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[snappy]

Hi everyone, first time poster, be gentle with me.

My story is, I  had some pretty extreme symptoms during my menopause but, due to having high blood pressure, was told that HRT wasn't an option for me. It was a miserable period of my life but I came out the other side and life was good.

Fast forward to now, 5 years on, and after 2 doses of antibiotics for a chest infection, I seem to be experiencing what appear to be all the horrible meno symptoms again (and some).

I have felt so ill for the last 10 weeks, sickness, loss of appetite, weak, feel disconnected, insomnia, night sweats and very low mood.

This forum was my saviour when I went through my original menopause so my question is, has anyone else had something similar? Having trawled through loads of old posts I came across some written by Dotty, who, unless I am mistaken, had something similar. My symptoms are improving but I  still feel a long way off being my old self. Instead of enjoying my life, I struggle to get through each day and I feel like I have had my batteries removed.

I have an appointment at Prof Studd's clinic on Wednesday, in the hope that they will provide me with some answers. So confused with the whole thing. Can't decide whether my issue is post viral or hormonal.

Thanks for listening xx

[Annie0710]

Hi, I had bronchitis early December, and as I am asthmatic that ramped up a gear too.  Anyway, after a couple of trips back to docs with suspected cracked rib they said a couple of times it could well be pneumonia.  I've never felt back to normal since, I still get the virus feeling and the tiredness.  But the first time I went they said to not expect to feel well for a good few weeks.  This could also be your situation maybe?

Hope you start to improve x

[snappy]

Thanks Annie,

At 61 I'd rather not go down the HRT route but I also don't want to feel like this for the foreseeable. When I spoke to the Studd clinic Mr Watson, who I am seeing on Wednesday, suggested that it was quite possibly a hormone issue. We'll see. I have read that post viral problems can take up to 6 months to clear x

[Dotty]

Hi Snappy.....yes it happened to me.  I was really ill for about a year and then managed to get back to some sort of life, although I still wasn't right.  Then 6 years later I hit a terrible brick wall again and was really ill again.  It was only then that I realised that all my problems had been caused by peri menopause.  My GP said it couldn't happen like that , but it did for me.  Now on HRT and back to normal.  Don't be scared of HRT. x


I have felt so ill for the last 10 weeks, sickness, loss of appetite, weak, feel disconnected, insomnia, night sweats and very low mood......this was exactly how I was x

[snappy]

Thanks for replying Dotty,

I have followed your progress and posts online because they best mirror my journey. It is you that led me to think my problem is hormonal.

I'm so glad that you got your life back and that you, and many other regular posters, take the time and trouble to keep in touch with the forum giving valuable advice to current strugglers xx

[snappy]

Thank you Sparkle,

I did take probiotics, but not until after I'd finished the second course of stronger antibiotics, after reading about the benefits. Must admit I abandoned them quite quickly as they seemed to make my nausea worse x

[Dotty]

Glad I can help.  I wish I could stop anyone going through the horrors that I have been through in the last 7 years.  Message me if you need any help.xx

[snappy]

Thanks Dotty, I might take you up on that xx

[Dotty]

Anytime . I will happily share my experience.

I think you have to do 10 posts before you can send a private message x

[dangermouse]

I was thinking gut bacteria too. I just read an online book about the connection with perimenopause, hypothyroidism, migraine and systemic Candida.

It was written by a woman who had assumed she had thyroid problems and did lots of research to come up with the hypothesis that these conditions can all hit at the same time due to low basal body temperature constantly trying to recorrect itself. By changing her diet (basically healthy and balanced) she managed to get her temps up and the symptoms all lessened and never returned. She goes into lots of scientific detail but basically hormone imbalance at peri can be similar to the low temps
you get around ovulation but they last longer and thus throw everything off. Exercise also makes it worse as the sweating lowers basal body temp even more which explains the exhaustion we can feel in peri.

I do also remember when I had Candida symptoms (mainly weird anxious mood and cravings I’ve had much worse in peri) I used to take a caprylic acid supplement and I would suddenly feel better. So have always wondered if there’s a link.

Just thought all that made sense with your having made it through meno and then having similar symptoms following antibiotics and bacterial infection.

[CLKD]

Candida = thrush? which thrives on sugars.  In the gut and around the back passage where it lives. If transferred from back to front, vaginal thrush can occur.  I remember the itching high up really well!

Have you had your VitD levels checked?  I felt really tired 2 Summers ago: I would do 20 mins. weeding then have to sit, still, for 2 hours after.  Appropriate capsules helped.  There are so many hormones that keep us well that we notice when the body is out of kilter.

Take a list of symptoms with you snappy and let us know?

[CLKD]

   I only equated it with low levels because Mum was diagnosed a few weeks prior to my symptoms beginning.  Blood test showed that our levels were low.  I had until that point got myself Dead and Buried, was convinced it was leukaemia 

[dangermouse]

Thrush is the external proliferation of Candida on the skin. My mum has this as her only symptom in peri. I've only had this once when younger after antibiotics.

The systemic Candida is a hypothetical proliferation in the gut (that's also linked to leaky gut), but basically an imbalance of gut bacteria which is being taken more seriously now what with the new faecal transplants etc.!

[snappy]

Hi everyone, thanks for your input.

My infection occurred almost as soon as I returned from a sunny two week break. I had a series of blood tests done when I was admitted to A&E. so I assume vitamin D levels were checked.

I did explore the possibility of my gut being responsible for my declining health and read up on it. I seem to go round in circles trying to work out what's wrong with me.

I have definitely improved but, as my lovely Dad said this morning "You're better, but you're still not my daughter" Sums it up really xx

[Hurdity]

Hi snappy

 

Sorry to hear about your symptoms. You are right not to underestimate post-viral effects. The dumping ground that is CFS used to be called amongst other things - as this is one of the known causes - "Post-viral fatigue syndrome" and can make you feel ill for a long time. Some bugs especially can have lasting effects and especially at this time of year and it is important to make sure you are not deficient in vitamins and minerals. If you diet is only average then it is at this time of year that your summer stores of vit D may be running low (although if you had a sunny two week break you are likely to have replenished these quite a lot depending how much you were out in the sun and how hot it was!) so unless you eat loads of particular kinds of oily fish and other vit D rich food you could be in danger of becoming deficient. Also after bugs it's often good to take a tonic for a short while to "build you up" - maybe an iron tonic/cod liver oil etc for a few weeks if you've been ill, as well as improving your diet.

Sweats can be caused by other things though it is surprising for them to return so long after menopause - but depends when you felt they all stopped - ie how long have you been symptomless?

You shouldn't need to have an expensive private consultation though - but perhaps you feel your docs are not going to be sympathetic since you were wrongly refused HRT before? There may well be an NHS one near to you? The good news re HRT is that as you are only about 5 years and less than 10 years since menopause even though over 60 - you are still just about within the "window of opportunity" re cardio-vascular issues. I hope the docs would want to check what risk factors you have re blood pressure any any other factors - body weight, etc before starting you on HRT but hopefully if this is the route you want to go down, a transdermal mode of delivery will be advised (patches or gel). There are other women on here who have started HRT in their 60's. Personally at your age and stage since menopause I would want to start with oestrogen patches as giving a more consistent dose, as the amount of oestrogen absorbed from gel seems to be wildly different judging by women's experiences on here ( and in the literature) - but the Studd clinic favours gel I know that!

In some surgeries btw vit D is not measured routinely and you have to pay for it I understand. It certainly hasn't been measured for me when I've had blood tests done.

It's a  miserable time of year anyway and many of us are not feeling at our best!

Good luck with your appointments and consultations and let us know how you get on and what you decide.

Hurdity x