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[kellie]

hi
this is my 1st post on here although ive been reading  and searching quite a bit.

im 46 nearly 47 and up until about 18 months or so ago i had never heard of perimenopause, i had a huge anxiety attack out of nowhere and it took me ages to be able start to feel normal again. i then read something  about peri and omg it was like a lightbulb moment and made  a few things make sense.
i havent had many symptoms apart from the anxiety/ low mood, bad sleep, digestion issues, aches in back, shoulders ect, headaches, little bit of dizzyness and a general increase in pms type symptoms although i do find each month often brings something new but my periods are still very regular.

last month i bled  after sex twice each time it was only a little bit when i wiped myself and that was it so i went to the docs and she had a look at said i had cervical erosion and thats what was causing the bleed, she said if it wasnt bothering me then to leave it alone and i was happy with this but since my anxiety has got much much worse and now my brain cant stop worrying. then on thursday we had sex and no bleed after which i was pleased about but this morning (saturday) i had a wee and there was a little bit of blood  so this is sending me worrying again.
 my anxiety is so high at the min that i cant think straight and im obsessing over this.  ive worried that ive had a very slight back ache since last month and sometimes i think i had a tummy ache but then im not sure because my anxiety is so high  . if i do have a tummy ache then if i wasnt anxious im not sure i would take much notice of it as its very small and i wouldnt take anything for it. plus i worry that due to my anxiety im focusing on that area and waiting for any feeling/ twinge/ sensation. i need to try to calm down enough that i can work out the difference between a feeling and a pain (if that makes sense). i do have a slight tummy ache today but im mid month so this is normal for me.

i had my last smear this time last year and it was normal.

ive never had anxiety like this before and i cant think straight and im in tears all the time and not functioning like a normal person. why do i find it so hard to listen to the doc and relax 
the doc said that its very common for ladies who have had kids or used birth control and i had just used the mini pill for 3 months to see if it would settle my hormones but it didnt so  i stopped using them.
 
anyone who has cervical erosion or had it what was your bleeding like?  was your bleeding the same pattern ie immediately after sex ? or a day or two after ?  did your clear up on its own or does it not go away ?
any advice would be wonderful and hopefully help me to calm down a bit.
thanks in advance
xx

forgot to add that ive started keeping a diary of symptoms to see if there is a pattern to any aches ect thru my cycle xx

[CLKD]

   I had a polyp which bled on contact, my Gynea wanted me to undergo removal but I resisted.  When I got into peri it went on it's own  .

Anxiety is a huge problem for some ladies.  HRT can ease these symptoms but I have taken a betablocka as well as anti-depressant for years so mine was under control prior to peri..  Bugga 

Even when we know the GP/Nurse is talking sense, anxiety can make our brains whizz illogically.  Especially in the night!

Browse round.  Make notes.  You may find a short course of a Valium-type medication might help whilst you consider if HRT is suitable.  Maybe keep a mood/symptom/food diary too so that you get an idea as to when anxiety strikes. 

[kellie]

  I had a polyp which bled on contact, my Gynea wanted me to undergo removal but I resisted.  When I got into peri it went on it's own  .

Anxiety is a huge problem for some ladies.  HRT can ease these symptoms but I have taken a betablocka as well as anti-depressant for years so mine was under control prior to peri..  Bugga 

Even when we know the GP/Nurse is talking sense, anxiety can make our brains whizz illogically.  Especially in the night!

Browse round.  Make notes.  You may find a short course of a Valium-type medication might help whilst you consider if HRT is suitable.  Maybe keep a mood/symptom/food diary too so that you get an idea as to when anxiety strikes.

thank you so much, the anxiety is so terrible and makes me worry about everything !!   every ache, every sensation or feeling makes me worry and i focus on it so much which im sure makes it worse  .
ive started writing a diary of symptoms and mood  to see if there is a pattern thru the month ect hadnt thought about adding food to that before but it wont hurt and might help.
 im also making a list of symptoms i have plus a list of ones ive read about and im going to make an appointment to see my gp (she has been my gp for over 25 years so she know me and how my mind works and worries) so i can talk to her about how this all effects body and mind and hopefully get things into perspective and that might ease the worry, so i can tell my self its ok and its normal.
thanks you for your kind words and advice xx

[CLKD]

Try to eat every 3 hours even in the night.  If the body is hungry it can cause adrenaline surges which manifest with me as anxiety.  I try to eat B4 my body is hungry so that I don't have to stuff chocolate etc..  Chocolate is for 'pudding' ;-).

As oestrogen levels drop then muscles may become lax = aches and pains.  So that is 'within normal limits' for this time of Life.  An over-the-counter pain relief should help as can a warm bath.  Some ladies find cycling/yoga/swimming helpful in easing anxiety surges.  We have threads about most things on here somewhere !

Make a list of which symptoms you would like eased to take to your GP. 

What is the worst that could happen?

[kellie]

Try to eat every 3 hours even in the night.  If the body is hungry it can cause adrenaline surges which manifest with me as anxiety.  I try to eat B4 my body is hungry so that I don't have to stuff chocolate etc..  Chocolate is for 'pudding' ;-).

As oestrogen levels drop then muscles may become lax = aches and pains.  So that is 'within normal limits' for this time of Life.  An over-the-counter pain relief should help as can a warm bath.  Some ladies find cycling/yoga/swimming helpful in easing anxiety surges.  We have threads about most things on here somewhere !

Make a list of which symptoms you would like eased to take to your GP. 

What is the worst that could happen?

thanks
i do get aches but so far non of them are enough for me to take pain relief which is good.  im finding when im anxious i go off my food which isnt like me as i love my food hence being over weight (which im trying to lose) but i must try to eat regularly and healthily.  i take evening primrose oil and vit b complex and i was taking angus castus for pms symptoms but i stopped taking that when i tried the mini pill for 3 months so i might start taking that again although someone told me that can cause spotting ? not sure if thats true ? i was ok with it before. ive just started st johns wort this week to see if that will help with the low mood and anxiety , i have been on antidepressants before and did try again a few months back and omg the side effects were so bad i had to stop as they scared me. have read good things about magnesium ?  but ot sure what one to take or how much ect? its all very confusing !!
i find all the random things make me worry like random back ache or tummy ache or the random sore boobs but ive read that its common due to the hormone levels changing here and there, which i would understand and be logical about when im not anxious but when the anxiety kicks in my brain cant be logical and just worries and overthinks non stop.
thanks for your advice - i will keep reading and taking notes and try to take comfort from not being alone
xx

[CLKD]

As soon as anxiety hits I stop eating 

B4 you start any more medication, have a look round here, use the search button?  You'll find threads on most subjects  .  St John's Wort can apparently be useful but should not be used with prescribed anti-depressant medication.  You probably need to take SjW for several months B4 you notice benefit.

[Hurdity]

Hi kellie

 

Exactly that - I had one ( got one?) - doc called it an ectropion (the more up to date name apparently) - only discovered after bleeding/spotting after sex - a time of unusual extra activity  . Went to the doc who had a peep up there, and said that was probably what it was (had been on HRT for 6 years by then), but still referred me. All was OK and haven't had the problem since - probably due to activity not being quite so frequent  !!!

Do not fret!

It is also normal for pms symptoms to worsen in the months/years leading up to peri-menopause ie when your periods start to become erratic. Some women actually start to get menopausal symptoms (of flushes and sweats) even while ovulating/menstruating regularly.

I wouldn't advise Valium - it's addictive. Instead, to control your cycle and the hormonal surges, you might like to think about the newer contraceptive pill that's a bit like HRT, called QLAIRA and one called ZOELY which some gynaes recommended for women in your position. If you are oK with the progestogens it can help with anxiety and give you a more or less constant background dose of oestrogen with only a few tablet free days ( Qlaira only has two). Read about it here: https://menopausematters.co.uk/contra2.php (scroll down). Some women find that starting a low dose conventional HRT tablet like Femostomn 1/10 also helps (but others find the extra oestrogen over-stimulating).

There's also an article about peri-menopause here: https://menopausematters.co.uk/magazine/pdf/Article%20-%20Perils%20of%20the%20Perimenopause.pdf

Hope this helps

Hurdity x

[kellie]

Hi kellie

 

Exactly that - I had one ( got one?) - doc called it an ectropion (the more up to date name apparently) - only discovered after bleeding/spotting after sex - a time of unusual extra activity  . Went to the doc who had a peep up there, and said that was probably what it was (had been on HRT for 6 years by then), but still referred me. All was OK and haven't had the problem since - probably due to activity not being quite so frequent  !!!

Do not fret!

It is also normal for pms symptoms to worsen in the months/years leading up to peri-menopause ie when your periods start to become erratic. Some women actually start to get menopausal symptoms (of flushes and sweats) even while ovulating/menstruating regularly.

I wouldn't advise Valium - it's addictive. Instead, to control your cycle and the hormonal surges, you might like to think about the newer contraceptive pill that's a bit like HRT, called QLAIRA and one called ZOELY which some gynaes recommended for women in your position. If you are oK with the progestogens it can help with anxiety and give you a more or less constant background dose of oestrogen with only a few tablet free days ( Qlaira only has two). Read about it here: https://menopausematters.co.uk/contra2.php (scroll down). Some women find that starting a low dose conventional HRT tablet like Femostomn 1/10 also helps (but others find the extra oestrogen over-stimulating).

There's also an article about peri-menopause here: https://menopausematters.co.uk/magazine/pdf/Article%20-%20Perils%20of%20the%20Perimenopause.pdf

Hope this helps

Hurdity x

thank you Hurdity
the links are very useful.  if i didnt have this anxiety i might be able to cope with the erosion and not panic. i think because of the anxiety (which is always health anxiety) as soon as something happens i panic and think the worst case and i find it so hard to stop thinking that even after ive seen the doc and she has told me what it is. i always come out of the docs (dont go that often) happy but then start thinking "oh maybe i should have mentioned this or that" and what if i didnt explain it properly ect oh i drive myself crazy. i have to learn that the docs know what they are doing and they know what questions to ask what what questions are important ect and accept the answers they have given me, its so hard not focusing on every sensation in your body isnt it. wow i never knew peri could be like this, when i ask my mum she said she was all finished by the time she was my age and the only thing she can remember is her periods going haywire and the hot flushes thats it !!
thanks for you advice i will have to look into all of these things to see what will help me
xx

[CLKD]

Valium used sensibly is NOT addictive.  It is 1 of the quickest ways of controlling sudden anxiety surges, without it I wouldn't be sitting here!  It gave me breathing space to consider what was actually required.  I use another drug now when necessary and because I know it works within 20 mins. I don't need to take 'extra'.