Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: Tabbycat on April 05, 2014, 08:02:01 AM
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Hi guys, I'm in a right state and hoping someone on here might offer some reassuring words - or even tell me to pull myself together!
For the best part of the last 12 months, I've been getting bad muscle tension all down my right side, and trembling in my right hand. I've also been feeling "heavy" and slow (sometimes I feel like I'm moving through treacle, if that makes any sense!) and lacking energy. I put it down to stress - my job was pressurised and my working environment was vile - coupled with the menopause. I took voluntary redundancy and finished my job last Monday but my symptoms haven't improved. I feel anxious and quite depressed - not helpful because I need to start job hunting!
I'm 51, have been on HRT for almost a year, which I started taking because I had severe joint aches and anxiety. I've been on Premique for most of that time, which helped those symptoms, but had a lot of spotting so am now on Femiston-Conti. The spotting has stopped but apart from that I don't feel any different from when I was on Premique - no extra side effects.
Now, here's the thing that's suddenly made me feel sick with worry and panic. Last night I was trying to find some info on muscle tremors and found out I have almost every symptom of Parkinson's Disease. I'm not really a hypochondriac - often I research symptoms just to eliminate causes - although I'm so anxious at the moment that I'm not sure of anything!
So my question is, could my symptoms be down to the meno, or the HRT? Have any of you had these symptoms too?
Thanks for reading, and sorry for the long post.
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Googling is dangerous :)
I get 'heavy' legs sometimes and often get muscle tremors BUT I do suffer with anxiety and panic attacks... The first thing is to get your GP to check you over and to rule out anything 'sinister'
If it is anxiety driven then it will ease off if you have been reassured nothing else is wrong... I don't panic now when I am feeling awful, I just know I am having a bad day.
Smudgesmum xx
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You need reassurance and only a doctor can give you that at the moment.
Go and see your GP. Good luck DG xxx
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Thanks both.
I'd already made a GP appointment before I started panicking - to see if anything could be done about the symptoms. Unfortunately, the earliest I could get was a week tomorrow, and I don't think I can wait another seven days feeling like this so I'll phone them tomorrow and see if I can somehow beg them for an earlier one.
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Hi Tabbycat only just read this thread - sounds to me like your symptoms are may be underactive thyroid. I have two sisters who have been diagnosed with this and their symptoms were very similar. Have you had a thyroid test - tsh and t4, it it's very common at the time of the menapause.
Hope you are feeling better.
PollyH
Xxxx
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Thanks PolyH. I do seem to have some of those symptoms, although I'm not gaining weight or sensitive to cold. But perhaps my symptoms could be a lot of things! I had a blood test a few months ago which didn't show anything abnormal.
I managed to see a nurse last week (they wouldn't give me an appointment with a GP) and she's prescribed cytalopram. It's not helped so far, but I know ADs can make symptoms worse before they make them better. I'm just hanging on and trying not to panic!
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Hi Tabbycat,
Just thought I would mention something called BENIGN ESSENTIAL TREMOR.
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Essential-Tremor.htm
I had it back in 2010. I was going through a very stressful time & it came on out of the blue. I just couldn't hold my hand out without it visibly shaking - I'm sure people thought I was an alcoholic, I was so embarrassed by it.
I went to the doctor & she prescribed beta blockers (Propranolol) & they sorted me out. I was on them for a year & as soon as my stress/anxiety was under control I got better & ditched the tablets.
Reading the link I have posted it would seem the condition it will be with me forever but at the moment I seem to be ok (fingers crossed).
Good luck & I hope you can get it sorted.
Cazikins x
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Thanks Cazikins, I've not heard of that before. Did you have any other symptoms when you had it?
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Sorry for necroing this thread but I thought it was better than starting a new one.
So, a year on and the shaking and muscle tremors are worse. I've also realised that I shuffle when I walk - I seem to be dragging my right foot. (Actually, I've known for a while that I've not been able to walk properly, especially uphill, but I've only just realised that it's not tiredness or a joint problem.) I also have a problem with my wrists - a kind of weakness when I try to do a fast movement like brushing my teeth.
Anyway, I managed to get a GP appointment yesterday, with a doctor I hadn't seen before (the one I saw last year about this was nice but said my symptoms were down to anxiety and that "everyone's hands shake a bit"). She seemed quite concerned and has referred me to a neurologist - I have an appointment in early May.
Needless to say, I'm absolutely terrified and feeling quite panicky. I'm worried that it could be anything from Parkinson's to a brain tumour and about how bad it's going to get. I'm fixating on every little thing I feel in case it's another symptom of whatever it is I have.
Thanks for listening - I really needed to get all that off my chest.
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Of course you are worried. However - M in L had a brain tumour - if you had one you would have had more intense symptoms before now.
Could be something awful, could be related to ageing - but at least your GP is sending you for a Consultation to find out. A drop in oestrogen can cause laxity of muscles ……… May might seem a long way to wait but it gives you time to keep a food/mood/activity diary . I have strange mobility symptoms which happen so fast that I can't explain them - have had them for years++ ……
Let us know how you get on! There are loads of support Groups should push come to shove …….. and we will be here holding your hand!
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Thanks, sweetheart, that helps.
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Hi Tabbycat,
Try not to worry, I'm sure you'll be ok, it's good you have got a doc that is getting it all checked out, it will put your mind at rest.
Your problem with walking could be a trapped nerve or something & maybe a bit of physio will sort it out.
Chin up girl & think positively. we are all behind you.
Cazi x
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Thanks Cazikins.
I've been researching oestrogen and found out it's not just a hormone but also a neurotransmitter and plays a huge role in serotonin and dopamine levels. I'm not sure if this is significant or not but it's what I'm clinging on to at the moment.
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Saw the neurologist and now need to have brain scans. Everything takes sooooo long. :(
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Try not to worry too much Tabbycat, at least it is being investigated & nothing has shown up yet.
Keep us posted.
Cazikins x
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good luck with the scans Tabbycat. Hope you don't have to wait too long.
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So far, I've had an MRI (which was like listening to really bad techno music), a nerve conduction test and an EMG (electric shocks - very weird). At the end of the month I'm having a datscan (this shows whether your brain is producing enough dopamine).
I'm back on the ADs for anxiety and am feeling a little calmer but still worried.
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The main reason I take oestrogen is for the muscle spasms. Like you I thought it was stress related but then when I managed to minimise the stress, the aching and tight muscles still remained. I have a break of 5 days each month and start to feel a little achy by the end of it all.
I do hope it's oestrogen related for you as that's an easy one to resolve, possibly by tinkering with your dosage. If not, at least they're doing all the tests and will be able to get a handle on it all soon. The vast majority of these things tend to be resolvable / manageable.
GG X
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Thanks GG, I do hope it is hormone related. I'm not on HRT at the moment but I had these symptoms while I was on it.
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Well, after months of tests and scans, I've been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease - exactly what I thought I had a year and a half ago (GP told me I was "too young" and that I was just anxious).
Despite thinking I've had it for so long, it's still come as a nasty shock and I feel numb and panicky. Not helped by my changing my ADs recently (so, I'm really anxious too). :'(
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Oh Tabbycat - I am really sorry to hear about your diagnosis. :hug:
You've had just a dreadful time trying to get a diagnosis in the first place - why, oh why won't doctors listen.
I do hope they can offer some treatment and support now.
Keep posting. DG xxxx
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Oh Tabbycat I am so sorry to read this, I know you have been looking for an answer for such a long time.
At least you now know what it is & can put a name to it (if that makes sense).
Thinking of you & please keep in touch.
Love Cazikins x
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Thanks everyone, it really helps being on this forum and knowing how sympathetic and caring everyone is. We're all on different journeys and they're all tough!
I've been given some meds - ironically, patches. (Useful information on the accompanying leaflet includes "where to stick the patch" - I know what I'd like to suggest ;D.)
This will make you laugh: one of the side effects of the meds is "uncontrolled excessive shopping or spending." ;D Talk about the perfect excuse...
Sparkle, I've been referred to a specialist clinic (four months' wait ::)) so in the meantime I guess I'll just go shopping!
(Can you tell I've been at the wine? No-one's told me I can't have wine.)
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How are you doing Tabbycat?
I don't get on here very often these days so just catching up with things.
Hope things aren't too bad for you.
Cazikins x
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Just caught up with this thread. I'm so sorry about your diagnosis and hope you get loads of support. If you need any help shopping............. ;D. Your sense of humour is wonderful.
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Hello Tabbycat.
I am also just catching up with this thread and I wanted to send you hugs.
I am pleased to see that you are now getting the correct treatment and of course the search for a cure continues.
Wishing you well and keep posting.
K.
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Sorry, I haven't been on here for a while so only just seen your posts. Thanks for the hugs and good wishes.
Well, the patches were useless. They seriously disrupted my sleep (I woke up once an hour, every night) so by the end of the first week I was exhausted and could barely function. I stuck with them for another couple of weeks but it got no better - and I put on 3kgs! They didn't help my symptoms much either. And sadly, no sign of the excessive shopping. ::) (Probably because I had no energy for it!)
I went to my GP but she couldn't help - this is specialist medication, apparently, and not something she knew anything about. Apparently I should have been registered (I don't know by whom) with a Parkinson's nurse but I wasn't, so now I have to wait for her to get in touch with the clinic where I was diagnosed, and for them to respond.
It's just a good thing I'm not (yet) too debilitated, although it's a struggle sometimes.