Learn About Pituitary Apoplexy Treatments
The pituitary gland is the one at the bottom of your brain. Ladies, this one tells your other glands and organs what they have to do! That means your thyroid and adrenal glands, among others. There's a problem, though, because pituitary apoplexy makes this gland not work properly. It's rare, but it's still an emergency! Most of the time, this happens from a tumor triggering lots and bleeding and damage. You will see signs like double vision, nausea, and vomiting! Others are sudden, severe headaches and eye movement paralysis!
You need on-time treatment for pituitary apoplexy! Medications for pituitary apoplexy is a common choice, here. Of course, there are many others! It's vital, ladies, to look at all options so you get the best pituitary apoplexy treatment for you!
Surgical Decompression
Many of you are going to get surgical decompression for pituitary apoplexy. It will stop the bleeding in your pituitary gland. This surgery is going to reduce some of the pressure on it also! Ladies, you will get this surgery when your symptoms are severe ones. Your doctor will also recommend it when you have significant vision problems or low consciousness! The good news is that this surgery is a simple one! Your surgeon won't even need to cut into your skull. They access your pituitary gland through your nose!
That said, there are some possible complications. You will need some monitoring after to prevent this! Your doctor has to make sure your pituitary function is intact. They will order more treatment if there's a problem! Diabetes insipidus immediately after surgery is a common complication. This is where your kidneys can't regulate fluid properly. Thankfully, ladies, this resolves shortly after you recover!
Cortisol Replacement Therapy
Ladies, your adrenal glands are right above your kidneys. They make cortisol for your body! This hormone is an important one, and many people call it the stress hormone. You need this hormone for life. Unfortunately, pituitary apoplexy is going to compromise your cortisol! The pituitary gland usually sends signals to your adrenal glands. These signals are what ensure they release this hormone! However, when the pituitary gland is damaged, those signals aren't coming through. The result of this is not enough cortisol in your body!
Thankfully, cortisol replacement therapy helps treat this part of pituitary apoplexy. Ladies, you will receive medication to replace cortisol! One of the most common medications for this is hydrocortisone. This is used in anti-itch ointments, but you will take it orally or through an IV line for this condition!
Dopamine Agonists
You need dopamine in your body for body movement. This neurotransmitter is quite critical. The issue, ladies, is that pituitary apoplexy means you don't get right amount of it! In fact, you will get too much dopamine. This happens when your pituitary apoplexy stems from something like prolactinoma. This tumor is benign, but it still makes your pituitary gland produce too much prolactin! Thankfully, you can take a dopamine agonist for this. This type of medication will perform much like dopamine. One example of this medication for you is cabergoline. However, you'll need close monitoring, since this medication can actually trigger pituitary apoplexy for some of you. Your doctor will handle this!
Gamma Knife Radiation Therapy
When it comes to radiation therapy, you want gamma knife radiation therapy to treat pituitary apoplexy! It's because this form is highly-focused. It will work quite well when other treatments leave something behind. This radiation therapy is also great for small tumors. It's successful, ladies, in about 50 to 90 percent of cases! The exact percentage, of course, varies between each of you. Thankfully, this treatment is considered safe. That said, there are side effects! Examples are seizures, necrosis, brain swelling, and hemorrhage.
Ladies, you will get a steel halo around your head for this procedure. This helps make the radiation be quite precise! Imaging techniques also help here. This form of radiation is going to work to destroy the tumor. It will do this without compromising your pituitary gland or your vision!
Long-Term Monitoring
Ladies, get ready for some long-term monitoring. This comes in after your other treatments to make sure your pituitary apoplexy stays away! It's possible for the tumor to return and trigger it again. Thus, you will get regular MRIs! Most of the time, you will see an endocrinologist. They have special training in the glandular system!
The monitoring you get, ladies, includes hormone replacement therapy a lot. This makes your hormones stay where they need to. You will get blood tests too, to check on your pituitary gland. The good news is your prognosis is good when your treatment starts in good time!