Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[bigskygirl]

I should know better than to go on facebook and get into a disagreement with people because I was called out for saying someone is not completely cured after receiving a new kidney after an article stated someone was completely cured after a kidney transplant. My husband and I were told the day he started his dialysis treatments about transplant are not a cure but a treatment by one of the top kidney specialists in the northwest. I guess if an article on facebook says some is completely cured after a transplant than it must be true. *rolling eyes*

[Arwen Evenstar]

@bigskygirl, yeah it’s hard to say with any certainty what is a cure and what isn’t since treatments have improved over time and they have more data now than when your husband had his transplant. I’d take what you were told over a Facebook post.  I lost my dad 3 years ago to gastric cancer and my oncologist said they’re using different treatments now for that kind of cancer.

[bigskygirl]

@Arwen Evenstar There has been some treatments changes over the years. I think they were working on one where a patient can actually grow their own kidney from their own stem cells. I have no idea if this new idea has been used yet on patients, or it is still in the work in progress.

Just checked the numbers-54% of patients who received a new kidney after ten years still have their kidneys. Almost half of the patients reject their kidneys before the ten years are up. Still 54% is pretty good.

Edited January 23, 2018 by bigskygirl

[Arwen Evenstar]

@bigskygirl, yes 54% after 10 years is still considered good for many diseases and problems.  I would have hoped for better anti rejection drugs to be available by now, but if Medicare or Medicaid won’t pay for them, then it’s not particularly helpful.   It’s better than my long term prognosis for survival. Only 46% of ovarian cancer survivors are still alive after 5 years 

[bigskygirl]

11 minutes ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

@bigskygirl, yes 54% after 10 years is still considered good for many diseases and problems.  I would have hoped for better anti rejection drugs to be available by now, but if Medicare or Medicaid won’t pay for them, then it’s not particularly helpful.   It’s better than my long term prognosis for survival. Only 46% of ovarian cancer survivors are still alive after 5 years 

@Arwen Evenstar You are one tough lady. I hope you live a long and healthy life. {{{HUGS}}}

One of the problems with kidney transplants is the blasted anti rejection meds. They can be toxic. In fact, one of the anti-rejection meds my husband is on caused diabetes within a few months of his transplant. In 2010 his blood sugar levels were dangerously high, and the doctors were worried he was showing signs of possible rejection. He now keeps a close eye on his blood sugar levels and takes insulin at least once a day. Of course, his insurance company is starting to fight paying for one of his anti-rejection meds almost 14 years after his transplant. Seriously...

Edited January 23, 2018 by bigskygirl

[MonicaM]

On 1/23/2018 at 0:34 PM, Arwen Evenstar said:

@bigskygirl, yes 54% after 10 years is still considered good for many diseases and problems.  I would have hoped for better anti rejection drugs to be available by now, but if Medicare or Medicaid won’t pay for them, then it’s not particularly helpful.   It’s better than my long term prognosis for survival. Only 46% of ovarian cancer survivors are still alive after 5 years 

Welcome to the 46%!!!  Snark is excellent for your health, so keep up the great work.

[EtheltoTillie]

On 1/23/2018 at 1:34 PM, Arwen Evenstar said:

@bigskygirlOnly 46% of ovarian cancer survivors are still alive after 5 years 

I am 8 1/2 years out!  I have beaten the odds so far.  How many years from your diagnosis?  Glad to find a teal sister here.

Edited January 25, 2018 by GussieK

[ChiCricket]

 I'm visiting family in Puerto Rico & our phone service up here in the mountains is nonexistant.  Both my husband and I have Sprint phones, we might as well have brought rocks from our yard for all the good they are doing us. :-D 

  Out of his huge family up here, only one has WiFi, so my tablet has been almost useless also. I'm jonesing, I tell you! (Plus my husband is cheap, so he didn't rent a car, so we're walking up and down hill and dale.. I am POOPED)

PS..did I mention we came here for my first ever Bat Mitzvah? It was for my granddaughter Ahava, who just turned 13 :) I was so proud of her, she did the service in English, Spanish, and Hebrew! (I kept holding the prayer book backwards, I had never seen one in Hebrew before)

SO interesting, and I'm so proud of her. Ok..leaving That relative's house so no more connectivity for me for awhile. Miss you all! 

Pps..wow..Puerto Rico looks so DIFFERENT  Lots of wires still down. I can see things from my in-law's house miles away, that I could never see before (all the trees are down now)

Edited January 26, 2018 by ChiCricket

[Rabbittron]

I wonder how many of us are somehow related. Because on my moms side we're related to Peregrine White who was the second baby born on the Mayflower and the first born on the Mayflower when it was docked.

[CalicoKitty]

7 minutes ago, Rabbittron said:

I wonder how many of us are somehow related. Because on my moms side we're related to Peregrine White who was the second baby born on the Mayflower and the first born on the Mayflower when it was docked.

Our ancestors knew each other on the Mayflower:  Stephen Bradford, William Brewster, Stephen Hopkins and John Howland are my Mayflower families.  I'm also descended from William the Conquerer and Alfred the Great.  It does make reading history more interesting.

[Marigold]

On 1/25/2018 at 4:14 PM, GussieK said:

I am 8 1/2 years out!  I have beaten the odds so far.  How many years from your diagnosis?  Glad to find a teal sister here.

My mom had ovarian cancer. Dx in 1997 and survived 4 years on chemotherapy. Metastasis to her spin and then spread to all over. 

Teal Ribbon daughter carries on alone.   

[Catlyn]

5 hours ago, ChiCricket said:

we came here for my first ever Bat Mitzvah? It was for my granddaughter Ahava, who just turned 13 :) I was so proud of her, she did the service in English, Spanish, and Hebrew! (I kept holding the prayer book backwards, I had never seen one in Hebrew before)

I went to a Bat Mitzvah for an friend. She didn't have one when she was younger as her family couldn't afford it. I felt a bit out of it because I didn't know what was going on when they used the prayer books as I didn't read Hebrew. It wasn't until the end when I realized the English translations were in the back of the book! Loved it any ways there were four women celebrating and it as a progressive temple as they had women readers.  Sorry if I named something wrong as I am not Jewish.

[awaken]

We will be going to Puerto Rico in a couple months. I’ll be interested and saddened, I’m sure, to see what’s different, what places got through it ok, and not. 

[Love2dance]

@ChiCricket, thank you for your update. So sorry to hear there isn’t more progress in Puerto Rico. 

Glad you got to go to the Bat Mitzvah. Too funny about discovering the English version so late into the service. Your granddaughter’s language skills are so impressive. 

Hope you can enjoy the rest of your trip...as much as possible.

[Marshmallow Mollie]

@CalicoKitty

@Rabbittron

I'm descended from Stephen Hopkins. One of his children was the first born on the Mayflower: Oceanus (sp?). I think I am descended from Elizabeth? 

[CalicoKitty]

@Marshmallow Mollie - I'm descended from son Giles.

[Arwen Evenstar]

On 1/25/2018 at 3:14 PM, GussieK said:

I am 8 1/2 years out!  I have beaten the odds so far.  How many years from your diagnosis?  Glad to find a teal sister here.

I was dxed in March 2017. Holding up, so I’ll be a year soon. I’m glad to hear from another teal sister, too! I always say it’s a club I never wanted to be a member of, so it’s a great comfort to know all its members are badasses!

 

3 hours ago, Marigold said:

My mom had ovarian cancer. Dx in 1997 and survived 4 years on chemotherapy. Metastasis to her spin and then spread to all over. 

Teal Ribbon daughter carries on alone.   

@Marigold {{{  }}}. Your mom was a courageous teal sister!

[MunichNark]

My six months old laptop is after dying on me, the bastard? so im confined to my mobile phone’s internet. Grrrr

on a lighter note, you have got to watch this-im well and truly hooked. 

[Marigold]

18 hours ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

I was dxed in March 2017. Holding up, so I’ll be a year soon. I’m glad to hear from another teal sister, too! I always say it’s a club I never wanted to be a member of, so it’s a great comfort to know all its members are badasses!

 

@Marigold {{{  }}}. Your mom was a courageous teal sister!

So thrilled you are beating it!!!  Go! Go! Go! 

@GussieK   8 years is fabulous!!!  

[CalicoKitty]

  This sums up what some people forget.

[MORGANH]

Any other non sleepers out there? This is nuts. I sleep for about 3 hours and then I am UP. Too bad everyone else in the house is sleeping or I could get shit done!

i eventually fall back to sleep a few hours later thanks to books and Netlixvand headphones but wake up late. Medications don’t really work. Starting to think I’m part vampire.

[lookeyloo]

1 hour ago, OneMoreStop said:

Any other non sleepers out there? This is nuts. I sleep for about 3 hours and then I am UP. Too bad everyone else in the house is sleeping or I could get shit done!

i eventually fall back to sleep a few hours later thanks to books and Netlixvand headphones but wake up late. Medications don’t really work. Starting to think I’m part vampire.

Sleep is an issue for me too. Fall right to sleep. Three hours later awake. I can mostly go back to sleep after a while. I think it is my age (old) and lack of hormones.  

[ginger90]

For quite a while now, I have woken up every 2 hours every stinking night. I don’t know if I am afraid my alarm won’t go off, or what. It’s very annoying. It doesn’t seem like I wake up due to anything. I had a sleep study done a while ago, and everything was “normal”. 

[Catfin]

Tired of waking up in a pool of sweat. Pretty sure the menopause fairy is visiting. 

[Arwen Evenstar]

14 hours ago, Marigold said:

So thrilled you are beating it!!!  Go! Go! Go! 

@GussieK   8 years is fabulous!!!  

Thanks, Marigold.  I only hope to be blessed to do as well as GussieK. Mr E and I both have a family history of longevity, but diabetes is the scourge of his family and cancer is the scourge in mine.  In my early 50s, I’m one of the youngest in my family history to get cancer. I don’t have a BRAC mutation.

[Arwen Evenstar]

14 minutes ago, Catfin said:

Tired of waking up in a pool of sweat. Pretty sure the menopause fairy is visiting. 

She’s a nasty wench., for sure.  I knew it had started when it was February and I kicked the covers off.  Mr E tried to put them back over me, since he knows I wrap myself up like a burrito to sleep. I tore him a new one and once the ass chewing was done, I apologized and sheepishly told him that I was calling the doc first thing, because the fairy had arrived. He agreed that my change in night sweats was too much to not be the fairy.

Edited January 28, 2018 by Arwen Evenstar

[Catfin]

I'm overdue for my annual.  Will be calling Monday morning. 

Curious, has anyone done hormone replacement therapy? I've always had the mindset of "hell no" as my mom's breast cancer was linked to twenty years use of the meds.  Not certain why her doc had her on HRT twenty years and am pretty sure they should lose their license for that. 

[latetotheparty]

16 minutes ago, Catfin said:

I'm overdue for my annual.  Will be calling Monday morning. 

Curious, has anyone done hormone replacement therapy? I've always had the mindset of "hell no" as my mom's breast cancer was linked to twenty years use of the meds.  Not certain why her doc had her on HRT twenty years and am pretty sure they should lose their license for that. 

I have.  I was put on HRT after my hysterectomy (for uterine cancer) because of my age. I was only 35.  No one wanted me going through surgical menopause at that age. And it helped. But after a few years I felt like it wasn’t agreeing with me and took myself off. Being heavy, alas, my body produced enough estrogen that I didn’t go through real menopause until my 50s. Not that I would advise gaining weight to avoid HRT. :)  Like birth control HRT has changed a lot over the years but I sure don’t blame you for being hesitant. 

[Catfin]

Thanks for the feedback. I had a hysterectomy ten years ago at 42 but kept my ovaries. Will have to see what my gyn thinks.  This female aging is for the birds. I can  also do without the chin hair. Argh. 

[latetotheparty]

4 hours ago, OneMoreStop said:

Any other non sleepers out there? This is nuts. I sleep for about 3 hours and then I am UP. Too bad everyone else in the house is sleeping or I could get shit done!

i eventually fall back to sleep a few hours later thanks to books and Netlixvand headphones but wake up late. Medications don’t really work. Starting to think I’m part vampire.

This is me. I’ve been an insomniac since before I could read (no exaggeration) and it’s gotten more crazy as I’ve gotten older. When I was younger it would take ages to fall asleep but I’d sleep like the dead once I was down. Now I sleep a few hours, wake a few and, if I’m lucky, sleep for a few more. Getting up has been hell my whole life. My mom had a similar sleep pattern as she got older so I wonder if it’s a familial thing. My maternal grandmother didn’t sleep well either. 

I also have apnea and I find the cpap helps a little, I think because it encourages me to breathe more deeply, which is relaxing. You might want to consider a sleep study. There are a lot of non-apnea conditions they can diagnose and there  might be help for you.  In your case I would insist on an in-lab study if your insurance will allow it. There are home studies that can diagnose uncomplicated apnea but are nor capable of finding other sleep issues. 

Bodies. Why?

[kassygreene]

50 minutes ago, Catfin said:

I'm overdue for my annual.  Will be calling Monday morning. 

Curious, has anyone done hormone replacement therapy? I've always had the mindset of "hell no" as my mom's breast cancer was linked to twenty years use of the meds.  Not certain why her doc had her on HRT twenty years and am pretty sure they should lose their license for that. 

My mother did it for eleven years, starting right after it came out.  Started really acknowledging that she felt like crap early in year 10, saw the inventors on a talk show a year or so later who said that a) it was only supposed to be prescribed if a certain set of criteria existed, b) that it was supposed to be for no more then five years, c) it was NOT something to delay menopause and therefore maintain "youth" forever.

So my mother asked her gyn why?  and he said you should keep taking it.  She stopped taking it, began to feel better immediately, and fired the gyn. 

My take is it was a magic therapy to defer menopause and therefore preserve youth, it was covered by insurance, and pharma made money.  (My mother is now 84 and very very healthy.)

[louannems]

I'm 60.  When I was 47, I went from 204 lb to 129 lb on Weight Watchers.  I'm 5 ft 6 so I was quite lean. I hadn't been that thin since Jr High and I was freezing.

So I was at the in- laws on Christmas day, dressed in cuddle duds long johns, cordoroy pants, wool sweater, and I had my first hot flash. I wanted to rip all my clothes off!  It was horrible.

My hot flashes continued to be SEVERE (like JillRod SEVERE!), and HRT did nothing to stop them.  What finally worked was a HRT patch.  My gyn said two years tops on HRT.  After ending the patch, I continued having less severe hot flashes for 12 years until they finally faded away.

 

I'm also a lifetime insomniac and I am rather embarrassed to admit that I take temazepam, a prescription sleeping pill, every night, and have for 14 years!  Its the only medication I take.  I'm retired now and don't "need" to sleep in order to function at work.  I try to wean myself off of them, but I hate being awake during the night.

[MORGANH]

I’m not a doc but dispensing HRT was a fairly common practice 20years ago. Women were experiencing no so pleasant side effects ( Incliding pre cancer scares) and were advised to stop. I can’t attest to that being for all users but I sympathize with those affected that I have spoken to. Holistic approaches were then replaced.  My MIL took HRT took for a few years maybe and ended up with a wicked case of endometriosis that required surgery before it progressed into anything worse. I keep in mind that this version of HRT was produced 20+ years ago and she was not forthcoming with details but I got enough details. This from a woman that never was sick ever.  I hear (and I may be mistaken) that HRT (or the herbal kind) may be prescribed or available OTC (or some variation ) for those recovering from a hysterectomy or related procedures.

Then again, I’m not a medical professional but I am very involved in my family’s senior care.  I’ve also had friends with various gynecological parts removed and they have been very vocal  their treatment.

It would be great to have medical professional provide their advice here.

Then again, back it the 60’s my mom suffered migraines and was considered an an anxious person. Her elderly doc prescribed her Librium and sent her on her way. Let’s just say she loved it and and I was conceived shortly thereafter. Since you had to go to the doctor for a pregnancy test in this days, it is assuming she  continued the meds for several weeks while pregnant.

Needless to say, I contribute this to my many trips on the crazy train ?

But my point is great advancements have been made in the past century that may help your issues. Mine personal experience however seems to have rendered my mom with not a care in the world . Which appears to be why I am here.

Just my experiences on the issue.  Please consult a medical professional.

[bigskygirl]

I was diagnosed with endometriosis in December 2002 (left ovary and cyst taken out.) Six months later I was diagnosed with Graves Disease. I guess women with endometriosis can end up with thyroid disorders also. *joy *joy*

My sleeping pattern has been all over the place since mid December. Throw in severe sleep apnea, insomnia, side effects from the three meds I take at bedtime, my anxiety getting worse, and using a cpap machine, and I am not a fun person to be around. My physician assistant put me on something to help me sleep, but once again, the side effects were not pleasant so I quit taking the one med. I am thinking about having my parathyroid tested to see if it is acting up. My blood tests results were fine a few weeks ago, but a patient with parathyroid problems may not have all the symptoms, but I do have a few.

[latetotheparty]

34 minutes ago, louannems said:

I'm 60.  When I was 47, I went from 204 lb to 129 lb on Weight Watchers.  I'm 5 ft 6 so I was quite lean. I hadn't been that thin since Jr High and I was freezing.

So I was at the in- laws on Christmas day, dressed in cuddle duds long johns, cordoroy pants, wool sweater, and I had my first hot flash. I wanted to rip all my clothes off!  It was horrible.

My hot flashes continued to be SEVERE (like JillRod SEVERE!), and HRT did nothing to stop them.  What finally worked was a HRT patch.  My gyn said two years tops on HRT.  After ending the patch, I continued having less severe hot flashes for 12 years until they finally faded away.

 

I'm also a lifetime insomniac and I am rather embarrassed to admit that I take temazepam, a prescription sleeping pill, every night, and have for 14 years!  Its the only medication I take.  I'm retired now and don't "need" to sleep in order to function at work.  I try to wean myself off of them, but I hate being awake during the night.

 

1 hour ago, louannems said:

So I'm also a lifetime insomniac and I am rather embarrassed to admit that I take temazepam, a prescription sleeping pill, every night, and have for 14 years!  Its the only medication I take.  I'm retired now and don't "need" to sleep in order to function at work.  I try to wean myself off of them, but I hate being awake during the night.

There is no shame in that. Because of my anxiety, I tend to fight sedatives if I feel them working. (Putting me out for surgery is a challenge; I cling to consciousness.) I do take melatonin but it only helps 50 percent of the time. 

[MonicaM]

3 hours ago, Catfin said:

I'm overdue for my annual.  Will be calling Monday morning. 

Curious, has anyone done hormone replacement therapy? I've always had the mindset of "hell no" as my mom's breast cancer was linked to twenty years use of the meds.  Not certain why her doc had her on HRT twenty years and am pretty sure they should lose their license for that. 

Yes.  I'm sixty, and I've been on and off HRT since my forties.  I'm back to taking it now.  I've always had "female problems", including endometriosis and treatments for infertility.  Peri menopause hit when I was in my forties, and it was severe.  I will testify that HRT saved my marriage and gave me back my life.  It wasn't the perfect solution, but my preference is always to be as functional and comfortable as possible. 

This past year, some of the worst symptoms returned - the anxiety, depression, hot flashes, migraines, etc.  The GYN suggested trying a very low dose of HRT, and I was fully on board with that.  Again, the symptoms didn't magically vanish, but they did go down to a level where I can manage most days without wanting to jump out the nearest window.  

I believe every woman is different and these decisions need to be made on a case by case basis.  Weigh your own individual risk factors, along with your personal level of comfort with risk.  I was fortunate this time around to find a doctor who doesn't believe in a "one size fits all" plan for treatment.  

My mother also started on HRT in her forties and although she lowered the dose through the years, continued to take it until she was almost eighty.  She died at age 84 of complications from a broken hip.

Edited January 28, 2018 by MonicaM
ridiculous grammar errors

[bigskygirl]

I admit I am nervous about thinking of trying hormone replacement therapy after the major problems with the thyroid hormone replacement med. I do not need more medical issues. I know my endocrinologist and physician assistant would need to monitor me more closely if I decide to try it, but I am too much of wimp.

[crazycatlady58]

I hope it alright  to mention  this, but I sometimes  have problems  going to sleep  I listen  to Calm app,  they have sleep  stories  where someone  reads you a bedtime story. If this is not appropriate , I apologize . 

[doodlebug]

Current standard medical thinking on postmenopausal hormone replacement: the ONLY indication to be placed on it is severe hot flashes affecting the quality of life.  Not to prevent osteoporosis or treat libido (doesn’t work for that anyway) or whatever.

Who shouldn’t get it ever? Women with a history of estrogen sensitive cancers (mainly breast and uterine), women who’ve had blood clots in their legs or lungs.

What’s the risk? Increased risk of breast cancer and heart disease.  HOWEVER, the increase in risk is small for most which is why it is reasonable to consider it.  The overall risk of developing breast cancer or having a heart attack after menopause is around 30 women out of every 10,000 each year.  If a woman is on hormone replacement, her risk rises to 37 per 10,000 a year. An increase, but overall a very small number.  To break it down further, the woman’s age and length of time on the meds also makes a difference and the biggest increase is in women over the age of 60 who’ve been taking it more than 5 years.

I see a lot of women who are so miserable they are barely functioning due to hot flashes, their quality of life is severely affected. Nothing relieves hot flashes as well as hormone replacement.  Not herbal remedies, not Prozac, nothing.  I tell them to take the smallest dose for the shortest time.  I usually recommend stopping after 2 years and see how it goes.  Many women can quit without much problem at that point.  I also remind people that it is a medication, not a marriage and it is fine to stop anytime if she’s not comfortable.

There are women who can’t stop the HRT without the return of terrible hot flashes.  In that case, many decide its worth it.  We take risks every day, crossing a busy street is more dangerous  but we don’t think twice.

I have a patient, now in her 80’s, who’s been on it for more than 30 years.  When she comes for a refill, we talk about it. Her philosophy? ‘Honey, if this stuff was going to give me cancer or a heart attack, don’t you think it would’ve happened by now?  I’m an old lady, something’s going to get me one day, meanwhile, I am not having hot flashes!’  Needless to say, I love her.

Almost 61 myself, never on HRT because I never got hot flashes. It’s been 9 years, so I doubt I ever will.  I have no explanation, my mom sure had’em.

Edited January 28, 2018 by doodlebug

[bigskygirl]

I started having hot flashes after I started taking the one blasted thyroid med. I did have them before I was diagnosed with Graves Disease, but once I started the one med to treat it, the flashes went away. I know the blood pressure med can make me more sensitive to the heat. The cold also affects me more also. Like I said, women with thyroid disorders need to be monitored more closely if they decide to do HRT because it can interfere with the thyroid med. It has been a long five years of dealing with thyroid hormone replacement med sensitivity, and I do not want to take a chance of making it worse.

[Arwen Evenstar]

There are systemic estrogens like pills or patch. Then there are vaginal creams that act more localized, which was what my GYN recommended for me due to my having a mutation that put me at risk for breast cancer.  The breast specialist said she prescribed Estrace to some of her breast cancer patients because vaginal dryness is a quality of life issue.  

Estrace made my lady bits feel much better. It didn’t suit me, since it caused breast tenderness, which was awful. And, I would have occasional spotting. None of these side effects were unusual, but I stopped it and used olive oil (doc recommended it) or replens.

I had a history of endometriosis since my teens and a HORRIFIC peri menopause that began in my early 40s.  My periods were so heavy that I took Depo shots and I got some relief. Acupuncture helped.  I attempted to use an unopened unexpired professional sample of Estrace December 2016. It’s like it lit off 3 periods in 3 months and breast tenderness.  This was only using it 3 or 4 times and not the 1 gram daily dose. I’m talking half a dose twice a week. My gyn onc said the endometriosis was likely the cause of my clear cell diagnosis. Not everyone with endometriosis gets it, only like 2%. It’s very aggressive.  I was in Stage 4 by March of 2017 and I had a clean chest X-ray in mid January 2017.

Every woman should choose the risks she’s willing to accept. Most insurance covers genetic testing. If you have BRAC or other mutations that cause breast and/or ovarian cancer, it’s best to be sure and insist on getting your CA-125 levels tested.

[Marshmallow Mollie]

@latetothepartyI have also had insomnia truly for as long as I can remember. I've never met anyone else who has. Lucky us.

I also used to "only" have problems with going to sleep, but then it became both hard to go to sleep and to stay asleep. In college it got so bad I wasn't getting REM sleep and took medicine for a while.

When I had twins, my insomnia was cured. Now that they are 3, and I'm not utterly exhausted every day, the insomnia is starting to creep back in.

[Westiepeach]

1 hour ago, doodlebug said:

Almost 61 myself, never on HRT because I never got hot flashes. It’s been 9 years, so I doubt I ever will.  I have no explanation, my mom sure had’em.

 

58 here. Menopause started 10 years ago. Never had a hot flash. I have seen my friends have them and I thank God every day I was spared.

I do have the sleep thing going on, though. No matter what time I go to bed, I am wide awake by 5:00 am. After waking up briefly several times during the night.

Edited January 28, 2018 by Westiepeach

[EVS]

Add me to the insomnia club. I was up for several hours last night. I normally check these boards, but instead I ended up watching the Australian Open. I saw a sleep specialist a few years ago who gave me some tips. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. Last night they didn’t, but watching tennis probably didn’t help, lol.  I’m also going through menopause although my symptoms haven’t been too bad so far and thankfully I’m close to the finish line. 

[lookeyloo]

55 minutes ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

There are systemic estrogens like pills or patch. Then there are vaginal creams that act more localized, which was what my GYN recommended for me due to my having a mutation that put me at risk for breast cancer.  The breast specialist said she prescribed Estrace to some of her breast cancer patients because vaginal dryness is a quality of life issue.  

Estrace made my lady bits feel much better. It didn’t suit me, since it caused breast tenderness, which was awful. And, I would have occasional spotting. None of these side effects were unusual, but I stopped it and used olive oil (doc recommended it) or replens.

I had a history of endometriosis since my teens and a HORRIFIC peri menopause that began in my early 40s.  My periods were so heavy that I took Depo shots and I got some relief. Acupuncture helped.  I attempted to use an unopened unexpired professional sample of Estrace December 2016. It’s like it lit off 3 periods in 3 months and breast tenderness.  This was only using it 3 or 4 times and not the 1 gram daily dose. I’m talking half a dose twice a week. My gyn onc said the endometriosis was likely the cause of my clear cell diagnosis. Not everyone with endometriosis gets it, only like 2%. It’s very aggressive.  I was in Stage 4 by March of 2017 and I had a clean chest X-ray in mid January 2017.

Every woman should choose the risks she’s willing to accept. Most insurance covers genetic testing. If you have BRAC or other mutations that cause breast and/or ovarian cancer, it’s best to be sure and insist on getting your CA-125 levels tested.

@Arwen Evenstar - if you are looking for an olive oil replacement - may I suggest you ask the dr. about an Estring?  For the lady bits?  I had estrogen positive breast cancer and took Femara for almost 10 years and my "areas" were quite uncomfortable.  I tried the lubrication products as recommended and they were messy and didn't work for me.  The oncologist and gyn approved the Estring.  Apparently the estrogen released is topical and doesn't get absorbed.  It lasts 3 months.  Maybe not an option for you, but thought I would put it out there.  And maybe @doodlebug can chime in.

[Arwen Evenstar]

I’ve been told by my gyn onc no hormonal products whatsoever, even Intrarosa, which is DHEA, a precursor to hormones and is essentially topical. I could never use the sponge or anything that sits on my cervix. I would have poked myself RAW trying to get it in, and I didn’t want it to fall out while I was on the toilet. There’s a product from Canada that contains HLA, but it’s not available stateside and that product contains no hormones at all.

[lookeyloo]

2 minutes ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

I’ve been told by my gyn onc no hormonal products whatsoever, even Intrarosa, which is DHEA, a precursor to hormones and is essentially topical. I could never use the sponge or anything that sits on my cervix. I would have poked myself RAW trying to get it in, and I didn’t want it to fall out while I was on the toilet. There’s a product from Canada that contains HLA, but it’s not available stateside and that product contains no hormones at all.

Thanks for that info.  

[Arwen Evenstar]

9 minutes ago, lookeyloo said:

Thanks for that info.  

http://www.repagyn.ca/

You’re welcome. I don’t think we need a Rx, but it’s typical we couldn’t get something like that here since big Pharma can’t make money off it, and some members of our government think women can’t possibly know their own minds.

[Marigold]

I started getting hot flashes a few months back.  They were so hot that my glasses would fog up. I cannot see with contact lenses; I am glasses only. 

Foggy glasses are so dangerous when you are driving.   Or doing something like reading your class a story and suddenly you are fogged up and have to have your assistant finish the book while you fan yourself and your glasses.  Awkward!

And then suddenly, the hot flashes stopped.  I actually ask God every day to keep them away so i can live my life without foggy glasses every hour. 

[Catlyn]

As one of my coworkers called them "private summers".  Thank God mine are over. Didn't have them as bad as some and only became uncomfortable at night. My sister had the flashes and "

crazies".