Bioidentical Hormone Resource Center

As part of an ongoing blog, we are going to be following a woman by the name of Brandy through her journey with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

Brandy is a physically active 51 year old woman who has suffered from a variety of symptoms for at least a year or more.

Some of her symptoms were severe exhaustion and a lack of energy. At first, she was concerned that mono had come back to haunt her after a bout she had with it in high school. She was so miserable at that time that she never forgot what if felt like, she says. Some of her other symptoms were difficulty in standing for more than a few minutes and weight gain, although she was not eating much and what she ate was healthy. On top of that, her hair began thinning and lost its luster. When she would brush it, handfuls of hair would be leftover in her brush rather than the few strands before menopause set in. Hot and cold flashes would follow at night. And to add insult to injury, her husband began noticing that her temper was easily triggered by the slightest event.

Now if all this doesn’t sound bad enough, she says these things weren’t even the worst of it. For her the worst part was having trouble with her speaking abilities and with her memory. I will point out that Brandy is a very successful and intelligent woman and I can just imagine the shock and horror of this. She says she actually struggled for words, had trouble remembering the simplest of things and a sudden inability to work out problems.

I am very excited to begin Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy; I can’t wait for my medicine to get here!  I am so relieved to discover that I don’t have to live with these terrible symptoms for much longer.  I’m so looking forward to doing all the things that I want to do with my life, feeling healthy and full of energy again as I did when I was younger.

I had no idea I had entered menopause, nor that I had hypothyroidism.  I learned about the various relationships between hormones and brain function, as well as how they affect my physical well-being.  And fortunately, since I am having some difficulty with memory, he gave me hand-outs describing everything we talked about at our visit, as well as a copy of my lab work.

Interview With Brandy

Me: What was the turning point that finally made you seek out help?

Brandy: Well, all the symptoms you mentioned above for starters. But I also think people should know that I really wasn’t seeking hormone replacement therapy per say – I just wanted some kind of relief! Although all the symptoms above were happening to me, I clearly wasn’t ill. I had no sore throat, no stomach pains or even headaches – but I was definitely not feeling healthy. After extensive research, I eventually sought out bioidentical hormones, rather than synthetics, since they seem to be better processed by the body and have more success and fewer bad side effects.

Me: So you’ve recently just returned from your first appointment with a bioidentical hormone replacement specialist?

Brandy: Yes. So far, I have had one initial appointment and I will be filling you all in as I continue. But before my first appointment, I was asked to get a full panel of blood work performed. That way my BHRT doctor could examine the results of the blood work before I even saw him. That gave us opportunity to know how to proceed immediately. I did this by selecting a lab that was convenient to me, and my doctor’s staff phoned in the paperwork. Now, I did have to fast 8 hours and have the blood work taken before 9 in the morning. It was all very easy though.

Me: So, your BHRT doctor has the results and you are sitting in his office…

Brandy: We spent about an hour talking about all of my symptoms and going over the blood tests. He wanted to hear everything about me. All my past illnesses, allergies, any other significant lifestyle changes. I had a job change last year that was pretty stressful so we talked about that, as well as how I was currently feeling. After he patiently listened to me, he pulled out the lab report and we talked through it step by step. At each point, he explained how the low hormone indicators were making me feel the way I was. For example, he could see that my thyroid was having a very tough time of hormone production, which was the reason for all the problems with my hair and energy level. He explained very clearly the effects of menopause and the hormones involved.  He also explained that bringing these hormone levels back up to optimal levels would not only relieve many of my symptoms, but would also protect me from all sorts of common issues as I aged, from Alzheimer’s to osteoporosis.  He also informed me that starting treatment now, as menopause was starting, was far better than waiting 10 years when some of the damage would already be done.  For each hormone that he recommended I take, he discussed the dosage, the time of day to take it, with food or not, as well as the effects I could expect and how long before I would notice a difference.  He also recommended keeping the dosages low to start out with, since he determined that I am very sensitive to medications, and assured me that the dosages can be adjusted in subsequent visits.  I will have my blood test re-done in 2 months, after which we will meet again to see how things are improving.  We will keep meeting at 2-month intervals until we are satisfied with the hormone levels and with how I am feeling, after which I will see him yearly (or as needed) to check on whether anything needs adjusting. After my discussion with the doctor, I talked to a member of his staff who ordered the hormones, which will be shipped to my home in a couple days.

Me: It sounds like you’ve learned quite a bit about yourself and that the road to recovery seems pretty simple.

Brandy: I learned a lot – I had no idea I had entered menopause, nor that I had hypothyroidism.  I learned about the various relationships between hormones and brain function, as well as how they affect my physical well-being.  And fortunately, since I am having some difficulty with memory, he gave me hand-outs describing everything we talked about at our visit, as well as a copy of my lab work.  I have already gone back to reference those to make sure I understand what all I am taking. I am just so glad that I don’t have to live with this and am getting help now.

We will follow Brandy and keep you updated on the progress of Bio Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Our mission is to provide information and resources to people like Brandy, to help her reclaim the life she was meant to live. Please visit our list of referred bioidentical hormone replacement specialists at: www.bioidenticalhormonedoctors.com