Hello Everybody,
I was just after some general advice if that is okay? My mum is currently at the peri-menopause stage and is suffering with severe anxiety and possibly even depression because of the way her symptoms are making her feel. She is a shell of the person she used to be, she's lost all of her confidence, and she doesn't want to go out of the house, but then doesn't want to stay in it either.... Is this normal? She has had countless visits to her GP and sometimes even a&e a few times because she has felt so unwell. She's had blood tests, all coming back perfect, her thyroid checked, again perfect.
I think what she would really benefit from is hearing from others if they have had a similar experience. She doesn't really know anybody that has been through the menopause and so she feels entirely alone. I've made an appointment for her to go to a Menopause clinic this week and I'm really hoping that they will be able to help her out. I feel useless myself, as I'm only 21 and nowhere close to understanding what she is going through. Me and my brothers try to calm her down but she seems in such despair, and she hates it whenever she is left alone. It makes me feel so guilty, although it would kill her if she knew how much it is upsetting me.

On top of this she is also having recurring migraines, which she has struggled with since she was my age, although she hasn't actually had for about 4 months, and now she's had two on consecutive nights. I'm really worried that the stress of it all will take it's toll on her
She's been on Evoquel Combi(?) patches for a couple of months now. After the first month or so she was much better, but then as the weeks have gone on she seems to be worse than ever. It started with continuous headaches for about a week or so, and then they just stopped, then it was crashing fatigue which she described as 'trying to walk through treacle'. That has eased off slightly now and she doesn't feel as tired, although definitely not herself. Her main problem now is severe dizziness and vomiting - bearing in mind my mum hasn't been sick in 30 years or so.

She can be just sat putting on her make up and she just feels like she's going to fall off the chair, and sometimes when she gets up she can't walk in a straight line. I was just wondering if this was normal, and/or what your own experiences are with coping with the menopause? Any advice would be greatly received. I've just run out of things to say to her to try and make her feel better.
My own thinking is that what isn't helping is being stuck indoors. She was a self employed dog groomer but gave up about a year ago because of feeling unwell and now I think that she just doesn't know what to do with herself. She's always been a motivated woman but she's scared to get a job because for one her confidence has plummeted, and two she never knows how well she's going to feel. The mornings appear to be the worst, by about midnight she starts to feel normal ( even though she should be in bed!) but to be honest I think she savours those early hours as it is really the only time she feels herself again and I know that she wakes up with knots in her stomach for what the day will bring in terms of health. I know that associating her house with feelings of being unwell is probably psychologically making her anxiety worse and so a general question is what can she do to get herself out of the house?
Thank you in advance,
Maria x