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Hot Flashes
Hot Flashes have been getting worse not better since surgery. Can anyone tell me if this peaks out before it gets better?
I had my "hormone removal" 11/23/05 and had horrible hot flashes starting a couple of weeks after surgery, they were as bad as every 30 minutes, lasting for about 2 minutes, but waking me up at night all the time. Now they kinda stopped and instead I have some night sweats. I was hoping that it will now play itself out but maybe it's just a phase...my doc says it takes 1-2 years.
I am taking Melatonin as well, sometimes, but the hot flash is more powerful and still wakes me up.
I am taking Melatonin as well, sometimes, but the hot flash is more powerful and still wakes me up.
Whenever I read that any of you have gone through a surgical menopause I take great care to read and see how you are doing.
Katie, I recall that you had mentioned that you are on an estrogen patch. Katie, if you don't mind, may I ask what kind it is? Is it sythetic conjugated equine estrogen, if it is this, is it mixed with a synthetic progestin, or is it something like Vivelle which is a bioidentical product and is just estrogen? I also wondered if you were able to get a hold of Christiane Northrup's book, "The Wisdom of Menopause." You and I corresponded in another thread about this book. I swear, this woman saved my life. My oncologist put me on the Vivelle patch the day after surgery (for OVCA) and I was grateful for that...that took care of hot flashes...it did other good things for me too, but, I honestly thought I was losing my mind three months later. In retrospect, at this time, my body had run out of progesterone, since it takes three months after ovary removal for this hormone to completely leave the body.
After reading sections of Notrhrup's book on hysterectomy, hormones, synthetic vs. bioidentical, cancer situtions, and hormones, etc...I asked my doctor if I could add progesterone. By this time, I had read several smaller books on progesterone recommended by Northrup and practically every page was highlighted!!! Anyway, about a month after starting the progesterone ( I was going to be patient and wait for the three month re-entry buildup, if you will)--and this was about nine months after my surgery-- I cried for about a week as I had not felt so great in years....WOW...The mental fog lifted, the mental acquity came back, weight issues were easier to deal with.....it is all about balance and I was so unbalanced being on estrogen only.
Six years later, I still have to stay on top of things and tweak my hormones now and then, but I work with a wonderful compounding pharmacist and my doctor is wonderful as he had been willing to educate himself on all of this, since it is still considered to be cutting edge (the bioidenical homones).
My sister is a nurse/teacher and has written of this passage and of the bioidentical hormones. She, too, had a complete hysterectomy and was on the bio's for 12 years. She just went off them because she thought she "should" but has been feeling "crappy" (that is the technical term:)...anyway, well, here I go again. Kind of passionate about all of this stuff. I just think that us baby boomers are a great group and we are not going to sit by passively....we deserve to feel as well as possible, and to get the answers and help we need, and we are a part of the first generation of women who do suffer more from menopause, surgical (which is considered to be very difficult because it is sooo sudden and because there is nothing left to sputter) or otherwise because of our environment, ages to which we are living, and numbers of babies we are having(has to do with cycles and estrogen dominance). - Ok. I have to go...sorry to go on forever. Hope this has been helpful.
Off to my workout...keep those bones healthy...another fallout from all of this..I'd worked out for years and years and still was losing bone which was discovered in a density test after I broke my wrist. I had to build my bone back up ...and I did it by taking extra calcium, magnesium, Vit. D, and doing more frequent weight training. Take care. Mary
Katie, I recall that you had mentioned that you are on an estrogen patch. Katie, if you don't mind, may I ask what kind it is? Is it sythetic conjugated equine estrogen, if it is this, is it mixed with a synthetic progestin, or is it something like Vivelle which is a bioidentical product and is just estrogen? I also wondered if you were able to get a hold of Christiane Northrup's book, "The Wisdom of Menopause." You and I corresponded in another thread about this book. I swear, this woman saved my life. My oncologist put me on the Vivelle patch the day after surgery (for OVCA) and I was grateful for that...that took care of hot flashes...it did other good things for me too, but, I honestly thought I was losing my mind three months later. In retrospect, at this time, my body had run out of progesterone, since it takes three months after ovary removal for this hormone to completely leave the body.
After reading sections of Notrhrup's book on hysterectomy, hormones, synthetic vs. bioidentical, cancer situtions, and hormones, etc...I asked my doctor if I could add progesterone. By this time, I had read several smaller books on progesterone recommended by Northrup and practically every page was highlighted!!! Anyway, about a month after starting the progesterone ( I was going to be patient and wait for the three month re-entry buildup, if you will)--and this was about nine months after my surgery-- I cried for about a week as I had not felt so great in years....WOW...The mental fog lifted, the mental acquity came back, weight issues were easier to deal with.....it is all about balance and I was so unbalanced being on estrogen only.
Six years later, I still have to stay on top of things and tweak my hormones now and then, but I work with a wonderful compounding pharmacist and my doctor is wonderful as he had been willing to educate himself on all of this, since it is still considered to be cutting edge (the bioidenical homones).
My sister is a nurse/teacher and has written of this passage and of the bioidentical hormones. She, too, had a complete hysterectomy and was on the bio's for 12 years. She just went off them because she thought she "should" but has been feeling "crappy" (that is the technical term:)...anyway, well, here I go again. Kind of passionate about all of this stuff. I just think that us baby boomers are a great group and we are not going to sit by passively....we deserve to feel as well as possible, and to get the answers and help we need, and we are a part of the first generation of women who do suffer more from menopause, surgical (which is considered to be very difficult because it is sooo sudden and because there is nothing left to sputter) or otherwise because of our environment, ages to which we are living, and numbers of babies we are having(has to do with cycles and estrogen dominance). - Ok. I have to go...sorry to go on forever. Hope this has been helpful.
Off to my workout...keep those bones healthy...another fallout from all of this..I'd worked out for years and years and still was losing bone which was discovered in a density test after I broke my wrist. I had to build my bone back up ...and I did it by taking extra calcium, magnesium, Vit. D, and doing more frequent weight training. Take care. Mary
I SO appreciate what you wrote. I like Dr Northrup's philosophy and I did read her books over the last few weeks. She has an interesting website too. She was on PBS the other night and I lapped it up. I wish I could have seen someone like her.
I am happy to tell you about the patch that I slapped on my ... nether regions, so thrilled that you asked...I was given a prescription from my doctor (don't get me started about HIM) in the hospital for Estraderm 50. He never did any hormone testing on me. It is estradiol, according to the pamphlet, which I assume is straight estrogen. I think it is similar to the Vivelle. I know NOTHING as he didn't discuss it with me AT ALL. I do know I feel pretty grim (but I am thankful that all was benign of course).
That is so interesting about the progesterone and I agree with you. We have compounding pharamacists here and I am going to check into this when I have some fight back in me. I posted "Dr Peddle's" web site a while back for women who may be in the Toronto area, he is into this as well and has a great reputation.
You are fortunate to have such a nice doctor; I am glad somebody does.
I have done step aerobics for years and can't wait to get back! I think I will feel a lot better when I can get up and at em.
Thank you
Katie
PS anybody know anything about Estraderm 50? Other than that my &*%@ doctor probably gets a bonus from Novartis Pharmaceuticals for every prescription that gets filled?
I am happy to tell you about the patch that I slapped on my ... nether regions, so thrilled that you asked...I was given a prescription from my doctor (don't get me started about HIM) in the hospital for Estraderm 50. He never did any hormone testing on me. It is estradiol, according to the pamphlet, which I assume is straight estrogen. I think it is similar to the Vivelle. I know NOTHING as he didn't discuss it with me AT ALL. I do know I feel pretty grim (but I am thankful that all was benign of course).
That is so interesting about the progesterone and I agree with you. We have compounding pharamacists here and I am going to check into this when I have some fight back in me. I posted "Dr Peddle's" web site a while back for women who may be in the Toronto area, he is into this as well and has a great reputation.
You are fortunate to have such a nice doctor; I am glad somebody does.
I have done step aerobics for years and can't wait to get back! I think I will feel a lot better when I can get up and at em.
Thank you
Katie
PS anybody know anything about Estraderm 50? Other than that my &*%@ doctor probably gets a bonus from Novartis Pharmaceuticals for every prescription that gets filled?
Hey Katie, Nice to hear from you. I think you are in luck. I did a google and I put in the words....Is Estraderm a bioidentical hormone, Novartis.......and, one of the websites that popped up was Dr. Erika's website...all one word dr and erika...but, I am not typing it that way on purpose so I don't leave a link...but, I have heard great things about her and her site. And, I know people who use her as their doctor (pay for consults on the phone, etc, and use her pharmacy, or maybe their own, not sure)...sorry, I am in a hurry as I am playing hookey from my workout:) But, as far as I can tell, Estraderm is a bio. It is from the same company as Vivelle, so I was pretty confident.
I am a stepper too...although I bought a rebounder a year ago, and that thing is addicting. I have lots of fun jumping around to my music.
I was hoping you would be receptive to the progesterone idea. I wish I'd known earlier about it and then I would not have had to suffer for almost a year. But, it is almost like a well-kept secret...oh, and don't let anyone tell you that you don't need progesterone because you don't have a uterus. We have receptors for progesterone in our brains, our lungs...etc. It is critical. When the synthetic stuff came out... they were worried that the synthetic estrogens would cause uterine cancer so that is why they added progestin (the "tin" is the give-away that it is not the real, or bio, stuff)....so that it would protect against uterine cancer for women who still had a uterus, otherwise they just gave the synthetic estrogen only...but, that does not mean that women in menopause don't need progesterone...Keep reseaching!!! Knowlege is POWER. Take care, Mary
I am a stepper too...although I bought a rebounder a year ago, and that thing is addicting. I have lots of fun jumping around to my music.
I was hoping you would be receptive to the progesterone idea. I wish I'd known earlier about it and then I would not have had to suffer for almost a year. But, it is almost like a well-kept secret...oh, and don't let anyone tell you that you don't need progesterone because you don't have a uterus. We have receptors for progesterone in our brains, our lungs...etc. It is critical. When the synthetic stuff came out... they were worried that the synthetic estrogens would cause uterine cancer so that is why they added progestin (the "tin" is the give-away that it is not the real, or bio, stuff)....so that it would protect against uterine cancer for women who still had a uterus, otherwise they just gave the synthetic estrogen only...but, that does not mean that women in menopause don't need progesterone...Keep reseaching!!! Knowlege is POWER. Take care, Mary
Right on! and I forgot to say "Congratulations on doing so great" after OVCA...That is wonderful.
I am gonna go google next...
THANK YOU SO MUCH for reminding me about the "tin" part, I couldn't remember that for the life of me, and that was driving my crazy reading both words....I really have to re-read some Northup as I didn't retain enough...the last 2.5 weeks have been a bit of a blurr....
I step at home with tapes (Karen Voight mostly) but I go to the local gym too. Right now I'd need a crane to get me up and down.
You betchya, knowledge is POWER (that and a few extra hormones mixed in)
Cheers
Katie
I am gonna go google next...
THANK YOU SO MUCH for reminding me about the "tin" part, I couldn't remember that for the life of me, and that was driving my crazy reading both words....I really have to re-read some Northup as I didn't retain enough...the last 2.5 weeks have been a bit of a blurr....
I step at home with tapes (Karen Voight mostly) but I go to the local gym too. Right now I'd need a crane to get me up and down.
You betchya, knowledge is POWER (that and a few extra hormones mixed in)
Cheers
Katie
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