| RedPanda
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Quote: The good news is that this only lasts for 12-16 months!
You mean there's an end in sight? I thought it would go on for years! I'm now up to 9,000 milligrams of black cohosh every night just to ensure a dry night. :shock: |
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Thu May 26, 2005 8:18 pm |
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| Cyrstl
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Yes Red Panda...that's what I hear from the trailblazers who've gone ahead of us as I'm scouring the internet for terrycloth sheets! My cats won't even sleep with me anymore! I'm reassured that this will end and I'm counting the days along with my stash of black cohosh.
Menopause certainly brings the term "injustice" into a new light. I personally think that after decades of enduring cramps, bloating, stretch marks and the rigors of motherhood...that we should be rewarded for our hard work and unflagging service. One major hotflash ...BAM and we get to wake up with a perky new body amped up to put a new polish on our "golden" years!
How come the guys get viagra and we get to look like a Shar Pei with the temperment of a Rotwieler (no insult intended for our four legged friends)?
This is not what I pictured for myself :evil: Can someone direct me to the complaint dept.? |
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Thu May 26, 2005 8:46 pm |
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| joesuzzi
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Hi All,
I know we are all different............but my flashes and night sweats have lasted a whole lot longer than 12-18 months !!
I started HRT about 15 years ago...after surgery.. the flashes & sweats started within 5 days of surgery....horrible !!
I got really concerned about the HRT........I had been on it for about 6 years the FIRST time I weaned myself off.....I lasted about 4 months and could not put up with the sweats and flashes....(a good 20 per day !)...so I went back on HRT.......and it took almost a month before the HRT kicked in again.
The 2nd time I weaned myself from HRT (last year)...I stayed off of them for 6 full months. The story is the same.....20 or so flashes per day....no sleep at night...I was a miserable sole !!
I am now back on HRT (I only take 1/2 of my previous dose)....and I will NEVER go off of them again. To me, it is just not worth feeling so miserable and sweaty all the time.
My experience with the HRT highway had been a long one............but I am actually affraid to try to stop them again !
Has anyone out there SUCCESSFULLY gotten off of HRT..........and if so.....how long did your sweats and flashes last>>>???
I KNOW they are bad for me................but quality of life is important to me! When I went off HRT My hubby could not even stand being next to me at night because I was so hot ! Menopause is a dirty trick mother nature has played on us all! |
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Thu May 26, 2005 9:52 pm |
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| RedPanda
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Quote: One major hotflash ...BAM and we get to wake up with a perky new body amped up to put a new polish on our "golden" years!
Hee! Hee! That would be justice, sisters!
You have my sympathy joesuzzi. HRT would be a very last resort for me. Did it affect your weight? |
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Thu May 26, 2005 11:26 pm |
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| joesuzzi
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Hi Redpanda....................Yes, I do think it was the "start" on my long battle with weight........of course the huge quanities of food I was consuming did not help my weight either ...heeheehee !!
When I went off HRT I did not "lose" any weight...........but I did not gain any when I went back on HRT either.
If I am totally honest with myself....I probably saw a 20 lb gain within 2 months of starting HRT the very first time. Can I blame it completely on HRT ? Probably not.....those were the days of "fry Daddys"............everything was fried................about 80% of our menu's came straight from the fry-daddy !!
Now.......my hubby calls my HRT my "be-good" pills......................hmmmm....do ya think I must have been kinda grumpy while off of them??????????????????????
I remember that my Doctor told me I must stay on the HRT for the rest of my life......never to go off of them.(The first time I started taking them !) Guess he knew they were "be-good" pills...........but then, he is a MAN !
Back then, they told me HRT would stop bone loss.......and protect my heart................now, they say there is no proof that HRT does either !
All very confusing..........but since the flashes and sweats were so severe they did test my thyroid...........and that is how I found out that I am also Hypo-T.......................without the tests I would never have known so some good did come out of it all.
Since being back on the HRT I have NO hot flashes................no night sweats......and no trouble sleeping all night. For me, it seems like the only option to have a "normal" life.
I did try the black cohosh and everything else to try to comtrol them in a natural way..............nothing worked for me....I can not even begin to explain how miserable I was....................But I kept telling myself it would pass and they would go away. Maybe I did not give it long enough, but I was so tired of being wringing wet............in public.........it gets embarassing ! Something as simple as checking out at Walmart would bring on a terrible flash......I would just start dripping sweat............and would walk out totally drenched ! The strange thing is it ALWAYS would happen each and every time at Wal-mart.............go figure !
I still hope there is someone here who has been successful in getting off of them.................without running off thier family members !!! |
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Wed Jun 01, 2005 7:04 pm |
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| RedPanda
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Well that's it Joesuzzi - no HRT for me!
Perhaps you should just stay out of Wal-Mart? Only kidding! Your problems sound awful and I do sympathise.
FWIW, here's something that may help ohers. I have just started taking a German product called Remifemin, which is made from the active ingredient in black cohosh. It seems to work a lot better than common-or-garden variety black cohosh.
Edited to correct the spelling of Remifemin |
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Wed Jun 08, 2005 12:13 am |
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