|
Post by hellsbells on Dec 8, 2010 12:25:50 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by redwood on Dec 14, 2010 18:13:47 GMT -5
My latest update: I increased my daily dosage by taking an extra 1/4 square of the progesterone troche to 187.5 mg per day. I took that the whole month, but dropped down to 150mg/day for 5 days when I normally have my period. My period was late this month at 32 days (usually it's 26 or 28). AND....I had no pain. It was just spotting for my period. It's the first time there was no pain in my right side in the past year! So it worked! I had a tiny bit of normal menstrual cramps in the normal area. So I'm going to talk to my Dr. down in Boulder to revise my prescription. Then I'll go see a naturopath here in Vancouver. I just want to make sure I can continue with the troches for now.
|
|
|
Post by pretty on Dec 14, 2010 18:47:27 GMT -5
Redwood, so glad you're doing well.... god most of us would love "normal menstrual cramps in the normal area" lol.... awesome that your treatment is working! Lisa
|
|
|
Post by Karen on Dec 14, 2010 19:12:46 GMT -5
Oooooh! Progress!!!! Woooooooooo hooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Sounds like my period last month - some light normal cramps, but no endo pain!! Higher doses of progesterone can delay ovulation, which in turn can delay your period. Or, a correct progesterone dosage can help lengthen your luteal phase (time between ovulation and period). Do you temp at all to know when you ovulated in the month? Just curious. Do you have a local naturopath in mind that'll be able to help you out?
|
|
|
Post by redwood on Dec 14, 2010 19:28:42 GMT -5
yeah, I made an appt. with the naturopath this friday already (found her over the internet). She will be able to write a prescription for natural progesterone. I found out when I called the pharmacy in CO that it will be a problem to ship my mediation to Canada (wish they told me that when I was asking in person). It will get stuck in customs, they told me. So that's not an option now, so I canceled my appt. with the CO dr. and will just deal with this up here. I also called a local compounding pharmacy. They don't do the troches, so probably I'll have to switch to the capsules instead. No, I don't temp and I don't always ovulate (based on the symptoms). yeah, Pretty, normal menstrual cramps are a good thing. By the way, I noticed that you live in Homer, AK. What a lovely little town that is. I was there in 2003 while traveling in AK.
|
|
|
Post by pretty on Dec 14, 2010 19:33:30 GMT -5
Cool! glad you liked our little backward town. We have gotten WAY too much attention in the last couple years (deadliest catch, and sarah palin - boo! hiss!) anyway it's great that you enjoyed it and that was just before we started getting WAAAY too much attention... did you fish? catch anything gigantic? Looking out my window right now, it's 3:30 pm, sun on the way down, it's been super cold, so there's frost on everything. We're getting sunrise at noon and sunset at 4 pm! can't wait for solstice to watch the days get longer again. it's all I can do to stay awake - good thing work drives me batsh1t so I don't get TOO sleepy.... anyway glad you liked the town. Hope you can work out a way to get your meds in Canada... Good Luck! Lisa
|
|
|
Post by redwood on Dec 19, 2010 18:50:12 GMT -5
No, I didn't fish, but I was with a group and someone else did and he shared his fresh halibut with us. It was soooo good. I went to the naturopath here in Vancouver. She needs to have my records faxed there with my hormones test results before she can subscribe. She also said that I should take a break during my period rather than taking it continuously. Also, the troches don't seem to be available here, and she suggested to try the cream. She said if that didn't work for me then we could try the capsules instead. So, my pain didn't come, but my "period" never ended. It's day 11 now and I'm still spotting. Nothing heavy, just this spotting for 11 days. I think it's lightening up a bit, so hopefully it'll be gone soon. Also, she did something called neural therapy on me. They inject procaine into certain areas for inflammation and pain. She did my surgery scar and also two areas just above my pubic bone (one on each side). It hurt a little during the injection and afterward it made me a bit woozy, dizzy-like and tired, but that passed after about 15 minutes. So this is something new to me. Not sure if it has been tried by anyone else on this board, or even if anyone else has heard of it. I wonder what the effect would be to inject the site where I usually have my pain. This is a description of it: www.draraelmajian.ca/neural-therapy.php (this is also the office I am going to). I'm supposed to go back and see her after the new year, but now I just realized that I will run out of my progesterone earlier than that. Unless I go back to 150mg and then it'll last until day 25. Hmm, I might try to make an appt. earlier, but because of the holiday, that might be tough.
|
|
|
Post by Karen on Dec 19, 2010 18:59:30 GMT -5
Funny that you mention the neural therapy. I didn't have an injection, but was instructed by my first naturpath to put wheat germ oil on all my scars, old and new. When I'd see him, he'd use a laser on them. Funny thing, the day after the laser on my scars, the pain would be gone... Sounds like it's the same idea as what your doc is suggesting. He even has a huge cold light laser that I go in for when my period is at its worst, works wonders and zaps pain completely in the next day or two!
Glad you were able to find a naturpath in your area, and I'm glad she's willing to help you out! Keep us posted, k? And good luck!! Oh, and if you'll run out of your prescription, any chance you can take a break for your period to stretch them out a bit?
|
|
|
Post by redwood on Jan 6, 2011 16:01:53 GMT -5
Well, here's my update on the ol' bio-identical hormones experience. This past month, I had started out with 187mg/day but had to drop down to 150mg in the later half of my cycle as otherwise I would have run out before my appt. with the naturopath (she was out for the holidays, so I couldn't go earlier). I ran out on day 27 and had my appt. with her that day and she gave me a new prescriptions for troches (they do make them at the pharmacy she uses after all) and told me to break for my period after day 27 and then wait 5 days for my period and then start taking 100 mg each day until day 13 (or ovulation) and then switch to taking 200 mg until day 27. So that's my new regiment. (sounds similar to yours, Karen) I just got my period today on day 29 and I do have a slight pain in my right side, although it's pretty minor. I also did aerial this morning, so that may have caused that to happen, since it's so ab-intensive. Last month when I didn't do aerial at all, I had no pain, but the month before that, I also wasn't doing aerial and I DID have pain, so it's not entirely because of that. I don't know - just trying to figure it out. She also mentioned that my DHEA is low too and might suggest supplementing that also (like you do, Karen). I wonder if this is common in people with endo. She also mentioned that I had hypo thyroid (as the previous dr. did), but I have no symptoms at all showing I have hypo thyroid. But nevertheless, I'm taking selenium for that. I'm going back to see her after two months to see how this goes. She also wants me to eventually get a blood test again to see where my levels are at since the one I have now is from July 2010. So hopefully this period won't be too bad. My fingers are crossed. Also, hopefully it doesn't last 12 days like last month, but if given the choice, I'd take the 12 day period over the pain. So how was this past month for you Karen? It seems we are the guinea pigs here, testing this out. I'm surprised others haven't tried it, but then again, you have to go to specific drs. who are willing to prescribe it and the gyns always seem to push the synthetic stuff. I think the over the counter creams are just not strong enough, so people need to try prescription strength cream or oral progesterone (troche or capsule). Just my guess from what I experienced.
|
|
|
Post by Karen on Jan 6, 2011 18:23:24 GMT -5
Ooh, I like your new doc already, Redwood! Be sure to have your cortisol tested as well. DHEA and cortisol work together and having the optimal ratio of the two is critical! Interesting that DHEA is the precursor to the sex hormones, eh?
And I agree, I don't understand why more women don't try it! I can imagine the main-stream docs have pharmaceutical companies telling them how unsafe or ineffective bio-identicals supposedly are, which can trickle down to the patients. Some of the arguments I've seen against bio-identicals is that there is no standard dosing (which is critical since every woman's levels are different), hormone level test results are hard to interpret, compounding pharmacies aren't regulated the same way as traditional pharmacies, etc. But in reality, drug companies are just pissed that they can't patent it! I agree, I think some women throw in the towel after over the counter creams, but pairing up with a good doc and a reputable compounding pharmacy is key!
I made some adjustments after my last dr. visit almost 2 months ago and they seem to be making a difference. My last few cycles I hadn't been ovulating, but this cycle I actually did (though it was late) and for the first time EVER, I had a 'normal' luteal phase of 13 days! (A short luteal phase is often an indicator of hormone imbalance.) My last period was a breeze - very little to no endo pain, just normal cramps, and this one seems to be quite similar. I had some cramping yesterday and felt a bit out of it, but my period started without a bang last night. I've had some cramping again today but not enough that I've needed to take anything, not even ibuprofen! I swear, it feels like the 'normal' uterine cramps I was used to all these years, not the awful endo pain on my right side.
Sounds like we're both making progress!! Fingers crossed this period is good for you, too!!
|
|
|
Post by Karen on Jan 9, 2011 9:15:44 GMT -5
Just wanted to add that the worst of my period is over. And by worst, I mean the most I needed was 3 ibuprofen. What little bloating I had the first few days is now almost completely gone. I normally don't feel this skinny until day 8 of my cycle. I'm feeling confident that it's not just a fluke period and that my body is actually moving in the right direction now!!!
|
|
|
Post by hellsbells on Jan 9, 2011 9:22:02 GMT -5
Great news Karen! Mine's due in a few days!
|
|
|
Post by redwood on Jan 13, 2011 12:39:28 GMT -5
Well, here's my monthly update with this. This past month I had to drop back to 150mg during the last two weeks of my cycle because I was going to run out before I got a new prescription. Then I took a break for my period for 5 days at the new doc's recommendation. I had a small amount of pain on day 1 and day 5 and a little more pain on days 6 and 7. So, I'm not sure if that is because of the lower dose the last two weeks, or if it's breaking for my period or what. Probably lower dose as I had the pain when I didn't do the break on the lower doses. So I'm staring my new regiment and am taking 100mg until ovulation or day 13 where I'll go up to 200mg. I am hoping this will work like it did last month, although without the 12 day spotting period.
So I've been on this for 5.5 months now. I think you are a few months ahead of me, Karen. Maybe 8 months for you now?
|
|
|
Post by pretty on Jan 13, 2011 16:37:15 GMT -5
I am pretty interested in this but nowhere to turn for ideas. What kind of doc works on this kind of thing? an endocrinologist or regular GYN? I want to try something to lengthen the time between Ovulation and my period to have a chance to conceive. Who should I call?
|
|
|
Post by Karen on Jan 13, 2011 18:26:42 GMT -5
Redwood - is the pain at least better than it was before? Is there an improvement overall? I still have cramps, but the endo pain that I got so used to before is barely there. I started back in May, so yeah, probably 8 months? I hope the new tweaks help out!! I wonder how having a break for your period will affect you. I think it would only help! And Pretty, I really struggled to find a good doc because a lot of the 'traditional' docs in my area don't 'believe' in bio-identicals. I've done some digging around, though, and put together this as kind of a guideline as to who might be able to help: cjlevett.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=alternative&action=display&thread=3973 I think your best bet is to find your most local compounding pharmacy and work backwards - ask them which docs in your area use them. What's your luteal phase? This past month, mine was FINALLY normal! I know diet changes can help lengthen it, but progesterone supplementation is a great way as well. You could try some of the over the counter creams in the meantime (do a search for Emerita - I believe that's it). They come in much lower doses but might be a good start while you're looking? But if you try it on your own, please read up on it so you know what you're doing!
|
|