Is it me?

Is it just me or does anyone else have the feeling they have made a big mistake?
I had to make the desicion on whether to keep ovaries or not.I was undecided till talking to my gyn who explained that after meno your ovaries don't work anyway,so I opted for removal.Now I'm going through all this crap like mild hot flashes and waking up covered in sweat even though I'm on HRT (premarin) and I'm so emotional and fed up with myself. Wish I had of found this site before the op.If I had known I would feel like this I would have told them to leave the ovaries. Am I being over anxious?. Will things settle down?
I am nearly 4 weeks post op.

From what I've read on this board, sometimes it takes a while to get the HRT dosage worked out to fit you and your body.

One of my closest friends is an oncologist and her husband is a GYN and they advised me to keep my ovaries due to an increase in risk of breast cancer with HRT. I went with their advise, but was only able to keep one ovary (the other was too damaged from cysts, etc.).

Hope you will find the right fit in terms of HRT, and I'm sure you will get other responses from women who have experience with that.

Wishing you the best!

Doris
TAH, one ovary left, surgery July 13th, 2005

I had the opposite feeling, like maybe I should have had my ovaries removed. Especially when I read a post from somone that had cysts and they had to go back in and remove them. But then I saw on the news the other day that women who have hysterectomies and have their healthy ovaries removed are at a higher risk of heart attack. I feel good about my decision now, but maybe in a few years when I go through natural menopause I'll wish I had gotten it over with now.

Maybe my age has something to do with my attitude (I'm 50) but I feel okay about having my ovaries removed, even tho they turned out to be healthy. My Dr. told me that the average age of menopause is 50; also there have been ovarian problems in my family. My mom had a hyst while in her 40's and ended up having her ovaries removed some years later. My sister had hers removed during a hyst due to potential for cancer.

My hyst was in April and I'm just recently having more hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms than I did right after the surgery. Nothing is really all that bothersome so I'm attempting to manage symptoms with soy and black cohosh. I realize it will take time. I'm relieved that I don't have to worry about future problems with ovaries.


That being said, I think it's very normal to wonder if we did the right thing, especially right after the surgery. Afterall, it's a radical procedure!

Becky

I was wondering if anyone knows how long does it take for you to adjust to the HRT. My gyn did tell me that some women can't tolerate Premarin I was thinking of changing to a more natural form of HRT but I was thinking maybe I haven't given it enough time (3 weeks)
Thank you all for your replies
Lee

I personally made the choice to let them take everything....I didn't want to risk going back again...for one ovary, they had to take the right one anyway. I am 47, so I don't need them and don't want surgery again. I am on the Climera patch and have had no bad menopause symptoms at all...no hot flashes, night sweats, nothing. I am a little moody on occasion. But was that way before the surgery. But I don't regret it...not for a minute.
Cheryl

I had everything taken out and have had no regrets. (Well, there were a couple of days around week 5 post-op when I felt really lousy and wondered why I'd done it! <g>)

You sound like you need an adjustment in your dosage, or maybe just a change of HRT. I'm on Estradiol. I was started on the lowest dose and had it increased a level after about 2 weeks. The level I'm at now seems to be doing the job. I don't know about anyone else, but I noticed the improvement within two days after increasing the dose, so it seems to me that 3 weeks is plenty of time to see if something is going to work.

You should definitely talk to your doctor about increasing the dose, or a complete change of HRT. Don't suffer in silence.

By the way, keeping your ovaries gives no guarantee they'll keep working normally after surgery. There are a few women here who kept their ovaries and had to take HRT as well.

HollyK

(((Lee))), I wouldn't spend much (if any!) time second-guessing your decision to have your ovaries removed. Obviously there is no going back to have them replaced. Instead, concentrate on healing.

Has the dose of Premarin you are using helped at all? If not, a change in dose or a change to another type of estrogen might be just what you need. It's a discussion worth having with your doctor.

There are a lot of choices when it comes to estrogen. You can read about them in articles #10 - 13 in this link to the Hormone Article List.

My personal preference is to use bio-identical hormones. Right now that includes Vivelle Dot 0.1 mg for estrogen along with compounded progesterone cream and testosterone cream. I also use Vagifem to treat vaginal dryness.

For now getting your symptoms under control with the right estrogen at the right dose is the goal. It's best not to add in additional hormones all at once because it can get complicated figuring out which is causing problems if you start experiencing more symptoms.

As you work to get balanced, it's helpful to keep a journal of your symptoms. To help guide you, print this list of symptoms common for too much/too little estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Share the journal and list with your doctor for help with necessary hormone tweaking.

I would like to mention that in the early weeks of recovery it's normal to have hormone fluctuations as your body recovers, adjusts to its new source of estrogen and depletes the hormones your ovaries made. Any changes made should be given at least several weeks before another change is considered. It takes time and a lot of patience for some of us to find our balance post-op.

There is additional information about hormones in the Resource Database. Look for the category called Hormone Jungle - Jungle Resources. You might also want to read this recent article about breast cancer risks.

Hang in there because is sure can get better! I hope this helps you!

s

I think it's normal to second guess these decisions!

I have a family history of ovarian cancer, and I'm age 45 (average age of menopause is 45-55), and even though I was right there at the menopause age, I had some surgical menopause symptoms and became frustrated thinking I did the wrong thing - should have waited a little longer..

I've had some pretty mild symptoms (very rare warm flashes, rare headaches and slight insomnia) but I still would become frustrated and say to my DH: "I've broken my body and can't get it back" He said: "Your body was broken anyway (heavy bleeding) and - it would have gone through menopause anyway in a few years!"
So - I've eliminated my higher risk of ovarian cancer.
I've just had to accept my new body and learn to live with it!

My DH is famous for saying: "It's just a little puzzle, we'll figure it all out"

My dr told me, whatever HRT that I decide upon, I need to give it a full month to let it stabilize and see if it will work for me.

I'm using vagifem (localized estradiol for the vagina/bladder areas), but no other estrogen for surgical menopause. I take vitamins and supplements and drink soy smoothies, so something might be working

Sending you s and best wishes.
This journey is the ultimate test of patience!

Shoozie (not known to be a patient woman!!)

Hello Girls,
This site has been a godsend for me, it's comforting to know there are women out there who know exactly what you're going through.I really am going to try and concentrate on getting well.Today I feel much better....the night sweats were only slight last night. I think I'm just too impatient and want to feel wonderful now like everyone keeps telling me I will.

I think being idle makes you concentrate more on yourself....I have never in my life had so much free time.

Thankyou again to all the Sisters who replied to my post....I have been telling all my friends here in Australia about this site.
Lee