Menopause, not for the faint hearted

[Mary Kay]

Hey don't worry about me! I am just reading all the posts. If one person gets helped who cares what the thread is named. All this stuff is interconected anyway! But if someone wants to start a new thread, it might be helpful to those searching for Thyroid disorders.
Why does this med have to have progesterin (sp?) in it? Won't just estrogen do it?

[BARENETTED]

Greyeyes,

I have Hashimoto's. I was diagnosed 12 years ago, but I think I had it for a few years before it was actually caught. I felt so bad it was ridiculous.
I used to put my head down on my desk and sleep at lunch time. I had a co-worker wake me. I also had to sleep for an hour or two when I got home from work each night. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open while driving home from work. I am on 137 mcg levoxyl. I am much better than I used to be. However, my brother is a pharmacist and gave me a white paper on Armour. I gave it to my Doctor and he didn't seem too impressed. Needless to say, I am still using levoxyl. I guess it could be worse.

[Misty]

I've been using progesterone cream (3 weeks on/1 week off) for years to offset premenopausal symptoms which were far worse and thought I could continue with that during menopause. I was trying to avoid estrogen due to the study but I guess I should ask my doc too about the bioidentical hormones as I'm seeing him this week - is that what Suzanne Sommers writes about?

PS MaryKay! - thanks for letting us mix it up with the thyroid probs too as for some of us ,it is all intertwined

[Stormynights]

A lady told me to take 1 tsp. of gin a day for hot flashes and it seemed to help.

[Kate51]

A lady told me to take 1 tsp. of gin a day for hot flashes and it seemed to help.

Once a day, every day, all day long!
I say again, Women's Wellness www.ProCapsLabs.com
They saved my life. My temper. And my thought Processes.

I cannot tolerate any synthetic hormones that are appropriate. I balloon from most, get irritable bowel from others. So I went the Soy route, and this is the very best made. Along with Dr. Barefoot calcium, Two a day WW's gives me a very good balanced feeling. There are a lot of other ingredients, do check them out. Plus, in order to get the standard synthetic progesterone I had to get an exam every three months, that's all the longer the prescription could be. At $300 bucks a crack (sorry, that's not meant to be a pun! But it's a good one!!!) I could not maintain that treatment. I've been taking W~W for 13 years. Still cannot go without them.

[Mary Kay]

For people who have had a full hysterectomy estrogen doesn't promote breast cancer. Yes I know some cancers feed on estrogen, but the risk of one mg a day isn't high..about as much as those who eat soy and other natual estrogen containing foods/herbal remedies. The study I read said that the combo of progesterine and estrogen do promote breast, uterine and ovarian cancer in peope who never had a full hysterectomy. They still have to be care of even estrogen.

[PatandSassy]

I just wanted to comment and say that luckily I had no symptoms other then about 3 months of very heavy flow before all of a sudden, nothing.

I was done, past it, over it, by about age 33, my sister way by age 31.

[scyllabub]

Apparently it's genetic I almost said "Lucky you!", but it could have been a tragedy for you if you'd still wanted to have children. Nature is wonderful and terrible.

scylla

[kathyst]

Oh ladies, reading all of your posts, on this subject near and dear to me (right). I'm 62, and have had hot flashes since I was 49, my last period. I am totally relating to all of you, especially those of you with other conditions that compound the -pause symptoms. You have my utmost sympathy. Especially night sweats -- totally ruins your equanimity, physically, mentally, emotionally.

Anyway, finally about the past couple years it's much more mild and tolerable, but during the whole decade of my 50's it was so bad, my life revolving around hot flashes. It was more than distressing and depressing. My life situation at the time involved needing to get a new job, among other things, and I just couldn't even consider going on interviews, let alone to a new work place. I even got out of jury duty with an amusing letter: I can't do jury duty unless I can whip off my shoes and socks and unhook my bra and put a fan full-blast on my face, every 50 minutes, 24/7.

By the way, I am on Effexor, anti-anxiety. Not that that helped with hot flashes, but that, along with all the life changes that needed to be made that I made (I had to move also, after being in one place for 17 years)...I have finally gotten myself to a nice, mellow place. And now, with e-cigs! The last of the serious things having to be dealt with being dealt with, finally! Well, except for my anxiety for my later years, fast approaching. Financially, and getting rid of my way too much STUFF! But that's for another thread maybe. The obsessive collector thread

Anyway, I tried everything during my hot flashes years. Mostly I'm a holistic, naturist person, but finally I gave in and went on HRT -- only a double dose worked. That was the only time I was free of hot flashes. For about a year. But then, the big scare about that, and I went off. I take "Estroven" from the health-food supplements section, though I'm not certain that it really does any good.

I need to do my yearly medical things soon, but so far so good. I have had some bone loss, but not osteoporosis that I am aware of, not yet anyway.

By the way, my doctor actually told me a while back, don't kill yourself over quitting smoking. Deal with your other stuff. Well, I feel like I've dealt with my other stuff, so here I am, at .......... -- yeah!!

I feel like I'm basically in good health...but I do look my age -- old saggy skin. Sigh.

Also BTW, I'm an alcoholic, sober almost 25 years, and I used to do a lot of drugs. I'm so happy being clean and sober, that I always cut myself slack about still smoking cigs. I did quit a few short times, but always approached it with unqualified dread...until now!

I'm happy to make your acquaintance, all of you, and share this new vaping thing. It's funny, though, as I said in other posts -- I haven't even started yet! I should get my starter kit tomorrow. And I'm sure then I'll have even more to say and ask.

kathy

[scyllabub]

Kathy, what a survivor

When you get your new kit, if anything goes wrong or doesn't work as you think it should, don't panic or get upset, just fly to ECF and scream at your fellow members for help. And don't think you've got to STOP smoking baccy fags immediately. Just be very laid back about it, treat the e-cig as a new toy you've got to learn to use and there's no hurry.

Well, that's my advice for what it's worth - I've done plenty of panicking and screaming for help

scylla