Quick fix for a sneaky hormone shortfall causing exhaustion
Debilitating fatigue forced Linda Torres, 55, to give up her career and resign herself to life on the sidelines— until she discovered the often-overlooked culprit and turned her life around
Just text me if you have any questions,” Linda Torres told her husband, Chris, before he went off to do the weekly grocery shopping. “It was a task I had always handled, but lately I’d been so exhausted mentally, I couldn’t even think about making a list of what we needed. And physically, the thought of walking through the aisles and pushing a cart just made me want to crawl back into bed. I felt bad that Chris had to take on so much of what I used to do for us. My poor husband…it was so frustrating! Why is my body betraying me? I thought to myself. I can’t keep living like this!
Feeling hopeless
“Back in my Army and bodybuilding days in the ’80s, I had a ‘no pain, no gain’ philosophy about life and set high standards for myself. I was used to getting things done and done right! But about six years ago, fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks. I developed debilitating allergies and chemical sensitivities and was diagnosed with Lyme disease. My doctor treated the Lyme and an allergist helped me figure out that I was sensitive to soy, mold and fragrances so I could avoid them, but I was still exhausted. I felt like my life was falling apart. I even had to give up my career as a professional baker. I’d been making wedding and specialty cakes, but I no longer had the energy to do much of anything, let alone spend hours on my feet in the kitchen.
“After nearly a year of waiting in vain to feel better, I went to see a new doctor. But at my first appointment, after just 10 minutes of trying to answer her questions about my medical history, I got so tired that I had to lie down. Because I’d had it in the past, she tested me for candida and she also retested me for Lyme. I was shocked when both tests came back positive. My treatments hadn’t killed the Lyme. It was so discouraging! I felt like the bad news just kept piling up. I was desperate to be healthy and get my energy back.
“The doctor put me on a round of antibiotics to help eradicate the Lyme, and she prescribed antifungals and cinnamon oil to get rid of the candida. But just my luck, one of the antibiotics made me so photosensitive that I got a sun rash from sitting in front of a window in February—in Michigan! My health was spinning
out of control and I knew that I needed to find relief, and find it fast.
Energy restored!
“While I continued to consult doctors to help my body heal, I started seeing a therapist to better deal with my exhaustion and all of the anger, fear and stress that went along with it. The therapist explained that stress was triggering inflammation that strained my immune system and body as a whole, making my symptoms worse. She said that learning how to deal with stress was an important part of regaining my health.
“I’d also been seeing hormone expert Dr. Charles Mok, D.O., at Allure Medical for several years for hormone replacement therapy (HRT). I was taking estrogen and progesterone to help with hot flashes and other menopause symptoms. And since I tested low for testosterone, I was also using a testosterone cream as part of my daily regimen. But when Dr. Mok started offering testosterone pellets (bio-identical hormones about the size of a grain of rice that are inserted under the skin in the lower hip) for women as part of HRT, he suggested I give them a try, telling me they would work better than the cream because they’d give me a more precise dose.
“And they did—what a difference the pellets made! After everything I’d been through, I was shocked to learn that testosterone played such a big role in restoring my energy. I was even able to gradually decrease the dose on my antidepressant, which I’d been taking since getting sick with Lyme. And now I no longer take it!
“Even though my insurance doesn’t cover the cost of the pellets, when you live with debilitating fatigue as long as I did, it’s worth it. I have my life back! I’ve learned to let go of perfectionism to lower my stress levels, and I have the energy to do what makes me happy—like dancing and drawing, going for walks with my husband, spending time with friends, playing with my dog and working in my garden. I even got back to baking this year when I made a wedding cake for my daughter’s friend. It was a threetiered lemon cake with blueberrymascarpone whipped cream. I was so thrilled to be able to make it!