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[Sarahkins]

Hi everyone, I've been lurking here for a few months but saying hello finally!

I'm 42 and whilst my recent bloods came back normal I am going crazy with health anxiety due to a host of weird symptoms that I never seemed to have until recently.

My periods have gone missing for months but my GP thinks stress is the cause. My dad died in October and stress does seem to have a big effect on me physically. But I'm also getting recurrent ear infections/itchy ears, weird aches and pains. Sore scalp and strange headaches etc.

I'm hoping to get some understanding and hopefully reassurance from the threads and lovely people on here. The anxiety over my health is making me utterly miserable and to be honest, if it's all peri then I will be glad!

Has anyone else had normal bloods but still been perimenopausal?

[CLKD]

Welcome!  So sorry that you Dad died, which will impact on every part of your Life for a while.  CRUSE - bereavement help by the bereaved, mayB of use if you need to source support.


GPs don't equate symptoms with peri-menopause!

Some ladies find that keeping a mood/food/symptom diary of use to chart progress.  My periods waxed and waned for a couple of years B4 disappearing.  Fortunately, other than Vaginal Atrophy, the few episodes of cold flushes didn't last long.

Some GPs think that 38 onwards is 'too young' for a woman to go into peri ...........

Blood tests are reliably un-reliable.  A knowledgeable GP will treat on symptoms.

[Sarahkins]

Hi CLKD,

Thankyou, my dad's passing has upset my body as well as my mind, but I've always struggled with anxiety. Unfortunately moreso these days!

I'm just not sure how else to explain all the weird symptoms. Glad to hear that the hot flushes didn't last long. I have been to the doctor so many times recently I'm afraid to go back to ask about anything else. The diary you mentioned is a good idea. I'm using the Balance app at the minute but haven't been logging mood or food. Will add that in!

[CLKD]

Think about why you visited the GP and what was his response other than 'stress due to your Dad's passing'?

MayB make a list to take with you, perhaps see a Nurse Practitioner who often have more time to discuss worries.

[Penguin]

Did your periods stop before your dad passed or after? And the symptoms? I lost a LOT of weight following my mum's death in 2021, partly due to grief and anxiety, but I also now know due to the start of peri meno- I was 47. If you lose a lot of weight quickly that can stop your periods. Had they changed at all before they stopped? Mine were shorter and lighter but didn't stop.

You're not too young for peri, and blood tests are unreliable as there are massive fluctuations during peri. Sometimes your estrogen can be as high as  a teenage girls. However, it would be helpful for your GP to at least help you work through each of your symptoms given they are so worrying for you.

Is there another GP you could see and talk to, aside from blood tests this one sounds perhaps a little dismissive? I do think they should be offering you something even if it is just talking therapy at this stage.

And I am so sorry for your loss, I have lost both parents now and I know how hard it is x

[Sarahkins]

Did your periods stop before your dad passed or after? And the symptoms? I lost a LOT of weight following my mum's death in 2021, partly due to grief and anxiety, but I also now know due to the start of peri meno- I was 47. If you lose a lot of weight quickly that can stop your periods. Had they changed at all before they stopped? Mine were shorter and lighter but didn't stop.

You're not too young for peri, and blood tests are unreliable as there are massive fluctuations during peri. Sometimes your estrogen can be as high as  a teenage girls. However, it would be helpful for your GP to at least help you work through each of your symptoms given they are so worrying for you.

Is there another GP you could see and talk to, aside from blood tests this one sounds perhaps a little dismissive? I do think they should be offering you something even if it is just talking therapy at this stage.

And I am so sorry for your loss, I have lost both parents now and I know how hard it is x

I'm very sorry to hear about your parents. It's incredibly hard. I was surprised by how much it has affected me physically. But yes my periods have stopped for two to three months at a time before over the last two years. However they stopped almost immediately after my dad died in October.
I spent November having panic attacks every single day thinking I was dying. I had an ear infection at the time and it would escalate to me dying triggering a panic attack. I got so I was afraid to go to sleep at night. Then by December they had settled down and I wasn't really having them any more.
My periods returned a week ago after missing four.  I can see why my GP.thinks stress. But I have also had headaches, dizziness earache/itchy ears, brain fog, pain down my left side and sore/tender scalp.
All things that could either be peri or stress, which doesn't help!
I get whichever GP is available usually as there's little choice with appointments here. So it's inconsistent.
I'm on a waiting list for talking therapy but haven't heard a thing in three months.
I will chase it up.
It is good to hear from other people though, I'm glad I found this forum.

[CLKD]

As oestrogen levels drop the body may become dry: inside and out; deep in the ears, eyes, nostrils; scalp, vagina, skin ....... as well as muscles may become lax = aches and pains.

Panic attacks can be draining on the energy levels.  Which starts a vicious cycle.

[Penguin]

Did your periods stop before your dad passed or after? And the symptoms? I lost a LOT of weight following my mum's death in 2021, partly due to grief and anxiety, but I also now know due to the start of peri meno- I was 47. If you lose a lot of weight quickly that can stop your periods. Had they changed at all before they stopped? Mine were shorter and lighter but didn't stop.

You're not too young for peri, and blood tests are unreliable as there are massive fluctuations during peri. Sometimes your estrogen can be as high as  a teenage girls. However, it would be helpful for your GP to at least help you work through each of your symptoms given they are so worrying for you.

Is there another GP you could see and talk to, aside from blood tests this one sounds perhaps a little dismissive? I do think they should be offering you something even if it is just talking therapy at this stage.

And I am so sorry for your loss, I have lost both parents now and I know how hard it is x

I'm very sorry to hear about your parents. It's incredibly hard. I was surprised by how much it has affected me physically. But yes my periods have stopped for two to three months at a time before over the last two years. However they stopped almost immediately after my dad died in October.
I spent November having panic attacks every single day thinking I was dying. I had an ear infection at the time and it would escalate to me dying triggering a panic attack. I got so I was afraid to go to sleep at night. Then by December they had settled down and I wasn't really having them any more.
My periods returned a week ago after missing four.  I can see why my GP.thinks stress. But I have also had headaches, dizziness earache/itchy ears, brain fog, pain down my left side and sore/tender scalp.
All things that could either be peri or stress, which doesn't help!
I get whichever GP is available usually as there's little choice with appointments here. So it's inconsistent.
I'm on a waiting list for talking therapy but haven't heard a thing in three months.
I will chase it up.
It is good to hear from other people though, I'm glad I found this forum.

Well the panic attacks could be explained by your dad passing given when they started I guess. I went through a horrible period of time after my mum where I just didn't feel safe. Eventually it went,  but there's definitely something about losing a parent that shakes you to the core and can create all manner of issues.

However, given your periods have stopped on and off before then, it does seem to point to your hormones being a bit wonky.

Do you think you need grief counselling or more broader? If the former, then you could contact somewhere like Cruse. Or, if you are working then maybe your employer had an assistance program where you cam get some short term sessions from?

[CLKD]

Apparently Sue Ryder provide counselling too.

[Sarahkins]

Thank you all if you for your insight. I am glad I found this forum!

I might pursue grief counselling in the near future but at the moment I think it might be a little too destabilising for me at the moment.

I had a blood test a few weeks ago which showed my kidney function had reduced slightly compared to previous tests a couple of years back. At the time of the test I was incredibly anxious and stressed about Christmas and other things, but the result was unexpected and had had me worrying for weeks about what that might mean. The nurse said it wasn't concerning but she wanted to monitor it.

I'm going back next week for another one to see where I'm at, but I'm desperate for it to have been a blip and the effects of stress!

So I don't think adding counselling into the mix would be a good choice at the moment.

I was taking vitamin D on the recommendation of the GP I spoke to but I'm wondering if I might have been taking too much and if this might also have affected my kidney function. Anyway I'm rambling a bit but reading some of the threads on here is keeping me more together at the moment.

[Minnie Mouse]

Hello, I'm also new here & also going crazy with health anxiety, so I really sympathise.
I also lost my dad (just before xmas), funeral tomorrow, totally get how the whole body is shaken.
Self-care never been more important xx

[Sarahkins]

Hi Minnie,

I'm really sorry to hear this about your dad. I hope you're finding ways to take care of and be kind to yourself, and just get through the days.

Sorry to also hear that you've been suffering with health anxiety. Have you found anything to help you cope with it? I've been prescribed propranolol to take as needed, which does help quite a bit with the physical symptoms of anxiety.

I think part of my brain knows that it's natural to feel vulnerable and exposed after losing a parent. Unfortunately anxiety tends to lead me down a path of terminal illnesses and chronic diseases. Before I know it I'm having a panic attack that started with an ear infection and ended in a brain tumour. I wish I was joking!  Health anxiety is new for me since losing my dad, so it was a bit of a shock to be having panic attacks every day. It has eased quite a lot over the months though. Maybe yours will settle down too as time goes on? I really feel your pain with this. It's so hard to keep it under control and can dominate absolutely everything! 

I'm sorry I didn't see this before your dad's funeral, but I hope the day went as well as could be hoped and that you're doing ok.

Always happy to chat if ever you want to x

[CLKD]

Sarahkins - where do U buy your VitD supplement from, usually Pharmacies don't sell such a high dose as GPs might prescribe.

Propranolol can be taken as a continuous dose to ease anxiety.  I took 20mg at night to ease early morning surges which really helped.  How fast does it ease symptoms taking 'as necessary'?

Statins can affect kidney function.  I have to undergo annual blood tests to check. 

[Minnie Mouse]

thanks Sarahkins, the funeral has brought some relief (although a tornado of family issues, but that's another thread entirely)
I've actually found this forum really helpful in the last few days, it's probably the first time in my life I've reached out and said 'help'.
I've never taken anything for anxiety, except wine.
My health anxiety roofed it in the last year which has coincided with Dad visibly in his last months and lots of 'final' visits, so beginning to really see the connection.
I'm physically very much his side of the genes, so maybe there's some sort of entanglement, need to untangle

[CLKD]

Minnie Mouse - U R welcome to being another thread in the private area ;-)