HRT suspension for surgery - How did you feel?

[Violet Bloom]

  I just recently locked-in my FFS surgery date for May of this year.  Exciting and all, but now I'm concerned because I'll be required to go off hormones for about 18 days (with a ramp-down period prior and ramp-up period after).  I won't repeat details here but will simply say that I felt all kinds of terrible before I began HRT in the first place.  Things have been near-perfect for me throughout the time since being on it.  I really don't want to have to feel the way I did without hormones again and I don't want to experience unpredictable mood or depression issues.  Certainly I will be planning this carefully with my family physician who is administering my HRT.

  For those of you who have gone through suspension of HRT for a surgical procedure, how did it make you feel both mentally and physically?  Should I be concerned about it if I'm following a proper plan?  Will it make me tired?  I don't know if this is going to make my job harder to handle.  It's going to be a stressful time when my hormone suspension begins because that's right when my HR wants to make my coming-out announcement to all the staff ahead of the surgery leave.

  It's funny - I'm getting more anxious right now about going off hormones then I am about the prospect of having my face peeled open!

[spooky]

I was super worried about it the first time I went through this, but it has always been an interesting and fun time for me.  No disturbances or difficulties to report, just a fun increase in libido for a while.

[mrs izzy]

You will be fine,

Might look like a bear with all the body hair regrowth and moody.

But besides that remember small price to pay for beauty.

Oh remember the nips hurting!

Hugs GF.

May hmmm!

[FrancisAnn]

I had a facelift & eye lid surgery last summer. My surgeon said it was OK if I stayed on my HRT however to be safe I stopped for a month or more. It took quite a while for my face to heal. Really I wish I had not stopped. I felt very good before surgery then after being off estrogen for a while I just did not feel right. Then it took a while after starting back to return to feeling like a normal person. So good luck GF.   

[Violet Bloom]

... just a fun increase in libido for a while.

  Hmmm, I was kind of enjoying the lack of it.  I have no one around to take advantage of such an increase.  If that's all that happens I can deal with it though.

You will be fine,
Might look like a bear with all the body hair regrowth and moody.  But besides that remember small price to pay for beauty.  Oh remember the nips hurting!
Hugs GF.
May hmmm!

  I was never very hairy to begin with and have also had laser over full body.  Hopefully this means I won't be growing a 'winter coat' in spring!  My nipples have really never stopped hurting ever since I started HRT.  I'm so used to it now it shouldn't be a big deal.  True, these are the small prices to pay for beauty - the big price is the cost!

  See you in May!

I had a facelift & eye lid surgery last summer. My surgeon said it was OK if I stayed on my HRT however to be safe I stopped for a month or more. It took quite a while for my face to heal. Really I wish I had not stopped. I felt very good before surgery then after being off estrogen for a while I just did not feel right. Then it took a while after starting back to return to feeling like a normal person. So good luck GF.   

  Your experience is somewhat more like what I'm concerned about.  With everything that's going to happen all at once I may have a really hard time emotionally but also a general nasty sense of being 'off'.  I don't think it's going to be much fun, especially if it brings back nausea and wicked nerves.

Thanks for the responses!

[Violet Bloom]

  I just read in another thread (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php?topic=182549.msg1618840;topicseen#msg1618840) about someone who experienced lactation when they ran out of E meds for a bit.  Any chance of this happening, or will a smooth ramp-down negate that possibility?

[Eveline]

Violet, to your original question, I stopped HRT before FFS and didn't resume for a few days after, and it wasn't fun.

I felt pretty crummy going into the surgery, awful afterward (mentaily), and didn't start to feel right again until I restarted HRT.

So yeah. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

[Violet Bloom]

Violet, to your original question, I stopped HRT before FFS and didn't resume for a few days after, and it wasn't fun.
I felt pretty crummy going into the surgery, awful afterward (mentaily), and didn't start to feel right again until I restarted HRT.
So yeah. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

  Not good news but thanks for letting me know your experience.  On the up-side of things, my employer won't force me back to work until I say I'm ready, so at least I won't feel pressured to get well quick.

[Jenna Marie]

I had to stop for GRS, and I had some hot flashes and general crankiness, but other than that it's hard to say - I was stressed out and over-emotional, but that would've happened anyway given what I was waiting for.

Overall, though it wasn't pleasant, it was temporary.

It also may be possible to get permission to continue antidepressants during the "no meds period" - I know of several women who have.

[Violet Bloom]

I had to stop for GRS, and I had some hot flashes and general crankiness, but other than that it's hard to say - I was stressed out and over-emotional, but that would've happened anyway given what I was waiting for.
Overall, though it wasn't pleasant, it was temporary.
It also may be possible to get permission to continue antidepressants during the "no meds period" - I know of several women who have.

  Ugh, I was really hoping to avoid hot flashes and moodiness.  I already have a pretty good idea of the rest of how I'm going to feel given I lived it for at least twenty years before HRT.  A few weeks are thankfully not much to deal with relative to half my lifetime.  I'll try my best not to upset any of my supporters.  This was my choice after all.

[KayXo]

I didn't stop any of of my hormones/medications before SRS except for cyproterone acetate so luckily no moodiness or anything for me.

[Muffinheart]

Stopping was mandatory prior to my surgery.
I didn't experience any side effects...maybe a few more hairs fell out, but nothing emotional or physical.