The Emotional Rollercoaster of Menopause

[bmccasland]

I was there in my early 40s, and the lack of sleep does affect your mood. Duh! I thought I could manage it on my own. ".... It's a natural process, our mothers, if they lived this long, survived..." NOT! This was about the same time the article about the side effects of hormone replacement therapy came out in JAMA*, and it just so happens we had a "lunch & learn" workshop on women's health at the office, the day before my annual check up with my OB/Gyn. I told him I flat couldn't cope with the waking up sweating, then waking up freezing 3 or 4 times a night. I could deal with the hot flashes during the day, but the nights I couldn't deal with, and be functional during the day. So we discussed the JAMA arcticle, the broad spectrum drug that the study used, and the more narrow HRT one he wound up putting me on, for 5 years. Well Hurricane Katrina came through, and chased off my old Doc - and year five was 2008. Last year New Doc (former doc's partner) put me on a 1/2 dose for a year, as I'd tried to go off on my own a time or two with a repeat symptoms. Her perspective is a bit different than his, quality of life, or rather being able to function at work is important, and with regular medical check ups the other risks (heart attack, stroke, cancer) were statistically very low in the study - so HRT is safe. But it is not long term therapy. So in a few months I'll have my annual check up and we'll see what she recommends - continue on the low dose daily, or every other day, or something. I suppose the final decision is up to me.

So, in short, I've been on HRT, FEMHRT to be specific for 6 years (5 yrs regular dose, and 1 yr low dose), and feel fine. No hot flashes, no night sweats. Am functional, or at least pass for normal

I should also mention I was eating right, getting regular exercise (better than now), and having trouble. So I tried all the non-Rx things I could before I got an appointment with my doc. With my family history of breast cancer, I didn't want to rush into anything. But he's the one that went to medical school. I miss my old Doc. Sigh. Damn storm.

*Journal of the American Medical Association