It has been 15 years since my hysterectomy. I used estrogen patches for most of that time. I was not exactly happy but things were better. I got another Rx for Lorazapam this summer which is like Xanax. I haven't gotten hooked at all. I have to remember to take it when I get stressed and can't sleep. I have terrible hot flashes since stopping the patches. I cry a lot--too much really. I get upset to much. I don't have any small kids but I do work with the public as a cashier. Most of the time it is great but some of them make me want to scream!
I was and still am easy to get along with and good natured but it is moments that I wonder if I'm nuts like you said--bi polar but I know it is lack of hormones.
As to the sex part. I am still wanting it but I am not married. I could have a friend with benefits easily but I want more than that. He is sweet but I hold back. He says he wants his independence. That makes me sad because I need more.
If you take vitamins, try D3 for the sadness. I know even before the hysterectomy I took that in the winter. It does help me with the low times. Ginsing is one for estrogen replacement. I take it and E and C for the hot flashes. They help some but not as good as the patches. If I get to where I can't stand it, I will have to ask my new dr for the patches again but I was trying to wean myself off before I lost my good doctor in 2013. He quit..
The weight gain is horrible too. I gained about 30 pounds. When Mom got sick, I didn't eat and lost 20. Since quitting the patches, it seems to stay off. I do try to eat well and not too much. That is one of the hardest parts of this condition!! "They" don't understand that we are not lazy or eat too much. It just happens out of our control.
I hope my experience helps you realize you are completely normal in how you feel. We have to find out what helps individually. Not everything that helps one will be perfect for another.
Take care
Mary C.

Many women report mood changes after hysterectomy. Our sex organs have a big impact on mood as well as sexual function (or lack thereof) - desire, arousal, and response - and actually pretty much everything about us. I had a hysterectomy at age 49 and I became a different person - suicidally depressed, irritable, anxious . And that doesn't even include all the other changes. Estrogen made a huge difference once I found the "right" one for me. I hated the patch I was initially prescribed. I was a mess on it and my gynecologist / surgeon refused to see me so I was left in a miserable state for too long.

What HRT's have you tried and what type of allergic reaction did you have?

I was taking Premarin for about 2 months and it made me quite nauseous. then I was prescribed the patch but it left bruising and sore muscles after that I just didn't take them because my doctor said that there was no physical reason for the reactions I was having. So I have not used anything...

I was nauseous on the patch - not sure if it was the severe loss of hormones since it was the first HRT I used or if it was the wrong dose or delivery route. I have been on generic Estrace tablets for awhile now and am doing much better with all my symptoms.

Hello, it's been a while since i could access the site. I hope your status has improved since the post..I had most of what you're describing after a hyst in 2001..Until i took bio-identical hormones.in 2004,.I was a wreck. That would be a combination of 3 estrogens and progesterone, and testosterone-the latter in a cream form. Patched worked for hot flashes, but i thought it was causing water retention, too. This surgery is just devastating for some..I hate that it was even recommended by my Dr. I do think the spinal from surgery has a lot to do with current problems, but the extraction of healthy organs cannot be fully compensated. Are you getting enough B12, and have you been checked for hemotomachrosis?--a high iron disease which manifests in some post menopausal women...Need iron and ferratin checked to determine or a dna test for the hereditary form of the disease..Can definitely effect your mood, and your health. Best to you!