing for it already if it has been 16-17 years.