Looking for tips to stop estradiol cream

Yes a soft pink pellet - I insert it twice a week - Tuesdays and Fridays at bedtime. Vaginal atrophy occurs after menopause and is when the vagina dries out and the tissue becomes itchy and burning. Maybe you need to use the estradiol twice a week. And yes, being female and older does suck! Take care and if you need to talk don’t hesitate. xo p.s. when I was on the Vagifem I was told to insert two pellets each time twice a week. This was advice from my GYN.

I've recently begun using estradiol cream to help heal tissues after cervical-uterine cancer. I had both internal and external radiation (brachy), chemo to start, then chemo-rad combo therapy, then brachy. My doc prescribed estradiol cream 0.01% at 2gm 2x week for radiation fibrosis and vaginal shortening (5mths after the brachy finale). After seeing the side effects I decided to lower my dosage to 1gm 2x weekly, and this seemed to be the way to go for me given the side effects I did experience. I do see the benefit with the vaginal vault early on (4 wks treatment so far). But I've had some serious effects that I only had before my cancer diagnosis and treatment. The 1st chemo rid me of any pain whatsoever, be it pelvic or abdominal. The "return" symptoms are back pain mid left back, left flank pain, pain around what may be pancreas. I am chemically sensitive, though. The "pancreas" and flank pain started just yesterday after 1 week of left back pain. I do have other symptoms - many of the very common ones - but these are the ones that trouble me. Radiation damage was marked in my case, and I wonder if I have more systemic absorption of the estradiol and if this is the cause of the mimic pain? I told the doc and there may be another radiology order coming up due to symptoms. I do strongly suspect I have far more estradiol uptake - systemic - than normal. And the usual: breast swelling, recent bloating, dry throat and mouth, insomnia day of dosing. First use produced 1 fleeting episode of heart pain and was gone, along with some blurred vision while reading (new glasses, too). I think the estradiol also causes dry eye. Anyone have strong reactions to estradiol after pelvic radiation to treat radiation damage?

@longevityride , I haven’t had any issues with it. It’s my understanding from multiple sources that locally applied estradiol has minimal bloodstream absorption.

@celia16 thank you Celia16. Good to know you're here and have some reassuring information. But I do have more systematic effects than documented, chemical sensitivity could be part issue, and I've read damaged radiation tissues have increased uptake of RX, or "drink" more of the RX. I think swe.ling breasts are a basic sign of some uptake, along with spinal or vertebral discomfort or pain - back pain is fairly common.
Some women say more irritating effects can subside with longer use - getting used to new drug.

@longevityride , that’s interesting. I hope you can confirm what’s going on.

@celia16 I'm getting many or all of the allegedly less common symptoms, too. Think symptoms are underreported in journals, and forums like this are good sources for information. Breast swell is pretty much universal, but underreported in med journals. I'm up a cup size in 4wks usage.
Some obviously estradiol symptoms are dental pain, jaw pain, so that jaw discomfort started last night, adding to nerve pain with all teeth. It's increased somewhat since Sunday, not terrible, but I have to be careful tearing & chewing now. And the very common low back pain by back hip bones - that started yesterday. And those 2 side effects are definitely the estradiol cream causing some systemic issues.
So the worrisome part is a familiar cancer symptom which may turn out to be not cancer but more estradiol side effect. The problem is that increased surveillance is required, more radiology, and like everyone else I've been stuck like a pin cushion too many times,too many tracer chemo & radiation.
And I'm swollen like a little oompa loompa from low dose estradiol!