Hormonal Replacement Therapy

I saw Dr. T2 for my followup. He said it was too early to take a pap test because my vagina should still be inflammed from the radiation treatments that ended earlier this month. He did, however, prescribe estrogen pills for me even though I'm still not having definite hot flashes, which would be a sign that my ovaries have failed. He said that since I'm so thin (I'm just under 5'5" and weigh 108; I'm usually 110-115lbs.), I'm not producing very much estrogen to begin with.

The 2 reasons why estrogen is beneficial is to prevent symptoms of menopause, and to keep me from developing osteoporosis. So now I'm taking a Premarin (0.625mg) pill each night right before I go to sleep. The one effect that I've noticed is that I'm sleeping much more soundly and almost through the night now. No more getting up 2-3 times to use the bathroom. Last night, I got up just once and that's because I made the mistake of drinking a full glass of water with my pill.

Lately, I've been exercising, getting stronger, and slowly getting back on track with how life used to be. But it's even better now, post-cancer, because now I realize with the clarity of my cancer experience that life is too short and I've got to live each day to the fullest.