This and that......

I have surgery scheduled tomorrow morning to repair the (re)fracture of my right wrist.  Details in the posts below on the saga of my right arm.  Needless to say, I am frustrated and beyond upset (I can only imagine how my stress level is affecting my hormone balance right now-----I had hormonal blood work done Friday, but I'm having hot flashes indicative of low progesterone.)   I wanted to post today, since I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be doing much at the computer this week!

First up, from The Age.com, an  article about the progress on a genetic blood test that will predict the age that a woman will reach menopause.  This could be immensely useful not only for women trying to plan families, but also for women who wish to start (bioidentical) hormone therapy before they reach menopause. Often a woman can predict their menopause transition based on when their mother experienced menopause, but if the mother has had a partial/complete hysterectomy, is dead, or is not the daughter's birth mother, or several other factors, daughters are left to guess at when they will go through the menopausal transition.

I'm so stressed out right now I want to eat everything in sight, and much of it isn't healthy.  I'm craving Brach's malted milk Easter eggs (and Brach's is the only acceptable brand.....I'm picky).  I know that music can calm me down or wind me up, and right now Pharrell William's song "Happy" is one of my favourites. Check out this article from Huff Post Healthy Living about using your iPod to help manage your emotions.  During my "downtime" this week, I need to hop on iTunes and listen to the songs on the sample list.

As I have detailed before, I take estriol cream for vaginal dryness.  The medical term is atrophic vaginitis, and here is a list of symptoms from The Mayo Clinic.  I got a new prescription for the cream a couple months ago, and when Greenfield Pharmacy sent me the cream, they neglected to send the adapter for the jar, which is necessary to get the cream from the jar into the vaginal applicator.........and Greenfield forgot to send the applicators too!  I called and very sweetly and politely asked for the supplies needed to administer the estriol.  Got them in the mail a week later.  I called Greenfield Pharmacy to refill the prescription a couple weeks ago, and it never occurred to me to ask them include the jar adapter (mine has a tear in it from putting it on and off the jar every time I use it) and some syringes.  The bottle arrives Tuesday, and......you guessed it.....no supplies.  I called the pharmacy, explained the situation.  First person either had no idea what I was talking about or didn't want to be bothered, so she switches me to another person.  I explain the whole issue again and the tech says "well, we'll see what can be done."  I was furious, and I called them back five minutes later and told them not to bother, I would get the supplies elsewhere.  The compounding pharmacies tout their superior, personalized service, but it has been my experience that they are no better than the big box pharmacies, and in most cases, are worse.

I have a couple more articles to share with you, but this post has taken me forever to type, and I need to go ice my arm again (story of my life this week.)  Enjoy this first full week of April.......I hope that it's spring wherever you are!

I haven't disappeared......

But in the continuing saga of my right forearm (check posts below for full story).......I rebroke it on Friday morning......picking up some papers off my desk.

Obviously, the bone was not as healed as the surgeon thought it was..........I will update as soon as I can.

Must. Remember. This.

Quick Update

Hi everyone, typing is still difficult, so this will be a quick update....

I had the plate taken out of my right forearm on Monday morning (see the post below this one for details!) .........all went as expected. My pain level was far, far more tolerable than when the plate was put in last summer (to repair a fracture).  My friend Karen took me to the hospital, and we were home by 2 pm.  I slept off and on after I got home, and was able to manage the pain pretty well. I didn't sleep great last night because I had to keep the arm elevated (and I am a flipper when I sleep), but took a nap late this afternoon.

I can drive a bit tomorrow, it will feel good to get out and about (I do not do well being cooped up, and OMG, daytime television is AWFUL!) Stitches come out in two weeks, but I can take the bandage off Thursday.  Putting my progesterone cream on is a pain right now, but I'm managing pretty well.  I injected my estrogen on Sunday, and one of my friends will inject my testosterone into my left arm on Thursday (he has been doing that for me since I fell last summer, as my right thumb has some limitations and using a syringe is one of them!)  I'm very glad this is over, and I can already tell that I have less pain in my hand and fingers than I did before the surgery....the tendons were really getting irritated by the plate and it definitely needed to come out.

Hope to be back by the weekend with a "hormonal" post.  Oh, by the way, in the post below this one I talked about putting together a one page medical history......I took mine to the hospital for inclusion in my chart, and the nurses and  anesthesiologist were very impressed with my efficiency!

Those are the breaks (sorry, bad pun!)

The regular readers of this blog know about the continuing saga of my right forearm.  I broke it at the gym last August (I had an existing plate in the arm, fell on it and the titanium plate was stronger than the bone, and so the bone broke).  Had surgery three days later to remove the old plate, repair the fracture and put in a new plate.  The bones in that arm have some localized osteopenia, and the fracture seemed to take forever to heal.  I started having pain in the wrist and into my fingers not too long after the surgery, and it was determined that the plate would have to come out of the arm.  The goal was to make it six months after the original fracture, and I made it to seven months one week. 

Started having increased pain last week, so I called the doctor's office for an appointment.  Got in the next day and it was determined that we couldn't wait any longer, so my St. Patrick's Day will be spent having surgery to have the plate removed from the arm. I am assured that this surgery will not be as painful as when the arm was fractured (thank goodness, that was AWFUL!) and that I will be able to start using the arm almost immediately.  I will have a soft bandage on for at least several days, which means wrapping my arm in a garbage bag for showers and washing my hair with one hand.  I will be tough........I can endure anything for clean hair!

While this news is only peripherally related to hormones (my testosterone  and Vitamin D helped the fracture to heal!), today I was updating my PDF file of my medical history, and I thought it was a good time to remind you to do the same. 

My medical history includes:

• Name, address, phone, date of birth, email address
• Current medications
• Current list of names and dosages of bioidentical hormones
• Current list of all supplements
• List of all previous surgeries (and for me this takes up most of the page, this will be my 17th orthopedic surgery, most of the surgeries were due to a car crash back in 1992)

I make it all fit on one page, and I have it as a PDF file that I keep on my phone. I have printed out two copies, one for my purse, and one to give to the staff at the hospital on Monday morning.  It just makes everything more efficient.  

If you don't have a written medical history, then take this post as a gentle reminder that you need to have one.  If you have one, take a look at it this weekend and update it if necessary (mine was up to date except for one dosage change on one supplement).  

Have a great weekend, everyone, and Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope to be back online by Wednesday of next week, although I may be typing one handed for a few days.  

Tackling Menopause’s Side Effects

Good morning! Just a brief post here, I wanted to share with you this article from the NYTimes.  The article was posted about a month ago, but I had trouble linking it at that time (not exactly a computer expert here!)  First of all, that the American College of Obstetricians/Gynecologists took this long to actually come out with guidelines about the care of menopausal women is absurd.  The article is an interesting read, but paragraph 14 particularly caught my eye:

"Data do not support the use of progestin-only medications, testosterone, or compounded bioidentical hormones".

First of all, I am living proof that testosterone not only help with libido, but also increases bone density.  For those of you who are new readers, I had a DEXA (bone density scan) in 2006 that showed I had osteopenia.  I started the bioidentical hormones shortly after that scan, and had a repeat test done in 2009.  Not only did I no longer have osteopenia, but my bone density was comfortably in the normal range.  I strongly suspect that the carefully worded phrase "data do not support" means they simply weren't studied.  Mainstream medicine would rather fill patients up with expensive medications (all of which have side effects) rather than simply replace (bioidentically) what is in our bodies that we lose as we age. Frustrating, to say the least.

This and that---Happy March!

Hi, everyone....from rainy, icky North Carolina! We had an ice storm last night, and while everything is fine at my house (except for not being able to go to the quilt show today in Charlotte...temps above freezing but very heavy rain, and the venue had a terribly potholed and gravelly parking lot) over a quarter million people are without power in the state. Keep them in your prayers!

I haven't forgotten you, but there has been a dearth of "hormone" articles lately.  However, a few articles are popping up that caught my attention:

Vitamin D Increases Breast Cancer Patient Survival  A subject near to my heart lately, as one of my friends (who is 10 years younger than me!) is battling breast cancer.  A  UC/San Diego study of over 4000 breast cancer patients shows that higher levels of Vitamin D in the blood are associated with increased rates of survival.  I still have way, way too many people tell me that their doctor says they don't need a Vitamin D test because their levels are normal, and when I ask the person how they know their level is normal, they tell me because their doctor says so.  And, by the way, normal and optimal are two different things, it's normal for post menopausal women not to have any/many hormones in their bodies, but it sure as hell isn't optimal!  My Vitamin D level is a nice, healthy 78 ng/ml, which is well within the optimal range of 70-100 ng/ml.  I swear, a healthy Vitamin D level has helped keep me sane (relatively speaking) this winter, I am so, so ready for spring!

New testosterone drug is out called Aveed........it was rejected THREE times by the FDA, who now has declared the drug safe.  Seems simpler and safer to just take bioidentical testosterone (I do, as do several of my male friends----obviously we take it in vastly different doses). I inject it once weekly, with no side effects other than the occasional pimple.

Bioidentical Hormone Health.....if you are not already subscribing to this newsletter, why not?  Check out this great article on myths and facts about progesterone.  Way too many people (including health professionals) try to tell patients that synthetic progestins (sometimes called progestegens) are the same as progesterone, and they are not.

That's it for today, and don't forget-----turn your clocks forward Saturday night! It's worth losing an hour's sleep (or in my case, just sleeping an extra hour on Sunday morning) to have it light longer in the day, I crave longer days this time of year. Have a great, healthy weekend!

Feeling lonely? It may increase risk of early death

Although I love my solitary time, I am a social creature. I love to spend a day with my friends, and as often as I can, you will find me with a group of friends having lunch, movies, socializing, perhaps shopping (not usually all in the same day!) I am one of those people who get life energy from my relationships, and I believe that the word "Friend" should always be spelled with a capital F.

Turns out being a social creature is good for my health.  A study detailed in this article from USA Today that people who are lonely face a 14% increase in risk of an early death.  It doesn't surprise me; I know of a few people who I would consider to be lonely (not transient loneliness, but those who don't have many friends and a lot of relationships in their lives).....and I truly believe that their isolation will shorten their lifespan.  I thought it interesting that lonely people have a higher level of cortisol, which is the stress hormone.  My cortisol level several years ago was very, very high, but I have made conscious steps (along with some supplement help) to bring the level down. Ironically, one of the factors that has helped me bring the level down is getting some awful, nasty women out of my life.  Most people can say that they know someone who makes them sick, in my case, I have blood work results to back it up!

Medicines Made in India Set Off Safety Worries

Almost all of us take some form of prescription medication, so this article from the NY Times is important reading.

I take thyroid medication, two different kinds for my T4 thyroid and my T3 thyroid.  The T3 medication is compounded and I get it from a compounding pharmacy.  Until last year, I was taking Levoxyl as my T4 medication, until production of the drug was suspended. I then switched over to Synthroid, and found (like many patients) that it does not work as effectively for me....I had to adjust my dosage upward twice to get my blood levels back to optimal. Dr. Carr has always insisted that his patients take brand name thyroid medications, as many of the generic drugs are not as effective and the dosing is not as consistent. Sadly, many insurance companies will only pay for generic forms of drugs if they are available, and in too many cases, the brand name drugs are out of financial reach for most people.

Many years ago, before I got my hormones balanced, I took the antidepressant Paxil.  I was unknowingly switched to the generic version after taking it for several years, and I had a very bad reaction.....it was almost like withdrawing from the drug cold turkey (which is something you should never, and I repeat, never do with an antidepressant!)  My anxiety level went through the rough, my depression deepened, I had a feeling of skin crawling, it was awful.  At the time, I wasn't even aware of how far off the generics can be from the brand name drugs....and even different manufacturers of generic drugs can vary widely in efficacy.

If you have been taking a drug that has been effective and all of a sudden it's not effective, check and see if you have been switched to a generic, or if you are taking a generic and it doesn't seem to be working, if there could be ea problem with the drug itself.  Talk to your doctor and your pharmacist with any and all concerns.

A little funny to get you through the week.......

I shave my legs weekly all the time because even in cold weather, I generally wear shorts to the gym.  One of my friends posted this on her Facebook page, and I just burst out laughing, so I thought it would be fun to share with all of you.  In the winter, I try to put cream (CeraVe Cream works best for me) on my feet every night, but sometimes, I just want to be lazy and skip a day or two.  I keep myself motivated with the thought that sandal season is just around the corner (here in NC, I can start wearing sandals at least some days starting in mid to late March, and through at least mid to late October, sometimes later!) and that I want my feet to look pretty when they are half naked.  I have a thing about lizard feet, women of any age who wear sandals should make the effort to keep their feet as soft as they can.  It's also a safety issue....cracked skin on the heel (or anywhere) is at risk of infection, and can making walking very painful.

Last week at this time we were on winter weather watch/snow storm warning, and today it hit 63 degrees! Made me a little giddy, although I know that we are expecting another blast of cold next week.  Tomorrow it may reach 70 degrees!  Our average high this time of year is about 55 (which is why I live in the south now...I'm originally from Upstate NY.)  Bring it on, I am ready for sun, singing birds and blooming flowers!

Had to share this with you.....

When I looked at this picture, my absolute first thought was "my brain is organized?"  And for the record, I am definitely a right brained being.....very emotional and very creative!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend....I was out and about today for the first time since Tuesday (I made it to the gym Tuesday morning, but shortly after I got home the weather moved in and I had been housebound since).  A great day, I had lunch with four of my friends (the Saturday Lunch Bunch), then stopped at the rubber stamp store to say "Hello" to another friend, then a quick stop at JoAnn Fabrics, and then home for the day.  I'll be back tomorrow with a "real" post.....until then, enjoy your Saturday!

Smoking Can Speed Menopause for Some Women

Good morning! Happy Valentine's Day to all.............

First off, I am keeping everyone in the path of the latest snowstorm (33 days until spring) in my thoughts. Here in NC, we are slowly digging out, it was so bad here mail delivery was suspended yesterday! Schools are still closed today, and the early commute was a nightmare (not many cars on the road, fortunately...lots of closings and delayed openings with local businesses) but the temperatures are warming and the sun is out! I may venture out this afternoon, even if it's just to drive over to the drugstore and pick up my prescription at the drive through window!

I suspect this does not apply to many of my readers, but if you need another reason to quit smoking, check out this article from NBCNews.  Women who are smokers and have a certain genetic mutation can experience menopause up to 9 years earlier than women who do not smoke.  Nine extra years an awfully long time to go without hormones, which as you know, affect every system of the body.  That's on top of all the other health risks smokers face.

Will probably post again later today.....I have about 3 articles bookmarked to read and share.  Stay warm!

Yep---we got it.

This is what it looked like out my front door this morning----I live just north of Charlotte, NC.  For the  most part, the area has handled the storm pretty well, and most people have heeded the pleading of our Governor and the local media to stay off the roads.  It snowed yesterday, then it transitioned to sleet and freezing rain last night, then big, fat, fluffy snowflakes this morning.  It's above 32 degrees right now, I can hear it dripping outside. Much of this will refreeze tonight, making roads bad again tomorrow morning, but then the warm up arrives.  By next week we will be near 60 degrees.  I'll be back later with a hormone post (I have a couple good articles to share with you), but until then, stay safe, stay warm....I know this storm is hitting the Mid Atlantic and Northeast now!

Sex Matters-Drugs Can Affect Sexes Differently

Good morning from snowy North Carolina! It's snowing lightly here now, but we are expecting a big snow and ice storm tomorrow.  I headed out to the gym this morning and it was packed...I think everyone is figuring this is the last gym workout for several days.  I'm tucked in the house with plenty of projects to work on and plenty of (mostly healthy) food to get me through the next few days!

I have tried several times to embed the video from last Sunday's 60 Minutes report about how drugs can affect men and women differently.  I wasn't able to successfully embed, but if you click this link it will take you to a video of the segment.........it's important reading. It will also make you kind of mad.

This afternoon I have a bunch of newsfeed articles to go through, and I hopefully will have several more posts for you this week.  Until then, if you are in one of the affected areas of the storm...please stay safe, and for goodness sake, if you don't have to be out driving in the bad weather, stay home!

Happy Groundhog Day---Happy Super Bowl Sunday....

And in my little corner of the world----happy day after Syracuse University beat Duke in NCAA basketball!  So excited, I am very "rookie" basketball fan, but lived in the Syracuse area for many years so SU it is! It was a great game, when it went into overtime in the final seconds, I wasn't sure my heart could take it! Speaking of hearts....

February is National Women's Heart Health Month! You are wearing red next Friday, February 7, aren't you?   From the Mayo Clinic, a list of signs and symptoms of heart disease in women (the classic symptoms of chest pain are not always present in women having a heart attack).  I went to a Women's Heart Health Fair yesterday and picked up some great information that I will share with you this month.  One of the many reasons I take testosterone is that testosterone strengthens muscles, and remember, the heart is a muscle.....so I am making my heart stronger!

Interesting article in MedPageToday.com about the link between low Vitamin D levels and increased severity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).  I continue to be amazed at how many people tell me they have never had their Vitamin D levels checked.  It's a simple and easy blood test, and costs usually less than $50.  I have my levels checked about 2-3 times a year, and the last time it was a nice, healthy 78 ng/ml (Dr. Carr likes his patients to be between 70-100 ng/ml.)  I take 10,000 IUs vitamin D3 this time of year (from October to mid April), then I cut to 5000 ng/ml for the summer months (I swim in an outdoor pool about 4-5 days a week in the summer.)  

Do not forget to drink plenty of water....every time of the year, actually, but particularly when it's been so cold (we went down to 5 degrees here in NC, which for us is very, very cold!)  I can tell how dry the air has been by how chapped my lips get, and I am lotioning my feet religiously so I avoid dry, cracked heels.  I'm making sure I get plenty of water too.....don't wait until you are thirsty!  

I hear the Groundhog saw his shadow this morning so there will be six more weeks of winter.  Some areas of the north will be happy if it's only six more weeks of winter, I am anxious for spring! Have a great week, everyone!