Adrenal Tumor...Surgery question?

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Anyone that has had an adrenal tumor, any kind, where they had to remove your whole adrenal gland. what is the surgery like? what is recovery time like? did y ou have to be on medications? how long till the other gland takes over for the lost one? and did it fix the problems you were having that requrired it to be removed?
I have one on my right adrenal gland, its not a Pheo although i have a ton of symptoms of a Pheo. It makes too much aldosterone, and possibly other hormones. I Have probably had it for a long time as i have had high blood pressure dince i was about 19-20. ( plus a slwe of other physical complaints)But recently as it started increasing more they started doing tests, found this. shotly afte r i had a hypertensive crisis. BP got to 232/123. so now i take drugs for the BP ( same two i took before) i am also on a potassium supplement ( about a year now) and recently a postassium sparing dueretic that also blocks the aldosterone production.
any advice would be appreciate
I have been to a doctor. i dont ge tto go to my pre-op appt. for another week 1/2 and i am just nervous and looking for answers sooner. from people with experience with this.
I have also had numerous blood tests and a 24 hour urine, and they say it cant be a pheo....although all my symptoms ( ALL ) are pheo symptoms...maybe they are wrong, or maybe the type i have just causes the same issues. who knows. but they are most likely doing it laproscopically!
Make SURE you are seeing a surgeon who is going to do this laparoscopically. You should not have to have an open surgery for a functional adrenal mass unless it is huge. It sounds like a pheo to me, so make sure they draw all the metanephrines to be sure before they operate.  (+ info)

When is a tumor classified as cancer?

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I've tried looking up the definition of cancer but its very vague. I had part of a tumor in my head surgically removed and need radiotherapy to get the rest of it out, I tell people I had a tumor but is it also a type of cancer? It was benign.
a tumor can be classified as benign or malignant. as u said it was benign. but still even though its benign it still is a tumor. meaning its not supposed to be there, it has no physiological function. therefore it still has to be removed by doctors, u never really know when it might cause obstructions in the future. no its not cancer, its just an abnormal growth in ur brain, maybe just a slight swelling. its being removed and treated so i guess it ok already. u don't need to be alarmed anymore.  (+ info)

Is a tumor always considered cancerous? If so, can the tumor sit there for the rest of your life & not spread?

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tumors are of 2 types...

BENIGN
MALIGNANT (CANCEROUS)

Benign ones are usually slow growing, rarely spread to other parts and hardly give complications..

Malignant cancers as the name says it spreads to other parts ( We call it METASTASIS) which is how more people are killed rather the cancer itself.

And once u have cancer it has to be treated, it wont go away itself. there r lots of options available these days.. like chemotherapy, radiotherapy, ablations, stem cell transplantation etc.  (+ info)

Has anyone had or have an adrenal tumor?

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No sorry. It is a tumor on the adrenal glands in the endorine system.  (+ info)

can you have pain with an adrenal gland tumor?

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In the information I have read it says that those people who don't have excess hormones in their blood that alerts the doctors, go into the doctors because of pain.

In other words, yes - but it can show up in other parts of your body too.   (+ info)

has anyone had a tumor on their adrenal gland?

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Yes my wife has stage IV kidney cancer and had tumors on both adrenals.Her left kidney and both adrenals where remove 5 years ago.Now that her adrenal glands are gone she will have to take hydrocortisone for the rest of her life,but she is OK with that.  (+ info)

I recently have been diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency?

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My endocrinologist says i will need to take steroids for the rest of my life and if i don't I will die - is this true? I cannot find any definitive answer to this. I refuse to take steroids as they cause bad side affects. HELP - only serious answers please. Thanks.
Honey, It's not the same type of steroid you hear athletes taking. No, these are life giving steroids. These are steroid hormones produced to help regulate organs in the body.. primarily, cortisol. There is another steroid involved called mineralcorticoid, which regulate sodium, potassium, and water retention. If you're not treated or refuse to take these things, your condition could turn into Addison's disease which is a worse condition but brought on by adrenal insufficiency. If not treated, you could experience severe abdominal pains, diarrhea, vomiting, profound muscle weakness, fatigue, extremely low blood pressure, right down to kidney failure, shock and you could die. I know you don't want all these things but not taking that medication would be the worse decision of your life, what will be left of it. Am I trying to scare you, Darn right I am, This is serious. It's not just a passing thing. Just because you heard the word steroids, trust me, it's not the one everyone else takes. These are special and so life giving. So take your medicine. You're our future and we need you around. Good luck and God bless you  (+ info)

adrenal tumor...............?

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could you have a ultrasound/pelvic scan to check the adrenal glands my endocrinologist said he was gonna check this, ive to get an ultrasound/pelvic scan in a couple of weeks but not sure if an ultrasound would show ovary area and adrenal area or if it would have to be a ct scan for the adrenal glands? at the time with everything it wasnt clear.

also he's testing my blood in the morning for cortisol whats this to check for?

what specific blood test checks the adrenal gland levels and should i be getting my urine tests also?

thanks
Not sure what way they check the adrenal glands but cortisol is a naturally occurring steroid hormone produced by part of the adrenal gland. It is released as the body's way of reacting to stress and anxiety.

Testing for levels in the blood will probably give your endocrinologist a better idea as to whether or not your glands are functioning as they should be.  (+ info)

Adrenal Tumor: How Long Can You Have One Before . . .?

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For the past six years, I've had an increasingly terrible pain in my right side. I can't tell you how many doctors I've seen or how many tests they've run, which have all come out negative, including ultrasounds.

Last week, my doctor sent me for a CT scan, which I've never had, and it showed that I have a 'mass' on my right adrenal gland, so I'm going for another CT scan next week so they can get a better look at it.

Over the years, I've suffered with terrible fatigue, heart palpititations, mood swings, headaches and dizziness, right flank pain and generalized abdomenal pain, as well as messed up menstrual cycles.

My question is- can this be cancer, given that I've been getting worse every day? And how long can you have an adrenal cancer before you finally discover it? I've had this right flank pain for six years, and it's gotten progressively worse. It used to bother me once or twice a week and now it's constant. I'd appreciate any and all information.
It could be cancer,but the only way to know for sure is to have a biopsy.If it is cancer and is only on the adrenal gland,they can remove the adrenal and you will be fine.My wife had both adrenal glands removed due to kidney cancer.  (+ info)

Does anyone know about treatment for a brain tumor?

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A close loved one has a brain tumor. He has had part of it removed but they have to do other kinds of treatments to get the rest. Yet, he tells me that the tumor is non cancerous but he sees a oncologist and now has to do a 8weeks of some kind of treatments 5 days a week. I am not sure that he is telling me everything and he doesn't want me to worry. Does anyone have any insight to treatments and what to expect during and after such treatments?
Introduction
A brain tumor is a mass or growth of abnormal cells in your brain. Many different types of brain tumors exist. Some brain tumors are noncancerous (benign), and some brain tumors are cancerous (malignant). Brain tumors can begin in your brain (primary brain tumors), or cancer can begin in other parts of your body and spread to your brain (secondary, or metastatic brain tumors).

The number of brain tumors diagnosed each year is increasing. There's evidence the increase has been occurring for decades. But it's not clear why.

Treatment
Treatment for a brain tumor depends on the type, size and location of the tumor, as well as your overall health and your preferences. Your doctor can tailor treatment to fit your particular situation.  (+ info)

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