IF/Women/Hormones

[Librarygirl]

Originally Posted by Librarygirl

I've thought about it too, Hope. I am scheduled for an appt. with a doctor this coming Wed. to get appetite suppressants. It is very expensive and not in my budget. I know that is the only way I will be able to stick to very low DD's and lose more than 2-3 lbs a month... I really wish I'd started judding about 15 years ago, lol, and stayed in maintenance. Good luck to you, and I may be joining you...tomorrow determines it. First DD since Tuesday.

I did not go and get appetite suppressants. I am still doing it on my own, and will continue to do so.

[Carly]

Originally Posted by Librarygirl

I did not go and get appetite suppressants. I am still doing it on my own, and will continue to do so.

I know you can do it!

[hot-in-texas]

Originally Posted by Librarygirl

I did not go and get appetite suppressants. I am still doing it on my own, and will continue to do so.

[Hopefulsweigh]

I hope you find your magic soon.

[Librarygirl]

Thank you, Hope. I dropped 2 lbs this morning to get me to a total of 12 lbs lost in 11 weeks. I'm content with that, especially after taking a 5 day break and still losing. I'm going to stick it out. I hope you find your perfect fit too.

[dawnyama]

I know this post is a bit old, but wanted to comment. This, along with Library girl's post about her office visit where she walked out, had me thinking that I should look into hormones too. My mom's visit this past weekend clinched it for me. I told her some things that were going on in my life and she said "you need help. And need it now!!". So I went to see the clinic in town where they do bio-identical hormone replacement therapy and had blood work drawn today. My visit with the doctor is March 4th. I hope that this sets me on a path to feeling like my old self. I hate that I get so irritated very easily and by every little thing.

Just wanted to shout out and say thanks to those who have shared on this thread!!

[Hopefulsweigh]

Hey Dawnyama



Thanks for sharing with us. I hope you find the answers and solutions that you need. Feeling irritated all the time no is no fun. We should all be able to embrace all the joy in our lives, all the time. Right? We have to believe this to keep moving on and searching for what makes us feel beter. We deserve it. And you better believe we are worth it.

Hormones are powerful invisible forces within us, good call on getting bloodwork ASAP.

I've been learning so much about our bodies and how they need the best we can give them so the whole system functions as it should. I'm sure I'll only ever skim the surface as we are incredible creatures and I have limited brain capacity

Listening, learning and healing is where this journey has taken me...oh and I'm feeling so much better . I'm learning a lot about the Perfect Health Diet, thread has been started by JUDDD BUDDD Sunday, and simply healing the body so it can function at its optimal level...So much to learn Weightloss has taken a back seat.

Keep us updated on what you learn, in the mean time be kind to yourself

[dawnyama]

Thanks Hope and that goes for you too. Be kind to yourself. I have been following that thread as well. I believe in all that "stuff" as my doctor (who has dropped me as a patient...ugh!) said "If we can get your hormones working, the weight will just fall off". I believe in that wholeheartedly but I never pursued it til now. I believe that if your body is getting what it needs then what is supposed to happen....does. I just couldn't afford getting the hormones treated before. Now I cannot NOT afford it. It is costing me a whole lot of money to do this, but I am worth it and my DH---God bless him--deserves a much better wife than what I have been lately So in the end it will be worth it. I will have a better outlook, which translates to a better me!! And if I can keep weight off.....that is just a bonus

I hope you keep us posted as to how this all works for you!!

[sunday]

Lots of big hugs Dawn. I am happy for you!

Optimal hormone balance is critical to our physical and emotional well-being, as well as long-term protection against age-related concerns such as breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis. I went to the wrong doctor and have just recently found someone more knowledgeable, so believe I can get mine balanced as well. Best wishes to you!

[dawnyama]

sunday--I am laughing at that post because my mom suggested I needed estrogen. The lady I consulted with yesterday said if I got more estrogen I would be EVEN MORE irritable. I need progesterone to feel more mellow---not more estrogen. I think we all need a lesson in how hormones work!!!

[sunday]

Originally Posted by dawnyama

sunday--I am laughing at that post because my mom suggested I needed estrogen. The lady I consulted with yesterday said if I got more estrogen I would be EVEN MORE irritable. I need progesterone to feel more mellow---not more estrogen. I think we all need a lesson in how hormones work!!!

Remember the website that Shelbyla gave us. eaware.org??? It has helped me so much! Also, if you want to read more than you will ever want to know and they will be glad to send you a free packet is at Women's International Pharmacy. They were the ones that found me the right doctor.

[Librarygirl]

I am so interested in this, Sunday and Dawn. What concerns me is actually taking hormones. I have a hormone patch that I was prescribed (not because he did blood work or thought I needed it, but because I asked for it)...I quit using it a week after I started it because of all the scary side effects (blood clots, etc.)...same as birth control pills. What is the answer?! I feel like I have to suffer through it all or take a risk on dicey treatment.

[dawnyama]

Cindy--the place I am going is not into the patches. They do pellets. And they are inserted, lasting about 3 months. I either go on doing like I am, which is crappy. Or I go and try this and get better. I vote for getting better!!! Trust me, I know I need help. My kids don't want me coming to their school for fear of what I might say or do. My DH--God bless him--is ready to call it quits. There is only so much begging a guy can do before he starts thinking HE is the problem. I mean I have it all!!! They do NOT believe in creams, and if I need a compounded script they give it in a lozenge. So this is not exactly what I want either, but I cannot live like I am. Maybe you need to have something happen to you, Cindy before you are ready to take the plunge. But I find everything and everyone irritating and short of holing up in my house, there has to be something I can do to be among the living LOL.

Oh, and I am taking bio-identicals. No hormones like you would find in a birth control pill. She said that what I am going to get is made for me and it WILL be different from what she is taking. I am going to Carolina Hormone and Health. They have an office in Mt Pleasant and here in West Columbia. You can check them out! Oh yeah. They are pretty pricy too. But I think I have to do this and I am worth it. My marriage is totally worth it too!!

[sunday]

Cindy, You don't have to take synthetic hormone replacement, you can have natural bio-identicals. I have always been very conservative about RX and do not take anything without reading and researching. The natural supps are bioavailable and bio-identical. There are no toxins, hormone disruptors, artificial preservatives, or synthetic dyes. From their site, the philosophy is to support your body so it can balance itself naturally, as it was meant to do.

From Women to Women~

Bioidentical hormones are manufactured in the lab to have the same molecular structure as the hormones made by your own body. This makes them unlike synthetic hormones which are intentionally made to be different. That’s because drug companies can’t patent a bioidentical structure to make it exclusively theirs, so they invent synthetic hormones that are patentable (Premarin, Prempro, and Provera being the most widely used examples).

Though bioidentical hormones have been around for years, most practitioners are unfamiliar with them. There are several branded versions now available for use though their one-size-fits-all dosage regime is very similar to that of synthetic hormones. But in our practice, we use an individualized, patient-centered approach. We begin by testing hormone levels (hormone panel) and when warranted, we prescribe a precise dosage of bioidentical estrogens, progesterone, testosterone, and/or DHEA. These formulations are prepared at a registered compounding pharmacy and each patient is monitored carefully through regular follow-up hormone panels to ensure she gets symptom relief at the lowest possible dosage. In the initial stages, we will do a hormone panel every three months. Once balance is restored, we’ll do one panel a year at the time of the annual exam.
Is bHRT the only way to achieve hormonal balance?

Bioidentical hormones can work wonders, but they aren’t necessarily the first place to turn when hormonal imbalance is a problem. In our experience, the great majority of women can rebalance their hormones without the use of drugs, and even without HRT — in any form. About 85% of the women we work with find relief through a natural approach that combines medical-grade nutritional supplements, gentle endocrine support, and dietary and lifestyle changes.

We recommend that every woman start with this combination approach to create a solid foundation for her health. In our Personal Program for Menopause, we’ve developed a three-pronged approach that supports a woman’s hormonal pathways “upstream” of where problems arise. This can head off full-blown symptoms that could require the stronger and more invasive hormonal replacement therapy. With dietary guidelines that are based on the latest research in clinical nutrition and dietary endocrinology, the Program provides:

Essential Nutrients to fill in the nutritional gaps left by our modern diet.
Herbal Equilibrium with plant-based support to rebalance the three major sex hormones most likely to fluctuate in perimenopause and menopause: estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

Even with this foundation, a minority of women will need to temporarily add prescription-strength hormone supplements for complete relief, at least through a transition period. For this, we recommend bioidentical hormones, preferably in a compounded form personalized to their needs by an experienced practitioner. If you can’t find a practitioner to prescribe compounded bHRT, there are now numerous trademarked bHRT options that conventional practitioners can prescribe.

Either way, it’s very important that any hormones be used in addition to the combination approach outlined above. Note that celebrities like Suzanne Somers and Oprah who’ve talked openly about bHRT began with healthy diets and lifestyles that supported their endocrine systems, but still experienced intractable symptoms.

We don’t recommend that any hormones be used long-term unless essential for symptom relief and quality of life, and then only with a complete risk assessment. We also don’t support the idea that bioidentical hormone therapy should be used indefinitely as some kind of “fountain of youth.”You can also go and read other women's stories before trying and they have a lot of one on one counseling as well.

You may also discover that you can achieve the same results without having to take a supp.

[sunday]

Originally Posted by sunday

You may also discover that you can achieve the same results without having to take a supp.

Meant to say script. Not supp.

[DD80]

I am very sensitive to hormones and I feel your pain. I'd recommend "master your metabolism" by Jillian Michaels. She talks about everything that affects hormone levels. I found it quite insightful. A lot of it I already "knew" but the book helped connect all the pieces for me. I just checked it out of the library.

I had to stop doing JUDDD because the DDs were so stressful. Being hungry makes me so anxious and stressed out. Every UD became a free for all. i did not feel healthy or in control at that point. I stopped to try to figure out my food issues and why hunger was such a stupid emergency for me. I have emotional eating issues as well.

I have also found some relief by taking 7keto DHEA, which is strange because it is not supposed to affect sex hormones. I have felt noticeably more "even" since taking it twice per day. I buy it through swansons vitamins.

[sunday]

Thanks DD80, I was wondering which dhea would be good. I noticed that my health food store has a lot of different types.

[Hopefulsweigh]

Sunday thanks for posting that info..

[Librarygirl]

One thing I will mention since I'm looking at the bottle, lol, is Amoryn. It was recommended to me by a very reliable woman on a different board. She said it changed her life. It is a natural supplement and I bought a bottle, but didn't take it regularly. Duh, it won't work if you don't. I'm going to start back with it, and I'll report my progress. She said she had noticeable improvement within a month's time.