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[Lynda07]

Hi ladies

It’s been a long time since I posted on here but I’m driving myself mad with worry and would be interested to hear your views.

Bckground - I’m 61, about 10 years post menopause and not on HRT.

A few weeks ago I noticed, out of the blue, that I’d slightly mixed my words up and instead of thinking “I’ve probably done it before” I became instantly fixated on it. I do have terrible health anxiety and OCD.

Since then I’ve noticed I am sometimes mixing up my words and occasionally when reading it’s as if I slightly misread the words too. Tonight I went to say something about our extract fan, looked at it and could not think what it was called for about 10 seconds; my mind literally went blank. This threw me into even more of a panic.

The worse thing about all of this is how much it’s raised my anxiety, I seem to be having one of the worst episodes in years and it’s just so distressing. I could write a whole separate thread on how horrible that is 😥

I’ve read about brain fog and maybe that’s what this is but I thought that was a peri meno symptom as opposed to starting post menopause?

Thanks for reading.

[CLKD]

Brain fog!  Muddles words, 'why did I walk upstairs for ? X Y X ? '  I was reading an article by a Consultant specialising in dementia-type conditions who suggests that day by day we may find that words for example get lost in the moment.  He suggests being concerned if we forget where we parked the car, can't remember routes driven often ....... which would raise the need for discussion.

Having said that when I had un-medicated depression my mind was so numb that I often forgot where the car was parked even though I never parked elsewhere!

I've had brain fog probably due to lack of stimulus.  In a busy job in the 1980s/90s my mind was on the go constantly, now that I don't interact as often with people and write lists of things my brain feels sleepy all the while  .

Lists are very useful!

[debbyx]

Hi Lynda

I am exactly like you.  I am 63 and ten years post menopause and not on HRT

My anxiety is through the roof right now and I can not cope ,  i too mix my words and i then get even more upset and anxious I was talking to someone on the phone yesterday and totally forgot their name. My eyes seem to play tricks on me and I feel like I am falling over at times , these symptoms only seem worse when I am in a total panic.

I think it is all part of this horrible menopause  it makes me feel a little bit better when I see other people have the same thing. I know it doesn’t make any of us feel any better  but  just shows we are not alone. 

My GP didn’t seem bothered when I told him .

We just have to keep going this forum helps a lot.   

[CLKD]

D - sorry it won't print your name.  How much and when does the anxiety be worse? 4 me its early monring and when bad through till early evening  .  Anxiety may cause us to breath in short gasps rather than regularly, which can cause the symptoms that you describe.  I should practice deep breathing but when I'm OK I forget.

[debbyx]

Hi my Anxiety is very bad in the morning to the extent I am to scared to get up as I know as soon as I do the symptoms will start.   

By afternoon early evening I feel a lot calmer, I don’t know why.  It is just trying to get through the first few hours every morning that I can not handle at the minute,  I am crying as I am writing this because it feels so horrible.

[Lynda07]

Thank you for replying CKLD - I think you make a good point about lack of stimulus. I live quite remotely and whilst it is the idyllic life I pictured in some ways, in others - it's not helped me at all as I don't speak to anyone else, don't work etc. That said the thought of doing these things right now seems impossible due to how incredibly anxious I feel - terrified.

Debbyx - I have just read your separate post and your reply to me. I completely get it. I just want to be me again too and right now I don't know how that will ever happen. I also feel worse in the morning, I wake with a feeling of absolute doom and terror most mornings. Yesterday it eased until the word forgetting incident when I totally spiralled, today I am so scared (of what I have no idea - fear of fear?) that I feel sick to my stomach. I'm really sorry you are going through this too.

I've made an appointment with my GP for next week just so he can give me his opinion on the word mixing up etc - this morning I've added a word in, missed a word out and read my clock saying 11.21 as 12.11 -  I feel as if I am losing my mind and the fear increases again.

I don't take medication either, I had an unpleasant experience with Prozac some years back but I don't know where that leaves me to be honest.

[CLKD]

Prozac made me 

Lists can help get through the day.

Propranolol at night eased early morning when I would wake, terrified: had to get out of bed, dressed and sit downstairs.

[sheila99]

The ovaries carry on producing oestrogen for a while after meno and before they die completely so it's quite possible your levels have fallen agaim. There seems to be a some people who suffer with new or worse symptoms several years after meno.

[Lynda07]

CLKD (apologies and oh the irony of mixing your initials up in my earlier reply) -thanks again. I am, by nature, a list maker. The morning anxiety is unreal and has started to wake me earlier, it’s horrible because it’s as if it sets the scene for the day.

sheila99 - I am wondering if this is what’s happened, something definitely feels different-thank you for replying.

[CLKD]

Don't worry I didn't even notice the mix up - brain Cs what it expects is written 

That waking hormone: cortisol: may well contribute to the feelings in the mornings 

[juliaC]

I've made an appointment with my GP for next week just so he can give me his opinion on the word mixing up etc - this morning I've added a word in, missed a word out and read my clock saying 11.21 as 12.11 -  I feel as if I am losing my mind and the fear increases again.

I relate to this, adding words in, missing words out, changing them around.  I had a spate of that for a while.  I was anxious about it.  I did watch a you tube video where Stephen Bartlett from dragons den interviews a woman who's a specialist in neuro things (I wish I could be more specific but she's a neurologist or something).  Halfway through the video she talked about women in meno getting 'aphasia' symptoms and thankfully for most this will settle as other symptoms should over time.  But she does believe hrt may protect those few women who's symptoms won't get better (most do recover though). 

I'm sure we all know that while hopefully it's not, it can also be a stroke symptom so important to get checked out, but it's reassuring that it's spoken about as a meno symptom also.

[Lynda07]

Thanks juliaC that is really interesting to hear about the Stephen Bartlett/neuro lady video.
It's a horrible symptom and hard not to get anxious about it isn't it. I'm hoping I'll feel better when I speak to my GP next week, he's very thorough and I will be mentioning the stroke symptom as well as the awful anxiety and see what he says.
Thanks for replying.

[CLKD]

MayB 2 put your mind at rest you could look at the UK Stroke Association website and ask the question there?  Take a list of your concerns to the GP appt. too.

[Lynda07]

Thanks CLKD, I have started a list of things to discuss with my GP. I definitely find it helps.

[juliaC]

Thanks juliaC that is really interesting to hear about the Stephen Bartlett/neuro lady video.
It's a horrible symptom and hard not to get anxious about it isn't it. I'm hoping I'll feel better when I speak to my GP next week, he's very thorough and I will be mentioning the stroke symptom as well as the awful anxiety and see what he says.
Thanks for replying.

You're welcome Lynda07.  How did your appointment go (if you want to share)

That video is definitely worth a watch, it's a small bit she mentions roughly halfway through