New to this hysterectomy and no one to talk too

I am new to the hysterectomy life and have no one to talk to about this. I am 48 years old and had a total hysterectomy on March 27, 2009. Going thru a lot of different emotions right now! Doctor has me on premarin 0.625. Is this right? Instead of taking this can I take all natural? Is it normal to have a urinary track infection 5 weeks after a hysterectomy? I am exhausted all the time is that normal? I had to force myself back to work last week because I have a daughter to support and bills to pay. I can not sleep at night and take simply sleep because it costs to much for sleeping pills. Even with the hormone pill I wake up soaking wet and have the most bizarre dreams I have ever had. Someone HELP ME.
Thanks Julie

Hi Julie,

I spoke to 3 friends who had hysterectomies of all types prior to mine (April 10, 2009) from years to months before making a decision on HRT, researched here, talked to my mom about my genes and of course, talked to my doctors. After all of that, my doctor and I settled on the Vivelle Dot .075 mg patch and had the first on placed on me during the surgery. I have not had sleep problems (aside from being tired from the surgery), hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings or any of the other symptoms related to menopause. If your HRT is not working for you, there are others. Talk to your doctor immediately. There are too many options out there for you to suffer.

Take care of yourself,

Julie,

I think the recovery process does take weeks - at least 6 weeks for the anesthesia to leave your body too. So feeling fatigued is probably normal at this point.

BUT... it doesn't sound like Premarin is working well for you so perhaps you should talk to your dr about an alternative. You could try a bio-identical form of estrogen - there are many kinds discussed on this forum, and you can search under the hormone tab to find options. Many women here use Vivelle dot patch that is changed every 3.5 days. Some use the oral Estrace tablet ($4 for generic at Walmart). I use Femring. Premarin does not work for many women.

Urinary tract infections, not sleeping and night sweats are all symptoms of low estrogen. I bet you just need to try something different. I hope you find one that works well for you. It does make a world of difference with one that's compatible with your body. Hang in there! Keep a detailed journal of your symptoms so you can discuss with your dr or at least see what's occurring when.

I hope you find some relief soon. Remember - not all types of HRT work for all women. It sometimes takes trial and error to find the one YOUR body likes best, and some tweaking to find the optimal dosage.

Good luck! Keep us updated on your progress. With the right estrogen replacement, your symptoms you described will probably cease.

Hi Julie,

I am also relatively new to the hysterectomy thing. Mine was done in Nov., 2008 and so far everything has gone pretty smoothly. I do have trouble sleeping, but have had better sleep since I began walking two weeks ago. I also take melatonin most every night. Not positive if it is that helpful, but it doesn't hurt. You may want to give it a try. Again, I have good nights and bad ones. I have been fortunate not to have to go on hormones yet. I am pretty determined not to, but you never know! The night sweats have also subsided a bit since I have been walking and taking my multi-vitamins. I think the key for me has been to get back to healthier living!

Hope things get better for you!

Hi Julie, Have to agree with the other post'ers...just sounds like you need to talk to your doc about trying another option. I had my hyst in November and started out with the Climara .1 mg patch that is changed weekly, but had a lot of ups and downs with it, had the crazy dreams, etc. Now I use the Vivelle Dot and feel better than I have in years! Good luck to you...it might take a little time, but it will get better!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by runnyblabbit I am new to the hysterectomy life and have no one to talk to about this. I am 48 years old and had a total hysterectomy on March 27, 2009. Going thru a lot of different emotions right now! Doctor has me on premarin 0.625. Is this right? Instead of taking this can I take all natural? Is it normal to have a urinary track infection 5 weeks after a hysterectomy? I am exhausted all the time is that normal? I had to force myself back to work last week because I have a daughter to support and bills to pay. I can not sleep at night and take simply sleep because it costs to much for sleeping pills. Even with the hormone pill I wake up soaking wet and have the most bizarre dreams I have ever had. Someone HELP ME. Thanks Julie

Julie,

I use the Vivelle Dot .05 patch. I put one on when I got out of recovery. Sounds like you need to try a different HRT. I haven't had any problems with my little patch.

Good Luck.