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It may just be that I've heard it all before and I can't think straight anymore, or it may be that I finally found someone who seems to make sense to me. Let me know if this makes sense, please:
My newest gyno told that since I've had a year of HRT, admittedly on the wrong dose (way too low, .0025 Vivelle dot then .0375 and now .05, after switching over to my endo, then to this woman) and have a tendency to bleed and have also had one u/s that revealed a thickened lining, BCP would be a good way to go because a) the estrogen/progestin component is already figured out (no more monkey business with the progestin I've been on, continuously for some reason she couldn't follow, nor can I)
it will allow for a bleed of a few days, which will insure that my lining stays thinned out c) make bleeds predictable and since my FSH has remained pretty stabled at around 30 for the past year, it will compliment whatever estrogen I am producing on my own (as BCPs are intended to work). She says for now this is good, stabilize for a while, and then switch as needed. (I guess at an FSH of 30, it's good to know that I am producing some estrogen on my own and the longer I can hold out, producing anything, the better for my health, so that's good. I'll be 41 in January.)
It makes a lot of sense to me, except that I kept asking her how much estrogen I would be getting and would it be enough. I'm tired of being on too low of a dose. She said we'd have to see how I feel. I will insist on some blood work. It's hard to know how I feel. How am I supposed to feel? She also told me that I will never feel like I did before pre-meno and that I will always be a little hotter than others in the room. I can't remember what it was like not to hot flash, so that's kind of a mute point. When I say hot flash, I guess I mean, break out in a sweat when I do anything like run in place and the weather is hot.
My chief complaint aside from nights sweats/being hot (have been on vivelle dot .05 and 10 mg of aygestin to keep lining down for one month) is low back pain. Is there a connection? I have a bad back as it is and am finding some relief by wearing good shoes, stretching, chiro, but I do rely on ibuprofen daily. Has anybody discovered a connection and a cure?
Finally, I just want to say that it seems like a lot to take in and adjust to for a situation that every woman eventually goes through. First, there's the grieft and acceptance of early meno. I've come to terms with this. Then, the bigger issue for me is the health problems associated with menopause, at any age, specifically osteo and heart. My bloodwork has gone nuts in the last year-high cholesterol, low calcium, low vitamin D, hair loss, etc.---all of which I am desperately trying to keep up with. But then, I am amazed at how hard it seems to get on the right HRT. It doesn't seem like it's rocket science to me, yet I have yet to find two doctors who give the same opinion. I just wasted a whole year with a "specialist" in Philly, only to find out that she was experimenting on me. I am just in awe at how little doctors seem to know or agree upon in regards to HRT. Every woman ponders the option of HRT, so what's the big deal? Why such discrepancy and incompetence? The most exhausting part of this whole journey is trying to trust these doctors, doing my research, fighting with doctors, realizing I've made yet another mistake (even though I've done my research, found doctors with recommendations, etc.) and the waiting for 3 months to see if whatever conconction I am on is going to work. It just seems to be a real shame to me that on top of dealing with the depressing realization and the related health ramifications, I am finding my worst problem to be the doctors and finding one I feel I can trust. I told this gyn this today. I hope to God she knows what the hell she's doing, for the sake of my quality of life!
So, your opinions on her diagnosis would be great. Thanks.
Barbie, 40
thyroid cancer, 00
starting Yaz on Sunday
had been on HRT vivelle dot (.0025, .0375, .05 for the past year) with prometrium until u/s revealed a thick lining, then aygestin 1o mg since August
had been on Loestrin and Yaz before this and felt good '04-'07 (was switched once my FSH came back at 30 to HRT),
