Post by Admin on Jun 11, 2012 10:03:02 GMT
I thought I would start by posting my own menopause story, so you know I’ve been there too and completely understand what you are going through.
My last period was in June 2010 (co-incidentally it was my 51st birthday). In around September of that same year I began to notice I was having more and more trouble sleeping. I had always been a good sleeper so I couldn’t work out why this would be happening all of a sudden. I never associated it with menopause because all I’d ever heard about were the hot flushes. I’d had a few of them, but it was nothing that I was concerned about, and in a weird way I was sort of happy to have them, because I had always looked forward to the day when my periods would stop. That just proves that you really should be careful about what you wish for…….
By the end of November 2010 my insomnia was so bad that I went for 3 nights straight with no sleep at all. I was at my wits end, my brain was fried and I had the shakes like I was a junkie. So I scurried off to the GP to get some sleeping tablets. She suggested blood tests to check my hormone levels, and when the results came back there was no doubt whatsoever what was causing my insomnia……menopause….. oh lordy lord…
She wanted to give me a prescription for HRT, but initially I decided to try bio-identical hormones, because I had heard they were better for you than regular HRT. I found a doctor who prescribed them and for the first 2 months it was marvellous, then they suddenly stopped working. I went back to the doctor and he took new blood tests. Now, if I had been going to a doctor who wasn’t such an a***hole, we probably could have worked through this problem by changing the prescription or trying the patches, lozenges etc. However, this a***hole (male) doctor told me that the new blood test results showed that there was nothing wrong with my hormones, and that my insomnia was being caused by “other issues” in my life, and until I sorted out those “other issues” the insomnia wouldn’t get any better. Basically he was blaming me – the victim – and telling me menopause was “all in my head”.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. How could a doctor be so cold-hearted and insensitive to a woman who was suffering menopause, even if he was a male. I called him a few very choice words, stormed out of his office (without paying) and burst into tears when I got into my car. Also, all he was prescribing for me was progesterone, and I was to learn much later that this was going to be totally useless in solving my problems.
I felt completely alone, depressed, anxious, suicidal – you name it. A friend recommended a female GP whom she said was very good. So I made an appointment to see her, and she was so lovely and sympathetic. She was totally shocked by the previous doctor’s attitude. She looked at the test results and said there was no doubt whatsoever that all my symptoms were being caused by my hormones, so she had no idea why the a***hole would say they weren’t responsible.
Anyway, she prescribed Livial HRT and for the next 9 months life was bliss. Not even a hint of a hot flush and I slept like a baby every night, but suddenly at the end of last October 2011 it stopped working and all my symptoms came back again. I couldn’t believe it.
I assumed (quite incorrectly) that HRT was useless and I decided to see a naturopath because I thought maybe that might work better for me, and taking HRT made me a little fearful. She said if I gave her 3 months she could fix my problems. Well three months, and $3,000 later, she hadn’t fixed me. The insomnia was just as bad and the hot flushes were getting worse. When she saw the results of the last saliva test she said I would probably need another 2-3 months of treatment. Really?? At another $3,000?? I don’t think so.
So I went back to my lovely and sympathetic GP. She suggested I try a different HRT (Angeliq) and gave me a sample pack. The first night I took it, it was like a miracle drug. I slept well, and did so for the next two nights as well. I still had some hot flushes, but I assumed they would get better over time.
On the fourth and fifth nights though, full-on insomnia again and the hot flushes got worse. So I’m back to my GP and she said I probably need a higher dosed HRT (Premia 5). Frankly, right now I don’t care how high the dosage is. Just give me the prescription. Premia 5 worked for a few weeks, but then things went downhill again.
This would be the pattern that would continue for the next few months. I would try a different HRT, the first few weeks would be great and then hell would return. I was on sleeping tablets and antidepressants every day, but there was no way I wanted to live the rest of my life this way. I seriously got to a point where I was actually thinking about ways I could end my life. I knew it was possible my symptoms could last for years, but my depression, anxiety and insomnia were so debilitating that I just wanted my life to be over now.
Then quite miraculously one day I found out quite by accident that I was intolerant to the synthetic progesterone that is in a lot of HRTs. It finally all started to make sense. That was why things would start out well, but within weeks my body would start to reject the progesterone. I found out about a natural progesterone, which unfortunately isn’t available in Australia where I live, but is available on prescription in most other countries. A lovely lady I met through another website gave me details of where I could buy this progesterone online, and life has been improving every day since I started using it.
I’ve been to hell and back during my menopause struggle so that has been my motivation for starting this forum. Hopefully other women who are struggling with their symptoms will be able to find help, support and solace from other women in the same situation.
Through talking to a lot of other menopausal women, I have learned that a lot of doctors either don’t care or don’t know very much about menopause and HRT. Some have their own private agenda about the treatment they are prepared to give and have a tendency to use bullying tactics with their patients. Of course there are many doctors who are the total opposite, my own GP included, and hopefully those doctors are in the majority.
My last period was in June 2010 (co-incidentally it was my 51st birthday). In around September of that same year I began to notice I was having more and more trouble sleeping. I had always been a good sleeper so I couldn’t work out why this would be happening all of a sudden. I never associated it with menopause because all I’d ever heard about were the hot flushes. I’d had a few of them, but it was nothing that I was concerned about, and in a weird way I was sort of happy to have them, because I had always looked forward to the day when my periods would stop. That just proves that you really should be careful about what you wish for…….
By the end of November 2010 my insomnia was so bad that I went for 3 nights straight with no sleep at all. I was at my wits end, my brain was fried and I had the shakes like I was a junkie. So I scurried off to the GP to get some sleeping tablets. She suggested blood tests to check my hormone levels, and when the results came back there was no doubt whatsoever what was causing my insomnia……menopause….. oh lordy lord…
She wanted to give me a prescription for HRT, but initially I decided to try bio-identical hormones, because I had heard they were better for you than regular HRT. I found a doctor who prescribed them and for the first 2 months it was marvellous, then they suddenly stopped working. I went back to the doctor and he took new blood tests. Now, if I had been going to a doctor who wasn’t such an a***hole, we probably could have worked through this problem by changing the prescription or trying the patches, lozenges etc. However, this a***hole (male) doctor told me that the new blood test results showed that there was nothing wrong with my hormones, and that my insomnia was being caused by “other issues” in my life, and until I sorted out those “other issues” the insomnia wouldn’t get any better. Basically he was blaming me – the victim – and telling me menopause was “all in my head”.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. How could a doctor be so cold-hearted and insensitive to a woman who was suffering menopause, even if he was a male. I called him a few very choice words, stormed out of his office (without paying) and burst into tears when I got into my car. Also, all he was prescribing for me was progesterone, and I was to learn much later that this was going to be totally useless in solving my problems.
I felt completely alone, depressed, anxious, suicidal – you name it. A friend recommended a female GP whom she said was very good. So I made an appointment to see her, and she was so lovely and sympathetic. She was totally shocked by the previous doctor’s attitude. She looked at the test results and said there was no doubt whatsoever that all my symptoms were being caused by my hormones, so she had no idea why the a***hole would say they weren’t responsible.
Anyway, she prescribed Livial HRT and for the next 9 months life was bliss. Not even a hint of a hot flush and I slept like a baby every night, but suddenly at the end of last October 2011 it stopped working and all my symptoms came back again. I couldn’t believe it.
I assumed (quite incorrectly) that HRT was useless and I decided to see a naturopath because I thought maybe that might work better for me, and taking HRT made me a little fearful. She said if I gave her 3 months she could fix my problems. Well three months, and $3,000 later, she hadn’t fixed me. The insomnia was just as bad and the hot flushes were getting worse. When she saw the results of the last saliva test she said I would probably need another 2-3 months of treatment. Really?? At another $3,000?? I don’t think so.
So I went back to my lovely and sympathetic GP. She suggested I try a different HRT (Angeliq) and gave me a sample pack. The first night I took it, it was like a miracle drug. I slept well, and did so for the next two nights as well. I still had some hot flushes, but I assumed they would get better over time.
On the fourth and fifth nights though, full-on insomnia again and the hot flushes got worse. So I’m back to my GP and she said I probably need a higher dosed HRT (Premia 5). Frankly, right now I don’t care how high the dosage is. Just give me the prescription. Premia 5 worked for a few weeks, but then things went downhill again.
This would be the pattern that would continue for the next few months. I would try a different HRT, the first few weeks would be great and then hell would return. I was on sleeping tablets and antidepressants every day, but there was no way I wanted to live the rest of my life this way. I seriously got to a point where I was actually thinking about ways I could end my life. I knew it was possible my symptoms could last for years, but my depression, anxiety and insomnia were so debilitating that I just wanted my life to be over now.
Then quite miraculously one day I found out quite by accident that I was intolerant to the synthetic progesterone that is in a lot of HRTs. It finally all started to make sense. That was why things would start out well, but within weeks my body would start to reject the progesterone. I found out about a natural progesterone, which unfortunately isn’t available in Australia where I live, but is available on prescription in most other countries. A lovely lady I met through another website gave me details of where I could buy this progesterone online, and life has been improving every day since I started using it.
I’ve been to hell and back during my menopause struggle so that has been my motivation for starting this forum. Hopefully other women who are struggling with their symptoms will be able to find help, support and solace from other women in the same situation.
Through talking to a lot of other menopausal women, I have learned that a lot of doctors either don’t care or don’t know very much about menopause and HRT. Some have their own private agenda about the treatment they are prepared to give and have a tendency to use bullying tactics with their patients. Of course there are many doctors who are the total opposite, my own GP included, and hopefully those doctors are in the majority.
