1. Community
  2. Women's health
  3. Menopause

Am I alone?? Perimenopause so bad i've been hospitalized.

Posted , 28 users are following.

shylee
shylee

It's a very long story but I will try to keep it shortened. I am now 49 just about to turn 50 but this has been going on for years. i remember the yrs of itching skin like ants crawling and biting, then suddenly it disappeared and i didn't think of it again.

It started in 2013 I had been getting severe electric like shocks in the top/ back of my head, so painful my legs sometimes buckled. it was fleeting so i never saw a Dr. then started to get a numbness in my left ear which would also disappear. The head shock hit hard one afternoon and again gone. i went to bed that night and woke with a completely dead left arm, feeling came back but it was never the same. i went to the drs i had CT scans, nothing. I was referred to a neurologist. while waiting. I was hit with severe neck pain, body pain, numbness and burning on the left side of my face and arm. then i was hit with severe hot flushes that were more like waves of fire, none stop. Then i was hit with what felt like a severe ongoing UTI (no infection) Migraines, vertigo, burning mouth, anxiety through the roof, insomnia... I was and am in so much pain but Drs weren't listening to me. eventually i was put on HRT and hot flashes settled but nothing else. I had MRI blood tests etc for MS, Lupus etc results came up nothing... so i have been treated like a mental patient. I am sorry to say that i fulfilled their assumptions of me when i could take no more and overdosed. I was in hospital for 5-6wks.

Since then i have been put on Carbamazepine to stop the burning sensations which it has, in combination with duloxetine for anxietyand pain and metazepine for insomnia and combo for pain plus pain relief panadiene forte as well as the HRT. My Dr has told me flat out perimenopause and menopause do not cause pain (Dr is male) i have no other dr to go to in my town. I feel very alone as no one i know not even family members have or are suffering as I am. Is there anyone out there like me? or am i truly alone in this?

6 likes, 63 replies

63 Replies

Next
  • alison91416
    alison91416 shylee

    Edited

    I am suffering quite badly today with anxiety. Ive always had it but it is ramped up with peri... i didnt sleep well last night and anxiety is sky high today. it is a real thing. I work in nhs and the menopause policy was emailed to staff this week. i didn't know they had one! It is not you x

    • shylee
      shylee alison91416

      Posted

      Hi alison91416

      Thank you for you're reply and for letting me know it's not just me. I'm sorry you're suffering with anxiety today. i hope you find something calming to help you through. I know how difficult it can be xxx

    • kelly55079
      kelly55079 alison91416

      Posted

      menapause policy?? oh wow.. so they know that around this age ppl may take a leave of absence during this time. That's great that they know it's a real thing.

  • alison91416
    alison91416 shylee

    Edited

    I am suffering quite badly today with anxiety. Ive always had it but it is ramped up with peri... i didnt sleep well last night and anxiety is sky high today. it is a real thing. I work in nhs and the menopause policy was emailed to staff this week. i didn't know they had one! It is not you x

  • alison91416
    alison91416 shylee

    Posted

    I am suffering quite badly today with anxiety. Ive always had it but it is ramped up with peri... i didnt sleep well last night and anxiety is sky high today. it is a real thing. I work in nhs and the menopause policy was emailed to staff this week. i didn't know they had one! It is not you x

  • Guest
    Guest shylee

    Edited

    Hi, you are not alone! My life crashed August of 2016. I was soooo bad, ended up being put in the hospital and underwent every test imaginable. The only thing they could find was a sludgy gall bladder so had that removed. It made no difference, I was still so sick. I tried different drugs but never for long. I was too scared to start some or stay on others. I saw so many specialists, only my GyN said perimeno and threw BCP's my way. Nope. I finally went to see a psychiatrist who the rheumatologist recommended. At this point I started worrying maybe I was crazy after being made to feel that way in the medical community. The psychiatrist was wonderful, my age, with a fan on her desk for hot flashes. She told me that I wasn't suffering from anxiety or depression and it sounded like hormones and a virus like EBV. What? All those doctors and it takes the psychiatrist to diagnose me? And she was right!

    Anyway, that's my shortened story. I really thought at times I wasn't going going to make it, but 2 1/2 years later I'm still here. Have stayed off all drugs and now being consistent with VIT D, B12, B9, and multivitamins.

    You aren't alone. You're in the elite 25% club of super sufferers and have found a family here. I'm so sorry for all you've been thru!

    • shylee
      shylee Guest

      Edited

      Hi suzanne54870

      Thank you for you're reply and letting me know that i'm not alone. I have felt so alone in this for such a long time. I'm sorry to hear that you too have suffered not just physically but through the so called medical profession. I am finding so many that are not up to date on these issues and it's beyond frustrating. Tonight is a very bad night for me, the pain in my neck, head and left arm are incredibly nauseating. it seems to be this way during a hormonal fluctuation. I can not survive without the HRT or medication despite the fact i fought for yrs to stay medication free. I am terrified I am going to be this way for the rest of my life. so much pain, even my fingers hurt, especially my thumbs but i don't have arthritis, they tested. I don't know what to do anymore, no matter what's happening i don't go to my Dr, there doesn't seem a point if he doesn't believe in perimenopause being anything more than hot flushes, anxiety and headaches.

  • nanc00951
    nanc00951 shylee

    Edited

    I am a frequent visitor to this forum.

    I am 56 still going thru Peri.

    I have had all symptoms the WORST being the anxiety.

    I used to have situational anxiety, now I have it pretty much all the time

    GYN wanted me to start HRT or an antidepressant.

    I was NOT doing HRT and the antidepressant I had to think long about.

    I have 2 different ones available to me and have NOT started either.

    I cannot have this chemical regulate me because I feel I will not know if I am getting better on my own.

    I am seeing a therapist to try to help.

    • shylee
      shylee nanc00951

      Edited

      Hi Nanc,

      I understand perfectly your hesitation to use medication and if you're able to do it medication free or on natural therapies that's great. I wish i had been able to go that way myself. i had resisted any kind of medication for 12 yrs but unfortunately this has been so bad for me that without it I am unable to function in any capacity. I could not walk because of the pain in my bladder (HRT) has helped alleviate that. The burning face and head and tongue and throat and left arm stopped me from writing. i was crying and panicking all the time especially at night with horrific nightmares, Migraines jaw and facial pain and the list goes on. I had no quality of life so the medication has allowed me to get up and do things but it hasnt stopped everything unfortunately and as for the long term risks of HRT i will cross that bridge if i come to it as having no function now was more important to me.

      I do hope you find help with your therapist and things ease for you soon.

  • Nettie261962
    Nettie261962 shylee

    Edited

    You are not alone. I too suffer from the same stuff you do. It's awful. My latest is I have weak and trembly feeling hands, arms and chest. This vamps up my anxiety. Lotsa pain everywhere. I too have had lots of tests, scans etc and nothing shows up. I do, however, have arthritis and fybromyalgia.

    Sending a big air hug!!!

    • kelly55079
      kelly55079 Nettie261962

      Edited

      Just wanted to share that a pool might help you if you live near one. I'm in a water fitness class and when I go, I do feel better. There are several ppl in the group with arthritis (I think we all have that) But also a couple ppl with fybromyalgia.. They are in pain BUT feel so much better in the water.

    • Nettie261962
      Nettie261962 kelly55079

      Posted

      Funny you mention the pool. We are actually having one built right now with an attached spa. It will be completed in 10 more weeks.

    • shylee
      shylee Nettie261962

      Posted

      Thank you Nettie,

      I am so sorry you are suffering also. It really is awful and i have to say i am really confused. If there are so many women suffering and displaying similar and often the same pain symptoms etc then why are Dr's so behind and have no clue. As i said in my initial post my Dr argued with me literally started to yell at me and tell me perimenopause and menopause DO NOT cause pain at all. Yes the weakness is an awful feeling, it often makes me nauseous. Today i am fighting a severe ongoing headache that i know is going to turn into another migraine. I hope your pain eases. Air hugs back 😃

    • shylee
      shylee kelly55079

      Edited

      Hi Kelly,

      That is a good idea, i do live near the river and the beach and there is a pool unfortunately I am pretty much a loner so the pool is out for me. If i had a spear i might walk in the water at the beach (terrible fear of sharks lol) I guess motivation is a tricky one when i feel so depressed and the energy has been sucked out of me constantly battling pain that all i feel like doing is hiding in my house.

    • kelly55079
      kelly55079 shylee

      Edited

      I'm sorry to hear this and yes I know it's tough. There are days that I do not want to leave the house and I don't.. But the days I make it to the pool I honestly feel better--mentally and physically. I go to a water fitness class and they are just like us. You don't have to say a word if you don't want too-- women are there for the water and movement. Sure there are some that are 'chatty patty's' BUT then other days class is quiet and people are zoning out.

    • shylee
      shylee kelly55079

      Edited

      thanks Kelly

      i know there is a local group here that does similar so i will think on it. thank you for the suggestion. I write fantasy books to get me out of the real world for a while though it does get difficult the more pain I'm in but i do love to write

    • tamsin00119
      tamsin00119 tracy43395

      Posted

      Hi Tracy

      This is an interesting statement... I was told I have a bit of fibromyalgia a number of years ago... but all through peri and meno I only get sporadic flairups... however I have now been post for about 8 years and my hormones have really gone haywire ... I know suffer from this burning skin thing... wonder if it is fybro personified because of hormones?

      Tams

    • Nettie261962
      Nettie261962 kelly55079

      Posted

      we just put in a pool and spa. I use the spa several times a week and will start using the pool once warm enough out. The water does help big time.

Back to top
Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.