Hello Ladies
I have posted a lot about my very bumpy journey towards diagnosis and my dissatisfaction with the proposed treatment plan (zoladex) from my consultant (general gynae). I'm still chasing up the drs, trying to find out more about my diagnosis- I've been given a very murky, vague picture of things but from the info I've been given, I've decided to 'go rogue' and not follow the Drs orders. I had already worked on other important hormone related factors- diet, environment, emotions but I wasn't seeing any real improvement. If anything, things seemed to be getting worse. I decided to try bio identical progesterone cream and this is a summary of my first week using it. I'll try keep it brief but that is not really my strong point! I've updated my profile to give more info about my background.
I consulted a naturopath who specialises in women's hormones and was instructed to use between 15-30mg of progesterone a day of the cream,was given tiny measuring spoons and to make the measurements easier, I decided to start on 20mg a day. That was 10mg in the morning and 10mg in early evening. It really is a tiny amount of cream and I thought there was no way such a small amount of cream could really do much. I was sceptical.
I was warned that a lot of women can have an increase in symptoms for the first week or 2 as the estrogen receptors can be activated. Just 2 hours after my first dose, I had intense cramps- like period pains. It didn't last long but it was there and happened like that for the next few days. I also felt unbelievably thirsty, which passed as the other symptoms lifted. I had extreme tiredness which felt very different to my usual fatigue. It was like a heavy sleepiness and I did actually have to take a nap a few times, which is very unlike me. My fatigue is usually not 'tiredness', It's just like I'm in a big cloud of treacle. I also had a sore head for about 2-3 days. It was bad but not awful. After day 5, that all stopped but my back started to become very sore- worse than usual. The level of pain was probably the same but it was just constant and I couldn't get any relief from it. I've just been to my chiroprachtor so my pain is hugely reduced now- she said my alignment was awful today. Usually when my back is at it's worst, my fatigue is usually pretty bad too but this wasn't the case. Yesterday and today, I've definitely felt a change in my fatigue. It's still there but it's almost like it's getting thinner and I can start to see through it. In terms of fatigue, today is probably the best I have felt in about 5 months. I'm by no means bounding with energy but I am finding myself doing things and realising that I wouldn't normally manage- like today I have done yoga, hung out a washing, hoovered and walked to a chiropractor appointment. This is way more than usual, the yoga was less of a 'ugh' effort, I just usually can't manage hoovering and did it without a thought and I would usually drive to my chiropractor, even though it's a 5 min walk. I've done all of this and I actually feel ok. As I said, I'm not bounding with energy but it's a noticeable difference. Usually I struggle through yoga and then I'm just pulling myself through the day and just being alive feels such a struggle. I feel a little brighter.
I'm not in any way saying 'everyone do this', I really think we all have to approach our endo as our own individual disease and try balance our hormones with an individualised approach- looking at the factors that are most likely to be causing us the issues. I had already worked on diet, environment and emotions so this was the only thing left. I believe we need to balance all factors.
I'm just sharing my experience, the information I have gathered. My aim is really just to help people be informed about what their options are. I wish I knew 2 years ago what I know now.
Feel free to ask me anything.