HRT advice needed

[CrownofThorns]

I friend offered me some recently. I would have taken it, but I have a history of hypothyroidism and the Estrogen has a lot of soy in it. Soy is really hard on the thyroid so I avoid any that is not fermented and not organic. I take fermented organic only in small portions. But other then that it looked pretty decent , although I'm wondering about the cheapiness of it. A lot of times the cheap stuff isn't very effective.

I would take it at least for now and see if it helps.

 

[ORChick]

ORChick - just the ovaries were removed, still have the uterus...but never considered that I would still have cycles...feeling pretty stupid about it now...

If you have a family history of ovarian cancer, and have no particular use for your ovaries, then it was quite probably a good idea to have them out; otherwise they could so easily cause major problems. But (and I don't mean to add to your stress here; please disregard if you would rather ) I am curious as to why the choice was made to leave your uterus? I know often it is done the other way round - uterus out, ovaries left in (that was what I had done) to lessen the hormaonal impact. But it seems strange to me that they didn't just take the uterus; it is, after all, useless without the ovaries.
Best wishes for all of this; I hope you can find a solution that works for you.

 

[dragonlaurel]

When families panic- they put a lot of pressure on you to do whatever the doctor thinks is right. It's easier to pull teeth without anesthesia than to resist sometimes. Try to remember- they panicked because you matter to them.

The surgery was hard on your body, but that will heal up on it's own now. Healing emotionally will take some work, cause you didn't even want this. Some emotionally down time makes total sense, but feeling depressed still kinda sucks. Getting medical help for the depression may be a good idea. Since that takes time to kick in, try to do any little stuff that helps get your spirits up for now.

I didn't really think you'd be hungry, but a square or two of really rich, dark chocolate for it's mood chemicals could be considered medicinal. Tastes better than most meds and works fast too.

Get some sunshine too, if possible- even if it's just opening curtains.
Pets are very therapeutic while you're healing too. Just having them near you, or petting them can be a help.

Music can be a blessing too.

 

[i_am2bz]

Thanks, ya'll...

CoT - we ended up going to the in-laws for supper (they only live 2 blocks away, & everyone is insisting "it will do you some good to 'get out' " )...I brought the box of Estrablend for SIL to look at, she said she took the brand-name stuff (Estraven?) & thought it was helpful...so what the heck, I'll give it a try, at least until I can find something better...

ORChick - I can't really say for sure why the uterus wasn't taken as well, except that it would've been more invasive & a longer recovery time. They were able to do this laparoscopically (sp?), not sure if that's the full reason. Guess they figured the problem was with the ovaries, so why take anything else...? :/

DL - Yeah, I was actually kinda touched that everyone was so worried about me. But...now they can relax & I have to deal with the aftermath. However - DH is going to the store later, so I will add dark chocolate to the list. Can't hurt, right?

Oh, BTW, the dogs are VERY confused & mopy...but I have 2-3 of the cats that have been keeping me company.

 

[Mackay]

Do not Do not Do not take those hormones your doctor prescribed. They are dangerous.. and don't you believe what they say.. You already let them snow you once.
-
You need bio-identical hormones.. they are excellent. Ive been on them for 3 years.

Read Suzanne Summers books. She has one mostly about them.
then find a doc who does bio-identical hormone replacement therapy.

also... my doc doubles the prescription I need then I take half the dose a day... that makes the price tag drop from $60 a month to $30... most insurance does not cover it because they are compounded... made especially for your needs..Also ask your new doc if you would benefit from testosterone and DHEA. They can throw that into the same pill. Mine are called Troches, a melt in your mouth tablet... creams are too messy.

 

[Denim Deb]

I have to admit, I don't know that I'd want to take premarin. For those that don't know, it's made from pregnant mare urine.

 

[Marianne]

Is there any chance that you're having a reaction from the anesthetic instead? All your symptoms are the same as what usually follows for me after any kind of 'procedure'.

I started HRT 10 years after my hysterectomy. I felt better, no real reactions, etc. Was on them for 10 years then went off. Agh. Hot flash queen here. I have been off of them for over 10 years now, but this was a personal decision. The herbal stuff did not work for me, but cutting out the caffeine did help. The hot flashes aren't too bad now, I called them power surges, but I have one pretty much every night within minutes of going to bed. I keep a little fan on my night stand and aim it at my face. My mother had hot flashes until she was 70!! She had her hysterectomy when she was 32.

I think the trend is to leave the uterus whenever possible. Those that had it removed often have to have their bladder tied up or similar surgery years later. The uterus helps keep the bladder where it's supposed to be. I had a friend that had uterus cancer and they only took half the uterus. I thought that was totally bizarre until I heard about the bladder thing.

 

[JRmom]

I had a full hysterectomy done, uterus and ovaries, a few years ago and was on HRT for just a year. My doctor was very up front about HRT and said he would not prescribe me anything for longer than a year. The hot flashes were a bit severe at first and I tried herbal stuff, but I couldn't tell that it helped at all. Thankfully, the hot flashes are very infrequent now, although the night sweats are still a bother sometimes. A fan blowing right on my face at night works wonders. All in all, I'm so glad I had the surgery. I suffered for years with fibroids and very heavy, painful periods, so a hot flash every now and then is a wonderful trade off for me!

I would definitely want to get in and see your doctor sooner rather than later about the depression. I can't believe you weren't filled in completely on what to expect after having your ovaries removed. It can affect you emotionally. Good luck!

 

[i_am2bz]

Thanks again, ya'll...yeah, DD, I knew what premarin was, & my heart sank when I saw what was in the bag ; I really do not want to take it.

My ob/gyn's nurse called me about a 1/2 hour ago, the dr. is on call again today so probably won't have time to talk to me until tomorrow...but they are still pushing the hormones. The nurse said I should start taking them right away & it should help with the depression. :/

My SIL used a cream from a compounding pharmacy that she said was helpful...she went thru a very early menopause...but I think she was living in CA at the time, otherwise I'd ask to be referred to her doctor.

I don't know if this is due to the anesthesia or not, since this is my first-ever surgery (not counting having my tonsils out at age 3)...would that cause depression?

Yeah, I'm feeling pretty put-out that I didn't get counseled on all this beforehand...not to mention I'm still sore "down there" (where the catheter was).

 

[raro]

raro - can you tell me what "chemical menopause" is?

Chemical menopause is deliberately caused menopause. I have breast cancer (strangely, it's in my bones now, but it's still breast cancer) and it feeds on estrogen. So they give me lupron shots every 3 months to shut down my ovaries, and I'm on another drug that gets rid of any leftover estrogen in my body. And I can't have soy products or anything that has natural estrogen in it. That's why I'm on all organic meats and dairy...don't need all the added hormones.

If I stopped taking the cancer drug and getting the shots, I'd probably start up my cycles again, but I don't expect that will ever happen. I'm 45 anyway, so if it's a bit early, oh, well.

I'm glad Suzanne Sommers is doing so well, but I know of several breast cancer victims who tried doing the extra estrogen thing and ended up losing their lives. To add estrogen (natural or not) when you have a tumor that feeds on it doesn't make sense to me.

If your depression is mild, you might try St. John's Wort. It's available without a prescription and has been shown in blind studies to work on mild depression.