Search results for query: empty sella

  1. Beth22!

    CCI / AAI / chiari / instability /neck evaluation by Dr Gilete

    These are the exact head symptoms I've been dealing with for the past 7 years, did you ever find the cause? Or anything to help? I've been diagnosed with CFS, POTS & Vestibular migraine but no treatments (I've literally tried them all & more) have helped the 24/7 cognitive issues. I feel like...
  2. heapsreal

    Is your Hypothalamus up the creek?

    I have empty Sella syndrome. Basically the box where the hypothalamus sits in, it is squashed flat. Discovered on an mri for headaches. And of course it has nothing to do with headaches but only in a small percentage. My headaches are supposedly migraines, which requires not black and white...
  3. L

    Poll: Do you have a partially empty sella on your brain MRI?

    Hi @Pyrrhus.....I'm sure I have empty sella BUT at my age, I'm exhausted from chasing leads to what may or may not be. True, the doctors should recognize this but the fact is that we are the masters of our own illnesses, especially now that the age of the internet has arrived. Even before...
  4. B

    Poll: Do you have a partially empty sella on your brain MRI?

    I too had and probably still have low T. Compression of pituitary gland causing hormone deficiencies is definitely a logical explanation. If you don’t have POTS, it may be worth experimenting with a low dose of Diamox (250mg or less) to see if it relieves your symptoms. If you have POTS then...
  5. heapsreal

    Poll: Do you have a partially empty sella on your brain MRI?

    Empty sella is probably why many cfsers replace some or all of their hormones. I did alot of this before discovering the empty sella. Dhea was low, morning cortisol low normal, vasopressin we was probably low but a tricky hormone to test as it varies from moment to moment but a 24 urine volume...
  6. Pyrrhus

    Hormones in the body: where they come from, and where they go to

    ...note that the pituitary gland is right below it. Here is a relevant discussion: Poll: Do you have a shrunken pituitary gland (partially empty sella) on your brain MRI? https://forums.phoenixrising.me/threads/poll-do-you-have-a-partially-empty-sella-on-your-brain-mri.84132/ 3) Finally, note...
  7. Thebirdman333

    A short survery of those who have had a lumbar puncture/spinal tap done

    They somehow forgot to measure it for me. Very upset about that
  8. B

    A short survery of those who have had a lumbar puncture/spinal tap done

    For those who had a lumbar puncture, can you please say what your opening pressure was and whether you have an empty sella on your MRI?
  9. Wayne

    Alternative Non-Surgical Possibilities for Addressing CCI/AAI or Other Serious Neck Issues

    Hi @Bowser -- I looked into some very specialized MRI imaging about 20 years ago (focusing on possible Chiari Malformation Syndrome) but ran into so many roadblocks, I finally abandoned those efforts. I eventually did go to a chiropractor/ND, who told me my cranials were as locked as any he'd...
  10. heapsreal

    periventricular changes white matter -encephalitis normal for cfs?

    White matter legions here, Periventricular T2/Flair hyperintensities. Chronic microangiopathic changes and empty sella syndrome. Ive tried many things for headache prevention like different antidepressants. Lyrica probably one of the better meds but continuous high doses twice a day really...
  11. B

    Alternative Non-Surgical Possibilities for Addressing CCI/AAI or Other Serious Neck Issues

    @Wayne By any chance, have you ever done a brain MRI which showed an empty sella or any signs of intracranial hypertension? I am wondering if your symptoms were caused by TOS.
  12. V

    Best theory so far?

    Why does Diamox help? Oh, hypoxia. And I watched that video, yikes, I am imagining how doing that exercise feels. I started experiencing pain in an area next to my clavical, right side, last night, and if it is one of those muscles, do you think I should wait to try that exercise? I have been...
  13. Nord Wolf

    Vision Loss with PEM

    MRI looked fine, but I think we will be looking into other tests in the New Year that deal more with the spine. Autoimmune tests keep coming back negative.
  14. B

    Vision Loss with PEM

    It really does sound like intracranial hypertension. But your eye doctor should have mentioned if you have papilledema. Is it possible for your eyes to be affected without papilledema? I’m not sure. Do you have an empty sella on your brain MRI?
  15. B

    Best theory so far?

    I’m going to try this out. Thanks for the explanation!
  16. B

    Best theory so far?

    ...I didn't get a notification. There are a couple of lines of evidence that led me to the conclusion of thoracic outlet syndrome: 1. Empty sella 2. Marginal Improvement of symptoms with Diamox 3. Dramatic worsening of symptoms after strength exercise for the scalene muscle (video here: ) 4...
  17. B

    Best theory so far?

    May I ask what led you to this explanation? Was it the symptoms you have, and if yes, which symptoms? Is there any evidence other than the empty sella that points in this direction? Just asking because I suspect this could also play a role in my situation but I've never actually explored this...
  18. B

    Best theory so far?

    ...of CFS/ME patients. CFS/ME for me is caused my IIH (idiopathic intracranial hypertension). This is increased pressure in the brain. The empty sella on my brain MRI is the first line of evidence. "Idiopathic" just means the cause is unknown, not that no cause exists. IH is also...
  19. B

    Poll: Do you have a partially empty sella on your brain MRI?

    Despite the limited sample size (9 votes), I am quite surprised by the results so far (2-7 yes-no). It suggests that if you do have empty sella, perhaps you're part of a unique ME/CFS subset and should look for solutions that relieve IIH. This is what I'm doing so far. I am investigating TOS...
  20. Pyrrhus

    Poll: Do you have a partially empty sella on your brain MRI?

    Great poll! As you probably know, a "partially empty sella turcica" simply means that part of your pituitary gland is missing. I know there are a few people here on Phoenix Rising with a completely empty sella (almost no pituitary gland). I think some of those are on hormone replacement...
  21. Hip

    Poll: Do you have a partially empty sella on your brain MRI?

    An old thread on empty sella here.
  22. B

    Poll: Do you have a partially empty sella on your brain MRI?

    ...of the major sources of this hypothesis: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28735654/ One of the primary indicators of IIH is a partially empty sella, which I believe is easily identified by most radiologists on a standard brain MRI report. Unfortunately, this isn't treated with any great...
  23. heapsreal

    POLL: Have Antibiotics Helped Your ME/CFS Symptoms?

    ...had a ct scan for sinuses and because headaches have been constant since before Christmas. Scan showed sinuses clear but had a half empty sella. Basically the pituatory gland sits in a box/sella and one issue that can happen is cerebrospinal fluid leaks into the sella and pushes the...
  24. Gingergrrl

    Hypothesis: Mechanisms That Prevent Recovery in Prolonged ICU Patients Also Underlie Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)

    ...an MRI of my brain b/c I am deathly allergic to contrast dyes. Also, do you know if "pituitary inflammation" would be the opposite of "Empty Sella Syndrome" which I read about in many threads? Or are they not opposites? I agree with you that treating hormone imbalances does NOT cure...
  25. bensmith

    Hypothesis: Mechanisms That Prevent Recovery in Prolonged ICU Patients Also Underlie Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)

    should we then be seeing a lot of eye pressure within cfs community? Has anybody had theirs checked? Surely that would be a noticed variable by now.
  26. D

    Hypothesis: Mechanisms That Prevent Recovery in Prolonged ICU Patients Also Underlie Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)

    ...in this thread made me think of intracranial hypertension because one of the effects can be a squashed or flattened pituitary gland ("empty sella" on MRI). To my knowledge, Dr Higgins isn't explicitly linking squashed pituitary to ME, that's my own thought :) Example paper - What do lumbar...
  27. heapsreal

    Have you ruled out Chiari or Craniocervical Instability (CCI) as a cause of your CFS

    I have low hormones. So it explains the diabetes insipidus, dhea and testosterone although im treating these. The constant headaches are my main concern. Empty sella syndrom sounds as useless of a diagnosis as cfs unfortunately 😓
  28. ScottTriGuy

    Have you ruled out Chiari or Craniocervical Instability (CCI) as a cause of your CFS

    Yes I do. But I don't have headaches -- sound like you may fit with folks that get headaches. I'm more inclined to think that a shrunken or flattened pituitary may have impacted my hormones, since: (from Wiki) "Hormones secreted from the pituitary gland help to control growth, blood pressure...
  29. heapsreal

    Have you ruled out Chiari or Craniocervical Instability (CCI) as a cause of your CFS

    Hi Scott, do you have empty sella syndrome? I recently had ct scan has have had chronuc headaches all the time for last couple of months. Result was half empty sella syndrome. Alot of symptoms for empty sella syndrome overlap with cfs or maybe even caused by an infection?? Cheers
  30. Joel98

    Questions about the drug Clomid for low LH, Fsh, testosterone, estradiol levels in context to ME/CFS

    ...affects these dry negatively, I don't know. My main concern about taking Clomid with ME is due to increased intracranial pressure and Empty Sella, which is often the case with ME. I strongly suspect that I have increased intracranial pressure, but I didnt have an Empty Sella diagnosed (MRI...