Where I'm At - April 2008 ...Sheehans and Progesterone

I'm off the Armour once again. I was feeling so much fatigue, loss of motivation and general unwellness while taking it. I decided to go back on the Synthroid with just a bit of Cytomel. It's been a week now and I still feel like the walking dead. Hopefully by next month I'll be feeling a bit better.

The good news is that I am 8 1/2 pounds lighter than I was last month. Cutting back on the calories and having a free day to eat whatever I want is working. I am not feeling hungry at all. I still have afternoon and evening snacks - just making better choices than before. I still have a long way to go, but am feeling optimistic. Not exercising since I don't have the energy at this time.

I still have the feeling that my problems are more than just my thyroid and adrenal glands. While doing a Google search a few weeks ago I read about a rare syndrome called Sheehans. Sheehans Syndrome is a complication of postpartum hemorrhage. The pituitary gland is enlarged during pregnancy and is very sensitive to decreased blood flow caused by a large loss of blood. Failure to lactate and lack of periods after delivery are the most common initial symptoms. A woman with Sheehans will have varying degrees of thyroid, adrenal, ovarian dysfunction as well as possible hypoglycemia. I did hemorrhage after a miscarriage and a D&C back in 1981. Because it happened in my home I am not sure of how much blood I lost (it seemed like buckets of blood)...by the time I got to the ER I had quit bleeding and was sent home with nothing more than pain pills. Last week my doctor did give me both Prolactin and Growth Hormone blood tests which I am awaiting the results of. GH is rarely prescribed, but research shows that it can help with the fatigue a Sheehans patient experiences.
Sheehan's Syndrome

I started back on Progesterone Cream after my mid-cycle cramps returned once I had started the Hydro cortisone. I use a big glob of it twice a day right on my lower abdomen and WOW! Cramps seriously go away in about 15 minutes. Before I was using Progesterone cream I would take a Darvocet for the pain and have to take another 3 hours later...sometimes taking about 4 pills a night. This is just amazing to me.
Progesterone Cream Info
I use the Rexall brand of Progesterone from Walmart (I haven't checked the ingredients per the link above, but this cream seems to work very very well).