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[mandy43]

I am back to see the meno consultant tomorrow and hopefully he will have my smear result.  But, apart from that, this week has been awful.  I have had the most excruciating tiredness I have ever felt... just have had to drag myself everywhere and I have had so much to do.  My son turns 21 this weekend, so I have had to plan all of that, look after the little ones who are on half-term, get my b12 jab, dentist appts, you name it!!  Other symptoms have been so bloated.  My periods should be here, but instead I just feel bloated and want to cry.  I also turn 45 tomorrow and I feel like an old work horse.  Just wish I felt normal again!!

[20032003]

I know exactly what you're talking about. I also wish for normal. I want my good old predictable body back!

[mandy43]

it's horrible isn't it.  I never realised this stage in life effected so much.

[CLKD]

Crashing fatigue plus all that's going on is bound to make you feel tired: brain power, energy levels etc.!

Have a good day 2-morrow - in bed with cuppa and Very Good Book?

[Suzi Q]

Ive forgotten what so called NORMAL is?
Id love to be able to make love with out Vagifem Id love to have periods Id love to be moist
Id love to be able to hang off chandelliers (not that I ever did BUT I could have if Id have wanted)
Id love for my bits to look as they did not like a blasted childs.
Growing OLD is ahhhh but sweetie the alertanative is not to be born.
And I know what your feeling I went over at 37!! I know the I feel rubbish old a has been feeling
B UT it WILL PASS and you will understand your still a productive warm loving person
With pals and family and just as pretty as you always were. ITS cos you feel crap now BUT not 4 ever

[Cwtch]

Suzi q I love your words they have made me smile for the first time today !

[BrightLight]

How are things this week and the appointment?

[Briony]

Big hugs. I sympathise with the crushing fatigue. It's horrid, so unpredictable and actually quite scary til you realise it's the damned hormones causing it. Only advice I can add, on top of what others have said, is to try to embrace it when it strikes. If possible (!) put your feet up and close your eyes. I find that 30 mins later I often feel withit again. If you have sympathetic family/colleagues, then be honest. It's not the same tiredness as 'a few too many late nights' tiredness; it's crushing and debilitating. Explain this to them, if you think it would help: Someone gave me this advice -  she pointed out that if I had asthma and had a sudden attack at work, it would be normal to rest for 20 mins. If you'd recently broken your leg, no one would expect you to walk up loads of stairs every day. Likewise, someone I work with has Lupus and sometimes has afternoons off if tired. (I am not comparing our suffering to something as serious as Lupus, but it's the same principle). 

Menopause may be normal and natural, but not everyone suffers to the extent most people on here do. It's about time society wises up to this, rather than us being forced to 'hide' our suffering and 'pull ourselves together'.

I was scared to mention it at first in case I was judged, but it's been OK. I simply described it as a hormonal imbalance. Our H and S person was really helpful and even ordered a better desk chair for me to help my back pain. Even though I rarely cancel/alter things because of fatigue (and it's been miles better since taking stronger a estrogen dose) knowing I 'can' helps me emotionally, if that makes sense?   

[GypsyRoseLee]

The only other time I remember tiredness like this was when I had a newborn, and was exisiting on 3 hours of sleep a night if I was lucky. I didn't dare stop to sit down during the day as my eyes would just close of their own accord.

People really need to realise that for many women peri/menopause is genuinely physically debilitating.

If we 'invented' a new female illness and called it say 'multiple symptomia' which was proved to be caused by extreme chemical changes in the blood, creating excrutiating exhaustion, IBS, increased migraines, nausea and crippling joint pain, I am sure people would be so much more sympathetic and understanding. But because it's 'only menopause' then people think you should just shrug it off and carry on.

I really think we should re-label the menopause and stop the prejudice.

[Dancinggirl]

GypsyRoseLee - You are absolutely right - the fatigue episodes I get are just like the ones I had when my babies were small.  They tend to hit for no particular reason either and one feels so bad tempered, achy and wiped out.  I'm on HRT so these episodes are less often thank goodness. I do get quite frightened though as when I'm working I need to be fully alert. I do think fatigue is possibly the worst meno symptom and without hormones my sleep is terrible so I feel tired all the time.
I have been trying to keep my weight under control so eating really healthily - so avoiding too many carbs etc.  Interestingly, when I lapsed and had a bit of cake and chocolate I started to feel much better!!!!! I do think we need to eat small amounts often to keep the body sugar levels up.  DG x

[CLKD]

When I was in contact with NAPS in the 1990s I was advised to eat a high carbohydrate diet every 3 hours to ease those awful sudden hunger/nausea feelings: 24/7, 52/12.  Once I got into the habit I began to feel better, no more sudden drops of blood sugar and less nausea.  It was easy to forget to eat when I felt OK though 

[mandy43]

Hi Brightlight and ladies.  Well I went all weekend without any bleeding and as gross as this sounds, I am not able to look myself, I have to get my OH to check and as he is only off of a weekend, he has not been able to check this week, so when I have been the loo I just haven't looked.  Anyway, fingers crossed it has gone or is going.  I saw the Meno consultant today and he wants to put me on HRT, a low 2 mg dose.  He has done me a prescription but I can't read his writing.  When I go the chemist tomorrow I will let you know which one it is.  I told him I am scared of getting breast cancer and he said all new research states there is no correlation with this... what do you all think?  I also said I think I am estrogen dominant as my boobs are massive and he said no, that' progesterone that causes that.  He said my last estrogen result was very low and what he is giving me is estrogen based with some progesterone.  I said I've put weight on and I'm worried the HRT will put more on and he said it won't.  So, I am going to give it a go for a month (I think) and see if I start to feel better.  I am back to see him in 3 months. Ohm he also said I will start to have more regular periods, which is a good thing, as I haven't had one since April and I feel fit to burst.

[Dancinggirl]

mandy43 - you have a very sensible GP who is giving you good advice - you are very fortunate. You are experiencing classic peri menopausal symptoms so HRt may well sort you out. My breasts used feel really sore when I was peri meno - I had long gaps between periods and periods would then last one to two weeks - sometimes heavy sometimes really light.  The only thing I'm not sure about is your GP saying 2mg is a low dose - 1mg is a lowish dose so I'd try that first. Something like Femoston 1/10 which has a kinder progesterone can be a good one to try.
The small increased risk of breast cancer only kicks in when you reach 60 and are still on HRT and even then it is a matter of benefits versus risks.  HRt will actually reduce the risk of bowel cancer but importantly HRT will protect your heart and bones and prevent early onset of vaginal atrophy and bladder problems so it's really worth giving HRt a go.
HRT doesn't make you put on weight but it could help energy levels which can result in you getting more exercise - this can help you loose weight. I'm afraid when we hit ht emend we just have to eat less whether we use HRT or not.
BTW - when you are on HRt you don't actually have proper periods - they are actually controlled withdrawal bleeds that will make sure the womb lining remains thin and keeps things healthy.
I think you should trust your GP. You may need to try a few different HRts to find the one that suits you but I'd ask for Femoston sequi 1/10 first  - you could print the info off from this site to show him and explain you want to try this HRt because it has a better progesterone.
Let us know how you get on.  DG x

[GypsyRoseLee]

You will need to give HRT longer than a month. It's not a miracle worker, if only it was. All literature says you need to give it at least 3 months before you assess if it's improving your quality of life. Though some women report an improvement within a few weeks.

HRT is a very gentle medication. Far more gentle than the Pill, or many other drugs that people take daily for many conditions.

[BrightLight]

Hi Mandy - sounds like you are managing your anxiety really well, I hope that you are indeed at the end of the episode of bleeding.

I can't comment on the HRT as I am not taking it but it sounds like your doctor is confident and helpful, as you say, I hope it suits you and you start to feel better.