BHRT finally dialed in hopefully!! Wow what an unbelievable difference!!
Posted , 7 users are following.
I have been suffering beyond comprehension for over two years with what I thought was antidepressant withdrawal or a combination of that and you name it, whatever else my health anxiety would focus on that day. Eventually discovered through extensive lab testing I am in post menopause and manufacturing very little of the sex hormones. Estrogen was next to zero and Progesterone was extremely low as well. God, no wonder I felt like I was dying! I am not being dramatic when I write that. Lack of hormone support is debilitating and life threatening. So began the process of getting onto bioidentical hormone replacement. A few bumps at the beginning, well, I am still at the beginning but I am over the initial hump that I wrote about in a previous post.
This marks my third full day of using the transdermal cream and it's an absolute miracle. I can not comprehend how I could go from how intensely I was suffering to total relief in a matter of minutes. It is like having the ultimate migraine, flu, heart palpitations, indigestion, fractured hips, overwhelming anxiety and depression instantly removed. . . What in the world????? I will be in this flabbergasted state for some time to come because it's just so strange! It's great, don't get me wrong, but my gawd what a difference!! Can you tell I am amazed here? :-P I admit the jury is still out a bit for me only because when you've suffered to the degree and duration that I have you don't let your guard down automatically. You become accustomed to dying so psychologically it may take a bit for me to phase out of that mindset. If any of you out there are hanging on to dear life from hormonal imbalances, please, please, if you are able, do whatever you can to get onto BHRT. We can live again!
I want to see a change in the way women are expected to just simply endure the torture of hormone imbalance. If it's just a hot flash here or there, maybe a bout of short term insomnia, that's doable. But too many women suffer to a debilitating degree like me where you are rendered bedridden. I am not a weakling. I am just one of those women whose hormones plunged after a hysterectomy and received zero aftercare. Thank you God for moving in the people who were led to research and find the solutions to hormonal imbalances. Like the song goes, "It's a new day, a new life for me. "
3 likes, 15 replies
gailannie leslie95604
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Hi Leslie, I'm so happy to read your post. GOOD FOR YOU. I am so glad you are feeling better.
I had a similar and very unusual experience when I was first given vaginal Estrace for atrophy and dryness. It took a couple weeks, and then bingo, one afternoon it was like "life" was suddenly put back into my system. My attitude, sense of humor, energy, drive came roaring back, and my chronic muscle pain simply vanished. It was a little bit of heaven.
I hope this continues for you. Please continue to let us know how you're doing.
leslie95604 gailannie
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Gailannie sweetheart it is seriously like Jesus walked up to me at the poolside telling me to take up my mat!! I am crying right now in relief. I am going to just take it slow and gradually get back into participating in life. I don't want to mess this up somehow. Just going to rest for a bit and let my body adjust to this new healthy feeling. I've been bedridden for years so psychologically it is gonna take a bit to get up to speed with it. It's weird to go from debilitated to instantly not. Usually rapid change is a negative in my life experience. I'll keep you posted on my progress. Just woah!!
gailannie leslie95604
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amanda59745 gailannie
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gailannie amanda59745
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As I got closer to menopause, it started with lower back pain and frozen shoulder. (I did an MRI on my lower back in Jan 2009) My cycles had been off, coming less frequently like once every 6 months at that time. (My final period came Dec 2009, but of course you don't know it's the final one when it happens) Then it became chronic pain in all my muscles and ligaments. Especially in my hips, legs, shoulders and back in general. It was constant. I saw a dozen doctors looking for answers, including a rheumatologist. Not one doctor ever asked about my period cycles or menopause status. It was so bad, I couldn't spoon with my husband in bed to watch a movie. Within minutes I'd be up walking around due to pain. But all tests were negative, and I was told to take ibuprofen for pain. I sucked those things down like chiclets, and it barely dulled the pain.
Then it was 2013 (four years later) that I was first diagnosed with vaginal atrophy and dryness. The gold standard tell tale sign of Estrogen deficiency that docs will actually pay attention to. I'd had some painful sex and knew things weren't as comfortable, That's when I was first given vaginal Estrace.
leslie95604 gailannie
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Hi hun. I am 52. Had a hysterectomy in 2002 leaving my ovaries. Was on antidepressants during those years so peri was lurking underneath but I attributed symptoms to antidepressant side effects. Now I know it was hormonal imbalance all along. This is my first experience with any kind of hormone replacement. I didn't even know the status of my hormone levels until just a couple of months ago when I ordered an at home testing kit. I was severely imbalanced. When I finally got off of antidepressants in Jan `16, the gates of hell swallowed me whole. I can not even describe the torture I have endured these past 2 years. Unimaginable suffering and most likely due to a combination of protracted withdrawal from antidepressants coupled with hormonal imbalance. I am not 100% yet as I have only just begun my hormone replacement but there is a vast difference. As I write this I am experiencing a bit of anxiety and my tinnitus is ringing but it's not debilitating. I hope as we continue to move forward and my hormones level out I will continue to improve. I have an extenuating issue with my right kidney so that also will be addressed in this coming week. Somehow my right kidney has dropped down into my pelvis. That has it's own set of symptoms so I have that I am also dealing with. This is my first week on hormone replacement so we'll just have to see what comes from here.
gailannie leslie95604
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Hi Leslie, I got my fingers crossed that this works well for you, and you just continue to feel better and better.
Apparently you must have been low in all your hormones. I just had my blood drawn yesterday to see what's happening. But I'm pretty sure I've devoid of everything as well.
I hope I'm not being too noisy, but do you mind sharing where you started (what your test results showed) and where they started your levels of replacements (doses and type?) I'm assuming you are using bio identical creams rubbed on the skin. I love hearing women's success stories.
nanette44686 leslie95604
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leslie95604 nanette44686
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Morning Nanette dear. I am in America :-) Always wanted to travel abroad but with all the fake news we are inundated with now we're leery to travel. Maybe you can give us a truer picture of what it's like over the pond :-) I am on transdermal Bioidentical hormone replacement. Applying the estrodiol, testosterone blend in the AM, and the estrodiol, testosterone, progesterone blend at PM. I worked with 3 separate entities to get onto this therapy.
3000 miles away from my home is a place in Ohio called the Happy Hormone Cottage that I was reading about on the internet. They are on the cutting edge of women's hormone issues and I just felt such confidence in them after calling them and learning about their services.
I purchased the state of the art lab testing they offered and once the results were in I took the recommendations they made based on my lab results to my own gyn.
I then went to my local compounding pharmacy and got them involved in manufacturing my hormone replacement. The Happy Hormone Cottage in Ohio is restricted from sending compounded prescriptions over state lines so that's why I had to find a local compounding pharmacy to make my stuff.
It was a bit of a kurfuffle and I had to throw a fit at the gyn`s office when my egotistical gyn left on a vacation without first signing off on my prescription so it could be made. His staff told me I would just have to load up on Xanax until the gyn returned. My husband was livid at the staff for their negligence.
But he "convinced" them to find another provider to sign off that very day and we were able to get the ball rolling and picked up my perspection later that day at the compounding pharmacy. So that part of the process was unnecessarily complicated but we're through to the other side now.
I am still a bit gun shy because I have been so sick for so long I am going to have to learn how to participate in life again. You're never too old to learn!! Hugs to you dear! Ya know, if you or anyone were interested in using the Happy Hormone Cottage for BHRT I am sure they would be willing to assist no matter where one lives, whether stateside or abroad. They just know what they're doing and have been at the forefront for many, many years.
nanette44686 leslie95604
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Thanku so much for your reply I’m so glad you have found something that works for you would love to find out more but I’m afraid it would be out of my reach sounds expensive 😔😘
leslie95604 nanette44686
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The actual prescription isn't expensive. It costs about $50/mo. I took a state of the art hormone test that was a bit pricey because it isn't covered by insurance but I wanted to go that route to be absolutely sure of my levels.
tina67303 leslie95604
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leslie95604 tina67303
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Thanks so much Tina. It is literally like Jesus walked up to me at the poolside telling me to take up my mat!! I posted that a couple other times because it's just so much like that! I hope you are doing well. Let me know how things are going along your own journey ok?xxx
tina00239 leslie95604
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caseynjason leslie95604
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Hi Leslie, I also just went to the Hormone Cottage! I am impatiently waiting for my bio-identical estrogen prescription to be made at my pharmacy here in Kansas City. I already take progesterone; but I still wasn't feeling better. Come to find out, the last few years of HELL, were me going through perimenopause and menopause from age 36-40. My appointment last week said my estrogen was less than 1. Post menopausal. In the nurse's words, my ovaries are done. I cannot wait to have estrogen back in my body and see how I feel.
It's so comforting to hear that it helped with the same horrible symptoms I have. Depression, anxiety, heart beating fast, shaking, extra weight around the middle even though I am slim, digestion issues, dry skin, dry hair, low libido, extreme fatigue, body aches.
What is so frustrating is that I have had Dr's tell me anything from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (basically, you are tired, duh), anxiety and put on drugs, outpatient therapy, fibromialgia....not a single one thought to check my hormones. I was in my late 30's and my life and body was falling apart and no one could tell me why. I had to search for myself and travel out of state to find an affordable natural hormone place that did the right testing in the correct way to validate what I thought was happening. I was shocked at first then actually happy that I was in menopause. It was like, oh poor you!! This is exactly what all the suffering has been! You aren't sick! You're menopausal!!! Please keep us updated on this thread how you have been feeling lately on the bhrt, it's a lifeline!