pre menopause problems..

[moonglow]

At least now I know I am not losing my mind! My gyn doctor told me a year ago I was probably starting to go through this...I am 47..will be 48 in January...I guess from what I am reading this part alone can go on for years before your monthly actually stops! :B

I really hope no guys read this stuff...I usually avoid talking about certain things on a public board, but I really need some guidance here. A year or so ago my monthly haven't been so monthly if you know what I mean...but other then that I really wasn't having any problems. Well my last monthly went on longer and then when I thought I was done, I started spotting...I thought it was due to the physical stress of my being so sick with the stomach flu...the stress and strain on my body from that...but I was also having major anxiety attacks! Now I haven't had any major long lasting anxiety attacks in years and usually when I have I can trace it to some medication I took. Like for instance when I take Sudafed over the counter too many days in a row I get real edgy and shaky and have problems sleeping and would get very stressed out over dumb things. So now that I know I am more careful about not taking it too many days in a row (usually I would do that like if I was sick with a bad cold).

Anyway while I was sick I started waking up at night sweating all over and thought it was part of being sick...only problem is I am no longer sick but I am still waking up burning up and sweating like crazy...I am wiping sweat off my face! Now the confusion was I usually get hot at night when my blood sugar goes too low (or super cold) and once I eat I am ok. Well one night I was getting up over and over again sweating like crazy and thinking my blood sugar was low so I would eat but I wasn't cooling down like normal. I have literally been sleeping with an ice pack at night! That is how hot I get...I can't stand it. Now a few times the last couple of days I got hot and started to sweat during the day...but I ate and the sweating stopped...but I was still very hot! So this all is adding to the confusion...is the sweating part of the hot flashes stuff or my low blood sugar or what?

Plus in the last six months or so I don't realize I need to go to the bathroom many times until I get up from sitting then its like boom! I gotta go and I gotta go now! never had that problem before!

The worse thing is the anxiety and the mood swings...I thought it was old stuff coming back that I used to have a problem with...depression, anxiety and all...pressure to get a part time job but no luck so far...but at times like now I have no worries about it at all and can rest in God on this...but other times I am just freaking out! major anxiety and worrying about it like crazy. I am snapping at Nate...I rarely do that! But I don't like how I am being...ok then not ok...ok then not ok...:B Everything I am reading about this anxiety and mood swings are part of the problem. The anxiety got SO bad that I got an appointment with the local mental health to get on medication! It never occurred to me this could be hormonal until the intake lady talked to me and she brought it up...that this could be hormonal...so what do I do? How do they treat this? I will drive myself and everyone else crazy continuing on like this....:cry:

I have to tell you though I am SO relieved I am not cracking up like I was starting to think I was....:cool:

The worse part of it is when I am stressing I feel like I am losing my connection with God. I can't feel Him!!!!! That out of everything else is the WORSE! Oh I hate that! I feel so so so alone with out Him...:cry: I can't stay like this...and go through this for years and years and here my son is going through puberty! We can't both be hormonal at the same time! :help: I forgot to add...I would like some suggestion for natural stuff if possible so I can avoid the bad sides affects of medication...but I have to have some relief from the anxiety and the sleep problems (waking up sweating like crazy). If you know of something for sure that works please tell me! Thanks!

God bless

[kayte]

Oh Julie, I'm sorry you're having such a rough time! Yes... that all could be hormone related due to peri-menopause. I've been in this for a few years I guess. I haven't had the night sweats or major hot flashes and I'm praying (fervently I might add :lol:) that I don't have them. I'm asking for cold flashes. :saint: (I have a problem with my sweat glands not working and when I get hot it's so, so bad!)

Anyway, they can do a hormone screen on you. FHS? (I can't remember the exact name... hopefully someone else can.) Anyway, I've heard that if you get that done, then you know what hormones are high and what are low, etc. I have a friend that got some progesterone cream and I believe it helped her with the hot flashes.

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know. In the meantime, I'm praying for you. :hug:

[moonglow]

Oh Julie, I'm sorry you're having such a rough time! Yes... that all could be hormone related due to peri-menopause. I've been in this for a few years I guess. I haven't had the night sweats or major hot flashes and I'm praying (fervently I might add :lol:) that I don't have them. I'm asking for cold flashes. :saint: (I have a problem with my sweat glands not working and when I get hot it's so, so bad!)

Anyway, they can do a hormone screen on you. FHS? (I can't remember the exact name... hopefully someone else can.) Anyway, I've heard that if you get that done, then you know what hormones are high and what are low, etc. I have a friend that got some progesterone cream and I believe it helped her with the hot flashes.

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know. In the meantime, I'm praying for you. :hug:

Thanks.

I did use my progesterone cream the other night to see if that would help...can't say it really did much though. Then last night I forgot to use it but I took a bendrile...plus I was super tired from waking up sweating so much the other two nights I slept pretty good...until about six, then I had to eat something and that cooled me down some. That is what I am saying..I am getting confused now about trying to figure out if this is my low blood sugar or just night sweats from this. At least that explains why that one night eating didn't help and I was still burning up! That is when the ice pack came in handy! :lol::cool:

God bless

[Jeanne D]

I used Evening Primrose Oil pills and they helped with the hot flashes. Of course you have to take them for a few weeks faithfully to allow them to work.

Hope you feel better.

Jeanne:hug:

[moonglow]

I used Evening Primrose Oil pills and they helped with the hot flashes. Of course you have to take them for a few weeks faithfully to allow them to work.

Hope you feel better.

Jeanne:hug:

I think I have something with that in it...I'll have to check and see...thanks.


God bless

[jayne]

I've been in perimenopause for a while now. I hate it. I really need to have a hysterectomy, but I don't want to get on HRT.

Here's a post I started on another forum 2 years ago.

It might have some information that people can use.
.................................................. ...................................

Ladies...here are some guidelines to help you and your doctor decide if you are experiencing perimenopause (pre-menopause).

Of course, we shouldn't be going around diagnosing ourselves, but who does know our bodies better than our own selves. I just thought that this information might be interesting to many of you.


1. Perimenopause affects us all in different ways.

2. Perimenopause begins when your ovaries begin to cease
their normal function. With your ovaries not performing like they
should, our hormones begin to affect us in many ways.

3. Perimenopause may last up to 10+ years, that is 10 or more years
before you actually are in the middle of full menopause.

4. The following is a list of common perimenopausal symptoms. Of
course, these symptoms could also be common to other ailments so
before you completely diagnose yourself as being in
perimenopause...consult your OB/GYN.

Your age will also be a tell-tale factor. I will be 45 in September.
Also, your family history....your mother's and grandmothers'

experiences with the "changes" of life.

hot flashes
night sweats
cold extremities ( hands, feet,....)
dry skin
hair loss or thinning hair (too much hair in the hairbrush!)
insomnia (all night!)
inability to stay asleep once having gotten to sleep
difficulty getting to sleep
mood changes and swings
irritability
heart palpitations
loss of sex drive
vaginal dryness
irregular periods (longer, shorter, lighter, heavier)
painful joint muscle aches
urinary incontinence (can't control bladder...peeing on yourself)
bowel incontinence (more diarreha than usual)
weight gain
poor thinking or "fuzzy thinking"
difficulty concentrating
memory loss
So ladies, be your own judge and seek your doctor's counsel. Perhaps
some of our stress is associated with our cycle changing and perhaps
we are not as crazy as we thought!

These symptoms are more severe if you are under extreme stress, eat
poorly, and get no exercise.

5. Lastly, here are some ways to decrease the symptoms on your own.

You can do these things without having to consult a physician.

cut back on carbs
cut out refined sugar
cut back on caffiene
no alcohol
get aerobic-type exercise
take vitamin E
take a good multi-vitamin
keep a record of your symptoms to see what triggers them for you
show your personal record of symptoms to your doctor

[moonglow]

I've been in perimenopause for a while now. I hate it. I really need to have a hysterectomy, but I don't want to get on HRT.

Here's a post I started on another forum 2 years ago.

It might have some information that people can use.
.................................................. ...................................

Ladies...here are some guidelines to help you and your doctor decide if you are experiencing perimenopause (pre-menopause).

Of course, we shouldn't be going around diagnosing ourselves, but who does know our bodies better than our own selves. I just thought that this information might be interesting to many of you.


1. Perimenopause affects us all in different ways.

2. Perimenopause begins when your ovaries begin to cease
their normal function. With your ovaries not performing like they
should, our hormones begin to affect us in many ways.

3. Perimenopause may last up to 10+ years, that is 10 or more years
before you actually are in the middle of full menopause.

4. The following is a list of common perimenopausal symptoms. Of
course, these symptoms could also be common to other ailments so
before you completely diagnose yourself as being in
perimenopause...consult your OB/GYN.

Your age will also be a tell-tale factor. I will be 45 in September.
Also, your family history....your mother's and grandmothers'

experiences with the "changes" of life.

hot flashes
night sweats
cold extremities ( hands, feet,....)
dry skin
hair loss or thinning hair (too much hair in the hairbrush!)
insomnia (all night!)
inability to stay asleep once having gotten to sleep
difficulty getting to sleep
mood changes and swings
irritability
heart palpitations
loss of sex drive
vaginal dryness
irregular periods (longer, shorter, lighter, heavier)
painful joint muscle aches
urinary incontinence (can't control bladder...peeing on yourself)
bowel incontinence (more diarreha than usual)
weight gain
poor thinking or "fuzzy thinking"
difficulty concentrating
memory loss
So ladies, be your own judge and seek your doctor's counsel. Perhaps
some of our stress is associated with our cycle changing and perhaps
we are not as crazy as we thought!

These symptoms are more severe if you are under extreme stress, eat
poorly, and get no exercise.

5. Lastly, here are some ways to decrease the symptoms on your own.

You can do these things without having to consult a physician.

cut back on carbs
cut out refined sugar
cut back on caffiene
no alcohol
get aerobic-type exercise
take vitamin E
take a good multi-vitamin
keep a record of your symptoms to see what triggers them for you
show your personal record of symptoms to your doctor


wow..thanks. I checked on the net and there are alot of natural products that can be used, but I want to talk to my doctor first. There is no way I am just going to go through this with no help at all...I am a wimp...I like to sleep! i don't like not feeling like myself and I really don't like these anxiety attacks! Or sweating like a pig either...:rolleyes:

I struggled for most of my adult life with severe PMS...had terrible problems weeks before my monthly even started...then went through a few years of severe cramps! Very severe...cramps going down one leg! It was awful! Doctors failed me time and time again on how to take care of this problem...I got the same list you gave here for it...exercise...cut out the caffeine..etc, etc and nothing helped. Finally one doc put me on some old antidepressants which helped a little but they side effects were horrible...weight gain and severe constipation! Did he tell me about the side effects? no. I even went to another doc about the severe constipation and he didn't check the side effects on that med either...I thought something was wrong with me physically in that area...I can't tell you how I suffered with that junk. Finally a nurse friend of mine told me the side effects so I stopped taking it. blah.

Eventually I found out about the progesterone cream and that was a life saver for me! It stopped the severe cramping...the three weeks of PMS I had before my monthly even started and the other problems I was having. If I can use something like that I would be thrilled!

Thanks for your help jayne..I sure hope you find some relief! Oh and none of those sites I check listed bowel incontinence though...:hmm: Never heard that was a problem with anyone...gosh I hope not! :eek:

God bless

[cnw]

Hi Julie
soy products
rasberry tea leaf
stinging nettle tea
black cohosh (If I take this regularly I have almost no symptoms)
and primrose oil
and progesterone cream (which only works for some)

thes all are good but you have to find which works good for you. It may be a mixture of them. It is best to get some of these off the net like Richters herbs and order fresh bulk, you can make your own teas or tinctures easily and it is a tenth of the cost you will pay.

I feel for you sister!!! I hate the hot flashes and cold flashes.
today I had the mood swing from the pits of horror. aaaahhhh what was the Lord thinking?

oh ya Vitex is great for keeping you in regulation for your cycle.

[jayne]

Thanks for your help jayne..I sure hope you find some relief! Oh and none of those sites I check listed bowel incontinence though...:hmm: Never heard that was a problem with anyone...gosh I hope not! :eek:

God bless

My problems on that list primarily consist of insomnia, night sweats, irritability, and "fuzzy" thinking.

The sites that I gleaned all of this information from must have listed bowel incontinence or I don't think I would have listed it. This post is two years old and I can't remember the exact sites I looked at.

I taught with a woman who before her surgery really suffered with bowel incontinence. Was it perimenopause related? I don't know.

Oh, well. I'm just suffering from inability to go to sleep and stay asleep tonight and the irritability REALLY scares me sometimes.

[moonglow]

Hi Julie
soy products
rasberry tea leaf
stinging nettle tea
black cohosh (If I take this regularly I have almost no symptoms)
and primrose oil
and progesterone cream (which only works for some)

thes all are good but you have to find which works good for you. It may be a mixture of them. It is best to get some of these off the net like Richters herbs and order fresh bulk, you can make your own teas or tinctures easily and it is a tenth of the cost you will pay.

I feel for you sister!!! I hate the hot flashes and cold flashes.
today I had the mood swing from the pits of horror. aaaahhhh what was the Lord thinking?

oh ya Vitex is great for keeping you in regulation for your cycle.

Thanks! One thing is when I have tried the natural homeopath route before I really wasted alot of money on things that didn't work for me and right now I truly can't afford to experiment like that. What about estrogen cream? I have seen that sold and since these problems are being caused by lack of estrogen would that help? I did read a warning though on one place saying you shouldn't use just estrogen that it has to be balanced with something else...I didn't quite understand what they were talking about though.

Oh I found this: In some cases, women in perimenopause may have low levels of progesterone in comparison to their estrogen levels. In other cases, the progesterone level is fine, but estrogen levels are too high. Another case we are seeing more frequently is where all three of the key hormones which flux during this time, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, are too low. What’s most important to recognize is that each woman needs to be evaluated differently, preferably by a medical practitioner conversant in integrative or alternative medicine.

:hmm: I guess I just need to get to the doc and get a blood work up on this and find out what is out of whack and see what they suggest..THEN I can have a better idea of what might work in the homeopath. I am having a hot flash right now! ugh. I turned the air on...good thing Nate isn't here as he would be complaining of freezing...:rolleyes: It was 75 in here this morning and he wanted me to turn the heat up! :eek: He is always cold when he first wakes up and I am usually burning up...I told him no, it was plenty warm in here. If I had turned the heat on as hot I was already it would have made me feel physical sick! He is just going to have to tough it out until I can get this all under control...:cool:

jayne
Quote:
Originally Posted by moonglow View Post
Thanks for your help jayne..I sure hope you find some relief! Oh and none of those sites I check listed bowel incontinence though... Never heard that was a problem with anyone...gosh I hope not!

God bless
My problems on that list primarily consist of insomnia, night sweats, irritability, and "fuzzy" thinking.

The sites that I gleaned all of this information from must have listed bowel incontinence or I don't think I would have listed it. This post is two years old and I can't remember the exact sites I looked at.

I taught with a woman who before her surgery really suffered with bowel incontinence. Was it perimenopause related? I don't know.

Oh, well. I'm just suffering from inability to go to sleep and stay asleep tonight and the irritability REALLY scares me sometimes.

Oh...I almost wonder if this lady had some other health issues going on? Cause incontinence actually means the loss of control over your bowel or bladder where you wet yourself or have a BM suddenly and out of the blue. I mean if we all had that problem we would literally have to be wearing diapers! I know they sell those bladder incontinence pads because women will leak a little from their bladder...that is one thing..this losing control over your bowels and popping your pants is something completely different though! I know some very old people can have this problem...but these are people in their late 70's and 80's and in bad health to start with. I truly don't think this is part of the menopause thing otherwise they would be having TV ads about it! :lol::cool: ok that's not funny...but you know what I mean they had ads now for every possibly bodily function we can image! :eek: Stuff most of us don't really want to hear about...

And from I understand even on the bladder incontinence that usually only happens if the woman laughs too long or coughs too long...that type of thing and has some leakage.

Anyway I am sorry to hear you are struggling with sleep so much! Have you gone to your doc about this or tried any natural stuff to see if that would help? The last two nights I have taken one bendrile and that helped though I did have to eat twice during the night...:cool: And Nate woke me up once because his allergies were bad and he needed more bendrile!

Why do you feel scared with the irritability? I don't like it either but I am greatly relieved to know its not 'me' but my hormones...

God bless

[Momof5]

I suffer right along with you, Moonglow. :hug:

I am almost 53 now and it is still going on! Hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, extreme bleeding, mood swings....blah.

Last year, I had a problem with complex hyperplasia (the kind without the precancerous cells), had a D&C and 2 biopsies. My doc put me on progesterone since I had too much unopposed estrogen. I didn't even have period for the year on the strong drugs. As soon as I went off the drug, things got crummy again. Now I am on progesterone for 14 days and off for 14 days and going to see what happens.

I recommend seeing your doctor, have blood tests, etc.

[moonglow]

I suffer right along with you, Moonglow. :hug:

I am almost 53 now and it is still going on! Hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, extreme bleeding, mood swings....blah.

Last year, I had a problem with complex hyperplasia (the kind without the precancerous cells), had a D&C and 2 biopsies. My doc put me on progesterone since I had too much unopposed estrogen. I didn't even have period for the year on the strong drugs. As soon as I went off the drug, things got crummy again. Now I am on progesterone for 14 days and off for 14 days and going to see what happens.

I recommend seeing your doctor, have blood tests, etc.

Oh no...I am sorry you are going through all of that! :( yuck! I will keep you in my prayers. Yea I am going to call here after awhile to the dr. I had an appointment with her next month but got something in the mail that she won't be in so I have to call and reschedule...maybe I will luck out and get in sooner! gosh I hope so...

God bless