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[Pink flower]

Hello Im new here

Hoping for help, advice, support

Its been many years since my last period so im definitely post menopausal.

So here's the thing. Ive lost a lot of weight over the last year...I read it could be menopause related...has anyone else experienced this

Its negatively affected my whole body with loss of muscle tone, having lost a lot of weight but most affected have been my breasts. They are very deflated and in a normal unpadded bra the tops of them look awful. Very puckered and stretched In a padded bra Im aware they just dont feel right. Its very uncomfortable. Any cleavage showing is very uncomfortable for me.

Im not happy at all with my body. My stomach and bottom are not looking good. I feel awful.

I did have shingles and have been left with trigeminal neuralgia on top of a baseline autoimmune condition...i have been through a lot of stress...however I cant put the weight loss just down to that as there are so many factors involved ...

Ive had all sorts of blood tests, urine tests, scan etc. No known medical reason presents itself..only that im left with the problem.

Also due to the weight loss none of my clothes fit..leaving me in a very stressed state trying to cover up all the time and losing confidence.

Can anyone help?

[CLKD]

Yep.  We can give support even without an explanation.

Have U actually stepped on the weighing scales in the last 6 months?   As we age muscles become lax and the skin may become flabby  .  Years ago my apron dropped so that when I look down, I have a belly.  When laying flat, it's OK. 

Oestrogen is the elasticity of our bodies, male and female.  As levels drop then we may get 'chicken skin', i.e. flabby under arms etc..  I remember my paternal Gran's skin hanging very low but it never bothered her. 

What has been suggested for the trigeminal neuralgia, there is a UK support group for that.  You have my sympathy, in the 1990s I suffered intermittently, I would be walking my dog and hit the ground, the pain was so sudden.  Any1 watching would have thought that I was drunk.

 

[CLKD]

National Charity for Trigeminal Neuralgia (TNA UK).

[Pink flower]

Thanks CLKD

Yes I have stepped on the scale...its all Ive done ever since to see if it would increase by eating more  and go back onto my breasts but not with any success...my stomach improved slightly from what it was.....I was just over 7 stone forever and maintaining it (45 kilos) (I am petite at 5ft 11) this was on the low side anyway...I should have been up at 50 kilos .however I am down at just over 6 stone...(39.8kg which has come up a bit from the lowest Ive been which was 39.1kg.

I realise hormones and oestrogen changes mean loss of elasticity however wasnt sure this would also account for the weight loss as well? Would one thing lead to the other in that loss of elasticity would result in weight loss?

Sorry its affected you in the way you describe ...and the trigeminal neuralgia.

I thought I was toned and muscular however all that seems to have faded and Im left with a body I don't recognise as my own....

I am just devastated the minute I open my eyes in the morning and realise Im still here with this problem...its really affected me...my husband is so sick of me mentioning it and how i need clothes to cover...and how its restricted who I am and what I do... However its so difficult trying to find clothes that are suitable for a petite and very thin person with a higher neckline to cover.....my husband feels sorry for me however I truly think he doesn't see the stretched marks and deflated tops of the breasts that I see. Its caused problems between us and in our relationship...

Thank you for the link to the trigeminal stuff.. mine is a constant numbness and hearing loss in the right ear...it feels truly strange all the time....after having shingles the neuralgia developed...did yours resolve? Wonder whether mine ever will....

Thank you for your support...I just don't know what else to do...the internet suggests that breasts can only be changed by surgery at this point and the doctor echoed that ...I cant afford it so somehow I have to deal with it and I don't know how to!!  Makes me feel so upset that it has happened.

As long as I can cover up with clothes Im better...Im so worried about the summer though...I hid away indoors and away from it last summer through the massive heat wave...so sad

Thanks for your help and support

[CLKD]

Get yourself to a GP and ask to speak to a dietician, their mayB 1 in the surgery or your GP could refer you 2 the appropriate hospital consultant.  Have U had your thyroid function and blood sugars tested in the last 3 months? 

I am 5ft 1" tall - the lowest my weight dropped to at C.mas 1971 was 5st.  I maintained 6st 2 for many years, in a very active job where I hardly had time to eat properly.  In the last 10 years I've been closer to 8st.

Have U had the neuralgia diagnosed and what advice was suggested?  The pain 4 me was sudden, sharp, excruciating: even now, I can feel the bruising at that site.  When I have dental treatment in that area it triggers the nerve 

[Penguin]

Do you have other symptoms that would benefit from hrt? I lost a lot of weight (around 2.5 st) during peri due to hormones and anxiety. Within 12 months of starting hrt (am still in peri) I put it all back on and am now a healthy weight again  probably need to lose a small amount. My breasts have also filled out again. Wouldn't go on hrt for just that reason but if you had other symptoms it could help, then may be worth a try.