• Tracking Down an Elusive Answer

Scott Borden Family photo, wife and little girls holding stuffed animals and pom-poms

This patient story originally appeared May 8, 2015 in Sharing Mayo Clinic.

In February 2015, Scott Borden boarded a plane in sunny Palm Beach, Florida, and flew into wintertime in Rochester, Minnesota. His trek north, in the opposite direction of most midwinter travelers, was born of frustration and determination.

For about a year, Scott had been battling a medical condition characterized by high blood pressure and low potassium levels. Although his doctors suspected an adrenal gland disorder, no clear cause for his symptoms could be found. At age 37, a professional with a young family, Scott wasn't content to accept the treatment options presented to him.

"To keep my blood pressure under control, I had to take a lot of medication," says Scott. "It caused significant side effects: retaining fluid, swelling, achiness, headaches. It was pretty rough. I couldn't just live that way indefinitely. I needed to find out what was going on." Read the rest of Scott's story.