I Hate Hormones, Yes I Do, I Hate Hormones How About You?

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Seriously. Hormones stink. And no matter how you look at it, we women have to deal with them our ENTIRE lives. Forget the silly election; let’s talk about something that really matters…

As you know by now, I have had the great privilege of starting peri-menopause WAY TOO EARLY. Synthetic hormones turn me into a lunatic. And I’m a big proponent of working to find and treat the problem rather than mask the symptoms.

I’ve had great success with homeopathic hormone therapy for some time. But I started to notice some changes about six months ago: heavier spotting (I had an ablation before I knew better), increased breast tenderness, the glorious return of the hot flash and severe mood crashes that would likely be classified as clinical depression. Just.so.awesome.

So I redid a saliva hormone panel only to find out my hormone levels were doing well with the aid of the progesterone cream. Yay! But then what is the problem?

Then I did an adrenal test to see if the hormones weren’t being processed in my body correctly. I found out today that that looks normal. Yay! But then what is the problem? Wait, did I just say that?

So now what?

Beaux at the Medicine Shoppe had me start taking fiber every day to help with the fibrocystic breast issue. Strange, but it seems to be working. I might just be having a good month, so we will know more over time.

Today, I told Beaux that sudden mood swings have been WAY more intense lately. Frankly, they’ve been scary. Not suicidal scary, but scary enough that this has to be our top priority. The Sepia still helps, but we both agreed that I should try to take the Sepia preventatively rather than as a reaction to the sudden dives. And he is going to do some more research to see if there is something else we can do.

You might be thinking, “Why don’t you get on antidepressants?” Well, to begin with, medication and I don’t typically mix well. I’d like to try to remove as many chemicals from my body as possible, not add to them. I’m allergic to, well, almost everything. And the thought of going through the trial and error phase doesn’t thrill me.

Second, there is a definite pattern with the lows. They don’t happen at the same each month. But when they do happen, it’s during one of the three hormonal shifts I have in my cycle. Again, I’d like to figure out how to deal with the problem rather than the solution.

Let me stress a very important point: I AM NOT AGAINST ANTIDEPRESSANTS. I’m not concerned about the social ramifications that might come with them. And I know that they have saved countless lives. However for me, they are my last resort rather than my first choice.

This is why I’m taking the time to write to you today: You are NOT ALONE and you are NOT CRAZY! Hormones suck. Sorry, but they do. And just when you think you have it figured out, something changes and you are back to square one.

I implore you NOT TO GIVE UP! If you do some testing and they find nothing, don’t be discouraged. If you are experiencing symptoms, then they are real. You just haven’t identified the cause… yet.

And please, DON’T DO THIS ALONE. Talk to someone. Shoot, talk to me. I’ll listen. And this is somewhat anonymous – for you anyway, right?

Stupid apple… stupid serpent… stupid girl… Who am I fooling? I probably would have eaten it too. Bleh.