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[donnarob]

Hi There,

It's been some time since I last posted.  I am nearing my 59th birthday and if anybody told me that I would still be suffering from post meno symptoms after all this time I wouldn't believe them.

My last period was in 2012 and although the hot flushes and night sweats have abated, periodically, they come back with a vengeance. I could swear that I still have a cycle (phantom period symptoms) as I keep a diary and every so often during different times of the month, I can feel sick, have indigestion, sore breasts, etc.

I have had a rollercoaster of stress over the past few years, having lost my Mother last year, making numerous trips back and fore to Scotland, organising funerals, house sales, etc and empty nest syndrome.

My latest symptom has been feelings of high anxiety, palpitations and lack of self esteem/confidence.  I could swear that when I get a sudden dip in estrogen the palpitations get worse and anxiety is made worse the more I worry.

It is very hard to communicate with anybody about this as most of my friends are 4-6 years younger and some can't compare as they have had hysterectomies.  I am going to make an appointment with my female doctor here, she's Norwegain and probably only in her mid 30's and it makes me wonder how she can tell just how bad you feel when you are nearing 60?  I hadn't a clue how my Mum was feeling when I was in my mid 30's and I feel like saying, you've got all this to come!

One of my biggest finds is YES products which have revived my sex life.  You can't get the products over here, just Vagifem which I didn't want to touch.  I am going to mention that the YES vaginal moisturiser is a Godsend and I no long feel itchy/sore.

It would be good to make some new friends on here - the last few years have been very difficult and I feel a problem shared with like minded women will help me immensely. 

I have two kids aged 23 and 24 and they have both left home and are currently in the UK   We lost our family dog just last month and the stress has just been piling on top of me.

Donna

[Dancinggirl]

Hi and welcome back to mm

I am 62 and stopped HRT 2 years ago. It's a relief to be free from the annoying prigesrerinevissues but I do miss the benefits of oestrogen.
I will be using Vagifem for the rest of my life as my urogenital atrophy really needs it and vaginal
Moisturisers are not enough on their own. I use SYLK moisturiser (Yes products are good as well) alongside the Vagifem and this keeps me comfortable most of the time.

I don't cope with stress that well any more - I do get very overwhelmed and tired.
I practise Mindfulness a lot which I do find helpful - do try this. Mindfulness takes a lot of practise at first but it really helps with stress.

My mother is 90 and incredibly self centred and to be honest I think we all need to be a bit more selfish when we get to the menopause - it's about self preservation!
Take care and keep posting. DG x

[jillydoll]

Hi Donnarob.
  first of all I'm so sorry to hear about your mom, I know what
that's like, and I know what your going through.
Second, I still feel like I'm about to have a period, and I'm nearly 4years post meno
I think it's normal, don't know why, but normal.
Third, yes anxiety does make palpitations and all the other symptoms a hell of a lot worse,
and when oestrogen is low that can make everything come out.
Have you tried hrt before? If not why not try it, I'm on femoston conti, been back on now since
February this year, and although I've highered the dose, it works very well for me, my anxiety
and all other symptoms are under control, there are other options for you too, I don't know
much about those, but I'm sure one of the more experienced ladies will post soon to you.
The Yes product is supposed to be very good, I don't use it, but have read good reviews.
I'm so sorry to hear about your dog, we lost our chocolate Labrador, 2years ago, and I was in bits.
Looking back , it took me forever to get over it, not that you completely do, but my best advice
is to go ahead and get another one, when your ready, it really does help, we've got an Akita
now, and she's really helped me. Don't know what I'd do without a dog tbh.

Keep posting, there's always someone on here, for any advice you need, but I think you'd defo
Feel better on hrt of some kind....
Why keep suffering, when there's a little help out there , your quality of life is so much worth more.

Jd xx.     

[donnarob]

Hello Again,

Since my last post, I have turned 59 and feeling more anxious and the hot flushes seem to be returning.  I get very tearful and, to be honest, I think I am still grieving.  I lost Mum in January 2017 and later that year my young 3 year old cat Lucy, was run over and then 3 months later we had to  have our other cat Tilly put to sleep.  Fast forward to this year and our lovely 13 year old border collie, Bracken had to be put to sleep and I feel so stressed out.  The good news is that we have a new puppy, a border collie called Loki who is absolutely adorable.  He is 13 weeks old and into everything!

My son is just back from cookery school at Ballymaloe in Ireland and is now working as a chef in Norway.  This may sound extremely selfish, but my husband and son just don#t seem to understand my bouts of tearfullness, anxiety, not to mention mega mood swings.

I'm sure the palpitations are due to low levels of estrogen, which in turn, raise the levels of the stress hormone Cortisol and the more I worry(panic about them thinking I'm about to have a heart attack, I get another tell tale hot flush! 

I try and eat a healthy diet, very little sugar as I'm diabetic and now that we have Loki, my walking will continue in earnest.

Not keen to take HRT at this stage in my life as surely I must be nearly over the worst.  I'm not on any meds apart from supplements like Efamol and Vitamin E.

It seems like every year, post menopause, I swear I get different symptoms, like backache, sore joints.  The latest one is the shivers and I'm convinced that I'm coming down with something only to be boiling hot a few hours later.

Jillydoll. So sorry to hear about the loss of your labrador.  Dogs become such a major part of family life and we had two collies Ted was 15 when he died in 2015 and Bracken was 13 when he passed away 3 months ago.  Understandably, we were all in bits and I think it's a combination of losing my Mother, my pets and trying to live in a house of men!

I have made an appointment with my female GP for 2 weeks time and will enquire as to what she thinks about HRT.

Thanks for the advice and glad to hear you've also got another dog, they do make you happy!

Dancingirl.

I think it's the stress, lack of motivation and general tiredness that gets me down.  I think the loss of the happy hormone can make us feel rock bottom and I just can't seem to summon up the energy these days.

I do try breathing exercises and hoping to glean some information about mindfulness.

Thanks for the valuable tips.

Donna 

[Kathleen]

Hello donnarob.

I just wanted to say that a menopausal friend of mine is also living in a houseful of men which she says is particularly challenging.

My trusty meno book talks about oestrogen's tranquilising effects and it certainly feels as if we have lost any access to calm!

Hopefully your doctor will offer you some effective treatment.

Wishing you well and please keep us updated.

K.