Hi and welcome Tracey g
You are describing very classic meno symptoms - even the aches and pains. The oestrogen should kick in quite soon. I expect your doc has put you on quite a low dose so it may take some time for the oestrogen level to build up and reduce symptoms. If after a few weeks things haven't improved I would ask to increase the dose. If you don't like the patches then ask for Oestrogel which you apply to legs or arms each day and you can then adjust the dose yourself to find the right balance.
I'd give it 2-3 weeks to feel the benefits - you will probably find you are sleeping better quite soon.
Standing for that long each day is a killer and I'm afraid I had to stop doing the job I was doing with similar demands you are describing. I still am on my feet a lot but I'm not dong the lifting and I'm walking around and not just standing for hours on end.
Do read up all the info under the headings to the left of this screen and get back to us with questions. Hope you feel better soon. DG x
