Menopause, not for the faint hearted

[sheilalynn]

Haven't reached full meno yet, just in that peri stage here...but certainly no stranger to the night sweats, blahhhhh. That and the hormones seem to be all over the place sometimes. I think it just may be a relief when I do reach it, which probably won't be for another 10 years....oh yay Since I had a hysterectomy back in 2000, I can't go by the normal little tell-tale signs, like the weird periods and all since I haven't had them for 9 years now. So the doc has to check the hormones every couple of years.

[sheilalynn]

Mary - I told you I was your evil twin. lol

I was wondering the same thing.

I think I figured it out - SNAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are correct! hehe I have 4 of them

[scyllabub]

My doctor put me on HRT when she diagnosed perimenopause years and years ago. It seemed to work a treat. Then, when I wanted to change to a different version she said I'd have to stay off it altogether for a year, and within days of ceasing the medication the flushes hit, and I mean hit. Going on the new tabs after the year was up did very little good, I was on them for years until recently when doc took me off them too.

I can't describe what a terrible effect the flushes and hot & cold sweats have had on my life, not to be gone into on a public forum, but I never sleep properly so I'm never really awake. On top of the menopause, I'm on thyroxine and apparently that can also have the side effect of flushes. I'm rather worried I'm going to do an injury to myself or someone else Fortunately I would probably forget having done it, the state I'm in

I have a "women's health" medical newsletter and keep an eye on developments - one recent trial found that women taking desvenlafaxine noted considerable symptom improvements; and another health site says to eat dried plums (prunes) for osteoporosis prevention. The portion size was 10 prunes - gawd, 2-3 a day in my muesli keep me going

I know there's a lot worse can happen to one, but poor little me

scylla

[The Widow]

I had my share of nightsweats (even during the day!!), hot flashes, mood swings etc. Thought I was done with it, didn't have a hot flash in over a year. Guess what...I'm starting all over again. The last month has been awful, haven't had a full night sleep, wake up shivering because I'm soaking wet and the blankies are on the floor. During the day I can do the most rigorous activity with not a single drop of sweat, but if I dare to sit down and relax for a couple of minutes...watch out cause there she blows...I've even checked my chair to find the secret button that turns on the faucet as soon as my but hits it, lol

[nitewriter]

I'm miserable with hot flashes! I dread summer and any situation that could cause embarrasment. (all of them!)

I am in full meno and trying to do it au natural, but if I thought a pill would take away this misery, I'd take it.

I also deal with not having a thyroid, so I don't know if what I'm going through is related to that or meno.? Similar side effects. Hair loss, insomnia, weight gain, etc..

[Mary Kay]

Nite, I would have my thyroid checked if I were you!! When Mike's thyroid goes out of whack..he is touchy, has sweats and loses weight. (wouldn't you know guys LOSE weight).

[nitewriter]

Nite, I would have my thyroid checked if I were you!! When Mike's thyroid goes out of whack..he is touchy, has sweats and loses weight. (wouldn't you know guys LOSE weight).

Thanks MaryKay.

I had radiation therapy to kill my thyroid in 99. I've had nothing but problems since. The symptoms of hypothyroidism and menopause are so similar, my Dr doesn't know which one to treat. Bloodwork for thyroid reads "within normal range," but I feel like dookie, gaining weight at lightning speeds, (while on Nutri Systems strict) and serious hot flashes. It's a roller coaster that's driving me crazy!

[greyeyes]

Hi ladies! I'm Debbie and live in St. Pete, FL.

I can totally relate to everybody's experiences with the beast referred to as menopause! I'm 53 yrs. old and thought I was done and over with it all three years ago and ohhhhh, it was such a long and tough journey back then. I thought I was lucky being that age and going through it naturally, rather than being thrown into it from surgery. Huh! Little did I know it could/would come back again!

All of a sudden within the last couple of weeks - boom - the beast nailed me again! Hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, and now acne to go along with everything else! I felt like a teenager again searching through the myriad of products for acne treatment! lol

My gyno gave me an HRT patch when I first started the journey but after two days on it, I ripped it off and said I'll suffer with the traditional symptoms rather then what I experienced with that particular drug and for the life of me, I cannot remember which one it was. Chalk that one up as either a senior moment or CRS, either is fine by me. I'm not ashamed! lol

BTW I've only been vaping for one week and because my symptoms started before I started vaping, I can't say they're due to analog withdrawal. There may well be a little bit of that thrown into the mix but since I've gone through all of this before, I don't think so.

There's a wonderful product on the market called a Chillow pillow. It really did help me a lot using it at night for the night sweats but I also used it during the day and just let it sit on my lap to keep me cooled down from hot flashes. I also have those things that you can keep in the frige or freezer (or stick in the nuker if you need heat) that wrap around your neck. Those are great too if you can keep one around your neck to keep you cool.

[Kate51]

Mary Kay, I went herbal, am doing very well, 13+ years now. BUT it costs me $200 approx a year. I used to have insurance, not now because our insurance stopped when my husband went on Medicare (I could have kept it, but couldn't pay the rate!). So, that's the way it is. It was going to cost me $300(co-pay) every three months to get an exam done so they could prescribe the what-ever-it-was that was making me sick with elephant legs anyway, so decided the Herbal costs me a LOT less. Andrew Lessman, saved my life. Let me know if you want the web site and name. He comes on Home Shopping all the time. With your other issues, it may be nice to talk to him, he is an MD>there ya go!

[Mary Kay]

Debbie, Welcome! Nice to see a fellow Tampa Bay area person! I am from Tampa but live in St. Cloud now (up near Orlando).

Thanks for the advice ladies, I do not have any menopause symptoms. At least not yet. I do have diabetes symptoms that I am working on, like chills and sweats from low blood sugar, hair thinning from the meds and insomnia. I still have some hormone pills that I am doing every other day. I don't want to go into menopause because of the symptoms I already have!! That would mean even less sleep, more hair thining, bones thinning ect. No thanks. I just want 1 mg to 1/2 mg of estrogen a day..that's all.