Hi everyone
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My name is Christa and I'm 51 years old.
I had my first symptoms on menopause when I was around 35, and it's about 2 years ago since the test came back and showed that I had a lack of oestrogen.
To begin with the symptoms came and went away, but those days are long gone.
I had a hysterectomy 20 years ago because of cervical cancer, although my ovaries are still intact. I'm not sure it had a negative effect on my menopause because it seems that I've got less problems than most.
However, I've been Vitamin D deficient for a long time and my GP said it had to do with a gallbladder removal 8 years ago. She gave me supplement, which I've taken up until about a month and it changed a lot of things for the better. To begin with I took mega doses of Vitamin D just to get it up to a normal level again, and since then I've taken 800 IU a day of Fultium D.
About a month ago I had to stop taking those capsules because my kidneys was acting up. My GP told me that the supplement did put a lot of strain on the kidney's, so I guess it was expected.
We discussed HRT during my first appointment, but she strongly advised against it because of my history with cancer and my mom passing away in breast cancer.
So I'm not taking any hormones at all. As it is now I'm doing ok and my symptoms are manageable, but I have no idea what it will do to me in the long run not having enough oestrogen.
My biggest problem at the moment is that I need to get back on the Vitamin D again, but with kidney stones it's not easy to find a supplement that will work. Apparently it is the calcium that is the issue and according to my GP there is no supplement that I can take for any length of time. I'm going back tomorrow to get a second opinion from another GP at the same surgery about the Vitamin D issue since my ability to absorb it naturally vanished when I got problems after the gallbladder removal.
What I do know is that without the supplement everything hurts. Hips, bones, back, neck and even underneath my feet. Also, my teeth are literally falling apart. And that's where I'm at now.
Emotionally I was a wreck to begin with and it's a wonder that my partner is still around at all. Everything seemed very dark and I slipped into a depression during the first year, swinging from rage to tears in seconds. Thankfully that also mellowed a lot once my Vitamin D levels were back on track again. What did stay with me was that I turned into a real chicken. I've never been afraid of trying new things or meeting new people...but since a few years back I'm scared of a lot of things that never bothered me in the past.
Skin and hair have changed a lot this past year. At first my hair went dry, and then it went oily and dry at the same time...and static. My skin is dry in patches, but at the same time I've got acne, which is something I haven't had since I was a teenager. So it's really weird.
Other than that I've got a grown up son and 3 grandson's in Sweden. That's also where I was born
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I've been here for a bit more than 10 years now
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Well, that's a bit about me
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And thank you to the admin for helping me out with the registration
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