Ovary removal and instant menopause

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mnsotamom74
mnsotamom74 Member Posts: 126
edited April 2019 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

I had my ovaries removed two weeks ago, it was supposed to be laparoscopic but I had scar tissue from gallbladder surgery several months ago and it turned into open surgery. I was doing well last week but this week I’m an absolute mess. My emotions are all over the place and I can’t even say why. I just feel overwhelmed and depressed. Is this normal? Will it get better? I can’t imagine living my life this emotionally messed up. It just came on so fast and so hard

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited April 2019

    Hi mnsotamom74,

    It's absolutely normal to have this rollercoaster of emotions -- your hormones are in a tailspin! Reach out to your doctor and ask for some suggestions to help manage these effects. Also, there's some really great information on the main Breastcancer.org site on Menopausal Grieving, Depression, and Mood Changes.

    We're so sorry you're going through this, but we're sending you good thoughts for a speedy recovery and getting back to normal.

    --The Mods

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  • Michelle_in_cornland
    Michelle_in_cornland Member Posts: 1,689
    edited April 2019

    Your body has been through alot with Chemo. When did you start your anti hormonal? You might need an antidepressant as a stop gap, until you start feeling better. I had a hysterectomy/oopherectomy, and it was easy. I went on Tamoxifen after that and am doing fine. But, I already take something for depression, which probably aided me during that time.

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  • mnsotamom74
    mnsotamom74 Member Posts: 126
    edited April 2019

    I haven’t started Arimedex yet. My oncologist said I can wait until May 1st since I’m still recovering from surgery. I have been on Effexor for 3 years and my doctor just upped my dose yesterday and said we can up it more if I don’t start to feel better and she did say the Effexor in the higher doses might help with the hot flashes (I sure hope so

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  • Michelle_in_cornland
    Michelle_in_cornland Member Posts: 1,689
    edited April 2019

    Mns,why did you have chemo? What was your oncotype score?


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  • LaughingGull
    LaughingGull Member Posts: 560
    edited April 2019

    Hi dear,

    I also had oophorectomy, that was in July last year. I had a bit of an emotional roller coaster too. Did you have premenstrual syndrome before, and how did you deal with it? I used to have it, and my go-to strategies also worked for this. They are: exercise (outdoors if possible), being distracted (e.g. go for movies or some show), avoid situations that would lead to ruminating on things, avoid conflicts with people when you are in these moods. These never fail me. I also joined a meditation group at my cancer center and I love it.

    I am now 9 months out from the oophorectomy, of which 8 months on Arimidex, and couldnt be happier. I do not miss having my period and the monthly roller coaster. I think the oophorectomy brought me peace. Hang in there. Still early. Reach out to a support group. Is there anything in the hospital where you are being treated?

    LaughingGull

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  • CBK
    CBK Member Posts: 611
    edited April 2019

    msotamom74-

    Well I have a lot to say on this subject. And I wish I saw your post earlier. As you can see in my below bio, I had the Oophorectomy over a year ago.

    I was peri menopausal at the time of the surgery. No one remotely prepared me for the aftermath of the procedure and hit me up with Arimidex two weeks post-op!

    I’m assuming you were not in menopause at the time of the Oophorectomy and if you were peri-menopausal or not even remotely in menopause the after-effects can be more than alarming. This is not to say you aren’t going to do well but you may have to fight like hell, because I did and continue to.

    The plummet in estrogen can very easily mess with your emotions and take a toll on your body. I’m glad you can wait a bit to start taking the Arimidex. I didn’t start any antidepressants; but did start acupuncture, strong yoga program, and supplemented with various things.

    The acupuncture helped tremendously with emotions, sleep and hot flashes. Exercise of your choice is a must!! And Laughing Gull is right, get involved in a support group hopefully you can find someone of a similar age that has experienced the ooph and it’s after effects. American cancer Society has a mentor program that can pair you up with someone to talk to with similar issues.

    Heck you can PM me here to chat as well! I actually started a very special friendship with someone on these boards as we were going thru the Oophorectomy/ Arimidex side effects together.

    Hang in there...you are not crazy ... this is a huge adjustment ! Virtual 🤗 coming your way!!!


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  • mnsotamom74
    mnsotamom74 Member Posts: 126
    edited April 2019

    thank you so much for the kind reply. I thought I was doing better but the insomnia I started having during chemo has gotten so much worse since my ovary removal and instant menopause. It’s adding to my already fragile emotions. My doctor gave me a prescription for Lunesta which I tried last night, it definitely helped me fall asleep but I still woke between 2 and 3 unable to fall back asleep until it’s almost time for the alarm to go off. So I just function in zombie mode all day and feel extra touchy and weepy. I just started my Arimedex 3 days ago so I won’t point at that just yet as the insomnia has been going on for several months but never to quite this extreme. Just trying to literally take things one hour at a time

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  • CBK
    CBK Member Posts: 611
    edited April 2019

    Are the hot flashes waking you up .. or are you just waking?

    Good thinking on just taking it moment by moment. That’s an awesome analogy in this process! You are already way ahead of the game with that mindset!!

    That’s so typical of a time you would wake even with a sleep aid. I would turn on sleep hypnosis UTUBE audio from Lina Grace; there are others.

    Don’t hesitate to keep reaching out. You can always DM me. Hang in there tough!


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  • MexicoHeather
    MexicoHeather Member Posts: 365
    edited April 2019
    • Ask for a muscle relaxant so you can get some rest. Sleep is very important.
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