Does anyone here suffer from secondary hypopituitarism due to lupus inflammation of the hypothalamus?
I am a 50 year old divorced mother of three (with a devoted long-term significant other) with a life-long history of prolactinoma. I was diagnosed at the age of 27 and have taken either parlodel or dostinex off and on since then. Whenever I go off the medicine, gradually my prolactin goes back up and eventually a small tumor forms. I also have suffered from frequent urination (23 times a day, 6 liters a day) and excessive thirst (4.5 liters a day) for my entire life, although it has escalated severely in the past decade. I have struggled with some muscle and joint pain, although I attributed that to exercising and getting older. But recently I have been suffering from such extreme fatigue I can barely function. Blood work shows low morning cortisol, although my adrenals can still produce cortisol (ACTH stim test showed that). I also have borderline low renin and low aldosterone. (which explains the urination/thirst) For years I have had an odd sort of rash/discoloration on my chest/neck. It looks somewhat brown in the morning but turns red as soon as I start moving around, and very red with exertion or emotion. I also have discolored skin under my armpits (this is a recent development) which looks something like a tan.
After researching this, I believe all of these problems are being caused by a dysfunctioning hypothalamus, which can be caused by lupus. Auto-immune disorders run in my family.
Has anyone had symptoms similar to mine?