So confused: Updated

I feel like I'm being a pest in here, but I don't know what to do.
I have posted several times about having hot/cold spells, anxiety, irritability and stomach upset.

I just don't understand how this can be estrogen related. I'm 59 and have been on estrogen for about 29 years. I had a total hysterectomy, but how can this still be an issue?

I have friends who have had total hysterectomies and some who have gone through normal menopause who use no estrogen.

I know you can have these symptoms with anxiety, but my husband keeps saying he thinks it's hormonal.

The thing is that I don't want to feel sick over the holidays.

Sometimes I get real anxious feeling with neck tension and feel moody. I feel like I can't be calm.
But, then I get hot flashes, then sometimes cold.
I just woke up feeling hot/cold.
If it's anxiety, why would you have it in your sleep?

I'm working with a gynecologist who says it can take several weeks to balance estrogen.

I've toyed with the idea of seeing a new family dr to ask about the anxiety, but I hate to get too many drs involved.

The strange thing is that the symptoms just flared up and got worse a couple of weeks ago.

Please give me your opinon.

Thanks!

It isnt uncommon for aniexty to become an issue following a hysterectomy. Many women end up taking anti depressant as well as hormones. Aside from that have you had your thyroid checked. Thyroid problens ars also very common following hysterectomies and it can cause depression and anxiety. Ask your dr about it and have them test you for it as well.

Good luck
Tracy

Well, yes, it is all hormonal, but it sounds like something is amiss. Our hormones feed the neurotransmitters and also can screw up the thyroid hormones even when you don't actually have a thyroid problem.

I know I can't take all mine at one time becuase then I get issues of the up and down, so you may want to look at that as well.

Bottom line (as far as I know) is that if you're still having hot flashes (and yes, some have cold flashes as well), then you don't have enough estrogen.

I guess one way to find out is to get your levels checked... see where you're at. At least you'd find out if your estrogen is affecting things.... also are these symptoms running a pattern - like the day you add more estrogen or are due to add more? What is your HRT regimen - what do you use and how often?

Just remember - those women in natural menopause are still producing up to 40% of the hormones they produced prior to menopause.. so they have a more stable supply as they're produced by their own ovaries... we have to rely on a schedule and are introducing hormones less naturally.

The one thing to remember is that we are all different. Some women are much more prone to have menopausal symptoms than others even while their uterus and ovaries are in tact.

I was on 2mg of oral Estrace for 17 years when my Dr. told me she thought I was on too much (she's the one who put me on it). She cut my dose in half. At that point I started (in retrospect) having some subclinical signs of hypothyroidism without my lab values changing at that point. Anxiety, tingling in hands, burning under the skin, insomnia, feeling cold, fatigue, weepiness, depression...the list goes on, are symptoms of both low estrogen and low thyroid function. Complicating things even more, I decided I probably should go off of estrogen completely. I started cutting it back to almost nothing (1/4 mg a day or so). Once I started the cascade of "issues", I've had a long road in trying to get my life back. My anxiety was the symptom that I felt most concerned about. I tried going the route that my original Dr. kept insisting on...medication for anxiety and an ad. The meds helped very little. She was so certain that I'd feel like a new person by going on the xanax. It didn't change a thing other than I was an anxious mess who was lethargic.
It seemed that my endocrine system was majorly disrupted and it wasn't going to be an easy fix. I did use the meds to help me somewhat cope with my situation. I finally got it in my head that it truly WAS anxiety..but it was anxiety that could be helped by addressing the problems with my endocrine system and not just by treating one symptom.

If you haven't done so, one of the most helpful things may be to start reading some books. Each book I read helped me to understand more and more that I wasn't searching for a diagnosis to some rare disorder I had, but I was slowly connecting the dots as to why my life was so upside down. It really was the hormone/thyroid connection.

If you've been messing with the hormones quite a bit, it's somewhat similar to scratching a scab off of a wound. In the end, it becomes more irritated and sore the more you mess with it. You may have to find a dose and method of estrogen to start with and let your body find a bit of equilibrium before making too many adjustments. Maybe you'll need to use a bit of anti-anxiety meds on occasion to get you through this rough spot. It also sounds like you have it in your head that the anxiety is NOT due to hormones/thyroid so you keep involving a third party (Dr.) who is not trained to think otherwise. You COULD be sabatoging yourself if you don't let your Gyn do her job. The added stress is also probably raising your cortisol and wreaking havoc as well. It sounds as if you've had plenty of testing to rule things out...maybe it's time to put some faith in your Gyn at this point to help you. I've also felt like I was drowning in the same whirlpool you're in right now. The only way out is to grab on to something! We can all support you here...but you have to make the move.

Yes, good point. Some are much more sensitive to fluctuations and some do not produce adequate hormones to keep symptoms at bay... we are indeed all truly different....

It's true... I never had anxiety before hormones dropped to nothing... and I have to force myself to remember that it's a classic symptom of my estrogen dropping... and E2me2 is right, drs do not always make the connection - they look for other causes and are quick to prescribe for anxiety rather than fix thyroid or estrogen imbalances. Keep that journal and hopefully you will see a pattern to help you decipher the root cause.

Yes, I agree.

The very first time I went in because I had all the mental symptoms, she tried to put me on an anti-d. I just looked at her and said "so it's 'give me your ovaries; here's your Prozac?'" She laughed but I didn't find it amusing. I was incensed that this was her answer. To me, it's no diff than going in with a broken arm and have the doctor give you something for pain, but not fix the broken arm.

It's a long journey for many of us, but some are good right from the start. Listen to your body and remember you know yourself and that hormones affect your whole body/mind.

You people are nothing short of awesome!!!
I finally feel like I have something to point me in the right direction.

First of all, I have been hypothyroid my whole life. I was always nervous too.
In my 30's I went to my family dr and was crying. The first thing he did was to put me on an antidepressant. I stayed on them for 20 years and still had hot/cold, anxiety and other maladies.
Anyway, I am going to do exactly what my gynecologist says. She said not to go back on an antidepressant. I have another hormone test from her before I see her on the 29th again.
I also have an appt with a really good endocrinologist about my thyroid. I'm not going by what my fam dr says.

Yes, I keep thinking it's anxiety and some pill will take it all away. But, it won't.
I have xanax for rough moments, but I hate to take it. It doesn't solve anything.

Can you recommend any good books to read?

Please be tolerant with me, I need you!!

stopthethyroidmadness.com is a great site with info about hypothyroidism. Also any of Dr Elizabeth Vliet's books are good for info on hormone replacement.

I just wanted to add a couple of books to Calypso's suggestions. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Hypothyroidism by Ken Blanchard, M.D., Ph.D. (an endocrinologist), The Thyroid Solution by Ridha Arem, M.D. (also an endocrinologist), Outliving Your Ovaries by Marina Johnson, M.D. (board certified in endocrinology and metabolism, internal medicine, and special interest in menopause etc.!) They're all really good books. They're more of a candle in the dark than a definitive solution...but isn't that what we're all looking for? Good Luck. HUGS!