Vivelle dot - Vision problems/headache/memory problems

I am 9 weeks post op and went back to work last week. I sit in front of a computer monitor all day. This is what I have noticed in the last 7 work days:

- Vision problems that I cannot correct with dimestore reading glasses. I increased the font on my computer to no avail. I have terrible headaches, muscle tension in my back and neck from straining to see. It takes forever for my eyes to adjust from near/far. Lots of blurryness that seems to change throughout the day (I can see. Now I can't see. I can see...)

- Fogginess. Have to write everything down in order to do my job. General feeling of being stupid. Feeling of being "off". I will think of something and then instantly forget what was on my mind...It takes forever to recall what I was thinking. Very scary. I feel like I'm losing my mind!

I was started on Vivelle dot 1, so increasing the dose is not an option. I called my Doc today and asked if we could try another type of HRT. He said that I need to go have my eyes checked to see if the change is not due to some other reason. I wasn't happy about that, but I'll do it.

The last 7 work days have been really bad for me. I'm terribly slow and my performance is really suffering.

Hello...I would like to say thank-you for posting your thread. I have the exact same problem. I am holding things farther away to read them , I'm constantly squinting, and I have a major headache everyday while I am at work. I also work in front of three computer's and their related screens. I am getting my eyes tested in a couple of week's, it's pretty scary how bad they got and how quickly... I am taking 2mg estrace, which I find out might be contributing to this vision problem. I also have complete brain fog..not used to this either (feel like a complete moron sometimes)lol...I also have a lot of joint and muscle pain. It's nice to know that it's not just in my head(I was starting to get worried)hopefully our bodies will eventually straighen themselves out , in the meantime stay strong and know that your not alone.

Hello! I am in a similar situation. I am 39 years old and had a total hysterectomy September 27, 2006. My doctor and I decided for me to use the Femring (0.05) for HRT. I have always had migraine headaches, but now they have doubled! They seem to get worse after I have worked-out at the gym or under a lot of pressure at work/home. I will wake-up the next morning with a migraine headache. I am also experiencing more aches/pains in my neck and lower back area. My vision has also changed some and I have had to change my computer font at work. I too sit in front of a computer all day.

Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hopefully we are all just adjusting and things will get better in a few months.

I am currently on the Climara .1 patch. I am having problems with my eyes too. I have worn contacts for some time, but now for reading, computer etc.. I have to wear glasses ontop of my contacts to function. I also notice that my eyes are so dry now. I am always having to re-wet them to keep my contacts moist. Something I didn't need to do before. I just figured that this vision thing was just all part of the "change" that my body is going through.
My Dr switched me to the Vivelle Dot. I start tomorrow. I just have problems with the Climara patch at about 4 days with it starting to come off and my "change" symptoms get worse.

Hormones can definitely contribute to vision problems.
My eye doctor told me that is why they won't do lasik
surgery on someone who is on hormones. I think it is the fluctuation that actually does this. But, as far
as the joint and muscle pain, I use to have that really
bad, but now that I am on progesterone and testosterone compounds that is much improved.
I use a generic estrogen patch, which has worked better for me than the compound, but I do use the progesterone and testosterone compounds, and it dramatically helped muscle weakness, joint and muscle pain, after 5 yrs have a good regiment. Oh, yeah has
really helped the sex problem, too.

You mentioned a generic estrogen patch. Is this something that your doctor prescribed? What is the name of your patch? Does it cause you to have headaches? Also, do you know how Vivelle DOT works?Yeah, my sex drive has gone down the tubes.

I have used vivelle dot in the past, but it is more expensive, so I just called my doctor and ask to call in
the generic patch, which is just Estriodial. But, it is
all about balance, what works for one may not work for somebody else. I had to experiment for a while.
I do believe though that you need more than just estrogen, at least most of us. When I was on estrogen
I had migraines, about one a month, I haven't had one
since I have been on a combo. It takes a little while
to tell the difference, but I finally think I am on the
right combo and dose. I can't use a high dose of estrogen, I think .05 is next to the lowest dose.
The testosterone has really made me stronger, and improved my sex drive. Some women have side effects,
but I haven't, has been great. It takes about a week and a half for me to have desire again after we have had sex, but when I do, I really do. Too, much estrogen, especially alone makes me sick, panic attacks and headaches.

Thank you so much! This information is so helpful.

HI!

For those of you with eye problems -- I had them too and couldn't see anything even with reading glasses after my surgery. I already wear contacts and was afraid I would need to switch back to glasses. My eye doc suggested a nutritional supplement called Hydro-Eye from Science based health. I think there is another called Thera Tears. Anyway both are based on supplementing eye moisture via Omega acids and it has worked fairly well for me. I also talked to a friend who is an eye doc in another state and while she has never recommended the supplements she said patients had reported good results from using them.

Anyway I am not normally a supplement type of preson but these worked for me -- no guarantee it will work for others but it might be worth a try.

SP

My vision changed dramatically after my hyst, even with a pretty high dose HRT. I saw the eye Dr. a couple weeks post-op, but we postponed making any changes in my prescription b/c I wanted to wait until my HRT was regulated. When I went back at 6 mo my vision was even worse yet. The dr. gave me stronger bifocals and actually joked about my hormones. (It wasn't funny, so that was the last of that guy.)

This year I found a new eye doctor and actually saw her for the first time today. Like you...I told her I have times when "I can see/ I can't see." She did some dye test for dry eye and said I was severe in one eye - moderate in the other and that dry eye doesn't just cause tearing; it can cause on again/off again vision changes too. I don't know if this is what you are experiencing, but it might be worth a visit to your eye doc. I wish I'd had changed to this doc sooner.

I was a given two Rx drops, (one was Restasis - which she said I will be on long-term)and one OTC drop, a suggestion to increase my Omega 3's, and try to take frequent breaks from the computer (because computer users tend to have a slower blink rate which causes the eyes to get dry). She provided lots of interesting info about the different make up of our tears -part oily, part watery, coming from different glands. The oily-tear gland freq. has problems, so the watery-tear gland tries to compensate, etc. This site tells about: Dry Eyes if you're interested.

Hope your vision clears up soon, whatever the cause. It's very frustrating.
s,
Beth