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[Blue Kingfisher]

Thanks so much Wrensong, you’ve helped me enormously, again x

It makes me feel less worried if you would also get flushing if you increased your oestrogel so I think I will stick with this for a while to see if it helps. I will also try using the T in the mornings, one hour after Levo but will try that from Friday.

I wasn’t great on Utro either as the whole sequi cycle thing was causing me issues but I wasn’t spacing my thyroid meds away from my oestrogel so that might explain some of the upset. My thyroid meds wen in fine when I was on the Utro days but not when on oestrogen only but also suffered I think from the pg withdrawal.

I haven’t written off the Kyleena just yet.....but I might do. I probably need to give it one last attempt on higher oestrogen & taking T at the right time. Whether I can stand this approach will depend on how bad/desperate I feel over the next week or so.

I will try and call the clinic tomorrow & ask them how quickly I could get a physical follow up appointment if I kept my Tuesday one virtual. I’m pretty sure the gyne will say to give it longer but obviously I will need to make a call on that ultimately.

Will let you know how I get on xx

[Wrensong]

It's a pleasure BK.  I hope something useful comes out of it, but it can be pretty complex juggling thyroid & HRT, so I think the best we can do is compare notes & pass on what we've learned.

The flushing sensitivity - I think we hypothyroid women may just be less able to accommodate other medications as smoothly as someone with a self-regulating thyroid.  A healthy thyroid fine tunes our metabolism exquisitely according to whatever else is affecting us, in conjunction with complex feedback mechanisms, to keep things running smoothly.  When we have to take one big dose of thyroid meds a day my feeling is there are bound to be differences in the way our bodies cope compared with someone with a healthy thyroid.

The T - I wouldn't worry too much about precise timing, as long as it's in the morning.  Presumably you'll want to get it out of the way before work anyway.  I only apply mine roughly an hour after my thyroid meds because I always shower first thing & then put on the Testogel (alternate thighs) so it dries while I'm sitting on the bed blow drying my hair.  Testogel dries really quickly (I think you said yours is Testim?) but that way I worry less about it getting rubbed off while still tacky as I don't dress till after my hair's dry which takes about 20 mins.

Like you, I find my body doesn't cope well with a cycle.  It's not the bleed as such, but my body really, really hates the prog phase then takes an age to readjust afterwards, so that I end up with only 7-10 days out of each cycle feeling my best.  I'm just about to trial long cycle to minimise the prog, but in theory that should be less risky for me because my E is low dose & we know from scanning what dose of MPA keeps my lining very thin on that amount of E.

Anyway, good luck with the tweaking. 
Wx

[Scampidoodle]

Hi Wrensong I just wondered if your sensitivity and vasomotor symptoms began to decrease once your body adjusted to the change in oestrogen?

I ask because I increased my oestrogen by a pump and began flushing and skin sensitivity and burny skin on my chest. Just wondered if your body adjusted? Thanks x

[Wrensong]

Hi Scampidoodle, have had quite a few changes of regimen over the years & whether up or down in dose there has been a temporary upsurge in vasomotor symptoms - I think my body still doesn't cope well with fluctuations & suspect the thyroid issue doesn't help in that respect.  I have not yet found my perfect HRT fit (too long a story) so still experiencing some vasomotor symptoms, but the increase in severity following changes of regimen has usually declined after a few weeks, except on those that were very unsuitable for me, which have been various combinations with Utrogestan.  I think some of us maybe need to give our bodies a bit more time than others to adjust, but the standard advice is stick with any new regimen for 3 months unless it's intolerable or your gut feeling is that it's really wrong for you.  A long time to persevere when we're feeling rubbish I know & only you can decide what's right for you, but if it's tolerable it's probably worth waiting to see how you adjust.  You don't mean by skin sensitivity that there's a local reaction in the skin at the site of gel application do you?

[Scampidoodle]

Thanks for replying. That’s really helpful. No, the reaction isn’t on my arms where I put the gel. It’s my chest and upper back that feel internally hot and light burning and my chest gets flushed red. My cheeks are a little stingy too and a bit re flushy. My eyes were also stinging but that’s improved a little!!

I think you’re right that some bodies take a lot longer to adjust. I feel like mine flips out with any adjustments.

I crept up slowly on oestrogel but in doing so I’ve had lots of symptoms I wasn’t even getting before like heart palpitations in the night and hair loss and insomnia! and they’ve finally subsided.

So I live in hope the flushing will as I didn’t get these symptoms pre 3 pumps  and I generally feel better emotionally since increasing.

It’s a frustrating journey I’m only just embarking on so I do hope you find your perfect fit soon. Many thanks for replying and I’ll persevere and see if this subsides. It’s not intolerable if it’s short term. I just couldn’t understand why it was happening!! X

[Wrensong]

Scampidoodle, I vividly remember my Mum's neck & chest flushing badly well into her 60s & possibly 70s (no HRT) though she was postmenopause in her mid 40s.  She especially flushed in the evenings when she was sitting quietly & in peri & the early years of postmenopause (pre-HRT for me) evenings & night time were always my worst for vasomotor symptoms.  Though I feel incredibly hot all over when they strike at night, the flushing mainly shows in my face.  I get up looking like a tomato .  Not a good look!

Distinct from the overwhelming feeling of heat from head to toe, I also get an uncomfortable intermittent burning sensation in the skin of my arms & legs, like being scrubbed with a wire brush.  There's something called formication in menopause that gives a variety of neuro type symptoms & burning is listed as one of them, though I think more commonly women describe feelings of insects crawling on the skin (the word formication refers to the formic acid ants produce).  Wondering whether you feel your burning fits this?

With the stinging eyes - are they dry do you think?  As that's common in menopause too.  I have to use artificial tears for it.

Just a thought, if both cheeks & eyes sting, you haven't started a new facial product you're reacting to, have you?

I feel like mine flips out with any adjustments.

  I feel your pain!

If most of the adjustment symptoms have now settled & you feel better emotionally, it does seem worth persevering doesn't it?  Do post to ask about anything you're unsure about though - it's such an uncertain time when you're just starting out &  there's a wealth of experience on this forum.  I wish you luck with it.
Wx

[Scampidoodle]

Thanks for your info and reply. My chest feels like it’s burning now and I’m just sitting on the sofa! It’s weird as it’s not hot to touch but feels like it’s burning inside. My neck too. Your description of the wire brush rings true!

No new products being used. Started the three pumps last Tuesday and this all started last Thursday!

You’re right, if I wasn’t feeling more steady in myself I would be more reluctant to drop back to 2. But feels like I should give it a bit more time and hope it’s another thing that will stop like my hair (started falling out when I started one pump and stopped after 10 weeks phew) and the palpitations that I had this weekend!

Thanks for being so welcoming it really helps to have people who have knowledge about all this x

[Wrensong]

It's a pleasure Scampidoodle.  We are all learning from each other & there are some lovely women here who are generously open about their experiences

Started the three pumps last Tuesday and this all started last Thursday!

  Really seems like reaction to the increase doesn't it?  It can be so unnerving when it's all new.  I remember that so well.  What am I saying - it still gets to me now!  Palpitations were the worst for me as they just went on & on, but the thyroid complication has a lot to answer for.  Bizarre & weird don't begin to cover what can happen at menopause !  But that's the beauty of this forum.  Whatever's going on with us someone else will almost certainly have had the same.  Keep posting, don't be alone with any worries.
Wx