My head is KILLING me.

Hi everyone,

I will be 6 weeks post TAH/BSO on Monday. I am 44. The doctor has changed my Climara dose several times moving from high to low back to .075 in an effort to help the headache I have had for 4 solid weeks without stopping. She now thinks that I need this higher dose.

My question is, how long do you have to be on a certain dose before you see relief? I don't think changing doses has helped either--too much fluctuation. Nothing over the counter helps this pain, and it is the only problem I am having post surgery.

Ouch, my aching head.

Hi

I'm sorry that you have been experiencing such an awful headache.

You're early post-op--much too soon to have so many changes made in your dose, in my opinion. Hormone fluctuations are common early post-op, with or without ovaries, with or without hormone therapy. Changing the dose too often causes more unbalance, just as you suspect. It can be a vicious cycle.

I think each change should, at the very, least be given a couple of weeks before another one is considered. Keep a journal of symptoms you have to show on an ongoing basis if you are getting better or not. If over a period of time you are still having symptoms of low estrogen, call your doctor and share your findings.

A good list to print and refer to is the symptom list of too much/too little estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. That can help guide you to find hormone balance. Once you are as balanced as possible on the estrogen you can consider adding progesterone and/or testosterone, one hormone at a time, to balance out the rest of the way. The entire process can easily take six months or more! That's why in the Hormone Jungle we say patience is a virtue.

If you're using the 0.075 now, stay with it for a couple of weeks. If you aren't getting headache improvement chances are it's because your estrogen level is too low and your doctor can try you on the 0.1 dose. I've experiences headaches like that myself and estrogen for me has been the answer. I'm using the 0.1 Vivelle Dot and am very pleased with it.

For future reference, the article linked above is part of the Hormone Article List which is located in the "HysterSisters Quick Links!" drop down menu, top/right side of the page.

Hang in there! It sure can get better!

s

Hi Jbuckeye,
Ouch! I know what you mean. I suffered from headaches almost every single day of my life once I started having periods at age 12. They are severely reduced now since my hyster. I also agree with AprilDawn, try to stick with one HRT level for awhile before changing it.

Here is another article about headaches post op that you might find helpful

https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/hsa...hp?s=&id=97116

That one is in the Post-op articles in the drop down menu on the Hystersister Quick Links right below the purple bar on the top of every page on this site.


Here's hoping that you will find the relief you need!

Thank you for your advice!