Menopause

On the 6th February, I booked to see my consultant, yet again I paid to see him privately as NHS I was still waiting for my diagnostic lap never mind a follow-up appointment to get any medication to help in the meantime.

At this time I was currently not on any hormones due to the fact that when I last saw them I was being investigated for possible progesterone allergy.  They diagnosed me as having chronic spontaneous urticaria in August of 2018. This meant that while I could have progesterone medication it was still best to avoid the menopause injections. This was due to the fact that if it caused stress in my body that could set off an allergic reaction they can't stop the medication as it lasts a month, and this could be very dangerous.

When I saw my consultant he said while this made it more challenging as the injections would be more suited to treat me the risks were too high. He did have an idea and suggested I try Provera tablets to stop my periods and give me menopause type effect. The tablets are the same active ingredient that is in depo-provera. He suggested I started with 30mg taken 10mg 3 times a day, and that the dose can be increased by 10mg a time until the medication stops my periods. However, he did warn me the higher the dose the worse the side effects would be.

I started on 10mg 3 times a day (30mg total) within the first week I was feeling nauseous. within 3 weeks I was getting hot flushes and headaches.

By week 7 I started to spotting I spoke with my GP who upped my dose to 40mg a day.  My pain was still really bad, and I had thought because I didn't have my normal period 3 weeks ago that the meds were working but they weren't.

Starting to take the 40mg had an impact straight away the hot flushes got more intense and I was getting night sweats, the headaches were worse and nausea had also given me vomiting I was bleeding more and more and it was beginning to set off my urticaria. This was because as well as Endo/Adeno flare ups I was bleeding more and having all the side effects of the menopause. My body was under so much stress I couldn't stop the reaction and had to take steroids for longer than usual for one of my reactions.

A few days later My period started (well I think it was a period I was bleeding more than previously but still not as much as a normal period for me) and I emotionally I was struggling with how unwell I was feeling. I went back to my GP, he upped my dose of Provera to 50mg a day and put me on antidepressants. I was struggling as dealing with all the issues I was before, plus the menopause side effects and urticaria reactions. This medication was meant to be making me feel better but instead, I felt a lot worse than before. I was struggling to look after my children and felt like my body was failing on me. I didn't want to live in this body anymore, I was only still here because I couldn't bare to leave my children without a mum.

The days that followed got worse with every day that went past. I was being sick 3 or more times a day, barely eating anything at all, and losing weight. Yet still my stomach was swollen and I looked pregnant. This was such a hard time and on the 17th April, I saw my consultant again privately to talk through my diagnostic lap (from 1st March) and discuss the options for hysterectomy. He agreed I could have it done and would try and keep my ovaries. He would also remove endometriosis at the same time. He gave me all the information for getting this started and I'm now waiting for a date for this.

I also spoke with him about the Provera as I was still bleeding (more days than before taking it) and having urticaria reactions. He agreed that if at 50mg things were getting worse not better than its likely higher dose would most likely not help either. He advised me to stop taking this straight away.

It took 2 weeks for me to start feeling better from taking Provera. My endo\adeno symptoms never improved while on it. I still don't have much of an appetite and I still have some of the side effects. For me, I have run out of options for hormone treatment as this was the last thing he could think of to try, my urticaria means my options for treatments are restricted. I'm hoping a hysterectomy will reduce my symptoms enough that I will be able to get some quality of life back.

Overall, I don't think I have gained much from my time on the menopause. I felt worse (and still slightly affected by this) and it didn't improve my endo/adeno at all. So I feel like I lost months of my time as I couldn't do anything. it makes me realise more and more that they need to try and find a better way to treat this awful illness, rather than just giving us a paster for a massive wound. They also need to realise that every woman is different and what works for one woman will not work for every woman. Especially when they have other illnesses that make it more complicated.