Sounds like you are dealing with some serious issues and some risky medical people. You mentioned heart palpitations. What is the cause of these. Generally with such you should in no way be dealing with estrogens. T blockers wouldn't have much effect in that regard, but there is a worry about potassium levels in your body as depending on the type they can either retain or eliminate potassium and to much or to little can cause sever cramps in muscles, including the heart. I had that problem once from to much potassium and the concern was so very real. It only took a little less then a week to get the potassium back to normal though and no damage was done.
Estrogen though relates to blood clots and can severly affect a bad heart or cause a stroke, and nobody with heart problems should be dealing with them without very careful and frequent supervision which in most cases would be denied because of the medical risks.
Tests can be done to check blood condition for clots, but they can surprise you. I had a a complete physical and blood tests which showed me perfectly normal on all counts, days later I went down hard with a right brain stroke and spent months rehabilitating. I was only able to go back on HRT after first having an Orchie to reduce the amount of estrogen I could take and eliminate the blockers. I started HRT with Hepititus C which is a liver disease and aside from the stroke problem needed to get all extra effort off of the liver caused by both estrogen and spiro anyway. I know what can happen even under the best of care which is completely covered under my insurance and I am a hospital worker and see a lot many people wouldn't. Even women can't generally be given estrogen for menapausal problems if they have heart conditions. The doctors will not perscribe to them.
I don't know what your condition is Sara and there are so few things males are proscribed estrogen for, but usually none who have heart problems. Best advice is seek the best medical advice you can afford or aquire as something isn't right with your presant medical care. check it out as soon as possible and get a good explaination on exactly what is wrong with you to require HRT medication for it and for real, find out exactly what is wrong with your heart that makes the chest expand to any extent.
There are many reasons why Aldactones might be perscribed, but for sure find out why the estrogens were later included if you did not ask for them for transitional purposes, and why they were perscribed at all with heart problems.
Don't worry to much about your MD not knowing much about estrogens. That same MD probably perscribes and monitores many women on them, but may simply not know the limitations or excesses of working with males on them. That is a seperate ball game that takes different experience, thus the Endo's who specialise in hormones and hormone issues.
Terri
