ENDO Messages for June, 2007: Re: To Maggie thanks :)

Re: To Maggie thanks :)

From: andrea (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Sat Jun 16 20:17:53 2007

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In reply to: mdustin: "To Andrea, re: June 4th post"

Maggie, thanks for reading my story, I totally understand where you are coming from, but here is some more info that maybe you can use.... My progesterone is prescribed to me by a family doctor who just happens to use both conventional and alternative medicine. You have to have a prescription for this kind, where some you buy over the counter, but I don't see those being accurate. This isn't a one-shoe-fits-all kind of thing. Bioidential Hormones are also covered by most health insurances, including mine, Blue Cross/Blue Shield. I have a $30 co-pay so that is what I pay, but the regular cost of it is also $30. When he tested my hormones and saw that my progesterone was a 2, he determined that I would need 150mg (only 3-4% being absorbed) a day to raise my progesterone to around a 20, where it should be. Within 2 months, he tested my blood again, and it was where it should be. I get the progesterone from a compounding pharmacy and it is made by a pharmacist who specializes in making hormone compounds. My doctor has been testing my hormones 2-3 times a year to track my symptoms/progress and it is very simple.

The first specialist I went to for an endo consultation a month ago flipped out when I told him what I was on. He said, "Holy crap! 150mg?" "That is an enormous amount, you are killing yourself with that stuff!" "Your doctor is a quack!" Then I told him that 150mg of bioidentical is only equal to 4 or 5mg of synthetic progesterone a day. He says "Oh, really?" Then I told him how it was made from yams and soy beans and he did not know that either. He said that I was imagining that it had cured my symptoms. I was pissed and insulted. How do you imagine an itchy crotch or hot flashes going away? :( He has been an endo specialist for 35 years and was trying to scare me from taking something that HE knew nothing about. Maybe he was great at surgery, but seemed to know little about medicine. UNBELIEVABLE. He wanted to put me on Mirena IUD, which releases 20mg of synthetic progestin a day! I said, "So if you think I'm on such a large amount, you would be quadrupeling it by putting me on Mirena!"

The next specialist who I went to and who I am seeing now, believes the progesterone works and said I should stay on it. So, it depends on what doctor you see and what feels comfortable for you. I just wanted to save some women from all the crap I had to go through to get to this point and offer info on what seems to me to be a safer alternative. If your Lupron doesn't help you, maybe this can.

Take care, Andrea

At Sat, 16 Jun 2007, mdustin wrote: >
>Andrea,
>Thank you for putting all of that information out there for all of us.
>In all honesty, I am hesitant to try this. Even though I feel like I'm
>going through my own personal nightmare right now. And I'll tell you
>why. It's the same reason that I opted to do the Lupron instead of an
>unknown homeopathic serum conconcted by a woman who had endo and works
>at a natural health food store....long story. I did this because of
>several reasons. One, is cost. If it wasn't for my health insurance, I
>probably wouldn't be able to do anything for my health at this point. My
>health insurance paid for all of my lupron, leaving me a $10 co-pay,
>which I was given a rebate card for. Natural remedies are costly.
>Secondly, if I try a 'natural remedy', I really won't be able to track
>my symptoms with my doctor, let alone, a vast majority of women who have
>Endo. If it didn't help me, I would be back at square one with the
>medical aspect of it all. Forgive me, if I sound cheap and lazy right
>now. I hope it doesn't come off like that.
>
>My father has a strong opinion about medications, prescriptions,
>doctors, and the health field. I grew up taking natural remedies that
>in the long run, well, I ended up going to the doctors to render the
>situations at hand. My father is the one who bought me the 'natural
>remedy'. And though I appreciate his concern, I really didn't want to
>take myself off of the map with my doctor. I, of course don't know if I
>made the right decision or not at this point.
>
>I truly appreciate what you have been through with your experience in
>all of this. And I really hope you know that. I fear that many women
>may feel the same that I do, or something to that extent about trying
>something, not familiar to their doctor's. That is of course, unless
>they have allready done everything offered to them without success. I
>suppose that's partly human nature to blame. Fear of the unknown. I,
>will, however look more into the method that you discussed. I just
>wanted to shed a little light, if you may not know why there weren't too
>many women who responded to your post.
>~Maggie

Next message: D: "Re: Pain 3 months after laparoscopy"
Previous message: JenniferH: "Re: Pain 3 months after laparoscopy"
In reply to: mdustin: "To Andrea, re: June 4th post"

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