Thursday, March 31, 2011

Quitting HRT Cold Turkey Journey

Last week I went to the doctor for my yearly check up.  I'm now back to my family doctor rather then going to OB/GYN because well there is nothing left for them to be doctoring!  LOL.  Top of my list of things to talk to her about was getting off the hormone replacement therapy patch.  I was on the highest dose of .01%.  My doctor planned for me to go down to .075% for a month and then .05% for a month and then .025% and then finally just using a hormone cream.  Last Saturday I started with the new patch.  All seemed ok. Sunday I had nausea but didn't think nothing of it.  By Monday afternoon I was sick.  I felt anxious and as though the back of my head was in a vise.  I called the doctor and I talked to her nurse.  While I was on hold waiting to talk to the doctors nurse I took the patch off.  Within minutes I felt better.  Unbelievable how fast and how different I felt.  Better.  The nurse said that the doctor couldn't talk to me until the next day so I was to go without the patch until I talked to her.  The doctor called me back the next day said go back to the higher amount.  She said my body couldn't tolerate the lesser amount.  To me that didn't seem right....  ok that wasn't what I wanted to hear.  So I decided that I'm going cold turkey.  So far I'm doing well.  No hot flashes or mood swings.  I do have a headache.  This is the same feeling I had when I stopped drinking caffeine.  I waited 3 months for the headache to stop from withdrawal of caffeine.  Now before you get all excited that I'm going cold turkey.  Let explain my feelings about the patch.  What happened to me on Monday I could not think straight I felt trapped and anxious.  That completely scared me.  HRT is very very powerful.  It was clear to me that it had control over me and I had to go through withdrawal at some time.  Well I'm going cold turkey  now rather then play around (stepping down as planned) with these hormones that no one knows for sure is the right dose.  If my symptoms get overwhelming   I can always go back on them.  But it would have to severe.  The more I read about menopause the more I realize that before I had my hysterectomy I was having almost all of the symptoms of menopause.  I'm feeling right now I can handle it.  I've kicked the caffeine and cigs, I can kick the hormones and deal with menopause.  So far I feel more normal then I have felt in a long time.  I want to be off the HRT and I know I have to go through some sort of withdrawal why wait?  When it a better time.  4 days down so far...


Today I have headache.  Felt a little foggy this morning, but by noon I felt much much clearer.

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