Hormones after total hysterectomy

[sippy]

Hello,

I was wondering if any of you all have been put on hormones after a total hysterectomy.  My doctor says there are too many risks and I don't need them...I am 38. I don't know what to expect here 2 weeks after surgery, I keep waiting for a hotflash or something weird to happen. :) What can happen if I don't take them? I've had nightmares of growing hair on my face or my voice getting manly. Are my fears real?  Can anyone share their experience or knowledge about hormones?



Thanks,

Sippy

[Gatsby]

Hey there!  Did you keep your ovaries?

~Tascha

[sippy]

My doctor didn't think it a good idea to keep the ovaries-so they took everything-no ovaries. :(



:)sippy

[Gatsby]

Ok.  It takes a little time for all of the hormones to leave your body, once they do you may have symptoms.  Mary53 is our resident bioidentical hormone expert!  She has done so much research.  I am sure she will recommend Dr. Uzzie Reiss' book.  You can also google "Dr Uzzie Reiss" and that will give you some info.  If you do go on hormones, bioidentical is the way to go.

I hope this helps!

~Tascha

[mamarabbit02]

HEY,

I'M LIKE YOU WANTING TO KNOW WHAT TO DO....I'M ONLY 5 DAYS POST OP.  THE DR. GAVE ME THE PATCH TO USE...BUT, TO WAIT AND SEE IF I ACTUALLY NEED THEM...SOME WOMEN DOES JUST FINE..HOW HAVE YOU BEEN FEELING?  ANY HOT FLASHES?

[turtledovemom]

As Gatsby said, Mary53 is extremely knowledgeable about this.  I had my remaining ovary removed this past April and started on the Climara patch about 6 weeks after the surgery.  The hot flashes had already started ( beastly stuff).  I was very fortunate in that my gyn/onc was very open to my questions and clearly laid out the options: HRT, antidepressents to ease going through the symptoms of menopause, do nothing.  I've been happy with the Climara, and pleasantly surprised at how the patch stayed on despite being down in Florida on vacation.  Keep reading, listen to what Mary has to say and keep an open mind.  I'm sure you'll find the path that suits you the best.  

peace,

Anne

[ShawnP]

I am 41 and my gyn and gyn/onc insist that I take hormone replacement therapy because I am too young.  What kind of risks do you have?  Any blood clotting disorders?  Let me know...Shawn

[Mary 53]

Sorry I cannot post much tonight. Husband had Kidney stone surgery today and is in pain and so I need and want to be available for him.



I did post some stuff recently on hormones (it is a jungle out there)....something to Mammarabbit, Tybear, and...oh...New Life Gal. Check posts from late last week and then over the weekend. Sunday morning, I think...(like you will know it is a morning post!).



Look for info on Bioidentical hormones. Check Dr. Erika's site (spell all together and add a dot com to get her website) Women to women (all together and a dot com) and Christiane Northrup, MD (google to get her webpage, although she did start women to women I believe.



There is lots to learn...but, well worth the research. You will be ahead of the game if you start to learn about all of this now. It is overwhelming at first, but it gets easier and it is life-enhancing for sure. Read, research, and then formulate your own opinion since there are SOOOO many opinions out there about all this. I have been studying them and taking them for six years (Bioidentical hormones...not HRT). My sister for 10 years.



Cannot say enough. And, I had my ovaries removed due to early ovarian cancer diagnosis (exploratory surgery...found the malignant cyst).



Off to care for my patient. Look for the posts and just print and study later...gosh, I sound like a teacher...



Take care, Mary

[sippy]

Mamarabbit,

Thanks for asking, I'm doing okay.  Really weak and still having pain, I'm 15 days out of surgery and wondering when the pain will go away.  How about you? How long did you stay in the hosp? One thing I've had a problem with is feeling like my bladder's been put in a different place and painful urination. I got put on something for bladder spasms. I don't know if what I'm feeling is a hotflash or not.  I live in TN so it's real hot and humid-hard to tell what's a hotflash for me.



ShawnP-The pathology findings from my surgery showed thrombosed veins in my ovary. The doc. said this was unusual so now I am being tested for FactorV, they tell me it's a bloodclotting disorder, I don't have a appt. w/ the hematologist until 7-11.



:) Sippy

[Teresa210]

I am sorry you are still in pain.  I think for me after a total hysterectomy, I had pain, related to that surgery, for about 6 or 7 weeks, decreasing a little every week.  I wondered what's this hotflash stuff about also for the first 2 or 3 weeks.  Then I got my first one - for me the first one was the worst one.  Sudden and I couldn't move, from head down to toe, my blood felt like lava dripping slowly down from the very top of my head until I was just burning up and drenched.  Never such a bad one ever again, but I tell you I was scared to death to ever go through that again.  I took only natural herbal remedies and I don't have any more hotflashes (took about 5 - 6 months).  I would never take any HRT unless you look up side effects first.  You will see all kinds of dangerous side effects which could put a person in worse condition (or major disease, like breast cancer) than they already are in.  I have heard some promising things about biodentical hormones, but I haven't had time to research long term effects and its not 100% natural, so I didn't do that either.  I haven't heard any negative side effects yet, but I think it is kind of new.

[dee26]

from: dee26

              I am 26 years old and just had total hysterectomy forr severe endometriosis and my doctor has given me hormones called Prometrium 200mg and vivelle-dot and those things gave me crazy mood swings so I took the patch off and stopped taking the prometrium. I have three little kids and I don't have time for the major mood swings and on top of that I run a daycare center. I just had my hysterectomy five weeks ago and I may have had five hot flashes all together. I am not taking anything now and I feel great; do I even need to?

[hopeshell]

No, you don't.  HRT has now raised the question of increasing breast cancer risk if you feel better without them...don't take them.  I can't take HRT since I as dx with cancer but back in the days I took the birth control pill I felt like you are describing.  Best wishes.  Shelly

[Cowgirldrdr]

Get tied on...you will be in the worst ride of your life. You are young. You will be walking down the street and bam....heat wave....even in snow storm. Your skin will get dry. You will wrinkle. You will have trouble thinking. Tell your doctor to shut up and put you on some