Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Nik]

Hi - to say that women are half the population im surprised there is not a menopause clinic in every town - there bludy should be - its disheartening after periods then babies , should we choose or be so lucky, or and miscarriage should we suffer & then menopause- the only way to get any kind of guidance or support is on forums...the doctors just dont give the time or care im my experience..its a case of 'get on with it'. i went to docs couple of years back with some symptoms that i believed to be perimenopause and asked to be tested , i was told ' do you know how much that would cost and the state the NHS is in?" and ushered away and told to basically just get on with it..little did they know my mood swings at that point were so bad and if i hadnt of got a supportive husband i mightve very well gone mad. Annyway i digress, point being, i set myself on HRT , i insisted...it didnt seem to work for me..i came off..felt like shit..went back on..my husband suggested i come off as i 'was worse' .then came off again.....i really did not and do not know what is best for being.i feel like my body is betraying me, im sure i will get through it, but its punishing, really punishing.  Last month after my period which have changed from 7 days per week to a very gushy thin runny 2 days ( excuse the deets but know you wont mind) , then 2 weeks later ( last week) i had the most ulmighty pain in my right hand side and lost brown blood, i think , i dont know, it mightve been my last hurrah?..my final egg..who knows..again i digress cus the question i have ..are all these symptoms synonomous with menopause...i have little energy, just to do housework is impossible ..truly..ive got 'used to' the brain fog, which is a ball acher running my own photography business. i dont need a coat and i was always so nesh..the worst being my joints are killing me, i feel like an old woman, my neck and bag feel arthritic,bloated like a whale and my sinus! cor blimey, im dizzy every day, my ears popping constantly  with wooshing inside my head,i fell like my head is a cottonwool head or a swimming pool - sneezing all the time like allergic ( never was) - stabbing palpitations, ..the horrible nausea on waking and thats if ive managed to get some sleep......and my emotions are close to the edge on a daily basis...im sorry to moan ..just wanted to write it down so i could see it for myself....ive always been a healthy fit person..its driving me truly truly nuts...thankyou for listening, i just dont know what to do next ..

[Kathleen]

Hello Nik and welcome to the forum.

Everything you've described is sadly familiar. Your comment about feeling that your body is betraying you certainly resonates with me and the emotional upheaval is equally distressing.

I do not have the breadth of HRT knowledge that other ladies have but I wanted to reassure you that you are not alone. This is a truly awful experience and you have my heart felt sympathy.

Wishing you well and keep posting.

K.

[AG]

Hi Nik,

Sorry to hear you have had all these symptoms but I had most of them (and still do have them to various degrees) mainly this year. I can truly say that 2018 has been my worst year for some time due to this peri menopause madness. I never expected to get nausea, ring tone in ears, all sorts of other stuff you describe, anxiety I never had before, terrible PMS mainly earlier this year, and so on. I have not yet gone on HRT (but may do soon) but one thing that helped me a bit with nausea etc a bit was a low dose of magnesium with some B vitamins (but not too high a dose). I am a runner but my running this year has literally "gone down the drain". One thing - aside from insomnia - that can make exercising difficult is the exhausting one can feel at times. I still exercise whenever I can as this seems to even hormone fluctuations out a bit for me. I do hope that something will work for you soon. If NHS is of no use you may - if possible - consider to have a private check up. All the best, Anna

[Nik]

Thankyou so much for these responses it has helped me feeling less 👽 alien - I will make sure to navigate the different topics on here and have bought some B6 and also I'm very interested in the T gel
So I will keep an eye on that topic - thanks comrades this-
My 50th year I hope won't be plagued and bogged down with confusion - knowledge is power and I hope I really hope to learn more and educate myself so
I can make this journey less of a car crash  thankyou very much x
Much love 💗

[Nik]

..have took a big breath x

[AG]

Hi Nik,

I hope things will improve for you soon.  Brisk walking is also good even for 10 or 20 minutes. One thing I forgot to mention that did make a difference for me as well (sadly, as I do like a good coffee) when I reduced caffeine intake drastically. I am now getting back to having the odd coffee in the morning but supplement it half with decaff, then I only have one more cup of tea or so (instead of 2-3 during the day). Another thing that I found that was worse is allergies as my hayfever this year was worse. Overall peri menopause symptoms are much understated where like many women I "just" expected to get some hot flushes and a bit of sleep issues but no: a barrage of symptoms instead! I think one needs to try whatever works, for some this may be a particular combination and dosage of HRT, for others, different things reduce symptoms. Maybe the type of HRT you were on was not the right combination for you or dosage? I do hope you find a good solution soon. Anna

[Nik]

Thankyou so
Much - well I've booked a slot with the female doc in the hope I can
Attempt to lesson some of the symptoms like the acid the belchjng maybe the sinus and thus the brain ache and cloudy head - i do exercise and eat healthy but I do drink maybe 3-4 coffees a day so might think about that one - anything that helps - I don't know if a date try a different combo of hrt or dare to approach it with the doc as she was reluctant last time to administer it but I kind of begged as was so wired -  a friend said she uses testosterone gel
At 40 quid and she said her libido came runni back
Literally - just wish we could get it from the docs but I fear the nhs is so behind the times either Menipaise and women's health - maybe because us got he word Men at the front they don't see it as important - she says joking and bitterly but joking 🙃 honest guv hahahahaha - got to keep doctor humour close by these days lol
X thankyou

[Roseneath]

Hi Nik. I read your post and thought yes yes yes that is me. I started with the brown gunk two years ago, still get it mid cycle and lots of variation in when my period comes/if at all/how long it lasts. Then queue anxiety, insomnia, brain fog and short term memory rubbish. Maybe had 12 trips to 7 GPs by now.  Refused blood tests (Had basic bloods.thyroid.All fine) Have tried HRT but made me much madder than before, been down the vitamins, even tried reiki.  There seems to be no fix, no long term 'haaaaa that's me sorted'. Sometimes things are better, sometimes horrible, sometimes very horrible, sometimes almost normal. The only thing that is absolutely fantastic and a definite help without question for every single woman is.....this site.

[Nik]

oh my thats me totally ...i mean im going to the docs next week..but what for...i have a list i have written.(in case i forget or my confidence is on the floor as docs can be so intimidating).but whats the point? its the menopause she will say ..but i want to know..but they avoid blood test because of cost ££££etc etc..if i can eradicate the belching daily the nausea the brain squeeze, the fog, th mood swings  i might get somewhere with my day...i just think its bonkers that half the population may go through this but there are no meno clinics expertly guiding us and tailoring help to our individual needs not just private ones...its exasperating- it should be on the budget along with free sanitary towels, pad etc...ooof dont get me started.. women are just not high enough up on the gender, womens health is not prioritised yet they give birth to the world...bugs me.........and breathe nikki just breath : like you say at least we have forums but we need this empathy and compassion in a service-its 2020 upon us surely womens health has got to become more important as we are working later in life and have much to do at 45-55 and battling aching loins, sickness, head fog, sleeplessness etc etc etc etc etc as well its just not gravy ...........vent over  xxx

[Roseneath]

  Bravo Nik Bravo. We need more female MPs who can talk about these things and make changes. They would pay for themselves in terms of work days lost, pills prescribed that don't work, mental health accessed.  I too agree it is a gob smacking state of affairs that GPs are so uninformed of something that effects so many. However having today watched a video of a certain movie mogul coming on to a young girl trying to do a business pitch to him I should not be surprised. We 'put up' with so much in this ' if the shoe was on the other foot' world.

[Nik]

Tired of putting up and shutting up oh if women ruled the world 🌍 🤞🏽

[Nik]

...been to the doctors today- she listened to my symptoms ad has prescribed me Lansoprazole onece a day for acid refulx and has prescribed femseven hrt patches ---she said to me after listening " lets make oyu a new woman"......so no pressure there then....lets see if in fact that occurs...dont want to be new necessarily but  at least human feeling )- the funny thing was could i get it in my town??/ not one pharmacy has it in stock - they are sending out for it...wtf ?? cant get hrt patches in my town...i said is it because no-one usues them sha saod no its the opposite its  because everywhere has ran out....

one thing the doctor and i agreed on why should a one prescription for hrt patches carry a 2 prescription charge ?

[ali 61]

Hi Nik,
I'm glad your dr was more understanding this time round.
I know how you are feeling with your symptoms, as I've pretty much been through the same ones!

Just a heads-up.....I think you may find that FemSeven patches aren't being made until mid 2019 (the company is changing the "sticky" part of the patch) So most pharmacies will not be able to get them, or certainly not continuously.

Dont want to be pessimistic for you...but thought you and your doctor had better be aware. x

[Nik]

i have now come to realise that no pharmacy in my town is stocking it ..as a 'good will gesture' the pharmacy has gone to the next town to source some...oof !!!

[Hurdity]

Hi Nik

 

Sorry to hear about all your symptoms. Re blood tests - nowadays guidelines say it is not necessary to test women for menopause if they are over 45, periods have begun to go awry (variable cycle length of at least 7 days difference between periods), and you are experiencing menopausal symptoms. Usually this would be flushes and sweats as main symptoms but some women get more of the other symptoms eg mood swings and nausea. Also if you are already taking other meds like some anti-depressants for example you may not get hot flushes as this masks the symptoms so docs may not recognise other symptoms as menopause! At least your doc did though.

Hopefully you will get hold of some Femseven and be on the road to feeling better!

Have you tried using normal antacids? I mention this because taking drugs like Lansoprazole can affect absorption of some vitamins and minerals from the gut.

Hurdity x