Doctors thought my hot flashes and weight loss were menopause… then I was diagnosed with a rare tumor

A woman who was told her 10-pound weight loss and hot flashes were due to menopause was shocked to discover she actually had a rare tumor.

The healthy 47-year-old woman shared her symptoms with doctors in Maryland during an annual checkup and was prescribed hormone therapy.

But six months later, she was rushed to the emergency room with chest pain and shortness of breath. Doctors diagnosed her with a heart condition and discharged her with medication.

When she returned a month later with pneumonia, she was sent away with a new medication. But when she returned four days later with difficulty breathing, they finally ordered a CT scan — which “coincidentally” revealed the “mass” in her chest.

It was on her left adrenal gland, which produces hormones for her body, and was about the length of two golf balls, leading to the diagnosis pheochromocytoma.

Two weeks later, surgery was performed to remove the tumor and the left adrenal gland. The woman made a full recovery.

Unveiling the case in the American Journal of Medical Case ReportsAccording to the University of Maryland team: ‘Given the patient’s age and the onset of flushing… her case was mistaken for menopausal symptoms.

“Her new chest pain and palpitations led to an extensive investigation into cardiac-related causes.”

They added: ‘(But) after being admitted to hospital for pneumonia, her pheochromocytoma was eventually discovered incidentally on a CT scan of the abdomen.’

The doctors said they were making the case public in the hopes that others can diagnose the condition more quickly and that it will draw attention to the various symptoms the condition can cause.

Pheochromocytoma is a rare condition. Approximately 100 patients are diagnosed with it each year. The diagnosis is made when a benign tumor grows in one of the two adrenal glands in the body.

It is often difficult to diagnose as it causes a wide range of different symptoms, which can be associated with a range of other conditions, including menopause.

Typical symptoms include headaches, sweating and heart palpitations — but studies show that only 17 percent of patients experience these. Other symptoms include anxiety, high blood pressure, abdominal pain, nausea and weakness.

The condition can also cause heart problems because the adrenal glands produce excessive amounts of adrenaline, causing the heart to beat faster.

Normally, the diagnosis is made using scans of the adrenal glands. Any tumors found are removed during surgery.

If left untreated, it can cause permanent damage to the heart muscle, which can lead to complications such as arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, and heart disease. In severe cases, the condition can also cause heart failure.

At her annual check-up, the woman reported that she had last had her period in 2021. Blood tests showed that she had low female sex hormone levels, indicating menopause.

But she was also doing oral contraceptives, which can stop menstruation. Menopause generally occurs at age 51, but can also begin at age 45.

When she was first admitted to the emergency room six months later, she was experiencing tachycardia, a heart rate that exceeded 100 beats per minute. She was rushed to the hospital for tests to determine a heart condition.

Examples include a coronary angiogram, an X-ray of the arteries, and a left heart catheterization, in which a tube is placed in the left side of the heart to diagnose any complications.

This led to a diagnosis of myopericarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle and pericardium, and she was prescribed medications to treat the condition.

But when she went to the ER again a month later, and again four days later, it led to the scan that diagnosed her condition.