Hi
I have been diagnosed with Empty Sella Syndrome and I have no idea what it is. My local doctor doesnt know anything and my specialist cant see me for two weeks.
I had a CT scan done and it said in the results. All the local doctor did was look it up on the internert and told me not to worry about it. Should I be worried?
Any help would be great.
Thanks 
ps…i meant to say this is something that DOES NOT go away…so i want to do all i can to feel as well as possible…i look forward to sharing and learning with you. Terri
hi i got diagnosed with empty sella last year was supposed to go for the blood tests but i couldnt do it i have tried to forget about it has anybody else been for these blood tests my name is debbie and im 41
Hi:
I usually don’t respond to emails “out of the blue”, but this one is
close to my heart.
I am 73 and have had Empty Sella Syndrome for over 13 years. It is
apparently caused either by fluid pressure, or a benign tumor in the
"Sella", which is the cavity in which the Pituitary Gland resides.
As it progresses, damage is caused to the pituitary, because there is
nowhere for it to go. If the situation goes undetected, and nothing
reduces the fluid or tumor pressure, the pituitary is crushed into
the walls of the sella and eventually the patient dies. In most
cases, as in mine, the tumor dissipates and leaves the pituitary
damaged to some extent. An MRI will disclose the extent of damage.
Mine is pretty severe in that the what’s left of my pituitary is
"smushed" onto the walls of the Sella.
The pituitary is analagous to the central processor in a computer, as
it monitors the production of most of the hormones in the body’s
system (thyroid, adrenaline, cortisol, testosterone, etc.). Under
normal circumstances, the pituitary sends signals to these organs, to
either increase or decrease production, in order to keep the body in
balance. A damaged pituitary fails to do this adequately, depending
upon the degree of damage. A competent Endocrinologist will test for
all these hormones (rather complicated, painless, blood tests) and
determine what replacement hormones are necessary to supplement.
I have been giving myself two different injections every other day,
plus three pills/day and other than the nuisance factor, I live a
fairly normal and active life. I am a lifelong tennis player and
play at least twice a week. (One other side effect in my case is
serious insomnia, so I’m also prescribed Ambien, and that does the
trick).
If a tumor is still present in your case, you should know that a
research doctor at the University of Florida in Gainesville Florida
has perfected a method of extracting the tumor by going into the
sella through the nose. Sounds gruesome, but is presumably fairly
simple and much less complicated than previous methods, and leaves no
scars. I can’t remember this chap’s name, but if you find that a
tumor is present, contact the Univ. of Florida Medical Department (or
the Univ of Florida/Shands Hospital), and I’m sure you’ll track him
down.
If you haven’t seen an Endocrinologist, I would strongly urge you to
do so…they are specialists in this problem.
Also, go to the following websites for more information:
http://www.skullbaseinstitute.com/pituitary-gland-tumor-surgery/?
crtag=Google1&gclid=CN7D5dyK9poCFRabnAod4xx1dw
or Google “Empty Sella Syndrome”
Hope this helps and best of luck.
Tony Cook
On Jun 5, 2009, at 0137, Breebie wrote:
I have been looking for others with this condition...i have been sick for a long time but no doctor ever had me get an MRI until 3 years ago. I had been told i had many other conditions and put on so many medications and just got sicker and sicker. Finally i found a doctor that discovered i had this mass on the pituitary and it is very large and i am now seeing a nutritionist who is also an MD so he was able to treat me with more natural treatment instead of synthetic meds. I am on Armour thyroid and bio-identical hormones. My adreanal glans are also worn out so i need to take Isocort daily. I take Lugols iodine and other vit and min to help. I hardly ever feel real well and very little energy...my body temp is still only 96.0 .... i am realizing this condition is one that goes away. I am hoping to learn from others what you may have done that helped your condition. My name is Terri and i am 57. I would be thankful for any info that you found helped you. I will do the same. I have learned quite a bit about this condition and one thing is for sure...it is not easy to balance what the pituitary once did for you.
Thanks, Terri
hi Debbie…if i were you, i would have blood tests done to make sure your hormones are OK because if your pituitay is not working properly, your thyroid will get sick causing your health to suffer. Your empty sella may be small, not causing problems but its not something you should ignore…the pituitary gland may be small but very important to good health. Your doctor will know what to look for when testing your blood.
Best of luck to you.
debbie
I mentioned the blood tests in my previous answer. They are simply a
matter of drawing a small blood sample, then giving you a shot of a
hormone stimulant and then you wait a period of time, like 30 minutes
and they take another blood sample and compare it with the first to
see if the stimulant shot initiated a response from the particular
organ of interest. It is done 3 or 4 times, each for a different
organ (adrenal glands, thyroid, etc.), and gives the doc a picture of
the extent of your hormonal deficiencies. It is no worse than any
other blood sample draw, and very valuable in the diagnosis process.
Cheers
Tony Cook
On Jun 7, 2009, at 1433, nanideb wrote:
I had emptycella for prob 15 years.this year got repeat MRI ,and they say there is no sighn of empty cella or partial emptycella .look up cbd from the plant hemp or marijuana,it's a nuroprotecter .your dr won't bring this up.we have been hard wired for millions of year with cbd receptors all over our body espeacially the brain.it does not get you high like thc what creates the high known in marijuana.it stops anxiety pain and much more.its been discovered in 2011 and your drs unless you have them look it up prob don't have a clue as they were not taught in med school.i consider myself lucky and articulate on subject.low t still but was an 80 and now 190 still under but allergic to testosterone.i will help people who can prove they have emptycella ,cronic pain,can reverse cancer even stage 4,natures nuroprotecter even stops siesures look it up.i can help email microw420@aol.com. Or 818 3595321.