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[Tabbycat]

Since joining this lovely forum I've been reminded of some of the stranger symptoms (if that's the right word) of the meno that I've suffered over the last few years. Not the ones we're all told about - the hot flushes, the mood swings, the weight gain, the irregular periods - but some downright weird things that seem to have absolutely nothing to do with fluctuating hormones.

A few of mine: heartburn - always at night and worse when lying on my right side (which is the side I prefer to fall asleep on). It wasn't something I'd suffered from much in the past but suddenly there it was, every night for months, no matter what or when I ate.

Tailbone pain: out of nowhere, an excruciating pain in the coccyx! Sitting down and getting up made me wince, many yoga poses became impossible and I couldn't sprawl on the floor anymore. I spent hours researching this but found nothing useful. Only just recently reading experiences on this forum made me realise it's yet another bizarre meno symptom.

Tickly cough. This was the one that nearly drove me insane. It only happened when I was in bed at night and always, ALWAYS, just as I was falling asleep. I even went to the doctor about it but once she found out I was a smoker (albeit a light one - no more than five a day) all she wanted to do was send me for a chest x-ray. My chest was (and still is) as clear as a bell, I never got out of breath, even when exercising, and never coughed once during the day. I politely declined the x-ray and went on to try probably every cough medicine Boots sells, to no avail. But I had so many nights of disturbed sleep, I thought I'd go mad.

All of these symptoms have thankfully gone but currently I have a tense right leg. Yep, from my foot to my hip joint, my right leg tenses up for no reason - usually when I'm sitting on the sofa watching TV or at the computer (it's bothering me now, in fact). And it doesn't matter whether I'm feeling stressed from a stupid day at work, or relaxed after a couple of glasses of wine, it will not let up and it's impossible to get comfortable. I also have a pain from my right shoulder down between my shoulder blades. It feels like a pulled muscle but I've had it for months and it's not changed.

So, what's your weirdest meno symptom(s)?

[Kathleen]

Hello Tabbycat.
I'm not sure if this qualifies as weird but every time I wake up, be it in the morning or from the occasional lovely nap I find I am instantly in a foul, stinking, murderous mood. Why?, I've been asleep, relaxed, not being bothered by anyone and yet I'm furious the minute I open my eyes, then it's ages before I feel even slightly better.  Oh the joys.
K.

[Night_Owl]

Hi Tabbycat -

Think these symptoms could possibly fall into the weird category, only occurred since meno:

- a bit gross this - large, painful spots on the INSIDE of my nose which sometimes make the tip of my nose very red and swollen (attractive, not).

- a strange tingling, painful, nerve type sensation on face running down sinus areas that makes me screw up my nose - also same sensation across front of chest, below neck (mainly happens on progesterone section of HRT) which makes me hunch up shoulders. A good look, huh?  [Clinic said it could be due to fact that drop in estrogen can trigger overactive sympathetic nervous system symptoms.]  I recall one my very first meno symptoms was a similar creeping COLD sensation across my chest.

- Not so weird but Restless Leg Syndrome - know that I drive OH mad every evening on the sofa with my constant moving legs.

Great fun isn't it, all this hormonal cr@p ...


Night_Owl
x

[CLKD]

Oh good topic!  I had itchyness across my back over the bra line - but I haven't worn one for  years. DH had to scratch gently to ease symptoms.  They came on every evening after my bath and 20 mins after taking my medication.

Then there's the itchy insteps - as soon as I step into the bath.  Not every night now but when I was peri-meno .......... 

Restless leg syndrome - a real nuisance.  Eating lots of bananas helped me, stopped symptoms COMPLETELY - I ate 2/5 every day from 1998 until 2 years ago.  Now I take Nurofen if symptoms keep me awake.

Hiatus Hernia is a known condition for ladies of a 'certain age'  so I take my meds an hour before I go to bed.  Any later and I get HEARTBURN <sigh> .........

Eating every 3 hours can stop the anger symptoms.  Keeps low blood sugar levels even.

[Tabbycat]

Yep, this is the sort of weirdness I mean!

I've had itchy insteps too - randomly, not linked to doing anything.

Looks like restless legs is a common one, I'll give the bananas a go but I'm not sure I can eat more than one a day.

Another weird one I have is a painful right foot (basically, my whole right side is completely b**gered!). It's not sore when I touch it but when I walk barefoot on a hard surface, it feels like every bone in my foot is exposed. I have to wear thick soled shoes now, otherwise walking on tactile pavement is really painful.

Night-Owl, spots on the INSIDE of your nose? Ouch!

Keep 'em coming!

[Elena]

Inability to drink even the smallest amount of alcohol without it affecting me the next day    Not just weird but positively annoying as these days I could do with alcohol more than ever to help me to relax!!

[dulciana]

Motorway driving!  I've never particularly liked motorways but since the meno kicked in, I've become absolutely phobic about driving on them.  A couple of years ago, I had a panic attack while driving along a completely empty bit of dual carriageway; and more recently, the realisation that the single carriageway I was driving along was becoming dual made me literally shake with fear, to the point where hubby had to take over the wheel.   I felt stupid, small and really guilty because hubby had already done a lot of the driving and was tired.  Anyone else experienced this sort of thing?

[CLKD]

Yep.  It seems we become more spatially aware and more aware of idiots around us 

[honeybun]

Driving is a big problem for me too. I used to love it and I also feel guilty as my hubby has to do 99% of the driving.
I feel spaced out and not safe at all. I have to do a 30 mile round trip three times a week to my mum's. I keep plugging away as I can't ask anyone to take me on such a regular basis.

Makes me feel useless.

Honeyb
X

[lily]

Flatulence?  Had a bad week of hot flushes last week when period did not arrive and also suffered from a lot of wind!     I have the tickly throat too, but did not relate it to meno.  Bleary eyes.

[Elena]

Flatulence is a big problem for me as well.  And, if I am in a situation where I have to "hold it in" I then get a bloated and  painful tummy

Tickly throat/cough comes and goes

Driving: used to be absolutely fine but now there are certain routes I try to avoid.  Mind you I do think the roads have become a lot more dangerous and crowded and people are in too much of a hurry these days.

[jo61]

my weirdest meno symptom was the skin crawling, I was convinced I had caught something then after reading Dr Google I became obsessive about cleaning and personal care. I was sure that insects were living in my ears and under my skin this went on for some time until I read that this was normal for women of my age. I can laugh about it now but it was very traumatic at the time, the upside of this was my home was the cleanest it had been for years 

[fiorinda]

I've got the coccyx pain.

Had the itching, stopped washing my skin with soap or shower gel, that seemed to cure that. Just really achy joints all the time.

The peeing really is a drag - if I wake in the night or early hours I ALWAYS have to go down to the loo, and I HAVE to go immediately before my 40 minute walk to work and am bustin by the time I get there!

Snoring, even if i lie on my side.

Yes to wind. And sometimes it seems to come from my vagina, even when all I'm doing is sitting or lying down (!!).

The forgetfulness is SO annoying - did I put water in the coffee machine?

I don't mind a lowered alcohol tolerance, saves me money!

I'm not getting hot flushes at the moment (touch wood), but I'd like my libido to come back!!

Oh, and a constantly blocked nose!

Did I mention forgetfulness? Did I put water in the coffee machine?

[Witches Cat]

Oh Deep Joy... I can relate to nearly all of this... plus at the moment back pain and sciatica and all I did was turn over in bed, currently stinking of deep heat.... can't eat the spicy stuff I used to love, it all gives me heartburn, alcohol keeps me awake where it used to send me off to sleep lovely, used to love nuts by the handfull now they bung me up...

[Taz2]

I reckon it's impossible to sort out the symptoms caused by menopause and just by getting older.. especially the wind part - I know quite a few men in their fifties who if you judged it by their flatulence would be diagnosed as being menopausal 

fiorinda - wind from the vagina is normally due to a lax vagina or prolapse and can be helped by daily pelvic floor exercises. It's not something to just ignore if it happens while just sitting or standing. Of course if it happens after lovemaking that's different.

Taz x