I am recovering from my hysterectomy and the menopause symptoms are already driving me crazy! My GYN ONC said that the hormone replacement therapy is supposed to help, but I'm not seeing it! I cannot seem to calm the hot flashes and my friends and family say that I bite their heads off for no apparent reason.
Anyone have any ideas on how to treat the symptoms? I am going NUTS!
Just because you're taking hrt doesn't mean it's working for you. Women are very very individual in how they respond to hrt. It has to be the right dose of the right kind delivered via the right route for it to work as we really need. Additionally, if you've undergone sudden menopause and are in surgical meno rather than natural, the rapidity and magnitude of that transition can make it harder to bring symptoms under control quickly. The things you're describing have to do with brain hormone needs, and our brains are one of the most cranky parts of our bodies in terms of hormone deficiency or fluctuation. If your hrt isn't meeting your goals as you define them, then perhaps getting back to your doctor and asking for a change in your prescriptions would be helpful. You can read more about hormones and hrts at <http://surmeno.blogspot.com/2006/07/table-of-contents-by-topic.html>, and that might help you prepare for your appointment and making a more knowledgeable request.
i messed with the dose of premarin myself until it finally started relieving some of the symptoms. It took 8 months or so for me to regulate. I still have minor flashes, no real sweats, and sleep is ok now. I can sleep. I didn't sleep more than 2 hours at a time for so long....I am on the highest dose of premarin. As far as the moods..... Knowing that I have no control and I have to figure out a way to not react to whatever is going on, helped me soooo much. Isn't it amazing how much our hormones control? Who knew! I don't bite heads off, but I am very weepy sometimes even over happy things. I feel everything so intensely now, - I am so happy to be alive, I cry- I am so scared of reoccourence I cry. The dog is so cute, I cry. I give myself time to feel this stuff, I force myself to move on. In the beginning, I would call my best friend- and imagine this- cry. She would remind me I have no control, etc..... Now, I just have moments and they are not as close together, I still however feel the feelings, I just don't act on them all the time. I have been having a very weepy morning because i am so grateful to be alive right now, but I get to the point where the weepiness just goes away and I am me again. You have been thru so much. It is an adjustment to your brain and how you process everything has changed. Hang in there and find someone who can be there for you to vent, 5 times a day until you can control it better. I swear I thought it would never get better but it is, and part of it is how differently I process it all now. It is so real, but you can gain a little control.. It helps a lot to have that person know that you physically can't control what is going on with your body, but mentally you can with time. You need a lot of time. If my early posts are still around, they are a similar plea to yours! The right dose was the most important thing. I kept increasing my pill amount until I felt results. Unfortunately, it was the highest dose.......I didn't do this thru my dr. I just told her what I was doing. Then I told her what prescription amount I needed. Being on this site daily, and yoga helps too. You are not alone!!!!! Tree
I had my uterous removed and from the moment I woke up from the operation I had the sweats. So bad that I'd wake up and have to change my bedsheets atleast twice nightly. Let alone stripping many times daily. My gyno told me nothing ... my family dr. told me the same. I was so fed up I went to a naturopath. She suggested a simple pill I found at a health food store. I remember it was a soy pill. (can't remembr the name...this was four years ago) Well I took it twice the first day as directed and that night I returned to normal. Please don't anyone wait on only your medical drs. Broaden your horizons if you need to. You're worth it. It worked for me...and I wasn't really a homeopath believer....but I'm glad I came to my wits end with the drs and chanced it.
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