Hi Everyone, thanks for having me - first post on here. I'll apologise in advance because it's a long one!
My name is Cheryl, I'm 57 and had my last period back in September 2017 - so a good five years past the menopause. Up until the last 14 months or so, I thought I'd done pretty well; yes there were the flushes but although there were 20 or so a day at their worst, it was bearable. I did notice an increase in my anxiety levels but nothing intolerable.
Come late 2021, my sleep was beginning to be disrupted. No issues dropping off but night time waking and struggling to get back to sleep again. At first, it was maybe once a week but increasing in frequency and since last August, it's more or less every night: 3:00am wake-ups and can't get back off at all
I'm exhausted! I still work full time as a lab technician, my shift is 07:30 - 16:00 and I also exercise, keeping silly hours really to fit my training in around work and home, so though the week, I get up at 04:45 so I can get to the pool for a swim prior to my shift on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays then on Wednesdays and Fridays, I do some meditation and stretches instead. Monday and Wednesday evenings, I go for a six mile Nordic walk when I arrive home, which takes me around 1 1/2 hours and on Friday afternoon (I finish at lunchtime on Fridays - nice!) I go for a seven mile Nordic walk. On Sundays, my husband and I go off hillwalking for three or four hours, so I SHOULD be sleeping...but I'm not!
I went on continuous combined HRT at the back end of October, Evorel 50 patches and Utrogestan 100 tablets in the hope it would sort out my disrupted sleep - but it doesn't seem to be working. The Evorel were switched to FemSeven 50 patches due to supply issues in January.
I know they say it can take three months before seeing a difference but it's been just over now and my sleep isn't improving.
As well as a good vitamin and mineral tablet, I also take zinc citrate, evening primrose oil, Vitamin D3 and on the recommendation of my osteopath, magnesium, one in the morning and one after my evening meal (I did try magnesium spray but found it didn't agree with my skin) but it's got to the stage I'm now dreading going to bed.
I don't have my phone in the bedroom and don't watch telly in bed - I go to bed at 10:00pm and read for a few minutes (nothing heavy or violent - I'm soft!) and as I say, no trouble falling asleep but if I wake up at 2:00 am for a pee, I can generally get back off, at least till around 4-4:30 am but if it's 3:00am or after, it's like PING!!!! Wide awake and that's it! Even happening with Nytol
Work are being good with me (I actually fell asleep during a meeting two weeks ago
) but both they and the pharmacist have advised me to ring the doctors yet again - and I have mixed experiences with them to the extent I'm considering changing my practice. I DON'T feel depressed, by the way, but honestly think I'm suffering burnout but I got a somewhat negative reaction from my doctor when I suggested it - she just advised to to re-start my exercise routine to get the endorphins flowing: I'd just come down with my umpteenth cold / respiratory virus that year, something that's been happening every four to six weeks (several blood tests have ruled out anything sinister there)
Can anyone offer any hope or repsite? I honestly thought HRT was going to be the miracle cure for this but nothing I'm reading or hearing is giving me much hope to be honest.
Thanks for your understanding.