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[CrispyChick]

Hey. I'm sorry you don't feel you can reply to messages Elkwarning.

Perhaps you could answer a couple of quick questions here. I'm sure you'll appreciate the desperation in my postings here. This has been 8 very hard years and now, 6 weeks into chemical menopause, I have the revelation this is not hormonal levels themselves, but my body's extreme reaction to the changes.

So I'm keen to pursue the immunology route. Much harder up here.

Could you possibly share with me who you saw? And what sort of tests you've had? So I can at least share this with my GP?

That would be very much appreciated. X

[ElkWarning]

I don't feel super comfortable providing the actual names of my treating physicians. I consider that to be confidential information. But he was and still is a consultant immunologist.

Diagnostic tools used included frequent  bloods (looking for, amongst other things, inflammation markers), anaesthetised endoscopies, several appointments with a nutritionist while following an elimination diet, and a bunch of other stuff I can barely remember.

The problem that they were trying to solve was that my body was treating certain foods as if they were toxins. I wasn't allergic to them in the traditional anaphylactic sense, but clearly couldn't tolerate them at all. This all got tangled up with HRT because I couldn't tolerate that either (uncontrollable high blood pressure). It became even more complicated due to a variety of other issues until the doctors couldn't really work out what were the causes and what were the symptoms.

The other thing the doctors relied on was my medical history, which is a bit strange from childhood in terms of my responses to various medications and illnesses - e.g. I can't metabolise a certain kind of anaesthetic and an straight up allergic (in the traditional sense) to a bunch of antibiotics. Combined with this was a history of amenorrhea and psychosis relating to hormone function.

The immunologist I saw (and who my daughter saw recently) thinks / thought that it was all connected to immune dysfunction - which is possibly inevitable because he's an immunologist so of course he thinks his discipline holds the key.

There's got to be immunology clinics in Scotland, otherwise no one north of the border would be receiving treatment for things like rheumatoid arthritis.

[CrispyChick]

Thank you Elkwarning. 

My dad receives treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. He goes to the Rheumatology clinic.

I think the help is probably there, but without immunology to identify the correct discipline in first place - it's a bit difficult. 

I was referred to rheumatology in Newcastle by my GP, years ago. They refused me. As you'd expect. 

But thanks. You've given me some information to aid discussion with my GP. X

[CeCe]

Hi CrispyChick,

Your post really resonated with me. I’m hypersensitive to hormones and have been going through the most horrendous perimenopause/menopause. The dizziness/ earth moving/vestbular symptoms were really bad this year, 24/7 the last 5 months, especially the nausea/sickness. BUT….I did find a way through it.

Firstly I was referred to a neurologist who told me it was a migraine. Apparently a lot of symptoms equate to a migraine without it necessarily being a classic migraine with the one sided unbearable pain, although I get them too. He gave me a book called ‘Heal your headache: the 1-2-3 program by David Bucholz. I also bought a cookbook ‘The dizzy cook’ written by someone with similar symptoms. I’ve followed the dietary advice for the last 5/6 weeks from both books and I’ve been without any symptoms for the last 2 weeks. I feel relatively normal again. Not perfect yet but ok. Plus I’ve not needed any of my migraine meds (which did nothing for the dizziness btw)

I also saw a kinesiologist at the local wellness centre who told me to avoid numerous foods (mostly my favourites such as olive oil, citrus fruit and a few others), she gave me a supplement to take every morning for a month and really, the difference is amazing. So much so that I’ve restarted HRT (successfully).

It can be done. Maybe not the usual way. I eventually gave up with the GP’s who wanted to try epilepsy drugs,  beta blockers and other drugs all of which I was hypersensitive to.

Maybe take a look at the books I mentioned do go down a holistic route.

CeCe

[CrispyChick]

Ce ce

Thank you so much. From the bottom of my heart. This might be a thing for me.

Would I really experience it most days in peri though? With the awful fluctuations??

Would you be open to me sending you a message? Xx

[CeCe]

Hi CrispyChick,

Of course you can message me….happy to help any way I can. Also the symptoms of dizziness etc were really bad during perimenopause which is when a referral to a neurologist was suggested.

CeCe