Archive through July 30, 2003
TV ClubHouse: archives: The TVCH Menopause Rant Thread:
Archive through July 30, 2003
Abby7 | Monday, July 28, 2003 - 08:12 pm     Here I am at THIS age and complaining about getting my period. My teenage years had some of the most awful experiences with cramps. Not every month, but just some. I still remember those days (actually it has happened to me in the last 6 years about 8 times) I know many of you probably know the cramps I'm talking about...the kind where you can't even keep down the pain killers the doctor gave. No, cramps are not my problem now. My problem (since about 1998) is that my period has gotten SO HEAVY that I have to plan my life around it. Yep. I won't get graphic. Believe me...I have to cancel wonderful trips because of it. I recently heard about taking birth control pills that make you have your period only four times a year. I can live with that. However, not approved yet. Supposed to be by next year..who knows when. Probably just about the time they are approved I'll reach menopause... which why haven't I already? Darn, I never thought I would be complaining about my period at my age. I dealt with the cramps (at least they weren't THE HORRIBLE ones EVERY month). This is now every month for over 7 days. Okay, rant over. Thank you. |
Twiggyish | Monday, July 28, 2003 - 08:19 pm     Abby, go see your Dr! You might have fibroids or something causing this to happen. |
Abby7 | Monday, July 28, 2003 - 08:43 pm     Thanks Twiggyish. I know. |
Urgrace | Monday, July 28, 2003 - 11:26 pm     Abby, I was up to 10-12 days and sometimes only 10-12 days in between. But Beware, birth control pills may not be the best solution either. Dr. gave them to me, the mildest ones. Brought me back to 5-7 days. He tried to tell me I was not pre-menopausal. I had a stroke - couldn't walk. First thing they did was throw out the pills. Luckily it was not too debilitating, and I was able to overcome most of the symptoms. Be very careful. Second opinions are a good idea, too. |
Juju2bigdog | Tuesday, July 29, 2003 - 11:11 pm     Abby7, what you are describing seems to be the norm for peri-menopause. Unfortunately, it is about 2 to 3 years of pure living hell. My advice is to NOT try to tough it out like I did. Get drugs early and often. It ain't gonna go away by itself. And even if you do manage to tough it out to menopause and reach that state of supposed joyous relief, the next thing that sets in is incessant hot flashes, and I do mean incessant. And then you get to take drugs that make you start bleeding again. And of course, now they say those same drugs are going to kill you, but if you stop taking them your life will be so miserable it's hardly worth living anyway, since you NEVER sleep because you are sweating all the time. Except when you are freezing cold because you just stopped sweating. <sets out puke buckets for all the poor fellows reading here>
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Ddr1135 | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 04:40 am     Abby, due to probs with the plumbing, docs put me on the Depo-Provera shot last summer. We now refer to that time as "Return of Hilter, Stalin, Wicked Witch of the West all rolled into My Body" (always said in a whisper, just the memories alone are enough to make you sweat.) I can honestly say I was crawling out of my skin. My breasts enlarged so much, the post office issued them their own zip code. I was the meanest b*tch that even the wildlife moved to safer areas. Yes, I had no period, but the side effects made everyone around me miserable. The horrible part was I had to wait 3 months before the shot was out of my system and I could return to being the sane person I was formerly known as. After that experience, I decided I would put up with whatever pain I endured every month. |
Twinkie | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 07:42 am     I'm so sick and tired of hot flashes. After having a hysterectomy several years ago the doctor put me on Hormone Replacement Therapy pills. I was on them until last March when I heard many horror stories about their side effects. After a few months without them I am having the worst hot flashes. Sometimes they are totally paralyzing so that I can't move at all until it subsides. I can be sitting perfectly calm and peaceful and suddenly i'm drenched in sweat and feel like my head is going to explode. Sorry, rant over. |
Goddessatlaw | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 08:08 am     This pari-menopause shit is for the birds. I'm 40 years old and I've been having drenching nightsweats on and off for the past 6 months. I just had my first daytime hotflash the other evening when helping MM replace hardware on the kitchen cabinets - he thought I was slacking off while I was really trying to climb into the freezer. It took me a few minutes to even realize what was going on. I can't see riding this through to the real deal - I thought I had til 50 or so before having to deal with this horseshit. It ain't fair, it ain't fair. It ain't fair. |
Babyruth | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 08:09 am     Twinkiepoo, I'm so sorry you're having to deal with that. I'm wondering, did you discuss other HRT options with your doc before stopping? The combination pills have been the ones primarily associated with the horror stories. You might be able to take an estrogen-only replacement (depending on your health history and family history), which would help with the hot flashes. I've been taking a low dose plant estrogen since my hysterecomy last month. I've had no hot flashes or other problems. I have no family or personal history of breast cancer (or any reproductive system cancer), so the estrogen replacement is not a concern to me or my doc. Just a thought! |
Grannyg | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 08:18 am     I had my hysterecomy when I was 30 and now I'm 53. I have been taking HRT drugs ever since and even now, if I mention I just took my last harmone there is a mad dash to the cars between DS, DD, and hubby to go to the drugstore to get my prescription filled. I never have to worry about being out of them because my family KNOWS what it is like if I miss one. LOL |
Kstme | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 09:03 am     The hot flashes do get better. OK, so it's almost 20 years later, but usually, they do lessen in time. I started going through mp at age 36. I couldn't get a doctor to believe this was happening. My ob-gyn wouldn't take the blood test. Thought it was due to stress and exercise. My family dr. finally and I do mean finally ran the test...3 years later...and said, "Guess what? You're done!" No sh*t, Sherlock! I've never taken any hrt. I had hot flashes until two years ago when I had the first (yes first) hysterectomy. Then I had them off and on but far less. After the second operation to remove what was missed the first time, I rarely get them. The reason I've never taken any of the hrts is because I by the time everything was over, it was kind of pointless! I'm 56 now and definitely not going to start them. Regarding Depo. Maesin was on it for about a year. AWFUL!!! She ballooned up like Ddr and it wasn't a pretty site. She was so touchy, I was ready to change the locks and put 'moved, no forwarding address' on the front door. One benefit...her nails were hard as rocks!LOL Thankfully, she's not taking the shots anymore and NEVER will!!! |
Lumbele | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 09:25 am     They tried putting me on different HRT's a few years ago, but each brought its own little hell. Luckyly (knocking on wood), I have been spared the hot flashes (so far) so I decided choosing between "Bitchy", "DItzy" and "Hairy" was for the birds, so I am just taking a little happy pill to stave off the panic attacks. Hopefully, that'll get me through. This 'time of life' sucks, doesn't it!? |
Goddessatlaw | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 09:30 am     This here's just some horsehit, Lumbele. Nothing but some horsehit. |
Lumbele | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 09:39 am      |
Juju2bigdog | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 09:57 am     Heh, looks like I set off an avalanche. Maybe we should just have a female plumbing sucks rant thread. |
Urgrace | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 11:03 am     Progesterone Cream - three weeks on, one week off - no side effects, no hot flashes, no night sweats, no grizzly temper, and there's one for men, also. It is a hormone balancer, completely natural not a drug, found at your local health store (not GNC). |
Bobbie_552001 | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 11:45 am     I think that I shall just keep my uterus...forever and ever and ever.... PS Babyruth that fan is too much. |
Ezgoing | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 12:21 pm     I'm with URGrace....NATURAL progesterone does the trick! To get some good info, I would suggest reading a book by John R. Lee, MD and Virginia Hopkins, WHAT YOUR DOCTOR MAY NOT TELL YOU ABOUT MENOPAUSE: THE BREAKTHROUGH BOOK ON NATURAL PROGESTERONE. Also, some women are best advised to use it for only 2 weeks per month, others 3. Become informed, discuss with a knowledgeable physician current on latest findings, and if in doubt, request a SALIVA (not blood) hormone level test. Much more accurate and useful for assessing true hormone levels. Hope this will help! |
Patichou | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 12:38 pm     I agree with Granny G My hysterectomy was when I was 32 I am now 45. Without my Estratest (my 6th different estrogen) I am unbearable. without a uterus you are at lower risk for all the problems. My motto now is: better living through phamaceuticals. Even if you take the natural hormones ANYTHING is better than nothing for some of us |
Jan | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 02:18 pm     goddess I am 56 and have had hotflashes and night sweats for 12 years now (my period finally stopped last year but that didn't help). I have never taken any medication for it but I have found that the best way to cope is to wear the fewest clothes as possible. I began to sleep nude (seriously here) and found that the night sweats were a LOT better. The clothes seem to hold in the heat and radiate it back. Now if I get hot, I throw off the blankets and I am fine. When I cool down, I cover back up. My sheets might get sweaty but I feel a whole lot better. I try to do the same thing when I am home alone...go nude or wear something you can easily wip off if you get hot. As soon as I have the clothes off, I feel much cooler. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this solution for your workplace..especially court. They might not approve  |
Lumbele | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 02:36 pm     And another plus for the Great White North. Here Goddess could work just fine and remain cool. Just remember to button up that robe, GAL and don't forget the 'rug' and maybe some shoes. |
Karuuna | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 03:02 pm     I agree with Juju, female plumbing sucks. For hot flashes, night sweats and heavy periods - Eat soy! Lots and lots of soy! Take soy capsules. Develop a taste for tofu. Drink the slim-fast or Snapple daily meal replacements with soy. Also, a 2% progesterone cream, rubbed into the skin (about 1/4 teaspoon) twice daily works for most women. Some herbs work for some women - try black cohosh. Also, for heavy, painful and long periods, you can take currently available birth control pills (with a doctor's approval) and only have a period every 3 months or so. There is no need to wait for a new drug to be approved. Another excellent book on this subject is called The Wisdom Of Menopause, by Dr. Christiane Northrup. |
Twinkie | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 03:20 pm     My doctor recommended an herbal estrogen that is soy-based and not black cohosh-based. She said it is safer. I was on Estratest for 7 years before going off of it when I heard all the horror stories about not only breast cancer but also Alzheimer's which my mother has and I'm terrified of getting. |
Twiggyish | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 08:03 pm     Kar, I use the Wild Yam cream (progesterone) and it works wonders. I want to rant about migraines! I've had a terrible one all day. =( |
Abby7 | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 08:04 pm     Thanks for all the advice. I don't know what is going on. I know women who have gone through menopause...some older, some the same age. None of them had their periods get heavier before menopause. (this didn't happen to my older sisters). I just "googled" this topic. Found it common (heavy periods) before menopause, but usually accompanied by missed periods. I don't miss periods, unfortunately (not since I've been in my 40's). No hot flashes yet. All I know is thank goodness for air conditioning! Already worried how dh is going to live in such conditions; and already thinking about having one room in the house to keep cold at all times. Maybe I won't get hot flashes? Now, at times when I feel cramps, I get very hot and have to turn air conditioner and freeze out dh! I will have to look into finding a good doctor. It's just finding a time that I am not on my period and getting in for a check-up during that time. When I'm off my period, I'm just so happy I don't even want to deal with anything period-related. |
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