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[Bevan63]

Hi Everyone,
It’s taken me a few weeks to be brave enough to post.
I’m 57 and have been in the menopause since I was 50 , in that time a lot has happened- mainly an autoimmune disease that suddenly happened - it’s auto immune hepatitis( I won’t go into it in detail)
I’ve been on various immune suppressants over the years and a constant in various levels, has been steroid prednisolone.
I am stable at present and I’ve come off of the steroid since April,  since July I have started having some odd feelings.
Cramps in feet, calf’s, wrists, fingers, and other places,at times.
Aches in these areas and stiff in my hips & ankles after resting.
I have had a magnesium test which is only slightly low and doctor not worried ( i found the doctor very helpful) just wondered if anyone can relate , is it all the menopause ??
Thanks for reading xx

[Taz2]

Hi Bevan. Well done on being brave and posting for the first time. Joining a new forum can be daunting but this one will give you immediate friendship and understanding. I've found there's always someone around to listen and advise.

Aches and pains are a menopause symptom caused usually by low oestrogen which is usually improved by HRT. You also have the known side effects of prednisolone withdrawal to take into account of course. Even if you withdraw very slowly it can still take quite a time before the body begins to start making enough cortisol again which can give rise to aches, cramps and fatigue. Did your GP check for cortisol do you know?

Taz x 

[jaypo]

Hi Bevan and welcome to the forum
I can definitely relate to the stiff hips and ankles after sitting,I'm 57 too and when I get up off the sofa I feel I'm walking like a 90 year old,my hip/pelvis seems tight somehow,and I shuffle across the floor until it loosens,only takes a few moments but I guess it's just aging and yes,of course the menopause,the lack of oestrogen causes many MANY symptoms,the joints will be affected.

[CLKD]

  from me too

Some ladies find that keeping a mood/symptom/food diary of use to chart progress as well as taking a list of worries to each appt..

As oestrogen levels drop the body may become dry: inside and out; skin, nostrils, deep in the ears, vagina, scalp as well as muscles may become lax = aches and pains.  Do read the threads 'bladder issues' and 'vaginal atrophy', forewarned is forearmed.  Make notes ;-)

Ask away, nowt is taboo or over the top; many have heard it all B4 !

[groundhog]

Hi Bevan 63
I really sympathise as autoimmune diseases are just so difficult and when they come around the time of meno you have no idea what is causing what.
I had my ovaries removed during a difficult hysterectomy in 2015 , my bowel,perforated leaving me with  an abdominal fistula.  Long story.  But I also developed auto immune diseases like scleritis which is an agonising eye problem, exzema, and a suspected liver problem.  Like you I’ve gone through years of trying to find answers and getting nowhere .  They don’t know if it’s down to the fact I have a fistula ( which is damage to the bowel that forms a channel to the skin , I wear stoma bags ) or that meno somehow triggered these problems. 
I do know how wearing it is and it has affected me psychologically as well. 
I’m glad you are stable now, these things do settle down on their own sometimes. 
I also suffer from all sorts of aches and pains which I am putting down to meno but doctors won’t prescribe HRT owing to my other problems and as I’m now 60 they feel I should be ‘over it’ which we know is just not true.
Keep posting, this is a great forum who will help you through these difficult times 🙏🙏

[Bevan63]

Thank you for your kind words and advice.
I did wonder if pred may have something to do with it - no cortisol test suggested by GP though- I am talking to my consultant in Jan so will mention it then.
It’s comforting to hear that I’m not alone with all these things, it’s helps with coping mentally too xx

[CLKD]

1 is rarely alone.  Could you contact your consultant sooner rather than later, explain current symptoms in case a cortisol blood test is required B4 the appt.?  Will save time ;-)