Posted by Elroy on April 9, 2005, at 21:31:11
In reply to RE: Segeline (Deprenyl) and phenyalanine » Elroy, posted by tealady on April 8, 2005, at 21:08:52
Tea,
More info to previous answer.... info on Pheos and Pheo symptoms from 5 other sites:
QUOTE:
Primary Symptoms for Pheo: Many clinical signs can be present, including paroxysms of hypertension (80%), diaphoresis (71%), palpitation with or without tachycardia (64%), pallor (40%), nausea with or without vomiting (42%), tremor (31%), weakness or exhaustion (28%), nervousness or anxiety (22%), epigastric pain (22%), chest pain (19%), dyspnea (19%), flushing or warmth (18%), numbness or paresthesia (11%), blurred vision (11%), tightness of throat, dizziness, convulsion, neck or shoulder pain, extremities pain, flank pain, tinnitus, dysarthria, and unsteadiness. END QUOTE
http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic1788.htmQUOTE: Some doctors feel that the most common symptoms of Pheochromocytoma are headache, palpitations, and excessive and inappropriate perspiration. I feel that in this case, the doctors are ignoring the anxiety part of the illness which I personally feel is the most frightening one. Along with the anxiety, I experience tremors and uncontrollable shaking, nausea, weakness, chest pain like angina, and abdominal pain. Sometime I am flushed, other times I am extremely pale. I generally find myself looking at my hands, because they feel numb, and my palms are usually strangely mottled and sweaty... I have been told that these symptoms of nervousness and anxiety, nausea and chest pain, et cetera are rare. Yet every "Pheochromocytoma" friend I have talked with has these symptoms. END QUOTE
(Amen brother!)
http://members.aol.com/threepeb/QUOTE: Pheochromocytomas are a rare cause of hypertension, being the underlying cause of only about .01% of cases of high blood pressure. The manifestations of pheochromocytoma are varied and often not particularly specific and it is easy to understand why such a rare tumor may not be diagnosed immediately by even the most astute physician. Headache, perspiration or palpitation are symptoms found in 90% of such patients. Anxiety, tremor, high blood sugar, nausea, thoracic or abdominal pains, weakness, weight loss, shortness of breath, visual disturbances and heat/cold intolerance are other occasional symptoms. Patients can also sometimes present with confusion or psychosis, constipation, tingling sensations (in hands/feet), seizures, or high blood counts as well as Raynaud's phenomenon. Ironically, patients can also have a slow heart beat (bradycardia) or hypotension, particularly when standing up suddenly. END QUOTE
http://www.fitzgeraldmd.com/news/archives/000046.htmlQUOTE: Pheochromocytomas are usually benign. They may occur in or near the adrenal glands, or anywhere along the sympathetic nervous system roughly from the base of the skull to the bladder. The most apparent symptom, caused by the increased secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine, is hypertension, or high blood pressure. This hypertension may be constant or intermittent. Attacks may occur every few months or several times daily, and typically last less than five minutes. Physical and emotional stresses can initiate an attack. During severe attacks, patients may experience headache, sweating, anxiety/apprehension, palpation, tremor, pallor or flushing of the face, nausea and vomiting, pain in the chest and abdomen. There may be a tingling, burning, or crawling sensation on the skin of arms and/or legs and/or presence of urinary difficulties. END QUOTE
http://www.vhl.org/newsletter/vhl1999/99dapheo.htmQUOTE: Different people can tolerate different amounts of stress before becoming ill. Some people are more sensitive to stress and are more likely to develop anxiety disorders. This can be caused either by genetic predispositions to anxiety, or by previous (particularly early childhood) exposure to certain stressful circumstances. Certain tumors of the adrenal gland (pheochromocytoma), may cause anxiety and tension by causing the release of cortisol, a stress hormone (this condition is rare). END QUOTE
http://www.pnt-200.com/anxiety.htmlWon't even bother listing the symptoms shown here: http://www.pheochromocytoma.org/sys-tmpl/frequentquestions/
So I don't have the "severe blood pressure" problems, but I go through these lists and find the following listed symptoms are ones that I do have:
- Headaches (Increasing intensity, sporadic, may last couple minutes to half an hour)
- Nausea (Waves of nausea – worse in evenings)
- Weight loss or gain (Initial significant weight loss and then fluctuates)
- Hypertension (fluctuates - from very good to moderately bad)
- Hyperglycemia (fluctuates – mild levels)
- Palpitations (occasional)
- Vision disturbance (very, very occasional “blurring)
- Orthostatic hypotension (Occasional – mild)
- Bradycardia (occasional, mild)
- Clammy skin / Cold skin (More primarily cold skin, cold intolerance – icy cold feet) / Raynaud's phenomenon symptoms
- Paresthesia - tingling, prickling, numbness or burning sensations(Hands/feet, constant - often very strong - Neurontin helps quite a bit)
- Extremities pain
- Nervousness - Anxiety (severe if not on Xanax) - Panic - Feeling of impending doom
- Tremor (occasional)
- Rapid pulse (fluctuates)
- Flushing
- Highly elevated cortisol levels
- Abdominal pain (more generally a tenderness- sometimes pain)
- Flank pain (more recent symptom, often severe)
- Constipation (Moderate, occasional - more like sluggish bowels)
- Presence of urinary difficultiesAnd all of these came on within a 2 - 3 week period immediately following the onset of severe anxiety that came on in June of 2004.
The only symptom that I have that does NOT have a direct link to a Pheop tumor is the hypogonadism... and highly elevated cortisol can often cause that.
http://www.endocrinology.med.ucla.edu/cushing%27s_syndrome.htm
http://www.gsdl.com/home/assessments/malehormone/appguide/index3.html
http://www.google.com/answers/threadview?id=450553Soooo......
Still waiting on test results.
And hoping that it IS a Pheo... just so something can start getting done with this problem!
poster:Elroy
thread:452259
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20050323/msgs/482184.html