I recently shared about me being put into menopause due to a number of issues I was having and so many of you sent me messages of support I wanted to give an update.
The injections
I have been on the menopause injections as I call them now for 4 months. I had 1 month injections 3 times and then a 3 month injection so I am yet to see if that is any different when it comes to side effects etc. They are all slow release so apparently it shouldn’t be any different but who knows.
The GnRH injections basically shut off my ovaries so stop all hormones from them. Due to this my mental health has been massively affected. Incidentally, in case you are interested, these are the same kind of injections often given to Trans people who need to have their female hormones stopped for their transition.
My mental health
The GnRH injections and their effect on my hormones has really affected my depression and I am often in tears and feeling really low. To the point the GP insisted on giving me the number for The Samaritans etc so that is literally how low it has made me feel.
All the time I am on the injections this is likely to continue as it is caused by the lack of hormones. So what can they do? They have put me on HRT, but the options for that are limited due to reactions I have previously had to hormones. I am really hoping they help as I even missed my book club this month as I just didn’t feel up to socialising without crying.
Starting HRT
I must admit I was very apprehensive about starting HRT due to the issues I had previously had with hormones such as the contraceptive implant and pill. They have made me want to end my life literally overnight when starting them so of course I was worried HRT would do the same.
I explained this to my Gynaecology consultant who was quite dismissive which didn’t help (I have asked for a change in consultant) but nevertheless I started taking them.
I was prescribed the HRT just before I went on holiday so I decided that whilst my mental health wasn’t good I would hold off starting them until I came back so as to reduce the risk of being worse on holiday or any side effects.
The HRT I have started is called Tibolone, it is artificial hormones to mimic my missing hormones so the hope is they wont cause any of those horrible side effects. I have been taking them now for 2 weeks and so far I don’t feel better but equally I don’t feel worse so I am taking that for a win.
Menopause and Lactose intolerance
I should start by saying I am not 100% sure if these are linked but the timing seems to coincidental to say that they are not!
In the last month, so before starting HRT, I have discovered I seem to have become lactose intolerance. This initially started when I was on holiday. I had horrendous stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and feeling sick. Initially I didn’t know why this was but improved a little and had an ice cream which made it worse again. At that point I started to wonder if it could be food poisoning or a reaction to something specific. Over the following week or two I kept a close eye on what I was eating and when I had the same issues and discovered it was only when I had dairy products. A quick Google showed these were common signs of lactose intolerance.
Since reading that I have cut all dairy out and only had symptoms a few times (when I thought I would be ok to have cheese!). It has become evident that any cheese or milk seems to cause these issues and the other day even chocolate did (much to my annoyance!). So I am currently completely dairy free and as a vegetarian essentially almost vegan, though I still have eggs.
I am planning on speaking to the GP when I am sure. My plan is to avoid it a bit longer, then introduce it again and if the symptoms start back up to then see the GP and explain what I have done and found. I am not sure if they will do anything other than keep an eye on my calcium levels. Broccoli contains a lot of calcium so I think I will be eating more of that! I will keep you updated!
Other life updates
I have been trying to lose weight and lost around 1.5 stone so far which I am pleased with. I have been trying to loosely follow Weight Watchers to help me more with portion control (more about that in my Weight Watchers post)
I have been reading a lot lately and that is something I really enjoy so I am going to keep doing review posts and sharing my latest reads with you so keep an eye out for those if that is your thing.
Do you follow me on social media? I have been trying to get into TikTok so do follow me on there. I recently shared on there, Instagram and Facebook a picture of my son Ben, he has various disabilities and issues and is currently in plaster casts on both legs due to some ongoing issues with his Achilles tendons so he is feeling quite sorry for himself. As a mum I feel bad that my boy (well man as he is 18 now!) has to go through so much but I know I can’t do much except support him with it. Ben starts a new college in a few weeks (luckily after the casts come off!) so that is a big change for us so keep an eye out for my updates on that!
We had a lovely holiday and I am gradually sharing the pictures and videos of that so do bear with me as I don’t want to bombard you with too many at once and also it takes time!
Speak soon xx