Hi Im Julia, and this is my first post on the forum after a friend recomended i join a couple of days ago
I have been somewhat confused by the responses all the doctors i have been to have give me when i asked if my symptoms were due to the menopause, i have been having flushes now for about 4 years, but one Gp just simply said this was due to my being overweight and type 2 diabetic, I was also getting very heavy periods which were so severe that they were making me extremely anaemic, with a Hb as low as 8.9 at times. eventually i was refered to a gynae consultant and after a hystoscopy to have a look inside my uterus i was diagnosed with fibroids and fitted with a mirena coil to help control the symptoms. unfortunatley this fell out at the next period due to the still very heavy flow, it also increased the flushes. The consultant then discharged me and said that the fibroids would shrink by themselves once my menopause was completed, as fibroids were dependant on oestrogen to grow. Although the periods remained as heavy, slowly over the last couple of years they became shorter in duration, but i then started with loads of other Meno problems, irregular heartbeat and palpitations, (ECG showed mild heart ischemia) the panic feelings, depression and that awful sickness at times of the month, and mainly in the mornings. I felt ill and exhaused, but despite all this my Gp said i wasnt going through the menopause yet according to my blood test results, despite my being 53yrs old, needing to sleep under a fan every night, and all the rest of the symptoms, very dry skin and vagina, and total loss in libido.
Eventually i had totally had enough to a point where i felt suicidal, i was visiting my elderly father one day when i stood up and blood just poured down my legs and all over his floor, despite my using incontinence pads to try and hold the flow, no ordinary sanitary towel or tampon could cope, so he then realised just how bad things had got and called an ambulance, saying that i was suffering a heamorage. he then rang one of his neighbours, who lives on a nearby farm, but who is also a top lecturer in gynaecology at the local University med school, and he agreed to see me down at the hospital where he also still worked as a consultant. from then on, my Dad aranged with him to treat me as a private patient, and after an examination, i was diagnosed with fibroids and polyps, and told that yes, i was actually menopausal, and needed urgent surgery with an Endorometrial ablation(microwave removal of the lining of the uterus which is perminant) to stop me from being weakened further from the heavy bleeding and anaemia, which was also making my heart problems worse.
Well that was 6 weeks ago, and im starting to feel a little better after the operation, although the rest of the menopause problems are continuing, and im due to see the consultant again during the first week in December, although he did say that HRT wasnt for me at this stage as he didnt want to give me any oestrogens due to the fibroids, my gp has prescribed Motilium to cope with the sickness, 2mg diazepam to help with the panic, but to be used very sparingly, im only allowed one 28 tab pack per month, beta blockers for the heart probs and palpitations, and St johns wort for the depression( after i coudlnt tollerate any of the antidepressants she tried me on, mainly because they made the night sweats much much worse), I do find that the St Johns Wort helps a lot with the insomnia and depression as well as lessening the night sweats, but you do have to keep a check on your blood pressure, as a side effect is that it can raise it somewhat in certain people, and can have an effect on how other medications you may be taking and how they work, so best taken under the care of your GP or health care provider, it is also the most popularly prescribed antidepressant prescribed in Germany.
Sorry for the long rant, but i feel so much better for being able to share my experiances and read of others experiances on this brilliant website, i helps so much to know there are others out there going through similar situations, and sharing hints and tips of how to make life a little easier in the journey through this stage of our lives.
Julia
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Topic: Tell us how you have coped with FLUSHES (Read 917522 times)