6 months post-op getting my energy back! Yay!

People have been telling me it takes a year to be totally back to normal. There are things I thought I'd be participating in, but looking at the time involvement(ex. 6:00-10:00) plus another weeknight, I thought I don't think so!!

Jan

That is great to hear! I am in my 6mos also, but I still can't sleep right and the night sweats are awful. I've tried the patch, but it gave me nightmares and I keep forgetting to take the pill. Does one have any other suggestions?

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Originally Posted by janny108 People have been telling me it takes a year to be totally back to normal. There are things I thought I'd be participating in, but looking at the time involvement(ex. 6:00-10:00) plus another weeknight, I thought I don't think so!! Jan

I've had friends who have walked this road before us, who say the same thing.

I feel like it's a time to practice having a personal individual reason that is valid, to slow down because we feel we need to, even if those around us want or need us to be always moving 100mph.

Beyond recovery, and when our energy is completely back, we still shouldn't have to have the excuse of absolute physical incapacity in order to adjust the pace of the life we need to live, so that we live it with a quality that is meaningful to us.

We may need to start a new thread about how to do this!

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Originally Posted by Ishwari We may need to start a new thread about how to do this!

Good idea, Ishwari!

Hi,

I've had hot flashes for nearly 10 years, but I can't take any estrogens due to estrogen positive breast cancer 10 years ago. I also had them very dramatically because I was on Tamoxifen for 3.5 years.

I know that people have really good results with: Black Cohosh, Remifemin, Omega 3's like flax oil, Evening Primrose oil, there's a lot. If you're fine for hormones, you could try other things. I suppose your body could be in transition and they will pass soon. Everyone is different. There's also a product called Osta B3 that I tried from a Naturopath, and it worked well for a long time. Many times the herbal things work for a while, then not, then work again with a break in between.

My doc had me try Effexor for a year. It's an anti-depressant that works with the Seratonin and Norepinephrin (sp?) Apparently hot flashes may have something to do with the delivery of the norepinepherin. It DIDN'T work for me - I became a zombie. I look back and wonder how I even functioned on that stuff. I weaned myself off of it on my own. It does work for some people, however.

Don't be discouraged when people tell you they've had HF's for a long time. We are all different, and mine have been getting much less frequent in the past year and a half. I'm finally sort of used to them. I think the transitional periods are the hardest and I feel for what you are experiencing - I remember the feeling like a panic attack coming on, especially in the summer. AIf you think about it, before these lovelies started intruding themselves upon us, when we felt unexpectedly hot or sweaty before, it meant we were sick or scared or nervous. So the mind remembers the cause and the response, and so now our body goes into this and the mind thinks something must be wrong or to be feared, or we must be sick. So it's a body mind thing, too.

Drink lots of fluids, take your Omega 3's, which are good for your heart, too, use cool compresses, get a nice hand fan, and know you're not alone.

Now where are those avatars - I want to send you a Princess!

Thank you Ishwari for your encouragement. (another reason why I love this site) I will try the Omega 3's and also try to be patient. I totally forgot about how the mind works. I was so scared at first when I woke up in a puddle of sweat.

Thank you again!!

I am taking premarin to help with the dryness/burning. The doc said the estrogen can be monitored by me and it's a vaginal cream vs. a pill which means estrogen won't be zooming everywhere in the body, just the part that needs the extra support. Funny though, the doc said my hormone levels indicated I was nowhere near menopause although I'm 53! Not having any mood issues, mild sweating mostly.
Jan

I am very encouraged by knowing that eventually I will return to my old self. I had my surgery in early June 2008 and have gone back to my job of teaching fourth graders. I work, come home, and flop on the bed. I guess I was expecting to feel fine after eight weeks. Thanks for the encouragement.