u/A_Refill_of_Mr_Pibb

Very long story short, I (43M) have a prolactinoma (P level 2,000 when found), and have been taking cabergoline to treat it. So far side effects are fatigue and pain behind my right eye, but nothing completely debilitating. But what is debilitating is the depression I feel. I've been depressed my whole life, so this is nothing new, and its suspected I had this tumor since I was a kid.

But what's different is that I'm in a deep dark place from wishing I could have discovered and treated this earlier in life. I'm 43 but I feel like I'm 83. No energy for living whatsoever. I can barely make it to the coffee pot and to the grocery store on these weekends of beautiful weather. I'm socially isolated, I've lived alone for 16 years, don't have any close friends, no family, haven't dated since GWB was president. I'm by myself all the time when I'm not at my job. If I'd found this earlier maybe I'd have had the juice to make different decisions. Go for that job. Approach that girl. Take those risks.

I'm working with a very nice care team. They say I should feel so much better next year. For now though, I'm in tremendous emotional pain. I'll be 44 next year. An middle aged guy who never got to be young, because I had something I didn't know I had killing my desire for both love and life. Maybe these feelings will pass and I'll find some peace with it.

But mostly because I can't talk to anybody about this and half to deal with it alone, curing this thing is going to be a bittersweet experience, and right now I'm in a very dark, regretful place.

I'm 43M, working with an endocrinologist and a neurosurgeon. My prolactin level was 2,000 ng/mL. Pituitary tumor 3.6 cm. Everything else they tested for was in the normal range. I'm taking cabergoline 0.25 mg twice a week.

So far I feel stuffy and fatigued and sleepy. In a way I was used to feeling that way all the time, so it feels like I'm walking around with the kind of exhaustion you feel with postnasal drip. I hope the effects subside soon.

I just want to know what it would have been like to feel normal, as I suspect I've had this since I was a kid. I regret not knowing about this sooner.

I haven't applied yet, but I went to studentaid.gov to import my tax info to see what my payments would be. It says I'm only eligible for RAP and the Tiered Standard Plan. It says I don't qualify for any income based repayment plan, but I thought you had to be in an income based plan to qualify for PSLF? I know some of the plans are being sunset.

If I chose one and made payments, would each payment still count towards my PSLF count as long as I submit my employer (non-profit hospital) application every year?

I have 1 loan with 95/120 payments, 1 loan with 85/120 payments and 8 loans with 81/120 payments.

43-year-old male. Pituitary tumor is 36 mm. It explains so much. Obesity, high cholesterol, liver inflammation, lifelong issues with fitness and metabolism, more than two decades of zero sex drive. Trying to get an endo appt. I wish I could say I was excited to be able to try to fix the problem underlying all the other ones. But right now at least, I feel tense. Maybe I'm afraid of the treatment possibilities. I live alone and don't have emotional or financial support if I need to have surgery. I'm probably over-thinking.

I bought a cheap CD/DVD external to rip photo CDs onto my desktop computer. The SD card that came with it doesn't fit in the slot, so off to a great start. The unit plugs in and is supposed to be plug and play. But the drive doesn't show up anywhere, even disk manager. Every disc I put in it just keeps going "chi-chi.... chi-chi.... chi-chi..." I have a paperweight until further notice. Is there anything else I can try?

For years I've (43M) melted down suddenly and inexplicably. It usually happens when I can't open something, when I drop something unexpectedly, when something gets tangled. Basically, anytime I get caught off guard, my cortisol and blood pressure spikes. I immediately want to throw it against a wall and smash everything else in sight. Afterwards, I'm out of breath, shaking, upset, and sometimes tears come. Today I was pulling clothes out of the closet, and as we know clothes hangers love to get caught on stuff, on other hangers, fall on the floor, etc. I should mention I have undiagnosed OCD when it comes to organization and de-cluttered environments.

It's like I can't drop anything unexpectedly or have something spill, its like a banshee like scream comes forth as if I just badly stubbed by toe, and turns my face red and purple, but I don't actually scream, I don't wish to disturb neighbors, it comes out like a strain.

Today, when I couldn't disentangle the hangar, I grabbed as many as I could and threw them as hard as I could into the closet, breaking some (they're the plastic ones). Then I sat on my bad with my head in my hands bawling like a baby. I just cried until I couldn't anymore, as if I'd been waiting a decade to cry like this. Over a tangled clothes hanger from the closet? My god. I'm glad I live alone, because the sight of a 6'2 271 lb man acting this way would appear frightening and completely out of order.

I'd imagine that therapy might be in order. But I don't know, I'm just exhausted and have nobody to share my feelings with, so that's why I'm posting here.

Hello. I made chicken a la orange crock pot-style today. It created a mixture of reduced down chopped onion, marmalade and russian dressing. Could I refrigerate it for the next couple of days to use with leftovers? Could I re-heat it in a pan and thicken the gravy with flour?

I'd (43M) made a concerning comment at a family party, which prompted my brother to recommend I go to a men's clinic to get my hormones checked. Eventually I did, and among other results, my T-level was measured at 73.6 ng/dL, which apparently is pretty low and is a symptom of hypogonadism. I was given a referral to a hospital's neurology dept for an MRI, and they found a 3.6 cm pituitary macroadenoma, and part of it is encasing an area that if I don't treat it could lead to a stroke one day.

I almost wish I hadn't found this out, because I don't have a primary care physician, let alone an endocrinologist or neurologist, and nobody in Boston or surrounding seems to be taking new patients. It could be years more before I can get help for this, if ever.

I realize how much of my life has been affected by this, but I feel stuck now with this info, knowing I have this, and knowing I don't have access to the treatment that could help me.

Any advice?