Ok! Exciting movement with a doctor! First however, I’ll catch you up.
So I’d been seeing a naturopath for the hormone stuff. At some point several people were asking me if he’d done any tests, and because I said No they encouraged be to go see a regular medical doctor at least once to see what tests they might be able to do. Ok, sounds like a reasonable idea, right?
I saw that the women’s care clinic for the university near me was just down the street from my work. Great. Women’s care would include peri/menopause care, right? So I looked on their website and of all the doctors listed, none listed perimenopause and only 3 listed menopause as something they specialized in or had interest in, and none of them were taking new patients. Oh good. So I asked a nurse there and she said she’d ask the various nurse practitioners which of their doctors they’d recommend for menopause / perimenopause issues. They agreed on a suggestion for whom I should see and I made an appointment. But when I got there and started our conversation, I realized she wasn’t any kind of expert on the subject, and my circle of knowledge about it wasn’t necessarily much smaller than hers. Turns out her specialty is geriatric medicine. Nice one kids, not quite the same things as perimenopause issues. But thanks for playing.
She gave me a follicle stimulating hormone test, saying that those numbers drop for women within a few years of menopause setting in. The test came back negative, but she said the progesterone I am taking could likely affect the test, and could I go off it for a month so she could redo the test. I almost yelled “Are you fucking kidding me? Of course not.” But instead I nicely explained that she must not fully understand the severity of my symptoms when not medicated to suggest such a thing. Then she suggested I go on anti-depressants so I could go off the progesterone so she could redo the test.
She gave me a follicle stimulating hormone test, saying that those numbers drop for women within a few years of menopause setting in. The test came back negative, but she said the progesterone I am taking could likely affect the test, and could I go off it for a month so she could redo the test. I almost yelled “Are you fucking kidding me? Of course not.” But instead I nicely explained that she must not fully understand the severity of my symptoms when not medicated to suggest such a thing. Then she suggested I go on anti-depressants so I could go off the progesterone so she could redo the test.
Related: I started having heart palpitations recently. This same doc did tests, found nothing, said she’d order me a wearable heart monitor and call me when it came in. I haven’t heard from her since.
I decided I didn’t want to continue with her due to her obvious lack of understanding of what I’m actually feeling. Then, I had a very bad day last week, a full breakdown that kept me from leaving the house in the morning. I ended up on the phone with a good friend who has also had hormonal struggles recently, and at the end of an awesome comforting conversation she directed me to her doctor who has been fantastic for her hormonal ride.
Which brings us to today. I just got back from the appointment, and WOW was it great, and I learned a lot.
First off, she said that the very first doctor I saw back when this all was ramping up (the one that said 1. I’m too young for all this, 2. I’d have more symptoms if it were that, and 3. Here have this Zoloft) didn’t
know what she was talking about, that most women start the very first symptoms of perimenopause in their mid to late 30s and just don’t realize that’s what it is because most only know about actual menopause, not perimenopause, which are related and attach but are distinctly different parts of the overall process of women’s wombs turning on and off.
She said that the last doctor I’ve seen also didn’t know what she was talking about, because the follicular hormone test would *not* be affected by my taking progesterone, plus the numbers only drop for *some* women, not all.
She said that the last doctor I’ve seen also didn’t know what she was talking about, because the follicular hormone test would *not* be affected by my taking progesterone, plus the numbers only drop for *some* women, not all.
She explained so much for me. She said that everything I’m feeling is because of physical stuff happening in my body, and it isn’t because of psychological issues. The endocrine and nervous systems are attached, and the severity of my symptoms tells her that my nervous system is very very sensitive to hormonal changes from the endocrine system. She explained that it feels psychological because the brain is part of the nervous system, and it is trying madly to do it’s job of interpreting the signals it is getting from the rest of the nervous system.
She explained that on those bad days when I’m really struggling and I feel wiped out, feel no energy for anyone else, feel like I’m “out of spoons”, it’s because I’m essentially having to drive my nervous system down the road on 2 cylinders; it’s moving, but having to work much harder than normal, and burning way more fuel than usual, and when it runs out of fuel it has to be allowed to recharge before I can drive it more. She said that “no spoons left” feeling is an actual physical reaction to an over stimulated and exhausted nervous system. She said that it is important to make self-care a priority, and when I feel out of spoons and need a recharge, do it. Because it is a real thing, the recharging, putting myself in situations where my nervous system gets a rest and isn’t triggered. She stressed the importance of doing what I need to do to care for myself when I feel bad, regardless of expectations of others. She said, “If I had a concussion I wouldn’t go to a party that night. This really is like that. If you need to stay home, stay home. Your body needs it.”
She explained that on those bad days when I’m really struggling and I feel wiped out, feel no energy for anyone else, feel like I’m “out of spoons”, it’s because I’m essentially having to drive my nervous system down the road on 2 cylinders; it’s moving, but having to work much harder than normal, and burning way more fuel than usual, and when it runs out of fuel it has to be allowed to recharge before I can drive it more. She said that “no spoons left” feeling is an actual physical reaction to an over stimulated and exhausted nervous system. She said that it is important to make self-care a priority, and when I feel out of spoons and need a recharge, do it. Because it is a real thing, the recharging, putting myself in situations where my nervous system gets a rest and isn’t triggered. She stressed the importance of doing what I need to do to care for myself when I feel bad, regardless of expectations of others. She said, “If I had a concussion I wouldn’t go to a party that night. This really is like that. If you need to stay home, stay home. Your body needs it.”
