Fifteen
years ago now, I was living up in Colorado. I would drive to work in below
freezing temperatures. In April of 1998, I had my first urinary tract infection. I went to a doctor who must have had
a bad day. Instead of putting me on a simple antibiotic this doctor put me on TROVAN! Trovan was used to treat Legionaire's
disease and has since been taken off the market.
After
just two doses I started having overwhelming reactions. My blood pressure skyrocketed, dizzyness set in and I found
it difficult to function. A friend called the doctor's office and I was placed on a simple antibiotic. What was
this doctor thinking?
Two weeks
later I ended up in the emergency room of the Craig, Colorado Medical Hospital. The ER doctor evaluated my situation
and with severe heart palpitations he said, "You need Estrogen!"
Thus
began my quest to find what was out there for micro-minnie ladies with Osteogenesis Imperfecta and the onset of Peri-menopause.
I did consult with the same physician who wanted to put me on Beta-bockers for my heart and Zanex for my state of mind.
Being a researcher
I contacted other doctors who I had know through the years. Two of the physicians I contacted, gave me a list of books
to read, which I read!
Ladies, read, read, read! Here is the names of some of the books I've read, that
opened up my eyes to where I am at today.
~Natural Woman, Natural Menopause by Dr. Lux and Christine Conrad.
~The Hormone of Desire by Dr. Raku, MD. She is a Psychiatrist who decided that
Menopause needed to be dealt with.
~What Doctor's Don't Tell You About Breast Cancer
~ What Doctor's Don't tell You About Menopause
~ What Doctor's Don't Tell You About Peri-menopause
all by Dr. Lee, MD.
"Ageless," by Suzanne Somers, 2006.
~The Estrogen Alternative by Raquel Martin.
Read everything
you can on Menopause because with some women it's devastating. For me, it was like going back to my trauma based childhood.
In 1998 I found only two articles that were on O.I. women and menopause.
One
was by Dr. Paterson CR, McAllion S, and Stellman JL. This publication came out of the New England journal of Medicine, June
28, 1984:
"We studied
the fracture rate as a function of age in 45 women and 20 men with osteogenesis imperfecta. in each variant of the disorder,
the fracture rate in women peaked in childhood, declined in adolescence, and rose again after the menopause. In contrast,
the fracture rate in men remained low after adolescence. After the menopause women were vulnerable to crush fractures
of the spine as well as fractures of the long bones. We conclude that the increased fracture rate after the menopause
in women with osteogenesis imperfecta reflects the superimposition of the effects of age-related bone loss on those of the
defective collagen structure of osteogenesis imperfecta, and that hormone-replacement therapy may be specifically indicated
in this group of patients from the time of menopause. "
Reading
the above made me realize that hormones were a necessity, but how much and what kind? Notice, in the underlined area
above, that osteogenesis imperfecta men remained low in their fracture rate after adolescence but it says nothing about after
they enter the Andropause stage (male menopause).
Everything
I read on bone density at the time, made me realize that Testosterone, the male equivalent of Estrogen was a necessity for
men as well as women!
Yes, I've been on Testosterone since December of 1998. I have kept thorough records of my dosages and because
everyone of us has different chemistries, it's important to figure out how much Testosterone you will need.
ORAL TABLETS
Natural hormones
tend to be broken down by the stomach acid and are poorly absorbed from the gut, because of this problem methyltestosterone
(a testosterone conjugate) was developed. This form of testosterone has a better absorption profile but must go through the
liver for activation. This activation step is thought to increase the risk of side effects.
My pharmacy uses natural micronized
testosterone that they complex in a unique lipid matrix tablet which helps protect the testosterone from degradation in the
stomach and produces reproducible blood levels. They have compounded testosterone tablets in various strengths to meet the
needs of the individual patient.
MENOPAUSE is when our ovaries cease to function with the result being......absent
of monthly periods. No more Menses....Yeah! No woman is considered postmenopausal until one year has elapsed
since her last menstrual flow.
