Ladies: Share your hormonal miseries, please

just so I don't feel so alone (and perhaps men will see what we go through.)

My story is that I had a hysterectomy in July. They left my ovaries, so I'm not going through instant menopause or anything, but I'm cycling through PMS on overdrive.

Yesterday, I was ready to kill (only slight exagerration) anyone in my path. Today, I'm crying on my way to work and have been feeling weepy all day. If I saw a freakin' Hallmark commercial right now, it would push me over the edge.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened since my surgery.

The hardest thing is rationally, I know I'm reacting out of proportion, but emotionally, I just seem to have no control. Best I can do is lock myself away from human contact during these episodes.

So, anyone else experience any hormonal issues? What's the worst thing you've done? How do you cope? Have you found anything that helped?

Perhaps some sort of hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) would be a good idea to help balance you out.

I'm only 41, but after I started noticing changes in my cycle and my emotional "edginess" at certain times, I had a blood draw to check my hormonal levels. It was determined that my progesterone was low, which is very common symptom of peri-menopause. I started using a topical progesterone cream, and honey, I'm here to tell you it has made a HUGE difference in the quality of my life. Seriously, I'm much more balanced, emotionally, than I used to be. It's a natural, "bio-identical" product, so it's not synthesized crap.

I would recommend you check out the book by Christiane Northrup, MD called The Wisdom of Menopause: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing During the Change. Great stuff! Full of much wisdom and good advice.

Hang in there and know you are not alone,
~Shine
:hug:

and I do plan on getting my levels checked. I guess I just figured since I'm not fully recovered from my surgery (six weeks, my ass) that it wouldn't be accurate since I'm still healing.

I'll check into what you're talking about. I'm trying to avoid drugs since I'm on enough already, but that sounds much more natural.

I really hate feeling like the crazy woman right now.

BTW, thanks for sharing your experiences.

you're still in recovery mode. That's probably wise, at this point. And don't you just hate it when "they" give you a recoup time that's completely UNrealistic? That's happened to me before, with various things. It's annoying.

The product I take is called Progesta-Care, by life-flo.

Again I recommend the book I mentioned earlier, The Wisdom of Menopause. She really puts a positive spin on this time of life. She speaks of it being a time of personal empowerment and positive energy---emerging wiser, healthier and stronger in both mind and body than ever before.

You are definitely NOT "crazy", my dear! You in the flow of Change....embrace it.

~Shine

And thanks for the reassurance. It really is appreciated.

:thumbsup:

thanks for the positive view, too often peri and menopause are seen as pathological and I don't think they have to be.

But not so much the moodiness. I don't think I'm having hot flashes, as I've always been oversensitive to the heat. I have had cycle changes, and changes in menstrual flow, but they have been mostly for the better (less cramping, less flow, shorter periods), so I haven't worried too much about it all.

however I didn't make the connection of the perimenopausal symptom of "night sweats" until much later. Duh. Eventually I did and I started talking to all my women friends about it. Somebody along the way recommended Evening Primrose Oil supplements to help with that and other PMS-y symptoms. I've been taking them now for over a year, and I'm certain it's helped. Haven't had any night sweats in a looooong time.

I'm definitely more interested in finding alternative and natural ways to deal with the changes, instead of going for the full-on medical route.

It sounds like you've been fairly lucky so far, with the changes being relatively mild and actually for the better. Good for you.

Hope that continues for you!
:hi:
~Shine

I don't miss my period one iota.

If you were experiencing what I'm talking about it, you would notice — kinda like a grand piano dropping on your head.

Proles. Wonder if the hormone level changes are more than are typical and are related more to your surgery. Sorry to state the obvious.

take care. :hug:


I haven't had too bad a time with perimen. I don't know that I am more moody than I was before. It is a little odd having more frequent periods. I myself will miss the familarity and odd sort of creativity of my period when it is gone. :)

:hug:

Just don't feel like you are so alone, you are not. :(

I think that was just the right thing. :D

but I've had problems with my cycle for a long time... I have had two D&Cs in the space of 1 year to stop heavy and prolonged bleeding which drained me of iron. During my last D&C I was given a transfusion. I alternate with heavy bleeding for months or no bleeding at all for months. My ovulation is all screwed up and no one knows why. All my hormonal levels are normal, no polyps, no cancer, no nothing.

I too go through times where I could kill people to times I cry without explanation. I also go through times where I could stay up for 7 days straight and do everything to times where I feel like sleeping all the time.

Despite the fact that I eat leafy veggies and take iron supplements, my anemia is often a problem. When I go through my heavy bleeding, even a couple of steps on stairs make me out of breath.

Sometimes, it sucks to be a woman.

:hug:

but it was caused by fibroids. I did have anemia a couple of times, but never required a transfusion. That sounds awful.

It's crazy they can't find anything. Were you under any kind of stress when these episodes happened? That was a trigger for me.

Have they ever brought up having a hysterectomy? That was mentioned to me, but I didn't want to because I thought I might still get married and have kids in my 30s — not seriously, but still wanted to keep my options open.

So, years of coping later, I end up at the same spot. What finally sealed it was that my uterus was five times its normal size and pressing on my bladder.

I wish you well and thanks for sharing.

vitamin B-12 deficiencies. You might want to check into that. Vitamin B-12 is usually best taken in a sublingual form, as it bypasses the digestive tract and gets into your bloodstream more quickly.

There is very little research being done in this area, because as we all know, we need to provide cranial hair and constant erections for the insecure.

And yeah, my hormones are raging right now. Having PMS, endometreosis, and depression will fuck you up real good.

"There is very little research being done in this area, because as we all know, we need to provide cranial hair and constant erections for the insecure." :rofl:

But it's only 5 pm. The night is young. :evilgrin:

I'm betting there has been some research done on hormone levels and depression....

(but that's a good lime, Rev.) ;)

And then I'll grab a piece of paper and start fanning myself. I feel kind of a mild heat. This is new. (I'm 45) I've always been kinda moody, so that's not changed. I LIKE being moody, I guess. (I'm not that bad :evilgrin: )What I do is exercise my moods off, but I've been doing this for 25 years, so its an ingrained habit
.
I don't do gyms. (blech) I have some light weights, I've taken a couple of physical fitness classes so I know what I'm doing. I power walk, with the music of my choice shutting out the world. Too me it's renewing and invigorating.

Growing stuff in my garden helps. I'm very, very physical so that is what works for me. For someone who is not physical, it probably wouldn't.

I plan on starting some art classes. I'm a pretty good artist, but I've been neglecting it for years.

Sometimes, I'll refinish a small piece of furniture. (I'm not very good at this) I guess creating or accomplishing something is also what helps me.

The women in my family finish the change at 42 or 43, though.

I go barefoot all year long, and I rarely turn the furnace on (my family lives in warm woollies).

I even have a pillow made from those gel pack things, which I freeze all day so I can sleep at night.

Because I tend to get cold, or I used to anyway. This has just started in the last few months so we'll see... I'll save money on the gas bill anyway.

they operate more like testicles. I suffer from PMDD. Every month, I go through this mood for like a week where I want to smash stuff, myself, whatever. If I had an Uzi, y'all would have some nice real estate here and a town you could just move in and take over in North Carolina. I'm going through the PMDD symptoms right now. I haven't been violent with anyone per se, but I want to hurt bullshitters really badly for no reason during my time of the month. Anyone who pisses me off during this time hears about it in the most outrageous way in full volume screaming. I cannot control it.

I'm taking Zoloft for my anxiety and depression and for those things it seems to be working ok, but the PMDD (which Zoloft is also supposed to treat) hasn't abated. If anything, it has gotten worse as I have gotten older. I'm just like a damn football playing man this time of the month.

I know this sounds gross, but I can smell other women, ahem, down there, this time of the month too. During the rest of the month, I can't smell 'em. When I am on the rag though, I can smell 'em just like a dog with his nose in the wind and it's intoxicating. It's like an aphrodisiac. Yeah, I'd say I'm having hormonal malfunctions galore.

And I tend to get angry, (I've flipped over a few coffee tables in my time) rather than emotional. I have a slight androgen (too much) imbalance. Part of it is cool, 'cause I stay in real good shape, with decent defined muscle--which I keep up to maintain my bone density. However, I've paid for it with mild acne all my life. Thank god for salicylic acid. Interestingly, I'm solidly hetero, which I always find amusing when I hear negative comments about "butchy" women.

I also had my ovaries left intact. I don't remember going through any real hormonal stuff - are you sure it's hormones or could you be suffering some post-surgery depression? What you describe certainly could fit the description of either. Just a thought....

I'll tell you what, after the initial shock of hearing the word "cancer" (cervical) and facing surgery, I gradually realized that what it all meant was that I'd NEVER have to deal with my period again. Kind of a crazy time but one of the best things, in the long run, that ever happened to me!

Sorry I'm no help. :hug:

I really, really don't miss my period.

I've considered that as well, so I'm just giving it all some time to settle down. If it doesn't improve, I'll talk to the doctor about it. I am very thankful to have a patient and understanding SO.

I hope you've fully recovered.

stores or online: http://www.myhealthpro.net/cgi-bin/store.pl?user=&pass=&bai=&a=disp&pid=981840

I use Emerita Pro-Gest body cream brand - there's others available.

It really helps in balancing hormones. I use it twice per day for 3 weeks, stop for one. Has a real calming effect and wipes out hot flashes. It's kinda expensive, but one tube will last 2 months or longer.

and my sex drives seems to be a bit less...but i have remarkeable cheerful since


maybe that ovary really was a trouble maker because i used to have the WORST PMS EVER


EVER

It changed my life. Featured on Oprah. Diet does help. Supplements do help. When I brought it in with me to see my physician she said 4 women had come in lugging that book.
Read it. You will not be sorry.
Dr. Northrup has a website.
http://www.drnorthrup.com/

She is spot on and damned practical.

expect when I was on the pill. My periods got real strange when I was about 41. They stopped entirely, but I put off going to the doc for several months. During those months, I began to experience hot flashes which were very troublesome at night. Some mood problems (more than usual, ha). She did the blood work and of course told me it wasn't peri-menopause, I was post-menopausal. I told her I felt like I had run flat-out into a brick wall. I felt more than a little grief. She put me on some estrogen. It worked pretty well.

Then I let myself run out of my prescription and thought I might be O.K., plus I didn't want to go back to the doc. I tried some natural stuff. How wrong I was. I was trying to work and lead a productive life. I was not sleeping more than four hours a night. The hot flash would begin with a sweeping feeling of anxiety and despair, followed by a sweat from head to toe, then a bad chill as the sweat dried, then maybe get a little sleep. Forty-five minutes out of every two hours, all night. During the day I didn't notice it as much and I could step outside into winter weather, but the nights were miserable.

So, I went back to the doc, and now am on progesterone plus estrogen. And I know that recent research does not support the theory that HRT protects women from osteoporosis and heart disease they way we once had hoped. But you know what? I don't care if HRT kills me someday. I could simply not continue to live with the sleep deprivation, the rush of anxiety and fear for no reason, the all-the-time not feeling like I was even myself anymore.

So, you can avail yourself of any tool which might help you. It works all different ways for all different women, and no one else can tell you what is right or wrong. Do what you think you need to do. I hope you find some peace.

put out

done the stuff for 40 years (God, I remember her before she went on them; it was horrible) with nothing but positive effects.

She's EIGHTY-TWO and quite healthy,

So far as yet I'm not a candidate, but if it keeps me from my mom's pre-HRT experience, I'll do it.

Whatever gets all of us through this is AOK by me, and I hate the fact that so many of us fuss with each other about it.

and it has been the longest, most stressful five years of my entire life.

Rage so bad I was afraid to drive a car -- I was worried I might try to take someone out.

Depression so bad I was suicidal.

Anxiety levels so high I wanted to crawl out of my skin.

Crying every day, sometimes four or five times a day (that was for two years).

I truly though I was losing it at least a dozen times. I was just waiting for them to haul me away to county hospital lockup.

Medical intervention (Celexa and Clonadine), therapy, and education-education-education (understanding biologically what is happening to me) has helped me get throught this. For now. What scares me, is that I am still years away from menopause -- I am afraid to think about what might happen then.

Now when I am hit with the weepies or rage, I can look at where I am at in my cycle and say, "Oh yeah, I've just ovulated and my hormone levels are freaking out. The lack of estrogen is causing my seratonin to drop and making me weepy and depressed. It'll get better a few days after I start my cycle."

Just knowing what is happening and why allows me a level of control over my symptoms I didn't have before. I completely recommend you research the link between estrogen and seratonin (must have estrogen to produce seratonin), and what the symptoms of low seratonin are. I have no doubt you will find at least a dozen seemingly unrelated symptoms you are experiencing that you had no idea where they were coming from. Also charting your cycle (even without a uterus) can be a helpful way to understand where you are hormonally so you don't freak out when you go off.

www.power-surge.com is a great resource of women who are going through the exact same thing.

over the past few years. Doesn't stop me from being crazy, but stops me from acting out.

Flax seed oil is a natural antidepressant and "lubes" the brain so that the brains chemistry can work more efficiantly.

And Bs are great for any stressful period -- I can drink an Odwalla B Monster and see an improvement in my anxiety in minutes.

calcium and magnesium which I drink as a tea before bed. Magnesium relaxes the muscles and helps you sleep. You can get it at CVS.

Is there a recommended dosage level?

Hear ya, absolutely hear ya! ;)

I'm breaking out with acne at the same time my skin is flaking off.

I have no energy and usually hit the sack at 8PM.

I often cry for absolutely no reason whatsoever. I honestly just feel like I MUST cry just because and feel tremendous relief after I do.

It's freakin' hell for me. I just went off of the pill, which I had to take before due to anemia which has mercifully not returned.

I either sweat like a stuck pig or I absolutely freeze to death and sometimes I run low-grade fevers for no apparent reason.

Just kidding, blonde.

I'm 46 and haven't experienced any changes yet.
But then, I've ALWAYS been unhinged!

A friend of mine at work just had a radical hysterectomy, and I seriously don't know if she'll EVER come back to work.

She is very depressed and hasn't found a way to cope yet.

On second thought, your symptoms reflect a pretty normal day for ME!
No break-outs, and I don't collapse until midnight, but I FEEL like tanking at 8:00!

Also, a greater degree of water retention than I had when I was younger...

dependent diabetic since age 7).

I think I'm going through this a bit early, the docs think it's the diabetes. Since it's all in the endocrine system, it makes sense.

The good thing is that my son and husband don't feel they are in danger. In fact, they are pretty supportive of my "unhinginess."

the really odd thing is that when I'm at me worst, my cockatiel LOVES to come sit by me and coo for a pet. Weird, but a lovely distraction nonetheless.

I bet your bird senses that you need that.

I've also had problems with acne during one week in my cycle. I've always had a pimple or two during that time, but the past two months, my face looks more ravaged than when I was a teen.

After I pass that point, it all clears up again.

Hopefully, my body will stabilize more. I really thought that after the six weeks they give as a healing time for hysterectomy, I would be back to my normal self. I'm finding that is definitely *not* the case and I healed well and had no complications.

On my four-week checkup, the intern at U of Chicago Hospitals where I had it done asked me if I was happy with my decision to have a hysterectomy. I just stared at him incredulously. It's like no, this really sucks, and I'm hoping it will be better but the verdict is still out. Let me know how it feels when they cut off that enlarged testicle of yours.

being with you and making relaxing sounds. What a sweet bird.

pushed a bit. Was REALLY lucky to find female GYN who was also an endocrinologist (sp?) She was finicky about seeing where your levels were before doing ANYTHING and it paid off. Found my body had almost NO progestrone and gave me some time with nasty tasting lozenges which really gave me a buz at first! She also had a psychologist in practice with her who ran support groups and did cognitive work with patients individually. Helped to learn some tricks for de-stressing and recognizing triggers to bad feelings. Can't avoid it all, but some strategies did help.

Better for quite a bit. Now, big time changes, but it is 14 years later and to be expected. Hot flashes come in bundles but much worse the past few weeks. And I am out of vitex (chaste-tree berry) which helps (I live a very long way from anywhere, so popping to the drug store is NOT an option, I best go online and get more before I set the house on fire!)

The flashes are vicious now. Only cold packs and fans all over the house keep me from jumping in front of a moving truck ;) . Rational person that I am, I try to understand the natural reason for various things with humans. Come up with nothing to explain hot flashes. Havocdad said; early on in human evolution, everybody lived in shared shelter without central heating... Older women had hot flashes, worse at night, in order to keep the clan/tribe from freezing to death.

I countered with: in the olden days most women DIED before the change and didn't get around to hot flashes...

Havocdad, smart ass that he is, immediately went on: THAT is why the few who survived to old age were so revered... and went on to be known as Hot Babes.

He got extra kisses and so on for THAT little spiel! ;)

But, I gotta tell ya, his silly theory does makes some sense. It's right up there with "humans snore to sound like they are growling at any animals sneaking up on them while they sleep.."

Good for giggles and maybe some grains of truth?

And, yes, mood swings are getting VERY bad lately. Not sleeping well, lots of arthritic pain and very little patience, which is out of character for me. I had a couple days two weeks ago when I could NOT keep a lid on it and as soon as I was home alone with Havocdad, I just burst into tears and could not stop. Left the kitchen in mid-prep for supper and retired to the bath tub for a soak/cry. He checked on me a couple times and ate some cheese without any complaint. He noticed some things he was doing which might add to my frustration and changed behavior pronto, without any word from me. He just looked at how to lower the stress and did it. God, how great is an observant male with a heart of gold?

I do avoid people a lot now as I just don't have the energy to deal with their stupidity like I used to. Fortunately, I can manage to be a hermit most of the time. Work at home so that helps. But with a history of clinical depression anyway, I walk a fine line to keep from going too far in any direction.

Oh, and my memory sucks, but my older sister says that will come back soon, at least partly... err, I think that's what she said. ;)

It'll be ok, for all of us. And maybe we can help keep the tribe warm this winter. With the price of gas, propane, heating oil, we may well find we are in great demand at winter parties! :D

he's a real keeper. I had a long talk with my SO and he is so very understanding as well. I'm just glad he learned to love me before I turned into this crazy woman. I'm not sure I'm a "hot babe" yet. ;-)

And, thanks to everyone who's shared on this thread. There's a lot of practical advice that I can follow up on. It also really has helped just to vent, see that I'm not alone and know that people care. Shit. There go the tears again.

About Havocdad... he has a degree in wildlife management. It's a match made in heaven ;)

Vent all ya need to. PM me if you just wanna blow or need a friend. Am here.

our moods are like!

I really like Hdad's Hot Babe line!

but my mother had a hysterectomy and had many of the symptoms you describe. The doctor put her on hormone replacement therapy to balance out the symptoms. Several years later my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to have a complete mastectomy. The doctor told us at the time of diagnosis that the hormone therapy most likely was a large contributing factor in the development of cancer in her breast.
To this day I wish so much that she had never taken hormones. The cancer could come back. She still has post-menopausal symptoms but no longer takes the hormones.
Just food for thought. Please talk to your doctor and make your own decision of course...
:pals:

:hug:

I wish they would get a handle on whether hormone replacement is a positive or negative...because I heard just the opposite. I know of women that DID NOT do hormone replacement and got cancer.

So I wonder which way is healthier? And which option has created more cases of cancer, if either?

The cramps I get premenstrually tend to not be as bad when I am consistent with taking calcium daily. The evening primrose oil helps with some other symptoms. I've noticed when I don't take them, this particular symptom is MUCH worse--so I take it often!

Exercise seems to help me a great deal, too. As does eating really clean--lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and water.

My symptoms are usually mood swings, weepiness, cramping and headaches. The headaches range in severity from minor to major debilitating migraines. Oh and the bloating! So bad! In the last few months alone, that has been an absolute horror for me! Bleh!

Is your calcium separate from a multivitamin?

I'm a vegetarian and I exercise regularly, so I have the other two handled.

I still get "swelly belly" from my surgery. I'll wake up in the morning and its relatively flat, but by the end of the day, it's like two inches bigger. Elastic is my friend. :-) From what I understand, the lymph system, which drains fluid from tissues is disturbed and takes a long time to heal. The irony is that the more I exercise, the bigger my belly gets (temporarily).

It sounds like you have it so rough!

The evening primrose oil is about 500 mg. and the calcium is part of a tab that is calcium, magnesium and zinc combined. Each ingredient is about 333 mg. On days when I'm good about taking it with every meal, I'm getting almost 1000mg, in addition to my multivitamin.

I try to take the evening primrose oil twice daily--with my morning meal and one other.

:hug:

Good for you being a vegetarian! Such a great way to eat!

Either the family endo has finally caught up with me, I have fibroids, or my last c/section/tubal was screwed up. I tend to go for the screwed up tubal, maybe endo line.

It started for me about 3 years ago, one year after the c/section/tubal. Pain. Really really horrible periods. Man! Talk about a shock! I had amenorrhea for years. When I got pregnant with our last, I hadn't even had a period in 10 months. Now it's every month, 7 days, heavy bleeding, and hurts like hell. I've about reached the begging-for-a-hysterectomy phase of this.

Before this started, I was emotionally all over the place because of the amenorrhea. The pill gave me migraines, so I stuck with calcium and otc natural estrogen. Took a couple of months to really kick in good, but once they did I felt much calmer and the hot flashes I had been having went away.

Mine were manageable (except for a few unfortunate incidents and days off and a few bouts of anemia) for the longest time, then they just multiplied and grew huge. One fibroid was the size of a typical uterus and my uterus was enlarged to the size of a five-month pregnancy.

I think once I get past this all, I'm going to be very happy I had the hysterectomy. I certainly don't miss the gushing and pain.

Perhaps you should have an ultrasound to see what's growing in there.

I wonder if that would account for a pretty quick significant weight gain. I'm talking 15 lbs in less than a year and almost all around my middle. No matter what tweaking I do to my exercise schedule or diet, it isn't budging. Really aggravating. Yep, ultra sound is probably in order.

In the span of a few short months, I gained about that much as well, mostly under the belly button. I looked like I was sticking out my belly for one of those fakey dieting "before" pics.

Unfortunately, it still hasn't gone away. :-( I've been working out like a mad woman lately to little avail. But, my tissues are still healing from surgery and I still have swelling.

If I were you, I would *definitely* get to a doctor. It's not going to get any better, only worse, so why keep suffering. Not having a period anymore is a wonderful, freeing thing after so many years of problems -- not that that would be your choice.

My GYN put me on high dose progesterine for 6 weeks to keep my period at bay until I could get the procedure scheduled (I think another period that heavy would have literally killed me - fibroids SUCK)

So the day of the operation I go off of it cold turkey.

Ended up puking my guts up for the next 18 hours, scaring all the doctors to death. Unfortunately, UAEs are done by radiologists who have very little GYN training. I finally mentioned the progesterine, and they looked at me like I was talking about something really odd, and nodded and said "uh, yeah, sure, that could have done it..."

The UAE causes a fever, so I've been having chills and night sweats ever since. Don't know if it's the procedure, or hormones.

I have always been happy being female, love men, love hetero sex, like having girlfriends, but there are times I'd love to ditch all the standard equipment.

The female uterus and hormone system really calls the whole concept of "intelligent design" into question....

Some of the fibroids were outside the lining and others were too big.

If you haven't checked out this site, do so. I've found it invaluable.
www.hystersisters.com

I know what you mean about heavy periods. Its scary when it seems like you are peeing blood. I hope you feel better soon and your outcome is good.

BTW, I am so much more myself today, thank goodness.

glad you're finally doing better

Saved my wifes life. She's now off prozac too!

There are a lot of books and confusion, but they can definitely help. It depends on your hormone balance - what works for some will NOT work for others. My wife takes bioidentical estridiol - NO progesterone. For her the extra progesterone is horrible, she already produces a ton etc.


My wife really had high praise (sorry for the title)this book:
It's My Ovaries, Stupid! (Hardcover)
by Elizabeth Lee Vliet

Beware though, the synthetic hormones that companies make (they change the natual so they can patent and make $$) are dangerous. Bio-identical are not however they get painted with the same broad brush as the "cooked" stuff. We've actuall read the studies and its appalling at how well cheap natural HRT works vs the cooked, cancerous causing synthetic, and how the companies USE the studies to actuall attack the natural stuff!!! arg. (sorry for the rant).