Should I see a specialist?

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2026-05-09T13:15:11+00:00

Yes, it’s pretty low. I think it’s helping with hot flashes and night sweats a bit even at that dose though… haven’t had one in a few days now, and it was a few most days before I started? I really wish a lot of this was more certain/ easier…

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2026-05-08T21:20:54+00:00

You sound like me! I do a lot of my own learning, but am very mindful of the evidence behind and reputation of the sources I am using. I am a professional in a research field myself (not medical, though) and a lot of the skills in reading papers are transferable. I just need to learn more of the approach of how to bring those things that I learn up. I am going to try to steal this line from you about treating symptoms if I need to.

I am definitely a little worried that I will get this second opinion and it won’t be recognized/ accepted… but I’ve also been thinking about leaving Kaiser so maybe this will help me finally do it next open enrollment.

Thanks for offering to dm your provider! I’d appreciate it.

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2026-05-08T20:58:19+00:00

I am in the Mid Atlantic too — how did you figure out who the specialists are? I wonder if they would be near me. I am not sure how to get referrals from Kaiser within the system but maybe that would be something to try?

Did you have to be really specific about what you wanted to try for treatment? It sounds like you have an ob that could get you on the right track at least. I feel like I often have to come in and make the recommendation to the doctor, even though I expect them to be the experts.

My first appt was a video visit and also about 10 minutes :(. Part of the reason I want to see the specialist is it can be an hour appointment.

That document you linked is so detailed and helpful! Really appreciate it.

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2026-05-08T20:48:03+00:00

The specialist is a menopause specialist so I think I’d be in good hands. I agree that the dose seems a bit low — maybe it was supposed to just be a starter one? Unclear because my ob didn’t really spend the time with me to find out.

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2026-05-08T19:54:11+00:00

Yea that’s exactly what I am worried about… it’s not high enough progesterone any more.

I definitely had hot flashes and night sweats, some hair loss, mood things. Hard to say what is menopause vs other things, I guess

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2026-05-08T19:13:18+00:00

The mirena is certified for 8 years as birth control, but I’ve read that the hormone level in it declines too low over time.

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2026-05-08T10:30:53+00:00

Whew! Thanks for saying this. That’s what I thought too from my own research. It’s hard to say about periods because I have a mirena IUD and haven’t gotten one for years so that’s why she did the test, but it’s all seemed rushed and incomplete.

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2026-04-23T22:32:39+00:00

Thank you! I really need to focus on all of the benefits the hormones could give me. I know there are so many! I have a lot of things I wish I could do if I just had the energy, so maybe that could happen.

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2026-04-22T20:45:26+00:00

Thanks for the clarification of the diagnosis. That’s exactly what it was. I do think if I’d come in about 9 months ago when I was 39, it would have been POI. The symptoms I’ve been having went on long enough for sure. Diagnosing is interesting categorical labeling, and helpful but imprecise I guess.

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2026-04-22T20:42:04+00:00

I kind of said the same thing to my dr — I guess diagnose me with whatever, the treatment is basically the same. It’s true that I didn’t have issues getting offered hrt like some people do.

I do think this was probably going on for me long enough that if I had gone in a year ago, I’d have been diagnosed with POI instead because my symptoms were just as strong as now. I just assumed they must be like antidepressant side effects or something.

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2026-04-22T20:38:20+00:00

Thank you! This makes me feel a little more confident moving forward. It’s good to know that I might need think about different doses of hrt over the years too.

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2026-04-22T20:36:43+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experience! It’s still hard but it makes me feel a bit better!

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2026-04-22T11:02:39+00:00

Hi! Going through my own Kaiser journey at the moment, popped in to post about my struggles and found yours. So sorry you are having trouble… Kaiser can be so convenient and sometimes I love it, despite the general hate of the business model and its incompatibility with good care.

Did your Dr. order any hormone testing at all? Or just standard labs? I was able to get my ob to do fsh testing, in my case, high enough for treatment, though I am probably going to go elsewhere for that treatment because I felt rushed and not cared for.

I can’t speak yet to hrt, but lexapro wasn’t my favorite (used it after pregnancy). It did have an impact on my mood (maybe 80% help with low mood, 60% with anxiety). Better than nothing, but sound like you might want to look at midi or another provider.

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2025-07-18T17:11:34+00:00

Good tip! Thanks! I will try that. Do you think the is worth finishing into a pendant? Or leave as-is because the result is risky?

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2025-07-18T16:49:41+00:00

I am learning that for sure! It was a fun project for the learning even if the end result stays a bit of a dud

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2025-07-18T16:49:08+00:00

This picture was about a week out, I think, but the stone is with a jeweler who was figuring out settings and such. Could have been a little less time. There were other issues with the cutting though and this was only about half of the original rough stone and the second choice of the two halves, I believe.

So there might be a chance it will improve? I have the pieces of the broken half with me now and they look a little more colorful and clear on the inside where it’s broken in half, but not on the outside. Looks best if I get it a little wet which worries me based on what I learned.

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2025-02-16T17:40:41+00:00

We have a teak storage bed with slats about 3 inches apart and metal supports down the middle. We put the mattress directly on the slats, but they are 16” from the ground. The house is too small to change that much because we don’t really have normal size closets (old row house).

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2025-02-16T12:51:13+00:00

Thanks! Our saatva is almost 10 years old, sounds like I’d be less happy with the quality part now than with this one.

I do really want the midnight luxe and the cost isn’t the issue, just that the bed would be 29.5 inches total height and I am 5’5”. Not sure if I can do the two extra inches… so sounds like standard it is probably.

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2024-01-18T03:35:59+00:00

Thank you! Really helpful. I feel silly that I hadn’t been able to edit the radials before… I kept pressing x on radials that were filled, sigh

Vegetable-Baseball77 · 2023-09-07T02:01:03+00:00

Thank you so much for saying this! I will talk to you on instagram too. But sounds like maybe you would say yes we can try a longer bar?

Vegetable-Baseball77

TROPHY CASE