Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Gilla999]

Morning ladies. Marchlove, I was reading my diary last night and I am feeling more and more convinced that the vaccine and then Covid could be the cause of it, possibly exacerbated by reducing my Mirtazapine. I had my booster on Dec 23rd and from Dec 24th onwards felt horrendous (Dec 24th the horrendously itchy eyes started and just generally felt very ill). I missed Christmas Day because of it. It's since then that I haven't felt completely right although it's hard to know how much of that is hormonal (my Estrogen level dipped after the booster and plummeted after Covid itself). I'm not normally one for blaming things on vaccines (and I was fine after the first two jabs) but it does appear as if there might be a correlation.

Interesting on the Vitamin D and DHEA. I had read about the D and have upped my intake considerably in the last few days but I know nothing about DHEA. Are there supplements you can take to support that?

Last night I switched the Fexofenadine for Cetirizine after reading it has better efficacy for Urticaria, and it seems to be a bit better this morning - fingers crossed. It was marvellous to not wake up in a total state for once anyway!

Tora, what HRT do you use and how much did you reduce it by? I have a nightmare reducing my HRT even when it is "too high". It's the reduction in itself that causes me side effects and I have to go super slowly so as not have side effects. That's just me of course, many people don't have that issue! Sending you good vibes x

[Marchlove]

Hi Gilla

This is also interesting, the third paragraph from the end mentions worsening of symptoms at night.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3170459/

So you’d have to do a cortisol and Dhea saliva test. You’d have to do this yourself as GP’s don’t know anything about it. It’s a very easy test to do but some labs are better than others in reporting.

If your interested let me know and I’ll post some options for you x

[Gilla999]

Interesting, thanks for sharing (and I also appreciate another researcher like me... we are so lucky this kind of info is available on the Internet!).

Do Medichecks offer a test? I usually get my tests through there. I think I might wait a week or so though as my cortisol levels will probably still be messed up from taking the steroids.

[Marchlove]

Hi Gilla

No you have to wait until you’d been off the steroids awhile. You’d have to research but I think a good few weeks.

No the Medichecks only do the blood one which won’t be any good.

By far the best one would be the Dutch Test, as they also do a middle of the night swab plus you get loads thrown in besides.
If you’re still in peri best to do about day 21 of your cycle.

The next best would be zrt labs which will just be cortisol and Dhea saliva 4 x a day.
X

[Gilla999]

Thanks for this Marchlove, much appreciated. I'll give it a little while and then go for the Dutch test, I've been thinking of getting one of those for ages anyway.

I am thinking this morning that I might just be brave and try the switch from Lenzetto to Estradot soon. The Urticaria I am controlling enough with the AHs to now be able to function during the day, and I'm just planning to wait another 2 weeks for the 6 week mark (I've been told I have to) and then go for the injections if it's still there, which I suspect it will be.

Aside from this, I am still suffering from really bad fatigue, headaches and some 3am insomnia always during the first week of my cycle. It always magically disappears around day 10. I can't increase the Lenzetto itself any more from 4 sprays so I'm wondering whether I should just give the patch a try. Very, very nervous about it though, as Lenzetto literally saved my life when I started on it in April 2021. It seemed to work well for me initially for the first 8 months but then not so well in the last 6 as my Estrogen level has dropped further. Crispy I am also thinking about adding in some extra Progsterone via Lozenges to help with the balance, but I wouldn't change both things at once.

[Tora]

Hi Gilla, good to read that your coping in the day, hopefully that’ll extend to the morning and evening soon and you’ll get normality back.
I take gel and Estradot, I stopped the patch a week ago, last few days have been rough. Spoke to doc this morning who wasn’t impressed with my unplanned decrease so the patch is now back on. I feel normal again! I need to accept I’ll be on HRT forever and change my thinking.
Are you feeling well enough to leave the sofa yet? X

[Gilla999]

Can I ask what made you want to take the patch off? I really related to your comment about changing your thinking. I feel as though I'm in a constant battle of worrying that my HRT is too high, which I think for me has a lot to do with me putting on a lot of weight when I started the Pill and then switched to HRT. I also take Mirtazapine so it's been a double whammy, but my constant attempts ag reducing the Lenzetto last year ended up causing me nothing but upheaval and reoccurence of my symptoms. Your reasons may be totally different but I can relate to the sentiment!

Definitely starting to feel better with the urticaria, it's still 'there' but the AHs are controlling it. Such a relief!

[Marchlove]

Great news Gilla! Xx 

[Pippa52]

Just wanted to say I re-acted really badly to the first 2 Pfizer jabs in fact I ended up in A&E both times afterwards.  The hospital just would not believe it was a re-action to the jab the first time but then I got ill the second time around they were less sceptical and I was advised not to have a booster of either Pfizer or Moderna which I still haven't.  I was really poorly for 3 months but have never been right since so Gilla I think you may well have something about your problems may be related to the jabs.  xx

[Marchlove]

Thank you for sharing Pippa, I do hope you continue to recover x

[Gilla999]

Can't remember if I've already said this Pippa but my first two jabs were AZ and I was totally fine. The 3rd was Pfeizer and it's been since the day after I've had trouble. I do know lots of people who had the same and were fine though. But I do believe there is a lot they still don't understand about both the vaccines and Covid. Thanks for sharing your experience Pippa. How are you getting on with your HRT now?

And Marchlove thanks for good wishes  even though its still there it's such a relief to be able to have a relatively normal day 

[joziel]

I’m a bit late to this convo but I was wondering if you’ve thought about histamine intolerance?

I found this info sheet on it from Newson Health: https://balance-menopause.com/uploads/2021/09/Histamine-Intolerance-1.pdf

I only came across it trying to figure out what the heck is going on with me at night (heart palps, sleep issues). I do also have watery eye and excess mucous, especially after eating. But it seems a bit hardcore to try that diet - there are so many things I eat like kefir, yoghurt, dark choc, tea, coffee - which I’d have to cut out. 😞 Still, maybe I will feel better quite quickly…

[Tora]

Can I ask what made you want to take the patch off? I really related to your comment about changing your thinking. I feel as though I'm in a constant battle of worrying that my HRT is too high, which I think for me has a lot to do with me putting on a lot of weight when I started the Pill and then switched to HRT. I also take Mirtazapine so it's been a double whammy, but my constant attempts ag reducing the Lenzetto last year ended up causing me nothing but upheaval and reoccurence of my symptoms. Your reasons may be totally different but I can relate to the sentiment!

Definitely starting to feel better with the urticaria, it's still 'there' but the AHs are controlling it. Such a relief!

Hi Gilla, great to hear things are improving. I hear you about the weight increase, I found it incredibly difficult to lose 7lbs recently and hated being bigger.
I convinced myself I was taking too much estrogen because I compared my dose to others. My doc asked me quite a lot of Q’s about other women’s situations and of course I didn’t have the answers. Like most of us I’ve spent days reading forums, research, clinics and came to the conclusion that over 4 pumps/100mcg patch was high E and bad.
After a car accident I got stuck on painkillers, low dose but opiates. It took 6 months of tapering to get off them and I think it’s left me being overly cautious about ALL medication. This is where my thinking needs to change, I need to accept that for now a higher HRT works for me and to stop worrying about cutting it back.
I really relate to you with the worrying, it’s so not worth it! Do you test your E levels? I know I need a reading of over 800 to feel normal and over 1000 to feel good.
Wishing you and every lady on here a good day. X

[Pippa52]

Hi Gilla 999 - yes it was the Pfizer jab that upset me for sure.  Re HRT now just as I think I have turned a corner I seem to plummet backwards.  I am on Estradot which suit me better than the Evorel at the moment the dose is the 50 patch but over the last week I have progressively felt worse and worse with high anxiety (especially at night which wakes me with a jump) and also tachycardia/palps which goes on for several minutes at 150 beats per minute.  Had a full cardiology check last year when the same was happening when I had to change to Lenzetto and that was all clear but its really scary and now I feel so shaky and under the weather most of the time having had a few good days last week.  Looking at all the evidence it sounds like I need to slowly up my dose.  Am very sensitive, ridiculously so, to increases or decreases.  The Meno consultant prescribed 75 Estradot but they were way too high to start with and put me on the ceiling so I have been working my way up slowly from a 25 patch and am now on 50 plus a quarter of a 25 patch so about 56.  Originally for over 20 years I was on Oestrogel - 3 pumps and used to feel absolutely fine on that but the new formulation of it did not suit me and I did not absorb well  so was swopped onto Lenzetto for the last year which again I don't think I absorbed well and then it became unavailable GP put me on Evorel which unfortunately gave me the most horrendous migraines so here I am now on yet another type trying desperately to get the dose right.  Have a blood test booked on the 12th so will be interesting to see what my levels are but clearly they aren't right for me due to the symptoms.  I dread the nights now as I am awake for a good proportion of them with high anxiety and palps.  Happy days ..not lol.  Hopefully it will start to sort out soon when I get to the right level.  Such a total and complete nightmare all this is isn't it.  It seems getting the dose right is a long and weary process.  Do hope you are having a good day xxx

[Gilla999]

I can so relate to everything you've said Tora. I am also guilty of comparing myself to others - I hear lots of women on the forum on lower doses and with a much lower Estrogen level than me which contributes towards me worrying I'm on too much. (I should point out that no one on this forum has anyone ever said that to me, and everyone has been totally supportive of going on how you feel instead - it's just my own personal worries!). I am very, very similar to you - I need a level of 800 to be functioning but around 1,000 to feel 'good' or myself.

A couple of things that helped reassure me were (1) reading Louise Newsom talking about younger women needing higher doses (2) rediscovering that even before perimenopause my Estrogen levels were naturally quite high which I know from a test I had done years ago and (3) I have quite a high SHBG which I think (?) means there are less hormones available to my system. As well of course as just knowing that - aside from the weight and constipation - I feel so so much better when it is higher (at the right dose). These things might not apply to you but I think what it demonstrates and I try to remind myself of is that there can be a lot more to it than just looking at the dose or Estrogen level alone. And gosh I hear you on medication too - after becoming 'hooked' on two different antidepressants for which I now know was perimenopausal insomnia and not being able to get off them without tapering at tiny doses each month, I too am nervous about adding in too much of something else. Sending you lots and lots of good vibes Tora, it's nice to hear someone echo some of the worries I have.

Joziel yes I've been reading quite a lot on histamine intolerance and agree the diet sounds pretty depressing, especially as it cuts out quite a lot of 'good' foods. Since this Urticaria I've read up a lot on allergies - have you read about the difference between IGE and non IGE allergies? I'm just wondering if the watery eyes ad mucsous symptoms you describe could be part of a non IGE allergy (which is an allergy that involves different parts of the immune system to the traditional allergy). Have you tried cutting certain things out for a few weeks to see if it helps? Just thinking it might be an easier place to start than the full diet 

Sorry for the long message!