Oh, where to start!!! Oh wait, I'm STILL trying to keep stress levels down, so I won't stress about it, I will just type :) I've learned so much in the last month and I can't wait to share it ALL, but alas, baby steps. So, update on stress. I've let go my main stress and am happy to report that I can breathe and i don't feel the huge knot in my gut! Don't get me wrong...I still have plenty to do, but now I can do it instead of having my life completely sucked into one never ending project! I have been getting lots more sleep as well, and I have learned that sleep majorly reduces stress! So get some sleep! In fact, as soon as you are done reading this, take a nap :) You most likely deserve it.
My levels are back down to 103 as of a month ago. I really want to break that 100 mark! I went to see the endo and we had a nice chat. He spent 45 minutes with me answering questions and having me explain what I have been doing. He said that he can't argue with the fact that the Frankincense has been lowering my levels and shrinking my tumor. He says to keep taking the frankincense. After all, it is what the wisemen gave to Baby Jesus, so it must be good stuff! (He actually said that). He wanted me to go on Cabergoline and just try it out as he is worried that I haven't had more than 5 periods in about that many years! I learned that us prolactinoma people are at high risk for osteoporosis since our estrogen/progesterone cycles are few and far between! I haven't started cycling again since I stopped nursing so I was stressing about it too! I really hated bromo and couldn't stand to be on it so I really didn't want to take Cabergoline either... I have heard horror stories about it and so I drug my feet and thunk and prayed about it. I finally decided to go on it for a month and try it out along with my essential oils and see how it went. So far, massive headaches (my hubby thinks I'm having my first migraines ever) that last for days, dizziness, near blackouts, sinus crap.....yeah, it sucks. I'm using the oils to try to counteract the side effects and they dull them, but the medicine induced headaches suck. I have another appt. in a couple weeks.
Wishing you the best of luck with the cabergoline therapy. I took it for over 10 years and it was effective at shrinking the tumor and reducing prolactin levels. However, I did become intolerant to it. Yes, there is some concern about cabergoline and valvular heart disease, although such studies were carried out on Parkinson’s disease patients who were on much higher doses of the drug. Most doctors believe that the lower doses used for hyperprolactinemia are safer, although it is not really known whether the long-term use of such medications would produce a similar outcome. Some doctors therefore follow patients with thorough echocardiographic assessment, but such studies are really only done on an individual basis. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteDiana P. Lead
Gallant Strides: http://gallant-strides.blogspot.com/2010/10/prolactinoma-and-pituitary-surgery.html
Diana-
ReplyDeleteThank your for your comment! It is good to know of these things! It helps a lot and I appreciate you taking the time to post for me and others to read :) I am off cabergoline now and I hope to maintain with the oils...wish me luck :)
Shy