Supporting Others

I had the privilege this week of escorting a relative to the Hall Center. Many strategies were discussed to improve the overall health of this person. Since I sat in on the consultations, I was able to pick up some tips from the nutritionist. If my relative wishes to feel better he/she will be eliminating or drastically reducing dairy, gluten, Splenda and soy in the diet. Consumption of caffeine is a no-no. Peanut butter should be switched with almond butter and cow's milk for almond milk. Cereal for breakfast will be replaced with egg whites and green vegetables. I guess many of the items mentioned increase inflammation in the body. When I asked if oats could be substituted for wheat we were told that wheat, oats, barley and rye all contain various amounts of gluten.

We found out that chromium helps deter food cravings. Lack of iodine is not healthy for the body. And a whole bunch of other important information was shared. The road to recovery will take some time, but if my relative stays the course I am confident that there will be better days ahead.

Been Busy Living

Well, it is a quiet Sunday morning and I thought I would take a moment to get back on the saddle and update my blog. Over a month has gone by without posting. Why? I have been busy living! Now that I feel so much better and sleep through the night, I had to prioritize my tasks and hobbies to fit into my revised schedule.

In my last blog I mentioned I obtained a referral for a bone density test. I honored my appointment and visited my health insurance approved women's health clinic. I was greeted by a female technician and placed on the bed of a machine called DEXA. My body was placed in different positions which took all of about five minutes. My test results reflected that I am in the middle of the normal range for my age and in comparison to other women. The technician pointed out a projected path of declining density if I take no steps to strengthen my bones. We both agreed that proper diet, supplementation and weight bearing exercise should help keep me on the right track well into my eighties. If I choose not to be proactive, I could easily have osteoporosis in my early sixties.

As for the skin cancer exam, if anyone out there knows of a free check up let me know. I live about ninety miles northeast of Los Angeles. My insurance company has to have a biopsy before it approves any referral to dermatologists.

Well what else? Oh yes! My weight is now at 135lbs. The breakouts on my face, neck, shoulders, back and chest are still periodically bothersome. I will keep trying to find a way to eliminate this issue. I have no PMS symptoms. I must, however, refrain from eating white processed anything. Over the weekend my husband and I had some delicious french basque food and all the bread, pasta and potatoes wrecked havoc on my digestive tract! Being naughty sometimes just doesn't pay...

New Lab Results

Well, I had a visit with my primary care internist and we reviewed the latest lipid profile collected on 6/30/2009. My overall cholesterol has dropped to 158!!! My LDL dropped to 95!!! Great News!!! These numbers haven't been this good since before I started perimenopause over twelve years ago! The internist thought the improvement was due solely to my current exercise and diet routine. Wrong! I ate the same and exercised even more before Dr. Hall began my hormonal therapy. Henceforth, I can only believe the Docs at The Hall Center when they tell me that bio identical estrogen helps to naturally lower cholesterol. The internist suggested I take vitamin D and calcium. I explained that Dr. Hall has me taking 5000IU of vitamin D. I asked the internist how much calcium I should take. The internist said 1600mg per day. I asked how much magnesium I should take along with the calcium. The internist replied "I don't know".

As I am 50 and have had no bone density test, total body skin check nor stress test, I asked the internist for referrals. I got the bone density referral. My appointment is set for the first week in August. My HMO insurance (Healthnet), wants a biopsy from the internist before it will approve a referral to a dermatologist for a skin check. And the internist said I did not need a stress test baseline as I have no health issues that would warrant another invasive procedure. OK, I am absolutely not a hypochondriac, but one would think that it makes sense to have baselines established so you have a point of reference. I would rather work on prevention to keep myself healthy than wait until I have a chronic illness to battle. Seems opinions vary from doctor to doctor regarding this philosophy. Waiting for twelve years before I received help for my hormonal imbalance was not wise on my behalf. I could have lessened or avoided much of the pain and suffering had I taken care of business early on. I think it is time to either go back to the primary care physician I had before this one, or ask Dr. Hall's office for a referral for a good primary care physician.

Eight Week Check Up

I had my eight week checkup with Dr. Hall in the month of May. I went over my leftover symptoms (breast tenderness before my period and crazy sugar cravings, some lingering acne breakouts) and she touched my hands and still felt a slight coolness. My blood results showed improvement but this time she also checked my human growth hormone and found it was two points above the bottom baseline. Adjustments were made to my estrogen and progesterone to combat the PMS and my thyroid medication was increased to 1.5 grains. Dr. Hall discussed human growth hormone therapy. As the daily injection costs were out of my financial reach at the moment, she suggested I try an inexpensive oral spray to see if it would help stimulate my body into making my own HGH. Sounded good to me. Oh, yes, I lost another 5 lbs!

We discussed my cholesterol numbers as I struggled with them since entering perimenopause. My overall was 201 and LDL was 128. Dr. Hall did not seem concerned as my good cholesterol (HDL) is high. She suggested an expanded blood profile the next time I have my labs done as it will disclose a more accurate view of my heart health. In addition to the therapy prescribed by Dr. Hall, I was also taking a women's multivitamin 50 plus, and low dose aspirin. Dr. Hall said discontinue the aspirin as it causes more harm to the stomach area than good to the heart.

Don't have to see the Doc for a year, unless I have concerns or problems.

Eighteen Days Later

Well, eighteen days lapsed and I just kept feeling better and better and better. My libido is back stronger than ever (my husband is very happy). I dropped 5 lbs and did no outrageous dieting or exercise to promote the loss. I am hoping that my weight and cholesterol numbers will improve in the future. Saw Dr. Hall at the Dr. Phil show taping and she increased my estrogen and thyroid medication. I gave Dr. Hall, Robin and Dr. Phil McGraw big hugs for their help and support. I also left a thank you letter for Robin to read after the show. I will see Dr. Hall for an eight week follow up.

36 Hours

On March 6, 2009, I began using the prescribed bio identical hormones and supplements prescribed by Dr. Prudence Hall. I really had no immediate expectations due to the fact that I had been feeling lousy for the past twelve years. On the third day, I woke up and looked at the clock on my nightstand. I quickly realized I had actually slept five and one half hours without interruption. The excruciating spasms in my back were less severe. I felt rested for the first time in over a decade. As I maneuvered through my day, I sensed a feeling of calm and my energy level stayed constant.

If anyone would have asked me if I believed I would have felt this much relief in just 36 hours I would have said noooo way!

The Call

I received an unexpected phone call from one of the production assistants of the Doctor Phil show. I was told that Robin received my note and was interested in helping me find relief from my perimenopausal symptoms. I was skeptical at first, especially when I was asked if I would be interested in appearing on the Doctor Phil show as a guest. I took a leap of faith and said "yes".

After a few phone calls back and forth, I was approved to be a guest and the crew set up my first visit to Robin's doctor, Prudence Hall. She and doctor Howard Liebowitz are co directors of the "Hall Center for Vitality and Healthy Aging", in Santa Monica, CA. I was asked to have lab work completed so the doctor could use the results to assist in diagnosis. That first visit occurred on March 5, 2009. I met the film crew on site and they recorded some of my visit with doctor Hall. I completed a lengthy questionnaire about my health history, familial health history and symptoms I experienced. When I met doctor Hall she put me at ease. She found me to be deficient in estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, free T3 and free T4 thyroid, DHEA, and vitamin D3. The good news was that she said she could help me.

I was introduced to doctor Daryl Turner, the co inventor of a machine called the "Thyroflex". He measured the speed of my reflexes through the arm and found them to be slower than optimal. I was told the cold hands, feet and nose I had was due to my low thyroid. He also said the belly fat below the navel and general weight gain that I had trouble managing was also indicative of low thyroid.

Before any therapy was prescribed by Dr. Hall, I was led into a room to have a pelvic sonogram. The technician found no evidence of fibroid tumors or suspicious growths. My personal and private history had no evidence of breast cancer. All these things needed to be known to steer the doctor in the right direction.

I sat down with a staff member at the Hall Center who showed me how to apply the bio identical hormones prescribed. She gave me the dosages, frequency of application and monthly cycle rotations. I was also prescribed a 1/2 grain of NatureThroid NT-1, 1000IU of Xanthomega Red Krill Oil, 10mg of DHEA and 5000IU of Vitamin D Supreme. I was to begin this new regimen the next day and keep a record of how I was feeling. I couldn't wait to get started but did not expect anything to improve for months.

More to the story...

I was performing my normal multitasking at home one afternoon and heard the word "hormone" on the television. I stopped what I was doing and saw Robin McGraw speaking about her experience with menopause and hormonal imbalance. She was able to get herself on track. I think it might have been desperation on my part, but I sat down at the computer, Googled her name, found her website and sent a brief note asking for any information she could share. To tell the truth, I did not think I would get any response.

A couple of weeks went by and I received a phone call.

More of the story to follow...

First Attempt

For those of us who are not familiar with blogging, I am right there with you. This is my first attempt at trying to keep record of my thoughts pertaining to personal health. I am 50 years in the making and have to say I am very much looking forward to the next 50. If you would have asked me this question just a few short months ago, I don't know if I would have given the same answer. I was feeling the effects of twelve long years of nasty perimenopausal symptoms:



Night sweats

Hot flashes

Mood swings

Loss of libido and vaginal dryness

Excruciating muscle cramps

PMS - breast tenderness, nausea, cramping, gastrointestinal distress, heavy flow, elevated temperature, general lousy feeling

Acne and rashes around the jawline and neck and decollete

Facial hair

Extreme fatigue

Interrupted sleep every night

Increased allergy symptoms

Unexplained weight gain

Cold hands, feet and nose

And so on...

I was at my wits end trying to deny, ignore, self diagnose or get real solutions from my doctors until one day...

To be continued...