I'm really having a hard time with all the menopause symptoms, things seem to be worse since my remaining ovary was removed. It's hard to understand because I know that ovary was dead but it leaves me wondering if a small amount of hormones were being released. I figured I might as well write all this down so I can document what works and what doesn't, maybe this will help me over time. Over the holiday break, I have been reading a variety of books on menopause searching for ways to manage my symptoms without estrogen. The hard part about doing things naturally is that they take time, there is no quick fix and it's hard to be patient to see if this even works. The hardest part for me is that no matter what I do, I'm not sleeping well at all. I wake up many times sweaty, my sleeping pill doesn't seem to cut it anymore and I've had to increase clonodine (which is a blood pressure med that is supposed to help with hot flashes). I don't get out of bed before 8am anymore and sometimes Mark wakes me up at 9:30, otherwise I'm not sure what time I would naturally wake up. Even at these late hours, I wake up feeling exhausted and it takes me awhile before I actually feel awake and ready to tackle the day. It is so discouraging because by this point I've already wasted half my day! This is very worrisome as I try to get plugged into a schedule at the hospital. I'm not sure how I will manage getting up so early! Physically I know I can do it but I tend to feel crappy on the days that I do get up early; I'm wondering how I will do working 12 hours on top of it all. My other problem is that my skin has been breaking out quite a bit and I'm sure it's due to dryness. No matter how many creams or lotions I apply, it doesn't seem to be enough moisture. Another issue is that I notice that I crave sugar like I've never craved it before, I've always been more into bread than sugar. Many people don't realize it but sugar is the fuel to cancer cells, radiology uses radioactive glucose in PET scans because a cancer cell readily eats up that sugar. It's not that I can't have sugar, but I'm trying to be very wise in the amount and type of sugar that I eat knowing what I know about cancer and sugar. Plus, sugar is a trigger for hot flashes so that's another deterent to stay away from it as much as possible. At first I thought my cravings were simply defiant as I'm not fond of rules and being told what I can't have. (I am working on my inner two year old this year!!) So I was somewhat relieved to find in all my research that my sugar cravings and acne are all a part of the hormonal imbalance I'm going through. I found a wonderful book on sudden menopause written by a woman who went through menopause younger than me due to ovarian cancer. I'm the kind of person though that wants multiple sources to back things up before I give them a try as there are some crazy suggestions out there! I have found this book reliable and so am willing to give her suggestions a try. Here's what I've found and am trying:
1. Glucosame Chondrotion really does work for joint pain.
2. Clonodine helps hot flashes but I'm constantly increasing/decreasing the dose as my body adjusts to it. These meds make me tired and so I only take them at night.
3. Just started Vit E and magnesium as they are supposed to help with fatigue and insomnia.
4. I'm trying Black Cohosh, I'll let you know if this actually works or not.
5. Melatonin does nothing for me....I know it works for some though.
6. Taking calcium supplements is vital to try and prevent osteoporosis in the future.
7. Just ordered NATURAL progesterone cream as I've read that it really helps combat multiple menopausal symptoms. The key is natural though as I've tried the synthetic version in pill form and it exaserbated all my symptoms, plus I started retaining fluid. I'll let you know how the natural cream works.
This is sort of my last shot, if all these vitamins and medications don't start working in the next two months, I will probably go on estrogen against the advice of Dr P and the tumor board. There is a lot at stake because taking estrogen at this point means accepting an uncertain amount of risk that the estrogen would feed any microscopic cancer cells out there. I NEVER want to do treatment again but there must be a balance with quality of life. I do not feel like myself at all, I have aged overnight and my symptoms are driving me nuts. I'm a 32 year old trapped in a 50 something body that literally occurred in a matter of weeks and I'm finding this to be my most bitter and difficult adjustment. How would you like to physically lose over a decade in the blink of an eye? Most doctors try to scare me into avoiding estrogen all together and believe me, I'm scared and hope that I can find other ways to manage, BUT I have to feel good or what's the point. I'm doing what I can, exhausting a lot of options, and praying this natural progesterone will be the key for me. If this doesn't work, I can almost guarentee that by Summer, I'll be on bioidentical estrogen. I've always been somewhat of a risk-taker, but for once in my life this is a risk I'm praying I won't have to take.
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