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[Cass101]

Hi Ladies,
You have very kindly helped me in the past & I wonder if I could please ask for your advice again? Apologies that this may be lengthy!
I am 59 years old. Back in January I saw the doctor as I'd been having occasional bouts of diarrhoea & some cramp/stitch like twinges. About 5 mnths prior to this my sister had died of colon cancer, so of course I worried it may be that. Doctor examined me & did blood & stool tests. All was fine although blood showed low folate which was then sorted with a course of folic acid. I started eating gluten free around this time in case I had somehow become gluten intolerant. This did seem to help a bit. In May I had a trans vaginal scan & endometrium test due to a "post meno bleed". All was fine, but it was decided to remove the Mirena coil I had & I also had to stop taking the additional Oestrogen pill I was on. Therefore no HRT now, cold turkey! After a few weeks the hot flushes returned. I can cope with that, but I just seem to have some ailment all the time! I still get the odd bout of diarrhoea, also nausea sometimes, churning stomach, a lot of wind, indigestion, palpitations, pounding heart (especially when not doing anything!) Not sleeping that wellI either. I'm also very low, no motivation & health anxiety quite bad, I think every twinge is cancer. I have a bad shoulder & other aches & pains! For many years I've taken fluoxetine/prozac for anxiety. I don't think they're helping anymore. If they are then I dread to think what I'd be like without them! Could all these things be menopause? I'm not sure about asking for some HRT, as any side effects could just worsen my health anxiety! Should I try a different diet? I have spoken to the doctors a couple of times in recent weeks & they do reaasure me that the tests I had were all normal & no red flags etc, but I'm fed up with it all!
I'm so sorry I've moaned & rambled on, but any help, advice & reassurance would be welcome! Thank you so much!

[CLKD]

Hi Ladies,
You have very kindly helped me in the past & I wonder if I could please ask for your advice again? Apologies that this may be lengthy!
I am 59 years old.



Yep.  If your tests etc. have come back 'within normal limits', your symptoms may wellB down to perimenopause.

As oestrogen levels drop , muscles may become lax = aches and pains.  Particularly frozen shoulder.  Physio and over the counter pain relief can ease these.

This of course can cause internal organs to become troublesome, i.e. hiatus hernia = acid reflux, indigestion ...... for which there are several medications; over the counter or on prescription.

Why remove the coil - was it not giving any relief?  MayB make a mood/symptom/food diary to decide which symptom you would like to ease first.  Do read the threads on bladder issues and vaginal atrophy.  Lack of oestrogen can cause the body to become dry: inside and out! Your hormones will take over hence return of hot flushes.

Health anxiety may increase as we become more aware of how we actually feel.  There are many ways of delivering HRT so once you have 2-3 months of diary notes, you can decide whether you can cope without.

IBS can become troublesome.  Allergies can cause problems.  It's The Change does what it says on the tin!

[jaypo]

Hi Cass,all your symptoms sound like mine,although some of mine are abating, I too became gluten intolerant for reasons best known to my gut,the chances are if you've suddenly become intolerant to one thing,you may now have other intolerances,with me it's nuts and coffee.You can get some good online intolerance tests,blood sample ones are best,my gut is so much better now,also try and drink plenty water,again,another thing that's helped me a lot.
Have a look on the funny side of menopause and the thread ..things I've diagnosed myself with,you'll see you are not the only one who has cancer every 5 minutes

[Cass101]

Hi CLKD, Thank you so much for your reply, that's so kind of you & does reassure me somewhat! I didn't realise menopause could do quite so many things to your body all in one go & include frozen shoulder!
I was ok with the coil to be honest. That plus the oestrogen kept me reasonably level. It was my 3rd coil & I think because I'd had 2 bleeds, albeit a year apart, they thought the coil may have caused it. I think both times they were periods of sorts as I'd had all the usual PMS signs, & possibly caused by stress!
I will take your advice & keep a diary etc & also read the threads you suggest. Thank you again for being so helpful, as everyone always seems to be on here!

[Cass101]

Hi Jaypo
Thank you for your reply, it really is a relief to know others have had the same kind of things as me! I've driven myself mad with different food trials here & there, but I do stick to the gluten free mainly now. Funny you should mention nuts - I think I did have a iffy stomach after eating some the other week! I thought they would be healthy, but it kind of backfired!! It can be hard work sometimes can't it knowing what to eat & what not to?!
I might investigate the online intolerance tests as well. I'm pleased to hear that some of your symptoms are abating now, that must be a relief! Thanks again, I really appreciate your advice & reassurance!

[Mary G]

Cass101, everything you have mentioned sounds completely normal to me.   

I'm sorry to hear about your sister and understand why you would worry about bowel cancer but digestive issues come up on here all the time.   Stool tests are very accurate these days and anything suspicious would have shown up.

I developed constipation when I first hit the menopause and my progesterone levels dropped dramatically - I had a Mirena coil at the time which didn't help.   Later on while experimenting with a very high dose of oestrogen, I developed diarrhoea.   I had stool tests which came back clear and the diarrhoea went away when I went back to a lower dose of oestrogen.

There are a lot of oestrogen receptors in the gut so I suppose it stands to reason that the menopause will upset the digestive system.  Some women get diarrhoea when they start HRT, perhaps that is the oestrogen receptors in the gut waking up?

I hope that helps.

[sheila99]

There is no longer an age limit for hrt so if you want to go back on it you can. If your gp is difficult you can ask for a referral to a menopause clinic. I agree they sound like meno symptoms. Anxiety is a meno symptom, it was my worst one. Some people aren't meno until their early 60s and you may be one of them, usually if it feels like a period it's just that. Presumably you don't know where you are in meno as you had a coil? I had 3 'normal' periods at 59.

[Cass101]

Thank you so much Mary G, that really does help a lot actually. It's very reassuring when you hear people say they've had similar, & that it could actually be normal! I think I was cushioned from some of these things by the coil & the Oestrogen, so it's all felt like a bit of an onslaught!! 
Also the last couple of years have been really stressful as you can imagine, so I guess that probably hasn't helped my hormones etc either! I remember that I did tend to get diarrhoea at the start of each period & be constipated at other times! So that would make sense about the oestrogen receptors in the gut as you mentioned.
Thank you for being so helpful, I really do appreciate it!

[Cass101]

Hi Sheila
Thank you for your reply!
I may ask my GP for some HRT at some point if things don't improve. I was only a bit loathe to do that in case it added more symptoms into the equation & set me worrying again!
It does reassure me to hear of ladies still getting these issues at my age, as when you say you're nearly 60 some of the GPs seem to think you should have moved on by now!
Also, you're absolutely right - I have no idea where I am in terms of meno due to the coil, & I've never known myself be quite so anxious as I am these days!
Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it!

[Kathleen]

Hello Cass 101.

Sadly most GPs are unaware of the range of symptoms of the menopause and how long they can last. One doctor told me that 'the change was all over after three years without a period' but my symptoms became a lot worse at that time.  I am 64 now and recently restarted HRT after taking a break. Some of my symptoms have indeed resolved but others have taken their place so I now think I will need extra oestrogen for life.

Like many ladies I have found Louise Newson's site very helpful and informative. She sees a range of ages in her practice and is able to help them when she prescribes HRT.

Wishing you well.

K.

[sheila99]

Yes, the level of ignorance is scary. I had many peri symptoms but not flushes so it was undiagnosed by 2 different GPS despite my being 56 and 57 at the time. So then I saw a menopause specialist who said I had to have stopped having periods because everyone is meno by 55. If you have a gp who knows their stuff you're lucky.

[Cass101]

Hi Kathleen & Sheila

Thank you both for your replies!
It is a bit scary when you hear about some of the things GPs say in terms of menopause! They seem to sometimes assume that it always starts & finishes between a set time frame. If only! At least then we'd all know where we were! Also, if it was all over 3 years after the last period, half of us probably wouldn't be on here looking for advice!

I spoke to a GP a few months back & told him I'd had really tender breasts & period like pains & I asked if it could be hormones messing around. He said he thought not & could be muscular. The following day I got a very light period or post meno bleed, & felt much better!

Thank goodness for this site & all of you ladies who are so helpful & reassuring. Thank you all so much!