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[coldethyl]

Sweet tooth - sorry to hear you are struggling - I had tah/bso last September due to ovarian cancer - turned out also to have uterine tumour - although neither hormone dependent I was told prior to surgery I'd be getting nothing for the hell they were about to create ! I have to say so far, I've actually been better post than pre hysterectomy as I think my erratic hormones have settled down - I take beta blockers for my anxiety and low dose of them ( 30mg) seems enough to stop the terrible adrenaline surges I was getting - I know all about yukky palpitations - all o can suggest there is getting a thorough check over and then when they come, reminding yourself that they are just horrbile but harmless - I found doing some mindful breathing took my mind off them a bit - I get hot flushes most days but they are bearable at the minute and without my ovaries , they don't seem as associates with anxiety as they were- did your oncologist quantify the benefits of taking whichever oestrogen blocker you are on? I have a friend who decided against it as the benefit wasn't that great when compared to the side effects ? X

[sweettooth]

Tempest thank you, I know you will help if possible so please do let me know.  As I am sure like a lot of the ladies on this site, friends and family are not struggling as much so it can be difficult to share. 

Coldethyl thank you for your lovely post and I too am very sorry to read what you have been through! A lady I know had ovarian cancer quite advanced thankfully she is doing great....and is on estrogen, what explanation were you given to 'no hrt'?  It is good your hormones have settled and I thought this would happen to me hence choosing to remove ovaries - but no - goes to prove we are all react very different.

Yes my oncologist did tell me that in my case she really wanted me to stay on drug for 5yrs ..and would review me again soon as I got upset😢 I had a good day today NO headache and level mood. Like you I do some breathing and take a beta blocker only when surges appear and like you they are not associated with anxiety so more annoying/uncomfortable. Stooth x

[charliegirl]

Hi ladies, good thread as already posted something in forum. I had a hysterectomy in March last year due to endometriosis in the womb. Have been ok since but now have period type pains? and night sweats again, I still have ovaries so wondering if this can be possible, especially tummy ache?
Charliegirlx

[coldethyl]

No explanation for no HRT was given really just told that the operation would make me menopausal and when I said I had already been struggling with it all, the registrar laughed and said " well we are about to make it a whole lot worse and you can't have anything for it." My aunt had a hormonal dependent breast cancer so I was reluctant anyway but  neither of my tumours turned out to be connected to oestrogen so if things worsen I may push to see someone who knows what they are talking about re HRT for cancer patients.
As I am on chemo, it's hard to know what are the side effects of that and what are meno symptoms as I'm very tired and ache all over but I'm blaming the taxol for that !
Fingers crossed you find some way of dealing with your symptoms as I remember how hellish peri was and am so relieved that some of the terrible mood swings and migraines have gone away post op for me. X

[coldethyl]

Hi ladies, good thread as already posted something in forum. I had a hysterectomy in March last year due to endometriosis in the womb. Have been ok since but now have period type pains? and night sweats again, I still have ovaries so wondering if this can be possible, especially tummy ache?
Charliegirlx

If you've kept your ovaries , it's perfectly possible to experiebce renewed endometriosis activity as you are still producing oestrogen. Also , you will be ovulating so you can have pelvic cramping with that. Reading round on the subject , period like pains are common after hysterectomy including amongst women who have had everything removed . I know last few weeks I've been having what feel like menstrual cramps to me, even though I have had a TAh /BSO - I had endo too and suspect that it is adhesions from that and the op playing up.

[Tempest]

Hi, ladies!

As you know, I'm trialling Tibolone and so far it's been pretty difficult. I have particularly been having problems with mood and also suffer from CPTSD. My psychiatrist has suggested Quetiapine previously and if I don't see significant improvement on the Tibolone to warrant continuing, I will then pursue this avenue (in my case, then possibly adding in ERT once my mood has stabilised for bone/heart protection).

I have been researching clinical data on Quetiapine and I wanted to share this study with you as it showed good results for postmenopausal mood and vasomotor symptoms, as well as quality and quantity of sleep:

http://www.europsy-journal.com/article/S0924-9338(09)70913-7/abstract

This might be very useful to you ladies who cannot use HRT - it has antidepressant effects but it's primary function is as a mood stabiliser.

Many studies have also shown that estrogen replacement post menopause does not have a significant effect in improving mood specifically other than the 'knock on effect' possibly from alleviating vasomotor symptoms and sleeplessness (whereas it seems to have a more positive effect in perimenopause if there are no other contributing factors for low/unstable mood), so this is worth considering if low mood/anxiety/mood instability is a major concern for you.

I hope you find this interesting! xxxxxx

[Tempest]

This is a bit of a weighty article but I'd thought I'd post it to illustrate the findings about ERT and post menopausal mood. Us ladies who have received BSO surgery can consider ourselves 'late post menopausal' in case there is any confusion (as in, we not longer have gonadal fluctuating hormones).

http://www.jneurosci.org/content/26/41/10332

[Mandyw]

hello.
im mandy and new to this forum. i had a full hysterectomy when i was 44 (im 49 now) i had sever pmt and terrible periods. thought i had endo but i had adenomyosis.
been on estradot patches from the start but recently had to change to ellest solo due to supply problems. im ok on these too. i think hrt agrees with me.
only worry i have is they said at 51 im to come off hrt and go to a natural menopause, this terrifies me. stupidly i keep thinking that my pmt will come back. i cant go back. i was almost having suicidal thoughts towards the end. it almost destroyed me.
i heard that mood swings are part of menopause??
can i stay on HRT or will they make me come off it?

[Tempest]

Hello, Mandy!

Provided you are in reasonably good health, there is absolutely no reason if you're doing well on HRT that you should be forced to stop! We have a good few ladies here who are continuing happily on their HRT into their 60's. If your GP is forcing you to stop for no good reason, then DO register with another GP. And also point out to them the new NICE guidelines regarding HRT prescribing!

I'm sure a very helpful lady here named Hurdity will be along shortly to give you the same reassurance.

Hugs - and please don't worry! xxxxx

[Annie0710]

Mandy , my local gynae dr told me as long as I am healthy (I have no uterus, kept ovaries but they dissolved) that I can stay on hrt for the rest of my life

Personally I choose quality of life over quantity x

[charliegirl]

Hi everyone, Charliegirl here, I am older than most on here and had a hysterectomy a year ago. Have been fine mostly and was thanking God for it when out of the blue have had the same tummy/back ache and low mood, even had night sweats again!! The gyne told me to try without HRT due to my age at 64 but if I couldnt cope to go to GP. I have has a period of terrible stress recently and wondered whether it had brought all this on!

[Tempest]

Hi, Charlie girl!

I'm assuming you've had your ovaries removed too? Any period of stress can throw our bodies off kilter - especially if you've had your ovaries removed as your primary source of hormones would now be from your adrenal glands and stored fat. Have you also lost any weight recently? This can make a difference, and weight often drops during times of great stress too.

Can I ask - have you also had your thyroid checked? This can also produce similar symptoms including sweats and low mood. It's probably very much worth going to your GP and having a chat. I know we have one lady here who has started HRT at 60, so if you're really struggling and have had your ovaries removed your GP may be able to help you with a low dose estrogen patch to start.

Don't struggle on alone - we're always here for a chat and support. Maybe pick up that phone tomorrow and give your GP a call - you certainly have nothing to lose. Do let us know how you get on, won't you? xxxxx

[charliegirl]

Thanks everybody and especially Tempest. Yes I do agree that stress has upset everything. I still have my ovaries tho but do know that adrenaline fatigue can mean that I dont  have as much hormones hence the symptoms. I will book an appointment with GP tomorrow. Bless you all and hope we all feel better soon.xx

[sweettooth]

Welcome Mandyw, you sometimes need to be quite assertive when it comes to staying on hrt....remember it is your life your body! anyway medics opinions seem to be more relaxed at present re hrt

Ethyl have you long to go to finish your chemo?

Interesting stuff on quetiapine Tempest, do you mind me asking if you are on any ADs at present? Sorry to hear you are still struggling!

X

[Tempest]

Hi, Sweettooth!

No, I don't take AD's at present. I tried SSRI's before I started HRT and the three I tried all caused me problems. My GP offered me these over HRT! I did one year post surgery with no HRT and before trialling the AD's, so I know a little of how you must be feeling (although not from the estrogen blocking drug).

My psychiatrist has been holding off to see if things settle on the Tibolone. It is quite a hard HRT to settle on and takes a while by all accounts. I'm still keeping the idea of using the Quetiapine open - I'll be seeing my psychiatrist at the beginning of March and I'll discuss it with him then (he thinks it's a better option due to its mood stabilising effects). xxxxx