Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Nicky Vaughan]

Hello everyone , hope all have a good weekend ! New here and just need to rant for a few minutes to get rid of this crazy feeling of being ever so slightly mad , well a lot mas actually !!
I am post menopausal 2yrs + and have recently started feeling so strange and anxious its unreal . I also have pernicious anemia , ME and Fibromyalgia , so a lot of other things going on too making it very difficult to tell what symptom is from what . I believe  that I really did ignore a lot of my problems for many years as I was looking after first my mum then my dad during illness over the past 4 years - my Dad passing away this time last year . During this past year I have also lost 8 other friends & family , including my Dads dog who we took on , had a car accident in April`14 , no2 son went to Uni in September , lots of other stress too  - so maybe the anxiety I now feel has caught up with me good and proper ??!! I haven't honestly had too many hot flushes to speak of , but have become very aware of hormonal changes and how they make me feel . I can go for weeks without feeling any sign of normality - constantly anxious , over worrying about every symptom , every problem becomes huge , I am jumpy , hate everyone - the dogs , my husband , some of my friends even , this makes me feel very guilty which increases anxiety and so on - I dont even know who I am right now and am feeling very low and lost . Most mornings I wake and think I cant go another day feeling so horrible and really worry for my state of mind , then other days Im happy and optimistic , relaxed and think clearly - the rest of the time Im in a complete fog , with memory problems , lack of co-ordination ,exhaustion and feel unable to cope with anything !! From reading other posts here I get the feeling this is pretty much par for the course ??
I have been thinking of HRT , so need to do some more research as I cannot imagine living like this for many more years .... I feel like Im going mad . I often wish for more hot flushes as when I do get them my head clears and I feel a very quick change in my mood - wonderful !! The rest of the time I feel pretty much "unreal" and find it very hard to cope with . I would really love to try HRT , but would prefer bio-identical hormones - however my GP doesn't even bother to acknowledge how rubbish I am feeling let alone accept I dont want anti depressants .... he actually laughed when I said what I would like .... I guess Im going to have to consider going private .

Anyway , enough for now - its good to just get it all out of my head and down in print - thanks for reading so far and look forward to chatting to you all again , as I know there's plenty more for me to say and ask about . For now , goodnight from a very wet , windy South Wales !

[honeybun]

 

Have you asked your GP for HRT. If you have been told no then can you ask why and then see another doc at the practice. They actually don't have the right to deny you treatment but it's difficult to insist when you feel rubbish.
Sorry you have had such a rough time, combine that with meno and it's no wonder you are suffering.

Have a read of the menus on the left and decide what you want and try again with your doctor. You can even email Dr Currie for advice. Details are on the home page. You really shouldn't have to go privately.

Browse round and join in.

Honeyb
X

[Mrs January]

Welcome to MM Jezzy

So glad you are able to tell us how you feel and let the ladies on here help you too.

My moto is one minute, hour or day at a time. I have had a huge amount of stress and loss too and yes it does catch up with you as you say....I wake some mornings jittery and wanting to hide for another hormonal day and anxiety.

BUT...we have to go on , be kind to ourselves, delegate when we can, do you work? look at ways of letting the stress out...maybe an activity or screaming loud when we can ! research HRT I do take it and have a mirena as well .....

Love and hugs for today

Mrs January xx

[groundhog]

Hi MM Jezzy - im from Wales too
I can identify with how y are feeling. It's horrible and I am so anxious over life I general it's making things impossible.  Onthe13/1 amhaving a hysterectomy some anxiety has kicked in big time and I'm already dead and buried.  I would take HRT buti need hysterectomy first as I have suspect lesion on ovary.  Long long story.
Just wanted to say hello and that you describedmy symptoms perfectly.  No period for 4 years now no massively hot flushes just anxiety depression catastrophising feeling miserable no libido blah blah blah,  inmy defence a lot of stressful things have come on board since the meno.
This site is amazing,  the ladies are brilliant - you will get so much help xxx
Imgoing to be out of it for a while but maybe we will catch up again soon.
Wht part of Wales are you from ?

Xxx

[SallyG]

Hi. I am from Wales too and thought I was going mad. I have been through a very similar year to you and the menopause has been creeping on too. The anxiety and panic feeling was the worse thing about it. I thought I was having a breakdown and the worry of that nearly drove me to have one. Hormone imbalance is massive. It really affects us.My GP was good but I needed more so I went to see Annie Evans. She's an expert on the menopause. She has a website. You are worth it.

Salxx

[CLKD]

   I wish I could say we are from Wales …… we miss the coast SO MUCH  however, I digress/meander.

Have a read of the menus - left of screen.  Do you have a Practice Nurse who may be more tuned in to menopause treatment.  GPs don't want to spend money from their budgets, particularly at this time of year ……… keep a mood/food diary too, jotting down helps keep abreast with how you are feeling and gives you something to take to the GP!  Seeing a pattern can help!

I expect some of your anxiety is due to the adrenaline drop off having been running high with all that has gone on in your Life - now you are running empty ! 

Rubbish memory is common …… we have threads about that too  and as for 'that strange woman in my house'  ……..

[Kathleen]

Hello Jezzy and welcome to the forum.


So much of what you say resonates with me and, as you have noticed, many other women on this site.

Your GP's reaction to your distress is astounding but illustrates how little our problems are understood. One of the great things about this site is the knowledge and support offered from other women who know exactly how you feel and why.

Wishing you well and keep posting.

K.

[Nicky Vaughan]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome ... makes me feel a little more "normal" and less alone !
Groundhog and Sally G ... I am from Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan - right near the coast and the lovely countryside too - right on my doorstep , very lucky . My 4 Westies love their walks , so much choice and I feel blessed that I live in such a lovely coastal town - oh yes, and also of Gavin & Stacey territory too - filmed just around the corner from me , fame at last !! At the moment though I might as well be anywhere , as Im finding it hard to go out and enjoy things because of this damn stage of life and the effects of anxiety mostly - so foggy it makes me panicky , or am I panicky and therfore feeling foggy - dont seem to know much these days Im so confused lol !! 
I dont work , and haven't worked since I got very sick way back in 2006 with glandular fever , Epstein Barr virus , which led to the diagnosis of ME ad Fibro - the exhaustion and fluey feelings never left me and have got worse over time - especially now .
I have a few more questions , but will take a good look around and make sure I post them in the right place - hopefully !!? Thank you again for all your kind words , Im hoping this will now be my sanctuary and keep me sane ....
Where do you both come from Groundhog and Sally ... any other Welsh ladies here ?? Hoping to chat again soon . x

[CLKD]

You need to take things slowly otherwise you will feel exhausted!  Dog walking is good, you can watch them snuffling around  ……… a breath of sea air daily won't do any harm ;-)

Have a browse, menus, left of screen; ask away!

[Hurdity]

Hi Jezzy

 

Sorry to hear how you are feeling and to hear about all the sadness in your life recently as well as the fact that the after effects of glandular fever have stayed with you which must be so debilitating.

However - it may well also be that if you were beginning to be peri-menopausal at the same time (as you had glandular fever), this could have hindered your recovery because many of the symptoms of those conditions (ME, fibromyalgia) are also found in women with low oestrogen (and testosterone).

Therefore the good news is that HRT may well lessen your symptoms and make you feel heaps better and with more energy provided you find the right one!

I am once again appalled to hear your GP's unsympathetic response and behaviour. It is his job to acknowledge how you are feeling and help you find ways to overcome this. Two years after your last period your oestrogen levels will have more or less dropped to their all time low and so many women notuice and increase in symptoms around this time. Do go back to your practice and make another appointment - but try to find out which GPs are knowledgeable about menopause and sympathetic towards women and happy to prescribe HRT.

Also the good news is that most HRT - well the oestrogen anyway - is bio-identical and the most natural way to take this is transdermally ie through the skin, in the form of patches or gel. The not so good news is that most progestogens are synthetic and can cause side effects.

As you are post-menopausal then HRT is normally prescribed as continuous combined ie you take the oestrgoen and progestogen all the time. This isn't a good idea especially at first because if it doesn't agree with you, you won't know why. Some enlightened GPs and many private ones, start women off ( in your position) on oestrogen only for say 6 weeks and then add in a progestogen (the bio-identcial one would be Utrogestan - micronised progesterone) which would induce a bleed. This might come as a shock after so long without but it is the only way to guarantee that you can work out what suits you!

Alternatively you could start with a patch such as Femseven sequi or Evorel sequi - although the progestogens are synthetic you should be able to distinguish how you feel at each stage of the cycle. If it turns out you are fine on whichever progestogen you try, then you could go on continuous combined HRT ie a no-bleed type.

Absolutely - you do not need anti-depressants if your symptoms are the result of hormone depletion. Doctors are too fond of fobbing women off with these, and are maybe not sufficiently knowledgeable to allow women to try out various regimes until finding one that suits them.

Good luck and do keep posting

Hurdity x

PS You didn't say how old you are? For menopause under the average age of natural menopause of 51-52 HRT should always be taken for long term health reasons (unless medically contra-indicated)

[Nicky Vaughan]

Thanks so much Hurdity for that excellent information , and I do so need to sort something out before I either batter my husband or put myself on a funny farm !!
yesterday I had a follow up appointment with an endocrinologist which originally was to see if I was suffereing adrenal problems .... my cortisol level was ever so slightly low , but as it turned out its not thought to be a problem - thank goodness ! So , thought Id make the most of it and asked him about HRT , hormone levels etc and told him about my GPs reaction , like most he was astounded and very disappointed indeed and said he would help by getting my individual hormone levels checked for me so that my GP would receive the result and have to do something - hurray for that man .... he is such a lovely proffessional man , wish there were more like him out there . At least its a step forward , and along with the Lesley Kenton book and the alternative HRT from the list Im hoping to finally get somewhere armed with more information . Bought them both from Amazon for a silly price of £ 5.00 for both - cant go wrong . Thanks for all advice , can see I will be living here from now on . !!

[NikkiDUK]

Hi Jezzy and welcome. I'm not Welsh (am a Kiwi) but married to a Welshman and our marriage was registered in Barry! Like you, I didn't get much joy from my GP - he basically said "menopause is like going through puberty backwards," and because I'm healthy otherwise that was it. Well, puberty was never like this! As you can see there is lots of good info out there and the ladies here are always willing to help. I find this forum so reassuring especially if I'm having a bad day.

[SallyG]

Hi Jezzy sorry for the gap in responding. I currently live in the west end of Newport and work (when at work!) in Cardiff. My family are originally from near Welshpool but I was born in Wiltshire - just over the bridge really.
I am fully embedded in trying to get my menopausal stuff sorted and this has taken over my life. My boss called me to enquire how I was last week and it threw me into a total panic. Pathetic really. But I just felt so unwell. I am ok today and it seems to be about taking one day at a time. Lovely to know that you are out there

Best wishes
Sally