Print

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

[Tracey E]

Hi Turkish & Jmargaret, well today is my third day off Estrogel still have the palpitations although they don't seem to be as bad. Bloating well this is a weird one, I feel like a balloon that's being slowly let down..

I'm going to the doctors today to see what they suggest, I need to get something topical to keep the VA at bay. I woke up this morning in a slight sweat but nothing too severe at the moment.

How do you feel Turkish?

[juliemargaret]

Hi tracey e..and turkish d
Glad to know your ok tracey. How are you doing Tirkish D? Please tell

Me - 4 weeks 3 pumps gel only now (adding utro on 25th and as a sequi)  and still feel flat and poo. Had a left side eyeside headache constant (maybe a teeny bit of respite but not much) so definitely feeling estrogel causing it....im at a loss as to what to do. Felt off all weekend saturday a bit lightheaded and clammy and this headache but yesterday progressed across forehead....i was actually sick last night. This morn  as i woke and its back to its left side. So in general im not doing good. Dont feel right. This morn i was tempted to leave the gel...to hell with it all....but thought give one more day and sorry i did. Oh i dont know..sick of the whole rigmarole now....and so many questions..
.ie.could 3 pumps be too high (although felt same on 2..flat and no change) could i jist need the progesterone asap as not had any alongside estro for 4 weeks now, could it jusy not be for me...questions questions and 0 answers. Got a gp appt next week.....shes fab but wont know as much as you lot..bit inwas going to ask her to take bloods see if we can get some ideas as to where levels are if its even possible. I dont know.....feel so lost. Have done since bloody started !
Im.glad tracey you are seeing some settlinng of palps and bloating.... TD would love to hear how you are...and of course im always open to receive any thoughts or advice x

[Tracey E]

Hi Jm, I feel for you I really do. I never thought taking Estrogen would make me feel so ill. I don't know whether it's the particular estrogen or ingredient in the gel or patches that my body just doesn't like. I read on the web yesterday that sometimes estrogen taken during HRT can cause GERD which I think I have at the moment. Just hoping my tummy returns to normal soon. I've also noticed on my thighs little pockets of fat, which I never had before taking HRT. Also I had incredibly achey feet, ankles, lower limbs and fingers first thing in the morning.

Jm I can't advise you on dosage, I was on a relatively low dose and still suffered side effects. I'm I'm pretty sure nausea is one of the contraindications of estrogel, however I would have a chat with your doctor to see what they suggest. Big hugsss. X

[Turkish delight]

Hia girls!

It's been 11 days after stopping hrt(was on it for 6 months prior, 1 pump o gel)

First the pro's, I've had good energy still, and firm boobs so that's a bonus right!

Cons. Hot flushing a little in the day and at night more so, keep being woken by the rising heat inside of me.
Dry mouth which wakes me up too. More tearful and sensitive. And P'eed off with my poo situ.

This weeks theory for the turbulent tummy is an increase in food sensitivity caused by the onset of peri menopause. I am a pescatarian so the other food groups are what I'm focusing on dropping to test this. Atm it's wheat and milk off the menu. Sugar will be the last thing to go trust.

Apparently sudden onset of all sorts of allergies are not uncommon when in peri and meno. If this is what I have, then hrt is supposed to help with this so I could have been doing the exact opposite of what was required to help. If it works I'd be ecstatic....the milkybars are on me! (cz I can't have milk....meh!)

Looking back in the MM archives I found an article Dotty posted on allergies during meno. Link under here. A belated thanks to our Dotty for that!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5992159/Experts-report-rise-women-developing-hay-fever-asthma-food-intolerance-middle-age.html

TD

[Rosie63]

Hi ladies.  I'm sorry to add my woes to this thread but I had to change my HRT 2 years ago due the one I was on being discontinued.  I've tried various regimes - pills, gel and patches and all have given me digestive problems.  I really believe it's the oestrogen as I feel the same when taking oestrogen only as when adding in the prog.  I was on my previous HRT tablets for about 12 years and never had these problems so I'm finding it all very confusing and upsetting.  I've tried all sorts of pills and potions and diets to try to alleviate the discomfort but nothing has really helped.  I don't know what the answer is except keep trying different HRTs in the hope we will find something that doesn't have these awful side effects.

Wishing you lots of luck.

Rosie63 xx

[Hurdity]

Hi Hurdity, I eat a fairly good diet tbh, I have sent off for a gluten allergy test though just check if all well that way.

I'm not sure that gluten allergy test will necessarily show up anything if it is the test for actual coeliac disease? There are different types of problems with gluten - coelics are unable to digest gluten - here is some info. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coeliac-disease/

However there can also be non coeliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) and there has been some research on this related to FODMAPs ( Google this if you haven't come across them!).

You may be sensitive to gluten ( but which might not show up on a test) or  foods high in FODMAPs. What I don't understand is how individuals can become sensitive later in life when once they were not - and it could be connected with hormones, mnenopause and HRT (I haven't read enough about it).

The reason I mention this is I also had gut problems - a lot of belching and burping, wind, stomach gurgling and discomfort etc. Went to the doc who felt my tum and did some general blood tests (not gluten tests or anything like that) - all seemed normal. She said no alarm bells were ringing and suggested I try dietary changes - first gluten free and then if no better then low FODMAP diet. I took one look at the latter and thought it was far too fiddly but I have been very low or no gluten ever since and there has been a huge improvement. My use of indigestion tabs has reduced drastically as has discomfort so I'm going on with it.  I have been on HRT for many years so it's not related to that but just seems to have got worse in recent months - why I don't know.

Juist a thought - it might be easier to try this than to have to go without HRT if the oestrogel is otherwise suiting and benefitting you?

Hurdity x

[Tracey E]

For Rosie.

Estrogen, Hormone Replacement Therapy and Acid Reflux
In hormone replacement therapy, estrogen, along with other hormones, is given during menopause or afterward. Such treatments can help minimize symptoms like hot flashes or vaginal dryness. It also helps prevent bone loss, which can occur due to the sharp drop in estrogen after menopause. Unfortunately, the supplemental estrogen received when undergoing hormone replacement therapy, along with another hormone called progesterone, may also lead to acid reflux. Some research suggests that this may be due to relaxation of the LES, though other mechanisms are possible. According to a 2008 study in the "Journal of the American Medical Association," the risk of GERD symptoms increased with the dose and the duration of estrogen use.

[Sammiejane]

Hi hurdity

I have some experience with fodmap foods
 I have IBS and sensitivity to gluten and wheat and possibly dairy too though still have small amount of dairy being skimmed milk and cheese once week I also have slow transit constipation and lazy bowel and as I suffer with constipation I have to have low fodmap foods and it does help to a degree in that the pain bloating etc goes but I don't go to toilet more often as low fodmap foods don't contain huge amounts of fibre but if you suffer with diarrhea then u need to have high fodmap foods to bulk the stool I have low fodmap to soften stools.

Hope this helps

[Turkish delight]

Along the lines of G sensitivity, this video from Dr Renee(a perfect name for gut discussions)on gluten sensitivity is a good one.
N ow where did I put my Rennie tablets...wink!

Link under here.

https://youtu.be/UN3An7KgJBs

TD

[juliemargaret]

Hi Tracey

Yes ive an appt next week on 26th but its what to do in the meantime as this migraine is making me feel ill.
My doc is fab but i know she wont really know but we see. I amhoping ove maybe a virus hence how bad felt weekend and today and it will pass.  time only tell eh. My dilemma is whether to hang on a few more days and see if all eases or stop the gel as of tomorrow morning. Ill sleep on it. Today i received a new bopk Menopause manual by the great dr louise newson and so far the benefits of estrogen seem so good....confuses you more eh when you feel like this! X

[Tracey E]

Yeah it does, but hey we're not all the same and what's food for one maybe poison to another. I've been to the doctors today and she was really good.Got bloods on Wednesday and an ECG Friday to make sure all is well. She wouldn't give me any further HRT not even topical for VA until results are back. So I'll have to wait another week or so for the results. She did mention a referral to the menopause clinic as I appear to be a complex case but said the waiting list is quite long

Haven't felt too bad today without the estrogen, so I'll just have to wait and see. Hope you feel better soon Jm. X

[juliemargaret]

Sometimes birdy it just gets a case of  enough is enough..in my case anyway. Still early days i know and only the start of a long trial and error path but stopping the gel surely cant make me feel any bloody worse than i do already, or perhaps how tracey may feel,  but i do know what you mean hence me still applying it each morning (then questioning later why i did!). Dont suppose youve any thoughts..ie...should i reduce gel again see if headache subsides? (Just when i think gel.poss too high i realise ive got my coccyx soreness still there and achy knee joints as well as feeling like ive a virus - or  could have one!!) Its this headache thats doing it though, feel like im a puppet on a string to it - it owns me. Bloody debilitating it is and no tabs touching so im not taking anymore para or ibopr!

Not sure what to comment on traceys doctor stopping stuff.....but hope you feel ok tracey and not worse for the sudden stopping. Do keep us posted!

[juliemargaret]

You did say this in earlier post birdy.  Health risks? This obviously worrys me so another thing to worry about.

Tracey - maybe have a look into as to why birdy said there isnt a need just to stop VA treatment as a bit more info may help x

[Tracey E]

I stopped the Estrogel myself because over the last three weeks I've felt so I'll. I'm feeling so much better today, yes I did have one night sweat last night but that's nothing compared to horrendous bouts of palpitations and bloating to the point of not being able to eat.

I wasn't on topical Estrogen just Estrogel and Utrogestan Birdy.

I think the doctor wanted to clear the Estrogen from my system, to run some blood tests to make sure nothing else was causing the symptons, such as thyroid etc. I can totally understand that.

[juliemargaret]

Glad you feel a bit better tracey. Ive woken same o same o...left eye side migraine. How many pumps were you on?  X