By his mother

A case of hypopituitarism caused not by head injury but by neurosurgery

At 8 years old Byron had two episodes of neurosurgery 6 months apart. The first was pretty straightforward but the second was not so smooth and post-surgical complication and a low GCS score made for a very slow recovery. None the less after about a year all seemed to return to near normal except that he was given growth hormone in his early teens just in case, as growth was a little slow but nothing too much to worry about. At 16 years all clear, all tests normal, so discharged from endocrinology. At 17 – 18 lots of problems started to unfold including worrying degrees of depression and anxiety and after a number of years of distress and uncertainty Byron was diagnosed with cognitive deficits caused by head injury resulting from the surgeries. Now aged 27 years, following years of problems with depression, anxiety, extreme lethargy and sleep deprivation etc and after persistent visits to the GP and other health care professionals in the secondary sector and endless discussion about symptoms – finally, after insisting on a referral to an endocrinologist Byron has recently been diagnosed with hypopituitarism and has commenced treatment and a number of his symptoms have already been alleviated. Byron has been articulate and persistent about his symptoms for a very long time, it is astonishing that, with his particular history and the known possibility of hypopituitarism post head injury, this was overlooked time and time again by health care professionals, which also included those in associated fields.