I want to be my old self again!!!!

Women's health
1

Peri sucks...How I found out....When I took an ambulance ride to the ER for a bp of 225/125. Body was numb and breathing was abnormal. On the heart floor for 3 days being monitored and bp stayed normal. Was told it was anxiety..One NP told me to get checked for menopause that she was looking in a mirror at herself when she looked at me..So went to my doctor and asked her to check and sure enough my levels showed I was peri and very close to menopause. That was 6 months ago. Since then, I have felt like a ticking time bomb, not knowing what symptom would appear next. I have had:

heart palps, pounding, tachycardia 130, feeling like passing out, fluctuating bp from 110/68-170/108 (now on low dose of Norvasc)

fluctuating glucose too high to low (no meds)

irregular heart beats,

off balance, dizzy,

ears clicking,

shaking internally all the dam time, tingling,

headaches,

sour stomach, indigestion, nausea,

head pressure, electric shocks,

left hand numbness, whole body numbness,

hot flushes, cold flashes, 1 night sweat, cold hands, and feet,

aching joints and muscles to muscle tension especially in shoulder/neck

brain fog, difficulty concentrating,

dry skin, brittle hair,

ANXIETY and PANIC ATTACKS

irregular cycles, heavy bleeding about a year ago, now spotting to light

stomach feels full from a small meal, but brain says I'm still hungary

severe fatigue

Insomnia bad

I could go on...but I have felt like this has taken over me and I cant control it...

I am a nurse and normally energetic and now I cant hardly go anymore.

I have become homebound most of the time because I just dont know what and when a symptom will flare up as it is quiet embarrassing in front of people to feel so bad you check to see if the bp is and glucose is ok all the time. I have to eat every two hours to keep glucose from going to low.

This has been a nightmare!!!!!!!!!!

Thank God, I have a wonderful husband that tolerates and understands me during all this due to my bad mood swings and irritability.

I have had no treatment during all this.

I can say that some things are better or less severe, so I am praying that the worse is ending and things are leveling out. I still have cycles but they are light to spotting. I did go 7 months 2 years ago without a cycle then it returned the 8th month..Uggghhh.

Has anyone else gone through this this severe?

 

2

Hey Tonilynn,

With the exception of the fluctuating glucose levels, I have all of these symptoms and and a few more. It has been thee most challenging thing I've ever had to deal with. My doc just prescribed me Lexapro (anti-anxiety meds), which I haven't taken due to fear of possible withdrawal symptoms when I want to get off. I read too many horror stories so I really don't want to go down that road. Like you, I haven't taken anything for my symptoms, but I'm almost always tempted to. It can be so debilitating at times.

I've been taking vitamins (pharmaceutical grade D3 Magnesium, Complex B, C and a Probiotic), meditating and trying to remove any stress that I can. I also try to be gentle with myself during this time. They help a little, but still very challenging!

You will be in my thoughts. Just know that you're not alone! We will all get through this!

3

Yes most of them symptoms I have had over the past six months probably longer without me realising what was happening to me! Now dreadful night sweats, the cold clammy hands and feet are annoying. Only missed last months period with light spotting for few days. Waiting to see if it arrives next week. Taking sage, passionflower and meno serene for last ten days, can't feel any difference. Going to doctor on thurs to ask about hrt.

Hope you find something to help you, lots of suggestions on here from lovely ladies suffering the same.

Best wishes

4

Hi Tonilynn, Yes you are not alone, lots of us out here with the most awful symptoms... I've now had 15 years of the menopause (true) and 4 years at its worst where I was passing out and ending up in A&E. I'm in UK and can now say my return to normal happy life has been wonderful for the past few years after being given the drug Flecainide. Also on beta blocker but both of these have given me a new lease of life when I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation. All due to the menopause I'm sure but can't be proved. I still have hot flushes and rushes to the toilet for a wee but I can live with that...the main thing is that I finally found the right help and have my life back on track. Makes me very grateful for like you, I thought my 'normal' life was over and now at age 65, I'm having a very happy retirement and still enjoying the good things so never give up looking for the right help. Jess x

5

P.S. Family history of breast cancer so unable to take HRT

6

yes yes yes Tonilynn apart from the high bp but i have been on candesartan for eight years and my bp is quite lol I don't get insomnia I have the opposite I can sleep for England!  I do drink chamomile especially at night its wonderful and I also take black cohosh and turmeric and black pepper for the aches and pains both seem to work for meI'mm also overeating at the moment. I don't have periods as I'm on the Mirena coil but it is due to come out in Jan so i am dreading it.what it is to be a woman eh!!!  hopefully, you will get your bp sorted soon oh and the loss of memory is awful i sometimes stop midway because i forget what I'm talking about that's embarrassing for me. I hope life gets easier for you 

7

You poor kid! I didn't think it was possible to have such a high BP without exploding.

I'll PM you with what I find works - because it involves brand names. But something you and the others might find interesting is something OH and I are going to look in to, coconut water.

The last few days my BP has been raised - a combination of the sultry weather here and my 89 year old mum in 'werrit' mode. I checked my BP last night and it had dropped significantly. OH checked his (never that bad anyway) and it was down too. The only thing in common, a glass of coconut water (100% stuff). We looked it up and it is supposed to help with high BP - but I never thought THAT much. We are going to test it again today. A cure for high BP that is also yummy!

8

yes to all of it!  Exact same happened to me last year.  In hospital 3 times, and each time told anxiety.  Up to this point I had missed a couple of periods but felt fine although I did have bad headaches every months for a few years previous.  But when this hit, it took me over.  All the same symptoms, no meds and had to look it up myself to discover it was peri.  Then the bloods proved it.  I still have symptoms, the worst being horrible painful periods (when they happen) and palpitations (I hate them, these are the worst symptom for me, because of the stress they cause).  The dizzyness is every now and then, I do get the odd flush and I have developed tendonitis in my left leg which flares up when I feel overall hot and out of whack, so hormones.  Its a year and two months now and although I have avoided HRT, going on like this, and not knowing what will hit next, has me thinking that I want it.  I didn't have any health problems before this and was quite fit and healthy, so was not expecting this to happen to me.  How old are you?  I was 47 when this happened.

9

Ohhhh I know! Mine are more,mental and have become a hermit when before I would socialize, clean, had ambition and this was all stripped from me. This a disability, not a natural change of life!!! I want my old back!

10

I have!  and I am!!  It's awful.  I'm a successful Realtor with tons of energy that is all but gone, every day brings a challenge almost to the point of feeling like you have a terminal illness.  It's the worse passage of a woman I've had to go thru and are still going thru.  I feel like I now live in a box, wanting to hide all the time from people and the world.  If anyone has the secret to has this end, PLEASE let me know!!  Jamie

11

I wish I had the answers. I just started HRT so hopefully I will get my old self back. I work with the people too and its really challenging

12

Hey Vee I was just put on Lexapro too I'm on day 4 u take it in the evenings has helped me I had the crys over nothing it has help me no side effects that I've noticed but I had to do something ! I will get off them slowly my dr said

13

I'm scared because I read it may not get any Better once in menopause. I can't live like this! This can be years for many of us and were missing out on life.

14

Omg that's me!!!! That was like reading my journal. Sigh! I actually had a decent few days , and yesterday got downward spiral...anxiety, exhausted, dizzy again, headaches on back of head and nwck, ringing poping ears, did I say casi tired like lethargic, joints ache..IBS, NASEAU...

I don't have all symptons today than god, bit it's still early.

This to shall pass...

15

I had horrible heart palpitations going into menopause. I then added 20 mgs. of USP progesterone cream nightly, They were gone almost overnight. It's the lack of progesterone that is dropping that causes it. The aches and pains are from the loss of estrogen. I try to eat as clean as possible. No sugar and no processed foods. I take 5000 mgs. of Vitamin D3 daily. Two tablespoons of fish oil at night before bed which helps with the aches. Also two tablespoons of ground flaxseed every morning which helps with the hot flashes.

16

hi cynthia.   how much is 20mgs of progesterone cream, how do you measure it?  I use all the other things you said except for the cream, interested because the palpitations come and go for me, more so on the last two weeks of cycle. thnks 

17

Oh my, I so could have written almost every word of this about myself! I have been trying  to cope since 2009. I had a total hysterectomy in 2011 and I really thought all would be okay and go away, but 5 years later I am still going through all of this craziness. Be ever so thankful for a supportive husband. I can only imagine that would make a huge difference in dealing with all of this. I like you just want my life back. I will continue to pray and ask JESUS to bring me through. Prayers for you.

18

You have totally told my story. I have all the same symptoms and basically been a human pin cushion getting a million test done and told nothing wrong. Docs refuse believe its perimenopause and after having ny bloods done they say it was normal so they really don't believe it. I know i am thoughand i know my body best.

19

I haven't started taking them only because I read that lots of people have an even worse time trying to get off of them. I going to fill my prescription and just have them just in case, because these symptoms can be pretty much unbearable!

I'm trying to hold off on meds, but not sure if I can. How many mg are you taking? My Dr. wants me to start on 2.5mg and increase to 5mg to see if they help.

20

Hi Vee

Can I ask where you get your Magnesium from please ? 🙏🏼😘