None of the other doctors had thought to test for Cushing’s disease. But testing showed that the diagnosis of the dermatologist, of all people, was correct
T he stress-hormone cortisol is a key player in the fight-or-flight response which is useful in emergency or disaster situations.
Like the hare in Aesop’s classic fable however cortisol doesn’t perform very well in the long haul. It’s a good jump-starter but at consistently elevated levels it wreaks havoc on the body.
Two and a half years ago my wife Sarah started feeling tired and weak all the time and experiencing constant muscle pain. She visited numerous doctors and underwent the gamut of medical tests but no one could offer any conclusive diagnosis. She pushed herself to continue working as a nurse in a Jerusalem hospital but when she became so weak that she had to be pulled into the van that would take her home after her shift I told her she had to quit her job.
One day she happened to visit a dermatologist for a skin issue that was unrelated to her other symptoms.
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