I promised that if I ever felt good, I would post about it and not just disappear. I recall reading posts about women that had come out the other side of this mess and felt better and how that would bring me hope for myself that i might feel better one day. So this is my update post to all you wonderful ladies and i hope it helps. I've been post menopausal since September - so not long, but i want to let y'all know that things are back to normal for me. Some of you that remember me will recall the hell I was in starting in July of 17. Several months of being bed/housebound with severe anxiety, lack of appetite, horrible fatigue, brain fog, loss of weight, out of body sensation, ect... the list went on and on. I figured I was dying of some illness that the multiple Dr's had all missed or at the very least, I was never going to be myself again. That this new sick, scared, wimpy, anxious person was the new and forever me and the old me was gone. That thought alone was the most unbearable of everything! Boy, was I terrified of that! Well I'm here to let y'all know that it doesnt last! That you will get back to your old self! I know we each have our own peri/meno journey and timetable and mine was not that long in the suffering compared to some on this site. I recall some posters saying that if you suffer a lot in peri, then menopause wont be so bad. This seems to be what has happened with me. Now, I will say that I have noticed a marked thinning of my skin and my neck skin is getting saggy and i have almost zero cervical mucous... but who cares about that, right!? Not me, after the way i use to feel! None of these things cause me physical pain or mental anguish, so I will gladly take it and move along my way! I am my old self - just a little drier! So hang in there ladies! This is one awful time of life, but you will be back to yourself! And when you do return to yourself, you will be so happy and grateful and proud that you weathered through it! Life will take on a couple different meanings and you will learn some great things about yourself, those around you and whats important to you. I'm sending big hugs and positive thoughts your way.
Hello Audra! Thank you so much for posting this…I know we have chatted before…my symptoms are almost identical. I believe there is some truth in our symptoms getting really intense when this mess is about to wrap up. So glad you have survived to tell about it! All the best to you! 
Well..I don’t recall feeling anything until now.. ..and apparently I’m post menopause… does that mean since I felt nothing after my hysterectomy or for the 10 years following, that this crap now is going to take me down???I just want to feel normal again.
Audra glad you are feeling better d you do anything to get better?
Hi Lou, how are you doing? Last I time I was on here you were about to start bcp in hopes it would help. I remember our symptoms were almost identical! Hopefully you’re doing better and things are about to rev down for you! If not, hang in there and keep up the good fight knowing things will be normal again!
Hi JReady. I think Lou said it better than me. I think you start to feel worse as things are about to rev down and normalize. Kinda the storm before the calm! I’m sorry you’re feeling so lousy now. I know how debilitating it can be. I know its hard, but try and keep your chin up and know this will end and you will feel normal again. When I was feeling awful, I would be out and see little old ladies all happy and chipper and obviously not feeling horrid. I never thought I’d be jealous of women 20 - 30 years older then me but I sure was! I was 50 wishing I was 70 feeling like they were! Hang in there! Hugs
i too want to give encouraging words. I’m 56 and it will be a year the end if this month that i had a period. Just went for my yearly gyno exam and all looks good. Aside from losing my sex drive because sex is a bit painful, I feel better then I have in years. Gone are all those crazy symptoms. So ladies, there is a light at the end of the peri-menopause tunnel!
Hi Mary! last year when i was feeling so awful and going to many different Dr’s, I discovered I was iron deficient and had low ferritin and low in range B-12. I was Rx’d iron supplements and took them for 7 months until my levels got better. I was deficient because of very heavy periods, so when i stopped bleeding in Sept of 17, that coupled with the iron tablets fixed my iron deficiency and low ferritin issues. I think getting my vitamin and minerals to a good level probably helped me feel a bit better as some of my symptoms seemed related to those issues. I also found that walking helped my anxiety a lot and I walked daily to help push through it. I also tried bhrt from August - Sept of 2017. I only lasted 5 weeks on them as they made me feel worse. Other than that, I did nothing other than allow myself to feel ill and not push myself too hard or feel guilty about it. As time went on and I started feeling a bit better, I increased my walking mileage. I now walk for an hour each day and mix in some jogging and running bleachers. I couldnt have imagined doing that last year at this time. My walks consisted of just walking around the block to help cope with my anxiety. Be easy on yourself and only do what you feel you can. I wish I had some real answers and remedies that would help. I know how bad it is! Hang in there!
I’m happy to hear you’re feeling better! I will never forget how horrendous my symptoms were and how lost I felt! I hope everyone on this board gets relief soon and moves on from this awful time.
Did you get internal treamberling at all
Hi Audra,
I am so hopeful after reading your post! Just curious, as I am new here. Did you ever have issues with your vision or migraines with aura?
Hi audra! My period ended up coming after 57 days. started bcp in Nov. During my ovulation week I had 5 migraines. For a total of 10 in Nov. My worst month to date! Obgyn told me to stop them.
My main and worst issue is the migraines and dizzy, off balanced feeling. Saw a vestibular neuro…he was very good. My migraines are chronic and I have symptoms even with no pain some days. Have to do balance testing to rule out any inner ear nerve damage. The pre diagnoses is vestibular migraine. I am on nortripyline now for migraine control, magnesium and B2. I have to do my best to avoid my migraine triggers.
I can push through most days and other days I allow myself to rest. once a migraine hits I am toast! Still charting my periods. I went from every 21-26 to 57 days. Easy periods, terrible symptoms. I will keep on keeping on! 
oh yes..that and the dizziness are what bother me most.
I’m very glad you are out the other end. Just wish someone could tell me how long it takes. I’m 5 years into ful menopause and it’s relentless.
Hi Staci,
I had regular hormonal migraines from when I was 31-49 yrs. I’d get them on day 2 & sometimes carry over into day 3 of my period. I was given an Rx for them ( cant recall the name anymore) but it just made me feel worse and drugged, so I stopped taking them. I found that the OTC BC Powder was the only thing that would take the pain away, so I started taking them and took them and still take them if I get a headache. I didnt pay too much attention to my monthly migraines since I found something that helped me make it through those 2 migraine days, but when i was probably 45 I had what I now know was a retinal migraine. It was the strangest thing! I woke up to get my daughter off to school. I felt fine and was not on my period at the time ( my periods were just starting to become irregular) and I was unloading the dishwasher and then i realized in one of my eyes it looked like I had a water blob in the upper right corner! At first, I just rubbed my eye thinking it was just something floating around in my eye but it didnt move or go away and when I took my hand off my eye, it continued to just sit there! I continued unloading the dishwasher and it started to slowly move around my eye! I kinda started to panic and asked my daughter if she saw anything in my eye, but she didnt. It lasted about 20 mins. Never felt any pain and it never disturbed my vision. I’ve not had another one since. It was truly the strangest sensation I’ve had! I’m watching this thing move around my eye that has zero sensation and caused no pain! SO WEIRD! Once my periods totally stopped ( sept of 17) , I’ve not had anymore migraines. .. but I carry a BC Powder with me just in case! Some people carry a Xanax with them just in case they need it, I carry my BC Powder! Old habits die hard and I will never be without one in my purse!
I never had any real issues with my vision ( other than the one retinal migraine) but during peri I would get a feeling of being out of body or off balance and that would in turn mess with my vision a little., almost like I couldnt really focus type feeling, but nothing that bad.
I hope your peri journey is short lived and not too hard. This board is a great place to come and get support and not feel so alone.
GEZ!! 10 in one month! Wow!! Thats just awful! Im so sorry to hear the bcp didnt work. I just cant imagine having migraine symptoms constanly like you are! That is truly awful! I am glad to hear you like your vestibular neurologist. I will keep you in my thoughts and hope you find a solution. I didnt have chronic migraines (i only had them on day 2-3 of my period) but do know when i felt off balance and just that buzzy weird feeling, covering myself with a heavy or thick type blanket would somehow help. I’ve seen the weighted blankets at Bed Bath & Beyond and wanted to try one. I dont know if it would help you with any of your balance issues - and I guess you could only use it when laying down ( I guess you could drape it around your shoulders like a cape). Just a thought. I hope you feel better soon, Lou. I’ve thought of you many many times since being here regularly and it makes me sad to hear you’re still suffering. I think it is a positive that your periods are now spacing further apart! Your period just needs retire already! big hugs to you
I would get a vibration type feeling sometimes when I was feeling spacey or that out of body type feeling. Like my feet didnt know they were hitting the ground when I would walk - spatial disorientation. I had read that low B-12 can cause this. I had low in range B-12 ( my level was 200 when the range was 180 - 900 at my lab) I corrected it with diet and supplements. * I had testing done to rule out pernicious anemia first. Once I raised my levels to a decent degree, that spatial disorientation went away. I’m not sure if it was all B-12 related or a combo or low B-12 and peri hormones. If you havent had your vitamin levels checked, it would be a good idea to get them done. Levels need to be optimal, not just in range. Many Dr’s dismiss anything other than out of rang results as normal and wont address any issues when there actually needs to be improvement in levels to feel better.
Hi Tracy. I’m sorry to hear you’re 5 years in! I hope it doesn’t last too much longer for you! Wouldn’t it be great if there was some way to test or predict how long it would last!? At least then we could wrap our heads around it and buckle down and weather the storm knowing how much longer we had to survive! This forum is a great place for support and friendship. I know the women here helped me through my darkest days. I wish you all the best!
thanks audra! I actually have a weighted blanket, my special needs child uses it for compression. I never thought to try myself.
Thank you for replying! It gives me hope that you have only had one migraine with aura and your migraines have ceased with menopause. My fingers are crossed that I will be as lucky. I’m so glad you posted. I need hope that things could be better one day. THANK YOU for giving me hope!