Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Sheri on June 09, 2022, 03:54:20 PM
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Sorry that I've started another post about the same old thing but today, i feel so much pain in my body. Muscle/bone pain, slight chills (no temp) & tired. But think tiredness is more linked to the pain.
For a recap - I've just finished my period & on Monday changed from everol conti back to the estrogen. Was ok on the conti really but since going back on thr estrogen i feel blooming awful.
I'm really tempted to take the patch off to see if it is that.
Nowhere on the leaflet does it say joint pain (unless I'm missing it).
I've taken a covid test just to be sure & it doesn't feel like i have a cold.
Is this normal on HRT or could my body just not like it? I'm on my 5 nearing 6th week. Not sure i can do the whole 3 months only to stop it.
Any advice please?
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Btw, its more like a fluey type ache if that helps
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Could you have a virus/cold brewing?
Low vitamin levels?
Thyroid?
Low oestrogen?
X x
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No low vit levels. Get checked regularly.
No obvs virus clues.
I was great until i changed to the estrogen patch Monday & then Monday evening, it hit me. Too much of a coincidence i think.
Can you just stop HRT?
Thyroid - i can't be 100% its not that but I've never suffered with thyroid before. Unless everol sequi can cause thyroid problems so quickly.
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Maybe it is the oestrogen then. Usually it is the ‘ feel good ‘ hormone I thought, not the one which makes you feel tired.
The only way to know for sure, is to come off the HRT. If you do stop abruptly, your symptoms may reappear quickly and the body may crash, you will have to see how it goes.
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I don't want to crash 🙄, whatever that means.
Wish i never started HRT now lol.
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Does anyone recommend cutting parches in half & come off slowly? I'm on everol sequi 50
Think my anxiety is going overboard now as I'm worried I've got thyroid problems & doesn't that cause bulging eyes?
Sorry, i know I'm being dramatic. But its hard to control the old health anxiety at times.
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Did you get prescribed this from your GP? These symptoms can be all over the place, so there isn’t a ‘normal’ but there is a lot of varying symptoms which can happen even when starting HRT and they can be symptoms of menopause, which joint pain is. For example I got heart palpitations since starting HRT, not had them before. Only for a couple of months after a dosage change. Now I could of assumed it had to be the HRT, because I hadn’t had them before, but as it’s a symptom of menopause my specialist advised to leave it just a few months more as it is something that happens from low or falling hormones. It is about the oestrogen optimising is my understanding. Although tempting to stop it, you will never know if this was right for you and symptoms like this were just your body adjusting to the change of hormones. If you do stop, it’s not advised you suddenly stop. You would need to seek advice on gradual withdrawal.
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My gynae prescribed it. I'm seeing in Wed.
I do have a sore throat aswell. This started Wed aft.
I keep looking up thyroid problems now from having too much estrogen.
Is this a thing that happens on HRT?
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I’m not sure it’s an issue you should worry about at all. Not unless you are having a lot of symptoms, although they do overlap you can look it up and see some are distinctly thyroid related and common- like feeling really cold all of the time. But a lot of women happen to have hypothyroidism, and during perimenopause it’s extra difficult because of that. The bulging eyes issue is associated with Graves’ disease, a common cause of hyperthyroidism- overactive thyroid. It is an auto immune disorder and antibodies would show in CBC blood tests they run as standard at your GP. Too much estrogen can cause the opposite condition, hypothyroidism, which is what I have. Having this condition means I’m at a higher risk of having too much estrogen as well because hypothyroidism slows the elimination pathway. So it’s really complicated! No reason to worry about it because you take HRT. I understand health anxiety, totally get the process you’re going through. Try and find some good videos to watch about how to stop obsessing. I shared one somewhere here the other day.
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Sheri, how much estrogen have you switched onto now? Your Conti had 50mcg in it, I wonder if whatever you have replaced it with, is enough...
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I'm on the estrogen part of the everol patch so assuming 50mg
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I'd like to apologise for keeping on about thyroid yesterday. For some reason my anxiety went into over drive & i don't know why.
Was hoping HRT would ease it.
But thank you for replying & not saying, for godsakes woman, shut up lol
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Oh goodness, no need to apologise. The symptoms can overlap and it’s perfectly normal to get anxiety when you have lots of symptoms and some could be of serious things, for me that’s the hardest part of this. I have had really awful health anxiety as I’ve had this thyroid thing plus all of this menopause crap and a lump on my neck for 7 years and it’s left me wondering what other hideous things could be wrong many many days. It’s very lonely and distressing so please don’t apologise for your anxiety. It’s completely understandable. I have a great therapist who has helped me through this recently, made a huge difference to me. It’s £35 an hour and completely worth it. I highly recommend it for women going through similar things. Also try and remember, 1 in 2 people have anxiety. You are not unusual or ridiculous, you’re human. This is a high anxiety period of our lives. Have faith you can get through it, you won’t feel like this forever.
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Thank you for being understanding.
I'm thinking of stopping HRT when i see gynae Wed. The stress of worrying about too much estrogen, is worse than my normal anxiety.
I keep panicking, I'm going to have the bulging eyes.
I do actually think, not anxiety related, that i have too much estrogen. My body is hurting, i have fatigue, bloating, sore throat, fullness in ears & heavy painful boobs.
Wondering whether to take this patch off now, cut it in half or wait it out until Wed.
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You’ve only been on it for 6 weeks so you’re not going to be flooded with estrogen on that lower dose in that time and absolutely it has nothing to do with Graves- the bulging eye a symptom of that- as that is an auto immune condition. Really, tell yourself now that is not something you need to burden yourself with. You really don’t. It is possible this dose isn’t right for you or that you need to start small and slowly increase or that your body is just responding to estrogen fluctuations, which our bodies don’t like. In your shoes I would wait to Wednesday and have a proper assessment. Taking the patch off or lowering would cause different reactions that may confuse you or give you more to worry about.
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Sheri with all due respect, I think you are leaping to huge conclusions and making knee-jerk reactions to things.
Whatever you are feeling now/in the immediate present, HRT:
Reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
Reduces the risk of dementia by 73% according to a recent study.
Reduce the risk of heart disease (the biggest killer of women).
Reduces the risk of bowel cancer.
And probably has many other long term health benefits we haven't found out about yet.
So stopping it just because since this week you feel anything... is probably not a sound decision. There are many different doses, types, routes of administration of HRT and it can take months to work out something that suits an individual woman. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
Get a blood test done by your doctor to see what your estrogen levels are on the 50 patch if you are worried they are too high. They are probably the opposite and you probably need more estrogen, not less....
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Thank you for being understanding & supportive. I'm having blood again after supposedly ending my period few days ago. Nothing dramatic, just like a brown/bloody discharge when i wipe. Guessing this is normal.
Strangely, i never suffer with health anxiety so panicking over thyroid in an anxious way us new to me.
I have my anxiety triggers that set me off & even though i have alot of health problems, I've never obsessed about it.
I'm feeling very low aswell & everytime my hubby says something to me, i feel like crying.
I'm hiding it all from him & everyone else & smiling like I'm the happiest girl in the world. Yet, inside I'm breaking.
These feeling are new & can only be attributed to the Estrogen side as on the progesterone i was great & that was the one i was dreading putting on.
My problem is, i looked up thyroid problems due to too much estrogen & hyperthyroidism came up & it snowballed & set off my anxiety/OCD.
Word to myself - keep off Google lol
Thank you again, i do very much appreciate it.
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I’m sorry you’re so down. My advice is to talk to your husband about all of it. I don’t know what I would of done without mine there to support me fully, he knows so much about menopause now!! It’s brought us even closer together and it is better for him to understand it’s nothing personal when I’m up and down and teary.
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I agree Sheri, having a supportive husband and family is a huge help.
Keeping it bottled up inside and pretending to the world that everything is fine is a huge stressor to your body.
I’m they will be very supportive to you.
My hubby has been a true star, I’m very lucky in that respect. But what’s also interesting is that knowing more about menopause has changed his attitude to other female family and friends.
He once would have made a derogatory comment perhaps about someone to me but now his first thought is wondering if they have hormonal issues going on. This has made him a calmer more rounded person. He acknowledges this change in himself which is also lovely.
So it’s not just our own journey, although it sometimes feels like it is, but our whole family.
Best of luck to you and let us know how you get on. xxx
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I'm so glad your husbands have been understanding & supportive. Unfortunately, as good as my husband is regarding my other illnesses, he is very critical of any hormonal/mood swings & i know if i told him how i was feeling, regarding low, anxious, moody, it would be used against me if we ever had a disagreement. It would be, oh your on your period are you? Or mood swings again? And the whole world would be told, I'm hard to live with etc.
I avoid all confrontation as i hate it, so i bury it deeply & hide how i am. Its not easy but its the easiest route if i want a peaceful life.
I even hide my periods from him & if he ever wants sex when I'm on, i use the excuse i have thrush lol. Even if i have no mood swings when I'm on, he will look for something.
Truth be told, he actually gets more mood swings than me. You'd think he had PMS lol.
I know I've made him out to be a bad husband but he really isn't. He just listens to his work colleagues who are older than him & complain about their wives menopause & how much hell they're going through but no understanding of what their wives are going through. And no, my husband is stubborn & tunnel visioned.
But, if he's talking to other women about mood swings etc he has all the patience & understanding but with me...god no lol
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That’s really sad to read, even though he may be wonderful in other ways this is really important and he isn’t making it easy for you. That’s a real shame. My husband is autistic and I have helped him a lot, our child is too. So I think he wants to reciprocate the efforts I’ve made to understand and support them.
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Your husband sounds wonderful & its so refreshing to hear that you both help & understand each others ... i wouldn't say problems but health issues.
You are both very lucky to have each other.
I don't even have the support of my parents. They don't really bother with me, even when I've been "dying" in hosp with pneumonia or when i had my lung transplant call, they never acknowledged it but i made sure i was there for my mum when she had a colostomy bag fitted.
I think, this episode of anxiety over thyroid/estrogen was brought on by missing my mum & my husband being critical of me this week & instead of processing it, i buried it & it came out as health anxiety.
Anyway, sorry I've gone off tangent. I didn't mean to get so deep & personal.
This HRT has really done a number on me. I promise i'm not usually this troublesome or depressing to talk to. I can be quite fun with my friends.
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That is very sad Sheri, I really feel for you.
My husband was intolerant and indeed somewhat moody himself before all this kicked off with me.
I’m not saying it was easy but over time him seeing how awful I felt actually changed him for the better.
We had a lot of ups and downs to get where we are now, horrendous some of it, but we got through the other side.
I’m not saying this will work for you but it is something you could consider.
Do you have support of any friends going through the same thing? Or could you benefit from some counselling?
You need someone to help you through this but of course we are all here for you Sheri whenever you feel like it. X
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I’m really sorry to hear that you lack support from family as well and that you have to hold so much in. You’re doing amazing on your own. My mother isn’t great at supporting me either and I find it really frustrating because I am very different with my child. It sucks. I hope you have friends you can talk to but if not, that’s what the forum is for. Please stop apologising for things! It’s ok to be down about this.
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Do U keep a mood/food/symptom diary to chart progress? Helps the brain to stop assuming! Don't GOOGLE. Don't worry about thyroid function either. try to concentrate on the HRT you are using and work towards getting a regime that eases symptoms.
Have you printed off 'hints for husbands' from the Forum? Some men simply cannot cope if their wives are unwell; my Dad would help the World and his dog, but if Mum was ill .......
He is going to have to step up I'm afraid, peri-menopause doesn't go away simply because he can't discuss it. I would stop hiding how I feel. Have either of you been brought up to consider periods etc. as dirty, because that can certainly impact as we move into The Change.
Let us know how you get on.
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I do keep a mood diary as i was seeing a psychologist. Unfortunately she moved from my Cf unit to cardiology so waiting to see my units new psychologist.
I have one friend who has recently started HRT. She's had the coil fitted & takes progesterone tablet ( think its the right way around). Its really helped her & so she doesn't appreciate how difficult I've found starting HRT but she is understanding.
My other friends don't seem to notice whether they're in peri or not as they aren't showing symptoms. And my CF nurse who is in peri, will not try HRT as she said both her sisters got breast cancer aft going on it.
My husband doesn't know I've started HRT. He thinks...because i told him...that the patch is to control my PCOS. I didn't want to lie but it felt easier to say that. Not sure how he thinks the patch is helping my PCOS but he doesn't really ask what my meds do anyway...
I'll try to stop apologising ATB but its ingrained in me. I've even apologise to people who bump into me when I'm out shopping.
Thank you all for being there for me. I'm very grateful to know you've listened, even though you don't know me.
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Ah Sheri, think on….
Whose to know if all of your friends, who seem to be sailing through, really are.
A lot of them to various degrees will be having issues. They might not even realise it themselves or be in denial. Some of course will be doing ok.
I found when I started being more slowly more open, a lot more became apparent and slowly connections were made.
Little steps forward xx
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Quick update. I finally told my husband that the patch I'm wearing isn't for my PCOS but its actually HRT & that I'm struggling mentally.
I told him sternly, please don't use this as a way to blame me for being moody when i keep my moods, anxiety etc internal.
I reminded him that he hadn't noticed a difference in my moods these past few weeks since starting HRT but i have been struggling.
He admitted that he saw no difference in my moods but did notice i looked pale, walked slower & did seem quiet & lost in my thoughts (health anxiety) but not once was i sharp or nasty to him or argumentative.
So, i hope he never throws it in my face in the future & if he does, with the help of HRT i will handle it better & stand up for myself.
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Awww sheri sending big hugs to you.
Glad you have told your husband what is really going on,, I hope things improve for you, you sound so so lovely....we are all here for you xxxxxx
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Oh Sheri, well done! That’s a big thing for you to feel strong enough to do. I’m so pleased for you. I hope your husband is able to support you some way.
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Gosh Sheri, I’m so very pleased for you. That is a massive step forward, not just a little one!
Your hubby had noticed your physical symptoms, that’s a positive sign. You talked and had a connection, that’s good too.
You reached a crossroads and you decided which way you wanted to go. More crossroads ahead no doubt, but your journey has begun.
All the best and hopefully you’ll keep us updated xx
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I will keep you updated. Tbh, its all thanks to you guys. Not sure i would've done it without your support. I'm pretty sure also i would've stopped taking HRT aswell.
Is it too much information if i say, we made love like old times today? I can't say i enjoyed it as it was still quite painful - really dry & i can't use lubricants - but i loved the closeness & cuddles after.
Onwards & upwards.
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Nope, nothing we say on here is TMI!
Are you following the burning club thread?
Nitey x
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My gynae prescribed it. I'm seeing in Wed.
I do have a sore throat aswell. This started Wed aft.
I keep looking up thyroid problems now from having too much estrogen.
Is this a thing that happens on HRT?
Hello - no not transdermal. In fact some women with hypothyroidism seem to find thyroid levels improve on body identical transdermal hrt. (The utrogestan can apparently help. )
Oral hrt can affect thyroid in some women. The combined oral pill kicked it off in me when I was young.
It’s usually autoimmune though so there would be a genetic predisposition- pregnancy, post partum and meno are common times for thyroid to start going wrong.
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Sorry I didn’t see the rest of your messages - I do hope things settle for you.
My breasts were v sore at first. You could try taking magnesium and calcium tablets - it felt similar to when periods return when breastfeeding and this is known to help.
Some women find they need to go up oestrogen dowse more gradually too.
I hope it gets better soon x