Hello from Joney; I am hot in the menopausal sense, I haven't been cold since about 2016! I've been lurking here a while so thought I should say hello. I'm 54 years old and up until a few years ago I thought the menopause sounded great. An end to the dreaded monthlies, what's not to like. Har de har har har. How we live and learn! Apologies in advance for this long saga.
Looking back I had all the classic peri symptoms, night sweats, tinnitus, plantar fasciitis, frozen shoulder, joint aches, skipped periods, silent aura migraines (what a trip) and I was one of those who strangely had an increase in libido in the lead up to the menopause (sadly gone now). I never put it all together as I was completely ignorant about the menopause. The only thing I'd ever heard about the menopause was from a cousin who is a few years ahead of me in the menopause game. I wondered what on earth she was moaning about, lol, now I get it! My mum, as many in her generation were wont to do, just soldiered through it I think. She once told me it was no big deal and she had had some hot flushes but didn't make a fuss of it. I think not making a fuss was a big thing during her time. I also have a neighbour who is 70 but looks so much younger and is fit as a fiddle and is on HRT, she tried coming off it a few years ago and said it was dreadful so she insisted on being put back on it.
Then the flood came! Massive bleeding for over a month, it was dreadful. I was given Tranexamic Acid and I had a dreadful allergic reaction to it that literally floored me and took me ages to recover from. That's a whole other story.
I had no idea that women could take HRT during perimenopause, I thought you had to wait a year after your last period to get it. So my last period was in 2017, I was managing the dreadful hot flushes (embarrassing when a colleague asks you what's wrong with you and you have to answer “I'm having a hot flushâ€) but what really got me to the doctor was when the horrible insomnia started in 2018 so I went in and begged for HRT. Femoston Conti was prescribed, it was great for the insomnia and hot flushes. A few months after starting it I started to get dreadful tingling in my legs (another menopause joy) and a feeling of tightness in my legs and my mood seemed low. Then about 7 months after being on HRT (19 months since last period) I started bleeding and had various scans and a trip to the gynaecologist who reassured me all was well and it was just one of those things and carry on with the HRT.
My silent migraines with aura returned recently so I thought I should go and see the doctor and maybe change to a patch. However, having read the recent publicity regarding HRT shortages in the UK I wondered about my limited options. I have a dreadful fear of strokes (having seen the devastation they can cause and them running in family) so 4 weeks ago I thought maybe I should try stopping HRT. I do reserve the right to go back on it if it all goes belly up. We will see. So far so good, my legs feel a lot better, the tightness and cramping have gone. The hot flushes are back but not quite so bad and frequent. My mood seems better. The insomnia hasn't returned yet (fingers crossed on that one). I'm aware, having read it on this site, that symptoms may return with a vengeance and it is early days
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I look at older women now and wonder if they are on HRT. Some look remarkably agile and healthy and I think there's hope for me. My main problem has been the problem with aching knees and tingling legs. I really hope that if (hopefully) the hormone levels settle down I can be back to normal. It is hard to believe that hormone levels can make such a vast difference to something like legs! I never had a problem with them before the menopause.
My many supplements have included the following: Vitamin D, Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin B12, Evening Primrose, Fish Oils (Anti-inflammatories: Cats Claw, Bromelain, Cherries, Tumeric). I'm sure there are more. Prior to all this I never took anything! I read a good book recently regarding menopausal arthritis but I'm not sure if I can mention the name here or if it may be perceived as advertising. The author had a very interesting take on inflammatory responses in the menopause hence some of my anti-inflammatories. A certain high street health food store loves me.
4 weeks down the line now since stopping the HRT and all is well… except for down below. I have a query about this and will ask it in a separate post in the questions section.
Best wishes to all my menopause sisters and thanks for sharing so much to help others.
