u/Kitchen_Prompt8829

I have hormone-receptor-positive (ER/PR+) endometrial cancer and I’m having a full hysterectomy with removal of my ovaries in a couple of weeks. I just heard back from my gynecologic oncologist: no hormone replacement therapy, not even topical/vaginal estrogen, because of the recurrence risk.

I understand the medical reasoning. But I’m having a really hard time with what this means going forward; surgical menopause, all at once, with none of the usual options to manage it. I’m scared of losing my quality of life, my vitality, my sex life, in ways that feel permanent.

Has anyone else been in this position — hormone-sensitive cancer, no HRT allowed? How did you cope with the surgical menopause side of things? What actually helped, even a little, on the non-hormonal side?

Wondering if this gets easier and what’s worked for others.

After years of pain I was finally diagnoses in april. My last flair was beyond awful and lasted 7 weeks. At least I finally got cholchine and allopurinol. My rheum set me on 1 col 0.5 and 200 allo. My acid uric has lowered but not enough yet. Probally the flair was triggered by intensive walking and a piece of salmon.
I’m so fed up with it.

I can up my dose for colchicine with one tablet. Not more because I take diltiazem and it can cause a dangerous interaction with colchicine. Because of my heart and kidneys I can’t really have NSAIDS, but I reacted bad on prednisone. So they gave me Naproxen 500 a day.

Any one experience with upcoming flairs and taking profylaxis colchicine 0.5 at the same time? I thought being on colchicine I was free of flairs.

I was diagnosed with low-grade endometrial cancer a little while ago, and I’m scheduled for a hysterectomy soon. The staging won’t be confirmed until after surgery, but the tumor characteristics they know so far are favorable, so I’m holding onto that.

What I didn’t expect is how much old trauma this has dragged back up. I’ve had some rough experiences with the medical system before this. Things that were missed or dismissed for way too long. And now, going through scans, exams, and prepping for surgery, a lot of that old fear and mistrust has come flooding back. Things I thought I’d mostly dealt with. Panic around certain procedures, trouble trusting that people are actually listening to me, that kind of thing.

Some of what’s resurfacing is tied to sexual trauma from childhood and later on in life too, which makes pelvic exams and the idea of the surgery hit differently than I expected. I had an intake with a psychologist recently to start working through it, which feels like the right step.

I’m curious how common this is here. Has a cancer diagnosis or treatment brought up older, unrelated trauma for anyone else?

What helped you get through appointments or procedures when your body/mind was reacting to more than just the current situation?

I’m a bit worried here.
Since a week I use Diltiazem 120 for my heart along with 0.5 colchicine for gout. The pharmacy refused to give me the Diltiazem at first, but the doctor said I need it so the finally gave it to me. I felt good during the week. But now I’m out of breath a little and feel pins and needles in my hands. Could this be an interactionproblem? Should I go to the first aid?

Hi! I was diagnosed with gout in April and I’m on colchicine 0.5 once a day and allopurinol 200.

My doctor recently diagnosed me with insulin resistance and two weeks ago I got diagnosed with hormonal endometrium carcinoma.

According to my doctor all are metabolic diseases.

Does anyone know if they’re related and does anyone else have more metabolic diseases than just gout?

I have early endometrial cancer. The proposed treatment is a hysterectomy, including removal of both ovaries.

What is breaking me is not only the operation itself. It is the way it is being presented.

On paper, I am told I have a choice. In reality, it feels like the choice is: accept the full surgical package, including irreversible hormonal and sexual consequences, or refuse cancer treatment.

That does not feel like a real choice.

I asked about the impact of removing my ovaries. I was reassured that there should not be major sexual consequences. But the patient information itself says the ovaries also produce testosterone, and that removal can affect libido, arousal, energy, orgasm and sexual functioning.

So why is this being downplayed in the consultation?

I am not asking doctors to be reckless. I am not asking them to ignore cancer risk. I am asking them to be honest about the price of the treatment.

If both ovaries have to be removed because there is a real oncological risk, then tell me that clearly. But do not pretend this is a small side issue or something that can just be handled with “support” afterwards.

For me, sexuality, hormones, bodily integrity and quality of life are not decorative extras. They are part of being alive.

What makes me feel desperate is the gap between formal consent and lived reality. Technically, I can say no. But saying no means leaving cancer untreated. So when people keep saying “it is your choice”, it feels almost cruel.

I do not feel like I am being offered a choice. I feel like I am being asked to consent to irreversible harm while everyone around me minimizes what that harm may mean.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of downplaying before major cancer surgery? How did you get doctors to have an honest conversation about quality of life, sexuality and informed consent before the operation, not after?

Hi everyone,
I’ve recently been diagnosed with endometrial cancer and I’m expected to have surgery soon. From what I understand, the standard surgery usually includes removing the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
I understand that cancer safety comes first. I’m not trying to avoid the treatment that gives me the best chance of cure. But I’m struggling with the ovarian removal part, especially because of possible effects on testosterone, libido and sexual function.
In the patient information folder I received, it says that removing the ovaries can lower testosterone and may affect sexual desire. This really hit me, because I don’t feel this was clearly discussed with me during the consultation.
Sexuality and sexual function are a very important part of quality of life for me. I also understand that ovaries don’t necessarily become completely inactive after menopause; they may still contribute to androgen/testosterone production. So I want to have a proper informed-consent conversation before surgery, not only after problems arise.
I’ve asked my team about:
why ovarian removal is recommended in my specific case, not only as standard protocol;
whether keeping one or both ovaries is completely ruled out or just not standard;
whether baseline testosterone/SHBG/free testosterone can be measured before surgery;
what treatment options exist if libido, arousal or sexual function are affected afterwards;
whether testosterone therapy is ever considered after endometrial cancer, under monitoring;
whether I can speak to a sexual medicine specialist or menopause/hormone specialist before surgery.
I know everyone’s cancer and risk profile is different, so I’m not asking for medical advice. I’m mainly wondering how this was handled for others.
Did your doctors discuss testosterone, libido or sexual function with you before hysterectomy/oophorectomy?
If your ovaries were removed, did you notice changes in libido, arousal, mood or energy?
Were you offered any support or treatment afterwards?
Did anyone have a proper discussion about keeping one or both ovaries?
Thank you.

Recently diagnosed with endometrial adenocarcinoma, trying to understand the science rather than just googling “probiotics for cancer.”
I’ve read that proposed mechanisms include chronic inflammation, altered estrogen metabolism, and specific bacteria being studied as possible biomarkers. Curious about the state of the research:
• How strong is the evidence — causation or mostly correlation so far?
• Gut microbiome or local (vaginal/uterine) — which has more research behind it for this cancer?
• Any active clinical trials on probiotics/microbiome modulation in endometrial cancer?
Papers or researchers worth following are welcome — trying to get a solid grasp of the science.

Hi, I’m looking for experiences from people with difficult-to-control hypertension.

My BP was never perfectly controlled, but it became much more unstable recently after two medication changes.

I had been using:
- telmisartan
- labetalol
- hydrochlorothiazide
- diltiazem

Then hydrochlorothiazide was stopped because of gout/high uric acid. In hindsight, it seems likely that HCTZ contributed to the gout attacks or at least worsened my uric acid levels.

Diltiazem was also stopped because I started colchicine for gout, and diltiazem can interact with colchicine.

Around the same period I also had prednisone, which likely contributed to fluid retention and higher BP.

After these changes, my BP became much more unstable, with some high readings, including one around 214/108 and another around 175/117. I also noticed fluid retention.

I was finally assessed at the ER. Labs/kidney function/electrolytes were reassuring.

They started spironolactone 25 mg as an add-on, with repeat bloodwork planned in a few days because I’m also on telmisartan and potassium needs monitoring.

My current question is whether this pattern sounds familiar to others: BP becoming unstable after stopping Diltiazem and a thiazide diuretic, especially when there is also fluid retention and prednisone involved.

Has anyone here:
- had HCTZ stopped because of gout/uric acid and then struggled with BP control?
- switched to spironolactone or another add-on after Diltiazem and thiazides became problematic?
- been evaluated for volume-sensitive hypertension or primary hyperaldosteronism/resistant hypertension?

What questions are useful to ask a hypertension specialist when I have a follow-up next week?

What is you experience with spironolactone?

For years I went to my doctor with all kinds of complaints: pain in my joints, shoulders, neck, back, knees, and feet. Every time I was basically told to take paracetamol and wait and see. Sometimes I went back, but I never got a real diagnosis. More often I ended up seeing a psychologist just to cope with everything, because I could not get the pain under control.

For more than 7 years I was taking hydrochlorothiazide and heart medication. Over time I started feeling worse and worse, with more pain and aches.

Last summer, during vacation, I had a bike accident. I badly hurt my left knee and broke a finger. Three days later, my right foot started hurting terribly. I thought maybe it was related to the accident, or maybe I only noticed it later because my my attention had been on my knee and finger.

When I got home, I went to my doctor and asked for a check-up. He sent me for an X-ray for my finger, which was indeed broken. But for my foot he did not really have an answer. He said it did not look like gout. So I left with the advice to take paracetamol.

The foot pain was actually worse than my broken finger. I could not even wear a shoe.

Then this April this year, after working in the garden for two days, I woke up with the exact same pain, this time in my left foot. It escalated very quickly into severe pain, swelling, and redness. I took paracetamol, 6 x 500 mg a day for three days, but it did not go away. I still had no idea what it could be.

I limped back into the doctor’s office and saw another doctor. She looked at my foot and said, “This might be gout. Let’s do bloodwork.” I said it probably was not gout, because it had been ruled out the previous summer, but she still wanted to test my uric acid. She gave me tramadol for the pain and sent me home.

A few days later I saw another doctor for something else. My blood results had come in. She said my uric acid was 0.59 mmol/L, which is about 9.8 mg/dL, and prescribed prednisone: 30 mg daily for 5 days. I took the prednisone, but I got stomach problems and a very unpleasant, uncomfortable feeling from it. I also stopped the tramadol because it gave me neurological pain flares.

I could not take NSAIDs, so I used paracetamol, but it only helped a little.

I went back to the doctor literally crying from the pain. I had looked up hydrochlorothiazide and saw that it can increase uric acid and possibly trigger gout. I asked if I could stop it. The doctor said not really, but eventually agreed.

She did not offer a referral at first, but said that if I had more episodes it might be a good idea to see a rheumatologist. That is when I started connecting the dots. I realized I may have had gout for years, and that the clues were probably already in my medical file.

I asked for a referral to a rheumatologist while still in terrible pain. My appointment was first planned for the end of May, but because I was about to travel and my uric acid was 0.59 mmol/L / 9.8 mg/dL, they found an earlier opening.

The rheumatologist diagnosed gout and a severe gout flare. He prescribed colchicine and allopurinol. He wanted me to take colchicine 0.5 mg three times a day. But the pharmacy warned me that colchicine can interact with diltiazem, which I also take, and that colchicine is not a harmless medication, so they wanted to be careful.

The rheumatologist lowered the colchicine dose to twice a day, but the pharmacy still preferred that I stop diltiazem first. Because I had to fly and everything was stressful, I ended up not starting the colchicine or allopurinol yet.

Because I was still in a lot of pain, I contacted another rheumatologist for advice. In consultation with that rheumatologist, I started taking 15 mg prednisone daily instead. This lower dose was more tolerable for me than the 30 mg dose, although I still do not feel great on it.

After 3.5 weeks I am still in pain, although I finally see some improvement.

Now I still need to find out safely whether I can stop or adjust diltiazem while using colchicine, and how to start proper long-term gout treatment with allopurinol.

But at least after all these years, I finally have a diagnosis.

I am sharing this because I feel frustrated that it took so long. Has anyone else had gout missed for years, especially while taking hydrochlorothiazide or similar medication? And has anyone dealt with the colchicine/diltiazem interaction?