Surgical Menopause

[montie2]

Can anyone tell me how bad surgical menopause is?  I have already had one ovary removed and may be facing having the other one out.  Give it to me straight. What will it be like?

[crecco]

For myself, menopause started during my initial chemo with hot flashes. After having surgery, I had no other symptoms other than hot flashes, which I still have. I have found that effexor (a mild antidepressant) helps to calm them some.
  I have found that if I am not feeling well, they seem to get worse. Wearing layered clothing that you can take off as needed will help as will keeping your house a little cooler than normal.
  Chris

[Sharon2714]

thank u all soooooo much for ur courage in posting this so very personal/emotional experience god will reward u
and thank u for the info about the supplements as well ... i have a sister in need of that advice as her OVCA has left her somewhat malnourished and shes been totally unbearable since her "stuff" was plucked and (though i do not know why) is not on HRT ... she is also VERY HIGHLY ALLERGIC to chemo so they cancelled her IP and made her take radiation treatments ..., shes still not getting proper care please pray for her (her name is Laurie)
love
sharon

[Sunes]

Dear Montie. I was put right away on large amount of Calcium/magnesium capsules 1500/750 mg  a day. I believe that all vitamins and minerals I was  lacking helped ME with my symptoms. My doctor told me if they get worse I am going to have to take HRT. But my symptoms never did get worse. So we are all differently reacting to surgical menopause. As far as insomnia?? I never had that problem either... seriously. Sometimes I could not sleep thinking about my dx...
AnotherKatie .....................do not say that you are not welcome here. This forum is for anybody that wants to help another person in need and YOU ARE WELCOME..  Rude comments happen but that shows who that person really is posting them.......
Hugs, Sunes.

[justscore]

I had a partial Hyst 3 yrs ago and the rest out a year ago.  I started hot flashes the day after surgery.  The hot flashes and insomnia are nothing comapred the the pain I had for many years (20 yrs)  Although I was only 38 when I had the Hyst, I can say that it has not been as bad as I though it would be.  I take Ambien to help me with the insomnia and it has really worked well for me.  
Good luck to you and your "new" adventures..............

Heidi

[marie3B]

I have had an easy time with the surgical menopause.  Hot flashes, yes.  Night sweats at first, yes. But nothing that was hard to handle.  I even had a benefit from it.  For years I had horrible migraines several times a week.  They were from estrogen.  I have not had one since surgery.  I have to agree with vegas2cr.  Even if I had gotten the worst of all menopausal symptoms, it would still beat having the cancer that led me to the surgical menopause!  Marie

[Gatsby]

For me it was extremely difficult.  I wasn't given anything after my surgery, so I was hit with it very hard.  My dr. did finally put me on bioidentical hrt and things have been so much better.  Mary53 is the best resource I can think of in regards to hrt.  Her research and insite has been so very helpful to so many.  Go to the archives and search hormones....I am sure you will find many of her great posts.
Tascha

[Shari4444]

I started my journey through surgical menopause the end of February. I can't take any HRTs and my doctor prefers I don't even try the OTCs and/or herbals out there. I, personally, think I've done pretty well, so far. Sure I get hot flashes and night sweats, but really no mood issues. Cooling yourself off, as quick as you can helps the most. I put ice packs on the back of my neck and ALWAYS have my bedroom ceiling fan on. One other little suggestion....if you do have night sweats have an extra t-shirt or nightie beside your bed to put on when the other one gets soaking wet. That keeps you from getting the chills ON TOP of the sweats. Good luck to you!!!!

Hugs,
Shari

P.S. Always remember the up-side to this all....NO MORE PERIODS!!!!! That part has been great!

[cirella]

Montie2, I was in a similar situation as you in that I had a surgery in 11/06 to remove a cyst and my right ovary.  Nearly a year later I started having symptoms like I'd had before plus more.  This time there were 2 cysts on my left ovary and it was suspected that I had adenomyosis, too.  March 08 I had a total hysto which put me in surgical menopause.  I was scared to death b/c I'd heard such horror stories about trying to get regulated.  Honestly though, I think that remaining ovary wasn't really doing it's job.  I was put on a bio-identical hormone (estrogen) and have just made mild adjustments to the dosage since surgery but I feel better today than I have in 2 years.

Good luck to you.

[Treebee]

Hi Montie2, I hope you will be able to retain your last ovary! I had a complete hyst in Jan. and started out okay but by 3 months was miserable because of lack of sleep! I got more night sweats than anything else. I also got very dry couldn't wear my contacts. I am now on the estrogen patch and things are better. I did have a benign diagnosis. I wish you the very best.
Teresa

[montie2]

Thank you for the responses.  I appreciate you taking the time to answer.  I know that many of the women that post here have gone through surgical menopause so I thought I would ask.  

Thank you again.

[gma718]

I had a full hysterectomy last May..my worst symptom was hot flashes..occassional mood swings but they have been controlled by a low-dose estrogen patch...when I was in the hospital I was on the highest dose possible and than I weaned myself down to half of that and it seems to be working...I find I feel much better on the patch as I tried to be without it...so it really is not that bad. Good Luck to you and feel free to post and let us know how you are.  Gia

[nyc lady]

I do suffer from horrible menopausal symptoms...4 years after surgery and still suffering....BUT....again, there are much worse things out there to go through and experience.

At this point I am not allowed to take any type of HRT, herbal, OTC, any of it.  They say that even natural remedies, such as black cohash and even soy mimic estrogen and are not always good for those of us that have had OvCa diagnoses...but, each doctor is different.

[Kimchi]

I started chemo right after I had my hysterectomy and the whole time I was on chemo I thought I was experiencing surgical menopause...But since I have stopped and my system has cleared itself of chemo meds, I find that I don't suffer from menopause!!!

[StillFighting]

Menopause affects everyone differently. I was a royal "B" when I went through it lol.
There's great herbal remedies on the market to help combat the night sweats and other symptoms you will get.

[coogeegirl]

I found it a lot better than I expected it to be. As Deandra said with the necessary tools it is quite Ok to manage, occasionally I have had to pump up the airconditioning in my bedroom to cool me down at night while my husband freezes, but otherwise it is is OK.

Good Luck

Jenny

[Brownie3321]

Hello there. I don't think it was that bad. I feel that if you have the necessary tools like the patch and/or herbal remedies to combat, you will be just fine. I found that cooling off as soon as possible, like going outside or opening the freezer helped me. Best of luck, Deandra

[AnotherKatie]

Dear montie2,

I apologize for the above response you received.  I can understand that you are worried and that wasn't helpful to you.  Not everyone replies like that.
  
There is a "Menopause" section, but it doesn't address the issues of surgical menopause.

Of course ovarian cancer is a "worse" diagnosis, no one is denying that.

Some find surgical menopause difficult.  Some people sail through it no problem.  You can be put on an Estrogen patch, but if you have had a cancer diagnosis that is not always an option.

I can't tell you about my personal experience with it, as I am just a "left over" from the old days when this forum was for everyone and I am well aware that I am not welcome here, as I, thankfully, was fortunate to receive a benign diagnosis.

I still read here because I continue to care about and cheer on certain women I have "met" here.

Perhaps you can repost on the Menopause section (or maybe the Ovarian Cyst section) under the title "Surgical Menopause" and you may receive more sympathetic and beneficial responses.  

Best wishes.

[vegas2cr]

Beat the heck out of cancer...............