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Q&A: Menopause, hysterectomy and FMS? HRT?
Thu, 06/30/2011 - 11:45am
Question:
Have there been any studies about how a woman's hormones may have changed because of a hysterectomy (ovaries taken, too) or even menopause, and then fibromyalgia is diagnosed? When I facilitated a support group, about 95% of the FM patients said they had a hysterectomy or were in menopause.With my OB/GYN and a rheumatologist, I can’t get either to say and neither will do a complete blood test to check. Is there such a test? What is your opinion of the new HRT clinics? Insurance doesn’t cover them, because they are elective. Thank you!
Estrogen and progesterone depletion in women is well known to have devastating effects on their health, no matter the cause! Whether that is menopause or hysterectomy. There are many studies.
There are doctors that replace hormones by prescribing hormones that are covered with insurance. When utilizing doctors/clinics that don't take insurance, you can still use your insurance for the lab work and for the prescriptions, depending upon what type of supplementation/replacement is prescribed.
Doctors who really understand fibromyalgia in women always check the complete hormone panel as it is crucial for the patient's recovery that these areas be diagnosed and treated.
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"There is no one to blame. There is simply taking action!"........Wm. Marcus Spurlock, MD Dr. Spurlock presently works in Dallas, TX treating people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Bio-Identical Hormone Deficiences and Environmental Illnesses. He has been doing this work exclusively for the last 9 years. In the fall of 2011 he opened a new health center; please visit his website, which is where he posts education beyond what is sprinkled at Lumigrate. http://www.renewedvitalitymd.com/ Through a total body approach, the treatments he and his team provide are 85-90% successful in returning patients to their previous health potential. You can see his complete vitae in Lumigrate's forum "About Our Writers" (link: http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/my-vitae-wm-marcus-spurlock-m...), and the majority of his contributions on Lumigrate are in the FMS/CFS/CPain section, where you'll see a forum which includes his name: http://www.lumigrate.com/forums/health-issuesdis-eases/fibro....
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This was a GRATE question and I'm so thankful that the woman who posed it on your facebook agreed to having this be a Q&A on Lumigrate, so it can help others in the future for a long time and in a big way when people come by to read.
My perspective right now related to the whole insurance/private pay thing, is more complete than it was in the past. I have increasing conversations with people who are age 60-something and are debating not having insurance or not taking the Medicare B option since that's 'mostly for your drug coverage and I don't take drugs, I take things that insurance doesn't pay for".
People today are VERY fortunate if they have health insurance AND the money to pay out of pocket for things so I'm going to talk about the 'ideal' situation here. IF you have insurance, perhaps think of it as something that's there for you to use if you WANT TO, but don't let that be the deciding factor in which route you go with your health care.
In my early 40s, when my hormone situation was NOT being properly tested or treated, I had insurance and a low paying job (as the US government, trying to 'save Medicare' had inadvertently caused a 50% unemployment of therapists in the late 1990s, so I took a good job related to my profession, but it was literally a pay cut to the poverty level from, the year I graduated as an OTR, making similar to engineers who were new graduates.) In retrospect, I wish I would have figured SOME WAY to pay out of pocket for the doctor in Colorado Springs who knew what to do, and for the hormones / biologically identical he would have prescribed; I knew of him, I'd been on BioIDHRT before when I had the higher income. Cable TV saves $500/year. Look at your lifestyle and budgets and possessions and see what you value the most and if there's something you can do. Meditate, visualize and ask for solutions to come your way. I had a friend recently who did that and a job sitting overnight with an elderly person fell into her lap, solving her need for $.
Naturally, everyone has different situations and 'reality' for many is they have to operate far from the above 'ideal', but I believe it was a point worth making here. Thanks! And thanks for providing the opportunity for learning and discussion, Dr Spurlock. I hope that someday, if everyone hangs together with us, we'll be able to have everyone who wants this type of treatment getting it! One way or Another ~~ Mardy
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!