Guest guest Posted September 16, 2005 Report Share Posted September 16, 2005 , even tho I was feeling a bit guilty about guilting quite a bit of Mayo....I also want to thank you, with deep appreciation, for your taking the time to write in of your experience. Been there, done that, many times over. And, several years ago I had been to the Mayo Clinic to see the HEAD of the endocrinology department, no less. Not only was my experience the same as yours, along with other so-called " women's health " docs, including the woman who was in line to be named the HEAD of their new women' health clinic....the master endocrinologist also went into a little diatrabe with me that, did I know enough not to eat the " yellow part of the egg " ? Unquote. I simply looked at him and said, " oh, you mean the yolk, doctor?? " I think that, comparing the various notes posted per the Mayo Clinic recently, there seems to be quite a difference between the experiences had in the other areas of medicine, and those of " women's health " issues. Seems to be delt with in quite a different manner, yes? Again, I thank you deeply for your story, . It rings with the validity of what we women all to often experience when it comes to our own hormonal issues, as opposed to,say, breaking a leg. Love, Carolyn --- msmayer88 wrote: > > If I can please squeeze in one more Mayo > experience... I live in New > Mexico but went to Mayo in sdale because I knew > my hormones and > thyroid and adrenals were wacky after being > perimenopausal and also > having spent 20 -plus months with no more than 2 > hours of continuous > sleep (and usually no more than 20 minutes) due to a > critically ill > infant in the house. I also had major back surgery, > a c-section > wound badly infected with staph, and a 2-year old to > care for. My > husband was away for 6 months completing his > internship. I > was " only " 38 years old, but I was toast. I gave > myself 3 months of > 8 or 9 hours sleep after my child recovered, but > still felt awful, so > I went to consult the Mayo gurus. > > I saw a sweet gynecologist who was supposedly the > expert in peri- > menopause issues. He had not heard of the WP. I > brought a copy of > S<L<M to the appointment, but he was not interested > enough to even > look at the protocol, which I had taken for 2 months > by then. He said > he said my estradiol and testosterone levels were > low, but that he > didn't have much, if any, faith in bio-identicals. > Interestingly, he > said it was " impossible " to absorb enough P > transdermally to make any > impact on low P levels. Hmmm. This was not the > experience of most > of the rythmicliving crew. Finally, he agreed to > prescribe low dose > Estrace (50 mg.) despite my concerns about the > liver-degradation > issue. He said my ALL of my symptoms were the > result of sleep > deprivation and not perimenopause. (I have since > learned that my > mother went into full-blown menopause at age 40.) > > He then sent me upstairs to see the reproductive > endocrinologist. > Although my TSH was 4.90 and steadily rising over 9 > months of blood > tests, he refused to treat this and stated he > considers me to be > perfectly, 100% euthyroid. He said that even if he > had knowledge of > a thyroid tumor or thyroid antibodies, he would not > treat me until my > TSH rose above 5.0. He said it repeatedly, " Above > 5.0 is illness, > below 5.0 is perfectly healthy. " He ordered a > 24-hour urine to test > adrenal function, but would not do the 4X check over > a 24-hour > period, and announced that almost certainly had no > adrenal disease > because I was gaining, not losing, weight. I never > got a response > from him regarding the test results. This man knew > that I have a > strong family history of thyroid disease. He knew > that my E2, T and > P were barely existant. He just simply refused to > believe that these > factors could be affecting my day to day > functioning. > ( ie, depression, weight gain, loss of libido, skin > changes, dry > eyes, absolute exhaustion despite 8 to 9 hours of > sleep nightly and a > daily 2 hour nap.) > > I am sure that this man graduated toward the top of > his class at > medical school. I am sure that he parroted EXACTLY > the Western > medicine, conservative lectures and materials he > learned at one of > the top US medical schools. If I had had a rare but > extreme example > of an endocrinological illness, he would have been > well equipped to > diagnose me. However, he really missed the boat > with me. As Dr. > Shames so nicely states repeatedly in Feeling Fat, > Fuzzy or > Frazzled?, those of us with what might be > technically termed more > minimal hormone disbalances also suffer -- and as we > all know, much > of the suffering can be alleviated with the right > fixes. > > The old paradigm of a hard and fast line between > " illness " > and " health " isn't cutting it anymore. > > I spent 2 days and $1600 at Mayo sdale to > learn the > traditional, super-conservative cookbook approach. > Gee thanks. > > Thankfully, I have found a practioner in Santa Fe > who listens and who > doesn't invalidate my experience or my own research. > With her help, > I am taking pregnenalone, DHEA, and T4 and thyrolar. > My thyroid and > T have normalized. I am still working to find a > comfortable, > workable E and P dosing protocol. I seem to gain > weight with the > addition of virtually any at all. I actually gained > more weight when > I added E than when I took only Progesterone troches > or sublingual > drops. > > My current thought is to discuss the Prochieve and > estrogel option. > > But, as many of us have said, the weight gain side > effect of both the > WP and beyond is a tough bargain. Hmmm. Scattered, > depressed, > cranky, exhausted, poor sleep, or FAT? There's > gotta be another > option out there... > > Thanks for letting me vent, > > in Santa FE > > > -- In rhythmicliving , " Valarie > " <val@w...> > wrote: > > My DDIL was in agony after breaking a femur during > a triathlon. > She spent > > two years curled on the sofa, OD'd with pain > killers and anti- > depressants > > and getting no better. The pain clinic told her > she was nuts and > that the > > pain was all in her head. > > > > A trip to Mayo in Phoenix revealed, in one week, > Celiac Sprue. That > > explained the years and years of symptoms. Mayo > said nothing > negative about > > her Armour thyroid med. She's now healthy and > expecting her first > child. > > The pain clinic got a letter from the crazy woman. > > > > Mayo may be slow at times, but have you seen them > telling women to > get > > saliva tests for E and P and then to slather on > the progesterone > cream? > > I'll answer, " Nope. " Mayo is not a baby I want to > throw out with > the bath > > water. > > > > Val > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: rhythmicliving > > [mailto:rhythmicliving ]On Behalf > Of carolyn egan > > > > Yep, counselor-at-law. I ALWAYS found the Mayo > Clinic > > to be staffed with the greatest idiots of them > > all....and, as a patient having a number beginning > > with # 1 (going back to the early 1950's)... I > have > > been to the head of the endocrinology department > all > > the way to the head of the Alzhiemer's department > of > > education. Going to the Mayo Clinic is enough to > cause > > one to denounce the existence of God Himself. > Carolyn > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 16, 2005 Report Share Posted September 16, 2005 Well, this is a perfect example of why we have to share, research and take responsibility for our own bodies. It is also a perfect example to explain how people like Lee got so popular. Women get desperate. I think women's health issues are still relegated to the jacket of the book instead of being included in the book. There will come a time when the radical will blend with the conservative and perhaps women will have "conventional" care that works. Until then, women will keep searching and some of them will be ever attracted to Cool-Aid based progesterone cream. Ya' know, a lot of the "conventionals" are fighting the new AACE thyroid guidelines? I was hypothyroid for years and years. I used to tell my ob/gyn how tired I was. He'd check my blood and then tell me my fatigue was not anemia; most likely it was because I had so many kids. I spent at least 10 years hypo before my TSH went to 78 and somebody finally agreed I was sick. I also carried around a parathyroid tumor for at least 14 years. For that ailment, I got 14 years of anti-inflammatories. Val -----Original Message-----From: rhythmicliving [mailto:rhythmicliving ]On Behalf Of msmayer88If I can please squeeze in one more Mayo experience... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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