grannynancy,
I'm sorry that you have the side effects, that teally sounds difficul and the costs of the meds do sound unfortunate. Pharma greed.
You sound like your diet is helping with your cravings and wt loss pursuits.
I had to have the surgery and there wasn't time to transitionto it. Wish it had happened like that. I was 44 for mine. I have conditions that weren't squashed by my plumbing being removed. Regretfully I have Endometriosis and pcos still. They suck for weight loss. My living with less carbs is my best weightloss defense. Unfortunately my cravings can hit even when I'm on a long stretch of eating right.
My energy level is what I want worst of all. The hormones in my body are minimal.