I know my way around hormones. After all I’ve been taking some form of hormone replacement since way back in my perimenopausal days. So that’s what I thought.
Two years ago I was working with a hormone replacement doctor that I really liked. I was feeling very well and controlling my weight. He was a good listener and I knew that my well being was uppermost in his mind. Then he left for another market. Rats.
He called me and explained. What could I say? He also gave me a recommendation for his replacement. Life goes on, so I contacted my new hormone guru to get things started.
On my first visit they tested my blood. Based on the results, my new practitioner felt that a slight adjustment to both types of estrogen was warranted. As she put it, we’ll lower the estrogen that’s not as good for you and we’ll raise the estrogen that’s better for you. Seemed reasonable. She also suggested that, instead of taking my hormone replacement in the morning as I had been doing, I take half in the morning and half at night. She felt this would help keep things more balanced. That also seemed reasonable.
Almost immediately I began to suffer from horrendous morning sweatfests. I would step three feet out of the shower and feel as though I needed to turn around and go right back in, I never felt clean enough. Not being one to suffer in silence I contacted my hormone practitioner immediately. One of her “techs” urged me, in an irritating singsong-y voice, to give it some time. She assured me that things were as they should be, and I needed to have a bit of patience as my system adjusted. Okay, I’d grant her that, I’ve never been known for my patience.
I immediately embarked on plan B. If I was going to sweat like a marathon runner whenever I stepped out of the shower – I’d have to find a way to deal with it. From that point on, gone were my wonderful hot showers. I began to try a variety of new products from deodorants, to wet wipes, to new body spray. I would take breaks between drying, dressing, hair and make-up. Getting to work on time became a real challenge.
I continued to complain to my hormone practitioner, and she continued to suggest a number of other reasons for why this was happening; none of them were directly related to the hormones she’d prescribed. I had liked her approach and her reasoning behind it, so I did my best to forge onward. But I was growing increasingly frustrated.
One day my husband read my recent post about this extreme morning perspiration dilemma. When I got home, he informed me that he had turned the heat down dramatically in our bedroom suite. For a couple of days it seemed to help, but I guess my body readjusted to the new, lower temperature and things were just as bad. And my poor husband needed long underwear just to enter the bedroom.
This summer things have really come to a head. The problem has been worse than ever. I’ve been taking cold showers, yet halfway through towel drying, my face and several other key areas, have gotten soaking wet all over again. I’ve stepped up the product search and found every industrial strength wet wipe and maximum strength deodorant out there. I have had to stand under the bedroom ceiling fan after every step of my morning routine. It has been torture!
A few weeks ago I was at my wits end. We had a prolonged stretch of hot and humid weather, making me fearful of sliding out of my designer sandals and breaking my soaking wet neck. So I decided to do something different. Instead of taking half of my hormones in the morning and half at night, I took them all at once the next morning. Was I kidding myself or did things seem better?
Not wanting to speak too soon, I waited about two weeks before writing this post. I can honestly say that life in the morning is more bearable – not perfect, but probably 80% better. Why didn’t I try this earlier? Sometimes the simple things can make a huge difference, and it’s up to you to find them yourself!
On a post script note: I’ve dumped my practitioner and believe I have found my new one, but I’m spending a lot of time and effort checking this one out!
~ Vibrant Nation blogger Robin Donovan, Menologues
http://www.vibrantnation.com/health-fitness/menopause/hormones-101-again/