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[Micki]

Hi Wanda

Sorry to hear you are going through the mill right now, although I would imagine you are relieved to know they now seem to have discovered what the cause is.

Stress... that is not an easy one to deal with, I know I am finding it very hard right now.

I hope they can help you with something to relieve the pain and I am sending you 

Rosebush, glad to hear you didn't have RA.  Please don't hesitate to go back to your GP if you have any problems with your stomach on the medication - (speaking from experience of other meds...  )

Michelle x

[Rosebush]

Thxs for your caution note Micki, i have decided to take 1 tab every other day, and see how i go, stomach cramp is something i rarely get, so i will notice straight away..I help take care of my Mom who has Parkinsons, she has had it for over 20yrs, and now is unable to walk without assistance, so i feel its the lifting thats causing the prob, even though i do it correctly

Hi Wanda, sorry to hear your pains are so bad, dont  know anyone with Lupus, but hope the correct medication gives you some relief, its so hard trying to deal with this Meno and keep stress at bay, i had to give up my job which i loved, working with mental health patients, due to the stress each day, will you let us know how things go..

[Rosebush]

Hyaluronic tablets??


Has anyone tried these, for joint pain, have been reading about them in local paper.

[Taz2]

Hi Wanda - sorry to hear that you have Lupus but now that you have been diagnosed I am sure the treatment will be really effective. Just make sure to rest as much as your body tells you to. I know two people who have been diagnosed with this recently and both of them were well into their 50's which their rheumatologist says is extremely common - it affects more menopausal women than any other group. They are both feeling much better now so I hope you get relief too. At least you now know what it is, hopefully you have not had it for too long.

Love Taz x

[Taz2]

Rosebush - I have just read your post about your stomach cramps. Please don't just reduce your dose and not contact your GP if he/she has said to let them know about stomach cramps. If the medication is doing this to you then reducing the dose may just make it take longer to actually do serious harm to your stomach lining. This is quite a strong drug which my father took for some time for his RA - it worked well but it is something that should be taken for as short a time as possible - unless they have revised their medication guidelines. What does it say in the factsheet that came with them?  It is best to get it checked out I reckon - sorry to be a pain!!

Love Taz x

[Gloria]

Hello

AS I'm new to this forum, I'm jumping in with both feet as I don't at the moment have time to read all the posts (just a few) but may I say that it has only been recently that I discovered that joint pan can be a symptom of menopause.
Had a hysterectomy many years ago but still have ovaries which must have atrophied by now through lack of purpose!
However, I had a period about 12 years ago (I'm 56 now) when I thought I might have ME or MS and felt lousy all the time. Joint pains seemed to be in the background constantly. These eased somewhat when I was put on HRT (ostensibly to avoid bone loss because it runs in my family) but after 10 years of HRT my GP thought I should try without it. There has been one good side to stopping HRT and that has been the reduction - significant - in migraines but everything else is pretty troublesome in rather random cycles. Joint pain however seems pretty constant in hips and shoulders and vaguely in my back and curiously in my ribs. Keeping moving is good but every morning I find I have stiffened up considerably overnight and need 15 minutes of steady stretching in bed before I can get up without pain and stiffness.
The possibility of being mis-diagnosed with arthritis seems high and I am toying with asking my GP to go back onto HRT for 6 months to see if it improves any of my menopausal symptoms (I'm having pretty bad brain fuzziness and concentration disorders as well).
I'd be interested to hear what other people think, espeically those who have returned to HRT after a break.

[Gloria]

Hi Grace

CRAFT seems to be the lot of us all as we become women of "un certain age" - I try to pretend I'm sultry and French (it's bad enough that Frenchwomen seem to have innate dress sense; terrible that they seem to develop allure after the menopause when all I seem to develop is old lady aura).

But, being new to this website/forum I can begin to say how fantastic it is to feel that I am not falling to bits alone.

Gloria

[jackie1952]

Hi all. Until yesterday I had NO idea joint aches were linked to the menopause.

I was perimenopausal at 49 and was given HRT which was just WONDERFUL.

After 2 1/2 years I had to come off  it suddely due to a nipple discharge.

I had no more periods and thought all was well.

I had hot flushes and night sweats, but these were maneagable.

About 3 years ago, I started having a problem with the ball of my right foot. It was painful and stopped me from wearing shoes with even the slightest heel, or pointy toes. Granny boots for me then!!!

About 2 years ago I started having slight pain in one knee when going upstairs. I thought it was some sort of strain, so wore a sports support.

It then went to the other knee, and I did the same.

Over the last 12 motnhs both knees have been giving me real pain, and I cannot walk uostairs without holding onto the bannister and twisting my left leg so there's no pressure on the knees.

A couple of months ago I started noticing pain in my elbows when carrying even the slightest weight, and my hips seemed stiff.

I am not a moaner or regular visitor to the doctor, thinking "OK I'm 56, and my bits are wearing out"
However most days I feel as if I'm 90, with very limited mobility.
5 years ago I was in the gym 4-5 times a week, and only 8 yeras ago I had a horse and rode 7 days a week.

I got so depressed that yesterday I went to my GP.

She manipulated all the joints and said I had a very good range of movement, and that my ailments were all part of the post menopausal package!!

After discussing the risks v benefits we decided on a low dose HRT for 12-18 months.

I am SO hoping that it works.
We have retired early to Spain, and this is definitely NOT what I expected.

I'll let you know if the HRT works.

If anyone can suggest anything else I can take, I'd be very grateful for your suggestions.

[Cazikins]

Hi Jackie1952, well this all sounds familiar to me as well. I live in a bungalow so no stairs to worry about but when I do have to negotiate steps somewhere, it is hand on the rail to steady myself, take each step slowly so that the knees don't crack  . I can't imagine running up stairs like I use to a few years ago.
I am on HRT & they have helped with some joint aches but not all  . I think my problem is that since being on HRT (about a year now) I have put on a sone & a half & I do believe that the heavier you are the more pressure is put on the joints - more pressure = more pain.
I'm sorry I can not suggest anything else to take but I do know there are a few ladies on here that have been through similar experiences.
Cazikins xx
 

[grumpy2008]

I can't tell you how happy I am to find this thread. Sorry, I haven't had chance to read the whole thread but have browsed through a lot of it. I've had terrible joint pain on and off since my twenties - mostly in my hips and knees and always worse just as my period starts. Sometimes i get it around ovulation time. It hurts to lie down at night, the pain intensifying as the night goes on. Different mattresses make no difference and i sometimes end up getting up and walking around to relieve the aches. Standing still in one spot for more than a few minutes can cause it too.

Now it's starting to spread to my lower back, and middle back, and today I noticed my finger joints aching. I've had tests for arthritis but they were negative. I've visited different doctors but never had it explained to me why this happens. Of course, I've tried to find answers on the web, but this thread helps because I now know I'm not the only one feeling this way. It really is painful.

Thanks for reading & good luck to everyone

[Peg]

Hi ladies
Were do I start! as I have posted before I have neck shoulder and wrist pain. just now
I am sitting with a ice pack on my shoulder which ache all the time ( the doc said the ice would help)  I am not very good at remembering to take tablets so I had acccupuncher  ( I know this is not spelled right but I am crap at spelling ) but this did not help with my  shoulder but helped a little with the wrist this is not so painful now.
I have bought some evening primrose and for the last 3 days I have remembered to take it but how long that will last who knows  I am not sure if it helps with joints but I will give it a go
Do you have to ask the doctor for HRT or will he give it if he thinks your symptoms are bad enough. I have been twice about the tiredness and joint pain but nothing came up on the blood test so nothing was done
I do take pain killers but only if I can take no more which seems to be in the evening when it gets worse
This form is great for help and it cheers me up no end but now I have found it My house work has gone to the dogs.
Peg

[grumpy2008]

Hi Peg,
I've been going the alternative route too, though I haven't tried acupuncture (yet!). I saw a homeopath for a while and she helped a lot with my anxiety/panic - and since i find that I tend to dwell on the pain while I'm anxious, it also helped the pain too in a round-about way.

This morning though has been a bad one for me. i woke several times in the night with horrible aches and soreness in hips and knees and had to get up for a while. By this morning it had become unbearable. I took neurofen which helped, but I can still feel the aching and the stiffness is there.

My aches and pains tend to be regular in that they come when I am ovulating or on my period. So hopefully the latest aches will start ease off soon

Keep going with the evening primrose oil, it takes a while to have an effect 

[purpleogre]

i think i have got it, my period stops nearly a year ago, and m not looking after myself well.
my shoulders and arms are aching constantly, it  makes me feel tired and worn out.
I have had shoulders and back pain for years, but now my arms are aching constantly.
my right arm can be useless at times

I am not sure how to fix this problem, i have ordered some pure col tablets online, and would see if it helps.
swim and gym is also on the offing

[DIPSY]

Hi there same question do any of you take supplements for your aches and pains. Mine seem to be shoulder and back and headaches that go from front of head  to nape of neck in a midline.

[marley]

Hi
   Im glad i clicked into this site i had joint pain in my forties i m now 55 and started hrt 6 years ago
   for bad night sweats anxiety the whole works and the joint pains along with everything else went
   away.
   Now for the last few weeks the joint pains are back some days my ankles and hips other days my shoulders
   neck elbows and when i get up i feel as if dragging about 20 stone i only weigh 10 ,istill take hrt kliofem 20mg
   and have taken a multi vitamin and cal mag for years so is this it don t know what to do should i stop the
   hrt can t take glucosamine it upsets my stomach anyone got a gun i ll just shoot myself