Lost

Hi Emma

Don't feel lost or at least seek comfort here on this forum. You will find some support at least.

How old are you, and they waited 6 months before starting hrt? 

Your going through the after storm of post hysterectomy. 

you will decided which route is best for you. I know of patients post hysterectomy at the clinic I work at, and they have taken for a short time antidepressants, others have not.

There are also good herbal infusions that you could take on a daily basis if you have the means and the patience to do this.

there is a purple book that has lots of good recommendations such as oatstraw, red clover, lemon balm , motherwort and the list goes on. Shes a fantastic book of knowledge if you are going this route. Susan weed.

I understand how hopeless it feels, and if you can just do one day at a time, and gather information and use it carefully, things will even out over time.

stay here, its a a great support

x0x0

Hi Emma

I'm glad you've reached out, and so sorry that you've had such a tough time. It would be hard enough to be in menopause, without cancer and dodgy aftercare on top of trying to recover. Doctors seem very keen to prescribe anti depressants, sometimes in place of hrt, which just seems ridiculous to me. It's the effect and symptoms of menopause that cause depression and anxiety, and so for me the root cause has to be treated and not just one of many symptoms. I was offered and tried ADs alongside bhrt but it just wasn't for me. Instead I am reviewing my hormone levels and changing the dose of bhrt to feel as well as I can. The anxiety I'm just managing with through exercise, meditation etc which seems to work. I hope that helps, and please know that we are here for you ? xxx

Hi Emma, so sorry to hear of your bad luck. A friend of mine’s recently gone through the same, due to CC, though she was perimenopausal before the op, its still been a shock to the system. My meno was natural tho still like a sledgehammer! I went straight onto AD’s - quite a high dose for a year or more then started cutting down. Im now 3 yrs post meno, still taking a low dose of ADs which sometimes isnt quite enough and low dose betablocker. I take magnesium supplement for the nervous system, loads swear by it. I hear sage is good for night sweats/ hot flushes tho i seem to be past them. Things do improve Emma, I was in a bad way and now I’m mostly back to the old me tho with a bit of anxiety still at times of stress. Which is normal for most people anyway i guess! Lol. There’s also menopace you can buy in supermarkets for all the nutrients needed. Check out A.Vogel - brilliant herbal website and you can write in for advice & you get a fast response! Also sign up for weekly meno updates, reminds you that every symptom is normal /usual /common. Unpleasant but normal! Exercise even if just walking helps, even just getting out in the fresh air. I tried hrt briefly but they put me on AD’s first, my anxiety was thru the roof, so i was worried about adding an extra drug on and soon stopped hrt. I figure, at 47 as i was, taking hrt for 5 years was only delaying the inevitable and it might be even worse going thru it when im older! How old are you Emma? If you’re a lot younger maybe hrt is more worthwhile, maybe you need to try a different one or higher dose?

Anyway, please know that as rotten as it is, a) it does get better and b) there are lots of people who can support you. I found this forum fantastic for my meno anxiety and made a couple of really good friends. Great support network. I’m sure it won’t be long t you get more replied :-). Best wishes, Julie