Post op, adrenal fatigue, and facial hair :(

[Princess_Jasmine]

So I have been posting on these forums for a while now and I'm sure some remember I had posted about having a horrible case of brain fog after my srs. I was 21 when I had my vaginoplasty two years ago and I have been dealing with brain fog ever since.

After much bloodwork, doctor's visits, etc, I have finally learned that my brain fog, loss of feminization, facial hair growth, thyroid problems has occurred due to adrenal fatigue. Apparently, the recovery process and anesthesia must have wiped out my adrenals. Also, from my research, taking estrogen replacement with dysfunctional adrenals actually creates a cyclical problem that leads to a worsening of the adrenals. I never in a million years thought this could happen to me. My adrenals overproduce cortisol, barely any DHEA, and their dysfunction is the reason I have hypothyroid symptoms. Also, I have had a great increase in DHT which is why I have grown facial hair ever since my surgery, which is extremely disturbing in addition to the brain fog. I am now trying to fix this but I don't know what to do. Im just so angry and heartbroken. I look much less feminine than before my surgery, and I think this is a travesty. This wasn't supposed to be the outcome! I am hoping for the brain fog to rescind one day and I can finally be and look like myself again.

Does anyone have any thoughts about how to fix this adrenal problem? Or how can I block dht from giving me facial hair? I currently am back on spironolactone but is finasteride or something better to block dht? My only fear is I hear dht blocking drugs can have depressive symptoms, which I do NOT want to add to my already depressed and angry mood.

I will continue to search for a doctor specializing in adrenal fatigue. The problem is most only recognize adrenal insufficiency, which to me is absolutely ridiculous. The fact that doctors only recognize 100% healthy or 100% malfunctional adrenals without acknowledging the degenerating state in between is really irritating. I've already paid to hear two doctors tell me this.

Can someone offer me some hope or help? I am so angry. I did not come this far to transition and end up looking more masculine after my surgery as compared to before.

[Deila]

please please log onto megafoods website and check out there supplement for adrenial fatigue. It is highly effective food based supplement. I have taken it before, it is worth a shot while your looking for another dr. I would also look for a naturapath as usually adrenal fatigue is one of there specialties.

[Deila]

also acupuncture if you dont want to take anything would be a really good idea to try while your figuring things out! I developed a bunch of food sensitivities after my surgery so check into that aswell. Like you I am very young aswell and as soon as I figured out food intolerances were a reason for why I was feeling so horrible I cut them out and im feeling SO much better.

[Cindy]

While my first comment may be of little help I'll make it anyway. I'm very surprised by your medics reaction, one of the consequences of going onto HRT is a possible affect on adrenal gland function. The adrenals also produce testosterone so anti-AA can affect their function as well.

My adrenal function is monitored regularly for just that reason.

I hope my comment is not superfluous but I suggest you see a good endocrinologist, your current one, if you have one, seems to be poor (IMO).

You definitely do not want your adrenals to close down.

Sorry to hear this and I hope it is corrected swiftly. I would be kicking on doors to get proper treatment before life goes very down hill.

Cindy

[Catherine Sarah]

Sorry to hear this and I hope it is corrected swiftly. I would be kicking on doors to get proper treatment before life goes very down hill.

Hi Princess Jasmine.

Thank you so much for taking the time to bring us up to speed on your latest developments. I'm really pleased you have been able to pin down the source of the problem.

I'm inclined to believe Cindy's comment is more metaphysical than metaphorical and you need to actually kick the doors. A god secretary is wort her weight in gold, and as such often form an impenetrable barrier between potential patient and the specialists. It's moments like yours, regrettably the secretary needs to be usurped.

Keep in touch and let us know how you are coping.

Be safe, well and happy.
Lotsa huggs
Catherine

[Julie Wilson]

So I have been posting on these forums for a while now and I'm sure some remember I had posted about having a horrible case of brain fog after my srs. I was 21 when I had my vaginoplasty two years ago and I have been dealing with brain fog ever since.

Now this is interesting, finally someone who is describing what I experienced after I had SRS.

Since I don't have a doctor or insurance (or money), I concluded that my brain fog was caused by my body sort of being "overwhelmed" or more affected by the estrogen I was on after SRS, removal of testosterone producing gonads (etc.)  Knowing a little about how male brains store information more specifically and how female brains store information more randomly I arrived at the conclusion that my brain was reprocessing information and redistributing information, re-storing information along a more female pattern, less specifically.  Based on what I had previously read in the book 'Brain Sex'.

Also I did come out of this fog on my own after about two years and when I did it was like my past was no longer my past.  My past was someone else's past and instead of being able to refer to it as my own it took on the character of second hand information, with a lot of the details left out.  More like a story I heard from someone else when I wasn't paying attention.  I remember some of the basics but the memories are dull and faded, out of focus and I feel no attachment to them.

Personally my brain fog experience allowed me complete and total freedom from what others would refer to as my past.  It was the most liberating and freeing experience I ever had and I am eternally grateful for it.

Other people have told me that I can't hide, run from or ignore my past but the joke is on them.  Not me.

For a while after I came out of the fog I continued to experience nausea and for two years I continued to take Dramamine (anti-nausea medication) daily to deal with it.  Eventually I realized the nausea was being caused by too much estrogen and I quit doing my Depo Estradiol shots and switched to Premarin pills at a lower dosage.

[Princess_Jasmine]

Now this is interesting, finally someone who is describing what I experienced after I had SRS.

Since I don't have a doctor or insurance (or money), I concluded that my brain fog was caused by my body sort of being "overwhelmed" or more affected by the estrogen I was on after SRS, removal of testosterone producing gonads (etc.)  Knowing a little about how male brains store information more specifically and how female brains store information more randomly I arrived at the conclusion that my brain was reprocessing information and redistributing information, re-storing information along a more female pattern, less specifically.  Based on what I had previously read in the book 'Brain Sex'.

Also I did come out of this fog on my own after about two years and when I did it was like my past was no longer my past.  My past was someone else's past and instead of being able to refer to it as my own it took on the character of second hand information, with a lot of the details left out.  More like a story I heard from someone else when I wasn't paying attention.  I remember some of the basics but the memories are dull and faded, out of focus and I feel no attachment to them.

Personally my brain fog experience allowed me complete and total freedom from what others would refer to as my past.  It was the most liberating and freeing experience I ever had and I am eternally grateful for it.

Other people have told me that I can't hide, run from or ignore my past but the joke is on them.  Not me.

For a while after I came out of the fog I continued to experience nausea and for two years I continued to take Dramamine (anti-nausea medication) daily to deal with it.  Eventually I realized the nausea was being caused by too much estrogen and I quit doing my Depo Estradiol shots and switched to Premarin pills at a lower dosage.

Yay someone understands what Im talking about. I swear you describe it the same way it is liberating yes because I cant develop any emotional attachment (either good OR bad) to anything, but that in itself is depressing! I want to feel the happy and go through the ups AND the downs at this stage in my life just like before I cant accept that this stage of life is even a part of my life and when the fog goes away on EXTREMELY rare occasions for a couple of hours, its literally as if it never happened and I cant believe how simple it feels in that moment to just feel normal with blood actually flowing to my brain.

How did this go away for you? Was it simply time? Did you change anything hormonally? Did you do any sort of detox or take any vitamins or anything?

[Julie Wilson]

I lowered my estrogen.  I found I couldn't do estrogen shots anymore because my body processed the estrogen too quickly, causing nausea for about a week after the shot and so I went to a lower dose of estrogen using pills instead of shots and then I came out of the fog.

I believe it was purely an estrogen thing.

It seemed to me like the fog was mostly a time thing (about two years) but after the fog I was still scatter brained and nauseous and I finally read about estrogen side effects and realized it was the over-dose of estrogen that was causing the problems so like I said, I lowered my dose.  My body just didn't need as much estrogen after SRS and it absorbed the estrogen from shots too quickly.

[NikkiJ]

It can be a challenge to find an endocrinologist that actually listens to the patient and doesn't just read numbers off of lab sheets. Good luck.