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[Ambert]

Hi everyone
I am presuming that health anxiety can be another terrifying symptom of peri/menopause? I have suddenly become a complete fruit loop about my health. I'm convinced I'm dying of some unseen/unheard of disorder, or that my heart is going to stop suddenly. It's got so bad now that it literally takes up every waking moment :-( As an example, I am starting to feel panicky now as my GP surgery closes in a couple of hours for the weekend....I'm panicking about what I might have to do if something happens over the weekend.
Am I utterly bonkers or is this something any of you can relate to? I'm driving my family mad with it, yet when I sit down and talk to myself about it, I can recognise I'm being ridiculous. I have beta blockers from my GP to calm me and my weird heart beats down, but this health anxiety doesn't want to leave me quite yet :-(
Amber xx

[coldethyl]

All sounds very familiar to me. I worry about my health constantly but find it hard to speak to GP about it so it all gets bottled up inside till I have a meltdown. This week is one of those weeks( not helpful as I'm hosting a huge wedding on my farm tomorrow) and I am constantly doing all the things I tell everyone else not to do, like googling and taking my pulse which aren't helping at all. I take betablockers and they are helpful at taking edge off the adrenaline surges and erratic heartbeats. I also try and practice mindfulness meditation to help lower my overall levels of anxiety.
If I'm honest, while the flushes, aches and migraines of peri have been rubbish, it's the anxiety that has me feeling rubbish a lot of the time. Doctors are not trained, or maybe the research isn't out there, to adequately support hormonal anxiety - I've suffered anxiety all my life and this is a very different kettle of fish.

[CLKD]

Yep - we have a thread here somewhere  .

Do you take the betablockas regularly?  I take 20mg morning and night.  Also eating properly can ease anxiety surges.

[Annie0710]

I think I read and replied to a similar post yesterday

I don't blame any woman for having health anxiety at the start of menopause, many of us , myself included, were average women, happy, working, healthy, loving and enjoying busy lives then suddenly sent into turmoil, dizzy, lightheaded, agitated, scared, weird heartbeats, it's no wonder we suddenly have a regular slot at the surgery as each new day brings a new symptom

Once anything else has been ruled out usually the fear subsides but I never, ever guessed that hormones could throw the body and mind off like they do

I'll definitely be a man next time round

Annie X

[Ambert]

Oh thankyou ladies.....
I feel so alone in all of this. I have no female relatives to ask questions of (all sadly passed away or too distant) and none of my close friends have suffered anything like this. My partner is not at all in touch with emotions and just tells me to pull myself together and I feel like I'm cracking up.:-(
Annie, you've hit the nail on the head for me. I've been so capable in the past, running my own business, bringing up children and living a busy life supporting my partner with his business and the family farm! Now, suddenly I feel poleaxed by this. It has happened so quickly and has literally taken up all of my headspace.
Sparkle...Every new symptom or sensation sends me into a total spin, I google it and that of course makes me feel more anxious. I wish I'd married a GP or gynae, I'd love someone on tap to reassure me that I'm not barking mad!
CLKD, I've started taking the propranolol more regularly now, twice a day. It has helped a little so far, I'm hoping to see a more definite improvement once I've been taking them regularly for a week or so, it's only been a few days.
Coldethyl, you sound like me! A busy life and it's so hard to find the resources within yourself to get on with things. I feel like I can't even get out of bed some days :-(
Thankyou for making me feel less alone in all of this mess.
Amber xx

[Evelyn63]

Ambert what you are describing is so so common, I'm due to go for routine mammogram screening in two weeks, I'm alternating between cancelling altogether or if I do go, I've myself in such a state at the thought of it, I'm actually hyperventilating writing this !


Also, having a doctor in the family is no guarantee of peace of mind !   

[CLKD]

GO FOR THE MAMMO!!!! if necessary ask your GP for Valium - because if the worse happens you'll need hospital intervention 

I did find deep relaxation useful but had to remember to practice -  .  Yoga can help. 

There is a page for husbands somewhere, will do a bump if I can find it.  Something to print off and wave under 'his' nose ;-).

[Justjules]

Hi Ambert, welcome to the club  .  HA is the worse thing in the world. Plenty of us suffer with it on here. Others don't understand it so it can be a lonely road as you feel you have to keep it all in. There's no quick fix or magic potion unfortunately. I just cling onto the fact that my mum suffered with it through meno and got over it so I live in hope.

[Annie0710]

My mum passed away a couple of weeks after I turned 36 and I have no female relatives and no friends that have gone through it yet, the few older women I have spoken to have all sailed through it with no hrt according to them so I have found comfort in the forum, I took a break as for a while nothing was relating to me but I'm back as some symptoms have intensified

Even if one member can relate to a symptom it helps

Annie x

[CLKD]

Group 

If you do a search for 'anxiety' …………. 

I bumped the thread for husbands too

[zelda]

Can relate 100% to this symptom!

[wombat62]

Yep, got that t-shirt! I haven't been too bad up until the last few weeks. I just post couldn't understand a few years ago when all this stuff started why I was concerned about things that hadn't bothered me before, why I was feeling different etc, why did I keep thinking I was going to keel over especially when alone. At least I found this site and you then know you are normal, just a person with pesky hormones!

I do think major life changes and events have an impact on your hormones. I've just had an op and whilst the physical healing was good I think once that was done it then had an impact on the rest of me and making me low and raising anxiety. Thankfully with the help of a naturopath and some supplements I'm feeling much better now as I was getting weird moments which would trigger the anxiety. Now I know it's probably just hormonal things going on but frightens the life out of you!

If you have been through some emotional times recently take care of yourself as a friend suggested to me that sometime later you can suffer physically through illness which after the last couple of years would seem to fit for me.

It's hard when you get this early and no one to talk to which is why this forum is so good. Take care....

[Ambert]

Thank you Wombat....I have a whole load of emotional baggage from years gone by weighing me down. I started to talk to my partner about it only this morning, the first time I've ever really unburdened myself of any of it, ever. I can't believe how I already feel better just having let some of it out. I was forced into the role of carer at 10 years old when my mum suffered a stroke and as an only child that was bloody tough...I have never ever told anyone how hard it was for me, I had no real adolescence or teenage years because I had to be grown up! Now at the age of 44, I probably need to let it all out somewhere, and coupled with totally whacky hormones, I'm a bit of a mess really!!
Thanks to everyone who has made me feel better....it's so helpful to not feel alone, so reassuring, despite not wishing this on anyone!!
Amber xx

[karenja]

your definitely not alone,its a horrible feeling, every ache, pain you think its something serious, Ive had all sorts of tests and still worry, ive got exercise anxiety to the very thing that is supposed to help, I get anxious about doing, again incase something happens to me, bachs rescue remedy helps, I also take b vitamins with magnesium and vitamin d, was on hrt but not anymore, hope you find something that suits you x

[Justjules]

Me too Karenja. If anybody else tells me I need to exercise I will scream! I really want to but like you, am terrified I will drop down dead or something as I've never felt better after exercise ever. I have 'walking envy' because my brain and body tells me I can't so get out of it as much as I can which isn't good. My therapist says it's because I don't feel 'safe' so my mind tells my body it can't do it so when I try, I feel like I will conk out or collapse! I'm wholly fed up with it to be honest. I've even got a cleaner and an ironing lady because that's too much too. I manage to drag myself to work 4 days a week but it feels like a marathon every day. I've not recovered physically from the breakdown I had for 6 months till June, I've got much worse physically (or so I think!). You have my sympathy.