How long do we have to stay in HJ??!!

I just entered this awful place last weekend. How long does it take to straighten out! I'm dying here! Or, at least, wishing I was! (At times!)

I had my tvh/bso three weeks and two days ago. I was on Estrace/prometrium before surgery.

Last weekend I spent having monster panic/night sweat/ crying /stressing and in general going nuts. On Monday I was put on vivelle .1mg/100 mg prometrium. It seemed to be better. Last night I slept fine for a few hours, and then the night sweats started. I had one every few minutes. I finally couldn't stand it, cut one of those suckers in half and popped it on. The night sweats went away. I can't talk to the doc about it til Tuesday. I was not having the panic/mood swing/crying, just night sweats. I am tired and worn out. Probably too soon after surgery to be better that way. I was told it was too soon after my surgery to have my levels checked, so that is out. When can you do that?

I've spent a lot of time perusing this board and reading all the hormone articles. It helped me feel more educated about it, but if I just could figure out how long this process takes. I realize everyone is different, but if I could just come up with an average, ball park amount of time. One of the ways I have of coping is marking the days. Each day I live through is like a victory.

I don't do caffiene or any of the things which would aggravate this. I am going to go get some black cohosh today.

I'm sorry you are having a hard time in the Jungle! You are still so very early post-op, my guess is your body is still trying to settle in---- not to mention you are exhausted from not getting enough sleep and the panic attacks.

I know it is very frustrating, as it can take some time to find the right balance for yourself again. It's good idea give any new HRT at least a few weeks before you start tweaking or adjusting. You might consider keeping a journal of your symptoms for awhile, which may give you an idea of what is or is not causing certain symptoms.

For my own recovery, I didn't really feel like I had started "turning the corner" until about 7 months post-op----which is when my doc finally switched me from oral estradiol to Vivelle Dot .05. Within a week after starting Vivelle, I started feeling much better--slept better. etc.

Hang in there and give your Vivelle a little more time. Keep us posted on how you are doing over the weekend.

's

Hi blueridgeartist I plan to stay here forever

Seriously, though, (((Shelley))) gave you some great advice. I would say six months to a year is a fair estimate of an average amount of time, but who is "average" anyway? You could be here anywhere from a few minutes to a few years. And is that necessarily bad?

I find that the more time I spend in the , the better I am getting to know my body and how it works. And the more comfortable I feel about being here! I hope the same thing will happen to you.

I know it's hard when you are so early post op, you want to feel better NOW. If you can resign yourself to the idea that it might not work that way, and try to go with the flow, you will have an easier time of it. And you might be surprised... after a short while, things may settle down and you might be out of here before you know it!

s,
-Linda

Hey blueridge!
I'm just new to the jungle myself but i don't think i'll ever admit to leaving it. What would i use for an excuse to have a hissy fit then?

Night sweats are the pitts, the only good thing is it's been cold enough here in MI to sleep with the window open and door shut. Dunno bout summertime, probably will sweat off a bunch of weight or something. Oops, wishful thinking!

What kind of artsy fartsy stuff do you do, Blue? Any chance of you posting up some pics of your work? I do stained glass (or used to) and maybe we should get a bunch of us not so useless hormonally challenged sisters to start a thread about our talents? Might be fun and make us feel better for....oh, a minute or two?
take care, i'll watch for your pictures of what you do!
love,
becki

Thanks for the replys. I had a feeling I might be in this for the long haul. I was on 2mg pr day of Estrace before my doc switched me to the vivelle dot. I have felt a lot better today with the increased dosage, but we will see. I went to the health food store today and got black cohosh and St. Johns Wort. I will take them to see if they help with the night sweats. That really seems to be the only symptom I have. I haven't swung from my vine since Monday, my first day on vivelle and my pillow hasn't scared me any since then either.

I understand the idea is to slowly decrease the amount of hormones you are taking to let your body adjust to the smaller amount. So for sure it will take time.

I have been an exercise fiend for years, and not getting in my two miles a day and my three trips to the gym a week has been hard. I was cleared to start walking 10 days ago, and this is the first day I have really felt like it. I had only been making short walks around the driveway, and today, I walked a mile out of defiance. I came back home and lay down for the rest of the night, but I think getting back some of those endorphins has helped this evening, too. Its midnight and I'm not whining!

I was working on a website with a web designer before I had this sudden side trip to the castle come up. I don't have a lot of work on the site yet, but the address is www.wendybrownart.com. if you'd like to check me out. I do original oils and watercolors of Blue Ridge area scenery to sell in Galleries in Western NC, and, as soon as I am cleared to go back to work, I will be selling them on line. I also do portraits, architect's renderings and floral pieces.