Hormone Clinic - Part 2

Ok, back to my story!

I arrived at the Hormone Clinic at 8:30 in the morning and I was greeted by a sharply dressed woman in a black suite. She introduced herself as my personal escort for the day and she quickly led me up a big staircase into the main offices. The complex felt more like a spa than it did a medical office.

I spent the next 4 hours at the clinic. During my visit, I received a bone density scan, had my vitals taken, underwent an EKG and was counseled on healthy eating habits. They even served me lunch that consisted of several almonds, a piece of rolled up turkey and a piece of cheese. I remember thinking, "who eats like this?"

If you are wondering how all of this was helping to diagnosis my mysterious post-partum depression, you are not alone! I did not see an actual doctor until after lunch time (remember, I had arrived at 8:30 in the morning).

When I finally met with the doctor assigned to me, Dr. "S", I was ready to get down to business. I knew this clinic was dedicated to women and their hormones. Therefore, I was confident that my new doctor would know exactly what was wrong with my rapidly changing hormones. I was also confident that if anyone knew how hormones were connected to depression, it would be Dr. S. I just hoped that he was able to recognize that my problem was way bigger than changing my eating habits.

Ummm....not so much! Not that he really thought if I ate more almonds I would be cured, but it was safe to say that he did not quite grasp the severity of the situation. I explained my medical history, since the birth of my daughter, the best I could. He nodded in empathy as I told him my story and he gave me the impression that my story was not uncommon.

The clinic has very strong opinions against psychiatric meds and Dr. S was not shy in sharing his thoughts on these drugs labeled with "black box warnings." He even told me this inspirational story of a woman that came in to see him while she was suffering from severe depression. She promised that she would not commit suicide nor would she take psychiatric drugs...she promised that she would wait for his cure to help her depression. The patient kept her promise and within a few weeks, her depression lifted and she was back to normal.

So what is the magic cure you ask? Vitamins, Vitamins, and more Vitamins! And even crazier than taking mass quantity of vitamins were the generously prescribed bio-identical hormones. And to make matters even more interesting, Dr. S did not perform any tests/bloodwork to identify my current hormone levels. The only assessment I remember him doing was to look at my tongue. He looked at my tongue and told me I needed to be on thyroid medicine along with progesterone, testosterone and several other chemicals.

The doctor then provided me with a list of prescription hormones and vitamins to be taken daily. My last 30 minutes at the clinic were spent at the on-site pharmacy and vitamin shop. Between my 4-5 prescriptions of hormones and the mass quantities of vitamins, I could have opened my own pharmacy. If I remember correctly, I spent close to $1,000 on prescriptions and vitamins in one single day!

I went home with a bag full of pills and a new spirit of hope!