It’s been awhile since my last post. I’ve even let the blog posts in my Google Reader stack up, so if you’re my friend and I’ve missed any crucial news that you included on your blog, then I’ll be reading it soon – I promise!!
Let’s talk hormones. Early November I decided to come off the birth control pills since I spent most of October in absolute agony with seriously debilitating headaches accompanied with nausea. No fun. Once I was off the pills, the hot flashes came back with a vengeance. (For those who are new to my blog, here’s the backstory of my menopausal journey).
in December I finally caved to trying out hormone replacement therapy. January was filled with several attempts at different formulas (a patch, a pill, etc.), all of which quickly sent me back into headache / nausea misery. We decided to try one more time and so far, (fingers crossed), so good. Prempro has been gentle on my stomach, little to no headaches (at least that I feel can be attributed to the estrogen), and it’s one pill a day which is way easier for me to remember than replacing a patch every 3 days. The hot flashes are hardly noticeable, but it’s also winter, so things may have to change – again – come summertime.
The one interesting side effect I’ve noticed, and I’m pretty sure it’s from the Prempro, is that I’m a bit…um…slower than usual. It’s not that I have a “foggy” brain, or that I’m slow in my step or anything like that. It’s almost like I no longer have this incredible drive in me to multi-task every second of the day. I’m wondering if this is how I’m supposed to be, if this my new “normal” or if this is a negative thing, in some way. Time, and a chat with the doctor, will tell I suppose.
So I still have all kinds of things rolling through my brain that I’d love to be writing about, but the ambition to sit down and actually do it is just not there, for now anyways. Neither is the ambition to exercise, which is really something I need to get cracking on…
I’m really hoping Prempro is “the one” for me, long-term. But I’m also very aware that a month or two from now, things could get ugly (again) and the trial and error will have to start all over again.
Or I’ll just get used to being a “hot mess” and let everyone else suffer along with me!
In the Land of Ridd 
Wow, you have been through some trials with this!
Okay, so ignorant question here: you’re not going through menopause for forever, right? Like, it ends sometime, & you won’t need hormone replacement therapy anymore? What’s the ETA for that?
OK, so “technically” I’m not even IN menopause yet because I still have a period now & then. You’re not considered menopausal until you’ve had 12 months straight of no period. My symptoms have gone from 0 to 60 because I have premature ovarian failure, but a lot of women start what is called peri-menopause anytime after age 30. So hot flashes, fatigue, hair loss, etc. can be completely normal for DECADES until you’ve actually started missing periods. As far as the “when” to being done is anyone’s guess. On average it’s around 2 years, but my mom’s symptoms lasted over 10 years so I’m not banking on that timeframe. I know women who have had hot flashes for over 20 years – no joke. It’s all whatever your unique body will give you – yay!
I’m hoping to find a method that will balance my hormones for the next 5 years or so, then I’ll try coming off of whatever I’m taking and seeing where things stand. But yeah, while there are the lucky few who don’t actually have significant symptoms as they transition into menopause, most of us will be suffering for quite some time. So LIVE IT UP NOW, SISTAH!! 🙂
And one more thing, I am extremely sensitive to hormones, at least according to my doctor. She is just shocked at how quick the onset of headaches is. So, if you weren’t real nauseas with your pregnancies, then you will most likely have an easier time with hormones – if you end up needing to take them at some point.
Holy cow! That is insane. Two to twenty years?!
Thanks for answering my question, though.
Just. Dang. Wow. HUGS!
Hugs to you Vic.
Thx Sheri! 🙂