Advice Needed for Menopause and Workouts

L

lorax

Cathlete
Hi Cathe,

I've been doing your workouts for years. Normally 6 days per week 60 to 90 minutes each. I'm 41, 5'2", 104lbs. Last year I had to have a total hysterectomy due to uterine cancer. I recovered quickly because I was in good shape (thanks!) However, I was thrown into full blown menopause 10 yrs before my time. My problem is that I have ferocious hot flashes and because of this I haven't had a good night's sleep in over a year. Obviously this is effecting my workouts. And believe me, having a hot flash during a workout is not pleasant! :eek: Currently I've been doing shorter versions of my usual workouts, for example 1/2 a cardio tape or 1 or 2 body parts instead of a total body workout, and I do this 5-6 days per week. But I'm so unbelievably exhausted at times it's hard to even do these short versions. But I have to keep at it, I don't want to lose everything I've worked so hard for all these years and working out is so important to overall health. If I wait until I feel rested I would never work out. I was wondering if you had any advice or recommendations on ways to keep up the workouts until I'm over this phase. I've talked to my doctor but since I can't take any standard hormone therapies she wants me to just ride it out. Any women in your classes going through this? Thanks so much for any advice you may have. (I've preodered the 4 new DVDS and am looking forward to them, hotflashes or not! :) )

Lorrie
 
Hi Lorrie! I hope I can be of some help which you desperately need. There are menopause supplements that you can take from Shaklee. There a very reputable company & have extremely high standards in the quality of their products. Please do me a favor & contact my friend, Robin Walker at [email protected] to give you a pdf document on the menopause supplements. You can then take this document to your doctor & I just bet you she'll tell you to take them. I do not like the fact that your doctor tells you to "just ride it out." I've been there so I know exactly what your talking about. Your already lessening your w/outs but its all due to lack of sleep. I don't have any other suggestions except to maybe instead of doing a Cathe cardio just go outside for a walk.

Good luck to you dear I hope I've been of some help. Take care, Kathy:D
 
Hi Dawn! Lorrie can't take any HRTs due to her having uterine cancer. That's why I suggested she take Shaklee since every one of their products is all natural. Kathy:D
 
Thanks so much Kathy! I have a Dr. appt in Nov. and will ask her about the Shaklee supplements. My Dr. at one point prescribed a low dose of Paxil to help me sleep but I didn't get it filled because I didn't like what a read about it. Statistics apparently show that while surgical menopause symptoms attack all at once, they usually wane after about 1 yr (ha!) as opposed to natural menopause which is gradual and can last several years. Of course I have been atypical in every aspect of this as uterine cancer normally happens in women 60+ who are obese and who did not take bc. I was 39 when diagnosed, 100 lbs and took bc for 20 yrs. Go figure. So I will probably be atypical and have this @#!!* menopause for 10 yrs! Sigh. Thanks again, I appreciate the advice from someone whose been there!

Lorrie
 
There are some anti-depressants that have helped some women with hot flashes without hormones. I can't think which one(s). If no one else knows I can try and find out. I am thinking Effexor but I could be confused.
 
Hi Lorrie,

I had a complete hysterectomy April 9, 2004 at age 46. There is nothing that can prepare you for instant menopause.

I also recovered very quickly and resumed my workouts within a couple of weeks. Come to find out I am extremely sensitive to standard HRT (premarin) and became very ill from taking it. Extreme stomach pain, joint aches, nighttime panic attacks, etc. The sicker I got the higher the dosage of HRT the doctor prescribed.

Finally after many invasive diagnostic tests(including a stomach biopsy) the doctor stopped the premarin and put me on Effexor. It was the worst nightmare ever. I couldn't sleep, or eat and I suffered from the most horrifying night terrors. After 3 weeks my doctor (ex-doctor I should add) told me to just stop taking the Effexor (which by the way did stop the hot flashes) but I went through full blown drug withdrawal for 48 hours. I could not stop shaking or crying. I thought I was going to die. I have never suffered from depression and I never even took a pain killer after my surgery. Apparently drugs and I don't do well together.

After that I was so afraid to take anything so yet another doctor told me to ride it out. Well like you I couldn't sleep more than 45 minutes at a time. I would wake up drenched to the point where I would go to bed with a couple of beach towels so I could just pile them on top of the wet sheets. I tried staying up until dawn (because during the day the hot flahes and sweats were not so intense) I was trying to reset my circandian rythm. It didn't work. I lost a ton of weight, my hair started falling out, the vaginal dryness was almost unbearable, and I looked like hell.

I lasted like this about 4 months. The one thing I tried so hard to keep up with was my workouts. I would be completely exhausted but I still forced myself to do Imax, bootcamp, etc. I thought that I could work it out, instead I just put more strain on my already tapped out body. I was so exhausted I didn't think I could go on (but now I laugh when someone's says "I'm so tired I could just die, I only slept a couple of hours last night, because I know you can go 8 months without sleep and still not die!)

I finally called my insurance company and asked them to find me a doctor who specialized in hrt. (that was in January of this year). I have been trying several different combos and dosages, and currently I use a vaginal ring called fem-ring, estro-gel and a testosterone gel. Finally this last mixture (I started in August) seems to be working. I am sleeping most of the night, my hair stopped falling out and I gained the weight back (I was at my perfect weight before the surgery and very happy with my muscle tone). I gained a few pounds more than I wanted to, and I have lost some muscle mass (and found some cellulite, yuck), but I am so happy to be almost me. I would say that I am about 80 - 85% back to my old workout schedule and I know that in a couple more months I will be back.

I feel like my body betrayed me. Even though I healed quickly, losing the stamina and strenght shocked me. I am an advanced exerciser with more than 25 years of working out behind me. I am also a personal trainer and this has motivated me to start a practice dedicated to women going throught the same thing.

Please don't push yourself to exercise at your old levels. Your body is under a tremendous amount of stress and adding the stress of high intensity exercise probably isn't the best thing.

Look for another doctor who doesn't want you to ride it out. There are huge quality of life issues here, not to mention the physical strain you are under.

Please e-mail me if you want I will be happy to share the pain

x(

Take care,
Debbie Russo
 
Did you notice any side effects with the testosterone??

I am on HRT and have NO sex drive. I have been thinking of doing that but am scared of the masculine side effects.

Thanks,


Dawn
 
Hi Lorrie,

My gosh--you've really been through it, haven't you!? I'm glad to hear you're doing so well. It truly was advantageous to be in such great physical condition before surgery.;)

I've been through natural menopause and can relate to how tough it is trying work out during hot flashes. For things like walking or step work outs, I used a "stay cool towel" and it made an incredible difference. If you're interested check out this link:
http://www.thesportsauthority.com/sm-cramer-stay-cool-small-towel--pi-1237542.html

I also found little battery operated, clip-on fans that I attached to the hand rails of a treadmill or elliptical trainer. You can pick those up anywhere. I think I got mine at K-Mart.

I know these ideas might sound silly, but they made a huge difference for me. HTH and good luck to you. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Michele
 
Dawn,

I would like to chime in here regarding the testosterone. I am using a 2% cream on my thighs each evening before I go to bed. I had a high sex drive before I started going through perimenopause and was just shocked at how my drive was decreasing with time. I did a lot of reading ont the subject and many women have found adding testosterone to be a Godsend. Another thing it does for you is help with fatigue, increased muscle tone and improves the skin.

It took a couple of months for it to kick in but it is working. It also reversed extreme vaginal dryness I was experiencing. I'm not giving this stuff up unless I have to, LOL!

Unlike Debbie, I haven't experienced any weight gain. I am also taking a low dose BC pill called Mircette. I am thinking about switching to Femring or something similar because I will be 51 soon and I don't think my Dr will let me continue on the BC pill.

HTH
:)
 
Hi Lorrie! I believe my friend, Robin, sent you an email. I hope she was able to help you. I'm even skeptical about the estro-gel, testerone-gel, etc. Because of your medical history, I would want you to only take natural supplements. I'm glad you'll be going in Nov. to see your doctor but its soooo long from now. Was Robin able to help you? Take care, Kathy:D

PS: Perhaps see if your local library has the book titled "The Wisdom of Menopause" by Dr. Northrup. There might be a lot mentioned re estro-gel & testerone gel, etc. HTH
 
Hi Candi! I too was on Mircette for 2 1/2 years. You won't be able to stay on it for too long due to the fact that your body will have an overabundance of the estrogen making your breasts very sore. That will be the first side effect. I went off of it completely even though my doctor said to stop taking it for a "little while" & then continue using Mircette for another 6 months. I thought what is he kidding? I then started taking AM/PM Balance from Natrol which took my hot flashes away & helped a lot w/the night sweats. I was able to sleep better. HTH, Kathy:D
 
Kathy,

Thank you for this information. I keep the AM/PM balance in the back of my mind because of your comments. I know you have been very happy with the relief it gives you.
 
Hi Lorrie. I sent you a personal email. Hopefully you got it. There are definately some safe supplements that you can take that will ease up your symptoms you are experiencing right now. Some of the things that may be helpful for you are:

Calcium Supplement (take right before you go to bed, it helps your muscles relax so it helps you fall asleep)
GLA (gamma linolenic acid)
Menopause Balancing Complex (Shaklee)

I have worked with many ladies going through menopause and they have had great results with these 3 items. Also, it never hurts to add in some Omega-3's. You can go to the Shaklee website and print off the labels for each of the products and show it to your doctor.

Shaklee does have a menopause package that contains these items. Here is a link to their their package. Remember, you can try it for a month, and if you don't notice an improvement, you can get your money back. It is worth a try....especially since you haven't slept in so long!

http://www.shaklee.net/robin_walker/search?search=Prod&keywords=menopause

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions!!!

Take Care!
 
Thank you so much for the information Robin! I will discuss this with my doctor in November!

Lorrie
 
I'm a nurse practitioner who worked for years in adult oncology before switching to pediatric oncology some years ago. I used to recommend vitamin E for the hot flashes. It helped some. I actually tried it myself as I began experiencing hot flashes. I started at 400 IU 2x/day, but had significant side effects (flatulence) so decreased it to 400 IU daily with continued improvement. It didn't take them away completely, but I certainly notice a difference when I don't take it. And vitamin E has other beneficial effects. So, take it or leave it. I hope things improve for you. I certainly remember how my breast cancer pts suffered with "instant menopause."

Brenda
 
Kathy I did the am/pm balance from Natrol as well. It seemed to help but for me the pm formula with the melatonin gave me horible nightmares. I read that melatonin can do this to some people. I finished off the am but still have some of the pm in the cupboard. I can sympathize with anyone going through this. I was in my thirties when I had cancer and my hysterectomy. I thought I was past it but here lately I have had some hot flashes at 53. I will address this when I go for my next physical.
Diane Sue
http://wd.1ww.us
 
Hi Diane Sue! Guess who recommended to me the AM/PM Balance? None other than yourself.:eek:) You've been very helpful to me during my flare ups. I too still experience hot flashes but there miniscule by comparison. I'll be 52 Oct. 22nd. I'm post menopausal now for 2 years so why should we still be having hot flashes? I don't get it either. I'll have to consult my doctor on this too.

Take care, Kathy:D
 
Lots of good advice here! Thankfully, I am now fully menopausal after having gone thru perimenopause for about TEN years! The night sweats were the absolute worst, and I sympathize with you immensely. I just wanted to add to listen to your body; as much as the w/o's helped me, I, too, needed sleep and felt I was dragging and "groggy-headed." Finally, when I could sleep in the a.m.'s, I did, even tho' I hated missing my w/o's. And I also had a physician prescribe Effexor with horrible results. I read about its quickly becoming addictive. I angrily stopped because I had told my care provider that I never wanted to become addicted to an antidepressant. After research, I took Black Cohosh, vitamin E, and B6 (50 mg twice daily), along with my other regimens of vitamins and that helped more than anything. From what I learned, each woman reacts differently to both perimenopause and its remedies, so I hope you're able to find relief and that your length of perimenopause passes quickly!!!!
 
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