Debilitating body weakness and fatigue

Hey, I’m not Dee but when I read your post I just felt compelled to reply. 

I have been post menopausal for almost 2 years and I feel horrible all the time. I could never have imagined my life like it is now. 

I am so tired I can barely function And I work full time what ch makes it so hard. There are days (most days) that I am so nauseous and sick to my stomach and dizzy and feel like I am literally going to fall over at any minute and I don’t know what else I can do about it.  

I have tried numerous OTC menopause pills with absolutely no help. I have been on HRT pills no help. Now I’m on an estrogen patch (highest dose) and 200 mg progesterone pills daily and I feel  worse than ever. 

Still have all the symptoms I started with and others I didn’t have to start with. I stay nauseous like morning sickness daily; sometimes all day. 

I have horrible hot flashes and night sweats; so tired today can barely move; horrible body aches-my legs ache so bad I could cry. Can’t ever get comfy. My feet ache. Have headaches, mood swings, depressed, and there are many days I actually ask my husband why I’m still alive. I cry at anything and I’ve never been a crier so this is awful. I truly do t know why I’m still alive. What my purpose is. I’ve been back to gyn 7 tomes Amd habe another appointment tomorrow but not even sure what to say to them anymore. 

I know they don’t understand and probably won’t be able to help me which will just make everything worse. 

I hate my life and don’t know what to do anymore. 

I can’t believe this is my life. 

Sorry for typos. I was on a rant. Just needed to get all that out. 

Oh my goodness..ladies. Your stories break my heart and hit home so deeply. Have faith. I am now 80% better. It will have been two years since I crashes physically. I still have some stamina issues, slight fatigue and the most annoying right now..body stiffness, aches and very sore feet. But..I am able to work again part time..as a salon receptionist. Same job I had to quit when I got so severe. I won't bore you with how I got to where I am right now. Feel free to message me with any questions. I would love be to help in any way you can. Ladies, what we go through in life is so incredibly hard at times..but, I have been where you are, I have cries many tears..but, it can get better. ??

Sorry for my typos too. 😋

Hey Dee, 

Thank you for your uplifting words. I wish I could believe it will get better but I just don't feel it right now. I went back to gyno this morning and she basically said there isn't much else they can do to help me. I am on highest dose estrogen patch and 200 mg daily of progesterone. 

she is going to call me in a combo patch just to see if that might help but she said she didn't think my insurance would cover it. She also said she thought a low dose of Wellbutrin might help me too so she is calling in me a RX for that too. 150 mg XL once daily. At this point I am willing to try anything. 

I am so miserable. 

?I was going to message you but not sure how to do that. 

Thank you again for responding. I appreciate any words of encouragement. I pray to God to please help me. 

Hi Vivian, i am so so sorry that you are having a rough time. What symptoms are you dealing with?

Thanks so much for your response and I have a slew of symptoms lol! Not funny but it’s laugh or cry, ya know!

Here are the ones my faulty can remember at the moment:

Overwhelming fatigue 

No energy 

All day nausea (comes and goes)

Night sweats

Hot flashes 

Body aches

Horrid moodiness 

Very emotional

Insomnia 

Other days I could sleep all day and do on the weekends which means I never have any time to do anything else because I work 40+ hours every week. 

Honestly though I don’t feel like doing anything anymore. 

On and off dizziness 

Have trouble finding the words I want to say (very scary sometimes)

Headaches

Head just feels foggy A LOT

Memory issues 

Feet hurt really bad

Legs aches so bad some days that I could cry

Restless legs a lot

Have no tolerance for people in general anymore and I used to be so social 

Depression 

Weird anxiety that I’ve never had before  like not liking the dark when I’m sleeping and I used to couldn’t sleep unless it wasn’t pitch black.  So crazy!

I just feel generally unwell ALL the time. 

Can’t remember the last time I felt like getting out of bed. 

Horrible weight gain. Last year I’ve gained almost 30 lbs and I’m sure part of that is because I hurt so bad I can’t exercise anymore and haven’t the energy anyway. 

There are so many mornings I get up to get ready for work and honestly am so tired and sleepy and nauseous and sweaty and just sick feeling  that I have to lay back down in between getting ready. 

I’m sorry. I know the list is so little by bit it’s hinestkybhiw I feel and I’m sure I’ve left some things off. 

I literally hate my life right now and hate how I feel and look. Everything! It’s so dang depressing and no matter how hard I try to get help or what I try or use nothing has made any difference. 

Sorry again for the rant and thanks all for listening to me. I know I sound like a lunatic 

You are NOT a lunatic. I totally understand you. My story is long, but, basically, two years ago.. July 16th. I started feeling like I had a sinus infection. Things got worse and worse..until one morning, all my energy basically left my body! I was terrified! Doctors said it was due to my sinuses infection..and after three courses if antibiotics..I did not get better. A naturopath helped me get rid of it. I never regained my full strength since. I had to quit my job.

I had a relapse that same year around Christmas. I caught a virus and fell into a super weak and sick state!! My natropath had to help me through that too.

All my blood work always came back "normal". A long story short, I eventually saw a Obgyn about my menopause pause I ended up having while sick. I am on 200 mg progesterone and 100 mg estrogen. It helpped a great deal..but I was still so bad...I needed to figure out what else was wrong. Thankfully my severe hot flashes, night sweats, severe moodiness and depression either went away or lessened. My body had some relief!

Then.. after more blood work..and doctors and natropaths, I became hypothyroid. I felt I was sublinical hypo for months..but could never convince anyone. My numbers finally went out of range..and I was put on 25 mcg Synthroid. After months of experimenting on my own with more natural options, I am doing relatively well. I still have problems, but all are much less severe! I still experience fatigue, Stiffness, aches .. especially legs, super sore feet. I was prescribed anti depressants twice, but never ended up on them for more than a couple days. I was and am sad..not depressed. Severe illness makes people very sad. I know how awful and scary it is. I cried for an hour before I could for force myself out of bed, I had to force myself to do everything and then try to do one thing more. Looking after my personal hygiene was even very difficult. But, there is a cause for all illnesses..we just need to keep fighting somehow..and hopefully with alot of allies and support. I see an Endo in September. I hope we can figure out how to get rid of the rest of my symptoms.

Please hang in there.. it isn't forever!

Mindfulness is helpful. Also diet.. gluten free..may help. Organic..lots of fruits and vegetables. Good vitamins! What have your doctor's done for you?

I am here if you need to talk. ??

Vivian, I know this is an old post, but if you're still on here, message me. I know how you feel!!

Hello ashley26,

I am still on here i just don't post very often. I still suffer from all the sane symptoms plus more now.

I hate hearing that you are suffering too.

Have you found anything that actually helps?

Hi Vivian,

My reply was apparently deleted. Not sure why that was. I included some helpful information from what helped me : )

I have tried to figure out how to private message you but I can't see how. Any idea on how I can message you directly? I don't know what info that I included was deemed necessary for the moderator to delete. Maybe I listed brand names of things....?

I have tried to figure out how to private message you but I can't see how. Any idea on how I can message you directly? I don't know what info that I included was deemed necessary for the moderator to delete. Maybe I listed brand names of things....?

I tried to and can't figure it out either.

is there anything you could post on here that might be helpful that won't be deleted?

i would appreciate that

Thank you

I don't know what I said that was wrong before....I will try again! What I said was that I have tried hrt cream, a magnet that you affix to your clothes made specifically for perimenopause, some all natural supplements, particularly b-vitamins and symplex f, and most recently antihistamines have helped some. Different things help at different times. Let me see if this one will go through...

It looks like that one worked so I will try more.... I have become very sensitive to many things - from food to medicine. All things that never bothered me before, now I have a scary response to them. Because of this, I can't just go take a dose of something. I have to have a small piece - as if the case with antihistamines.

The magent is ladycare. It surprsingly has helped a lot. I don't wear it all the time as suggested. Sometimes for a day or so, or a few hours, or a few minutes, but it has really helped to get my sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems to relax more and does a lot to stop a surge when it is about to happen.

magnet not magent

So when I tried to list actual brand names of what I take, it flagged it for moderation again. This is strange to me because I see brand name medicines listed throughout many posts on this site

bi-est, progesterone cream, est-adapt, pregnenolone, magnet, antihistamines,

all of the above I got online. I have one estradiol cream requiring a prescription

the names of the above are biolabs, now, biomatrix, biolabs, ladycare

i generally use allegra as an antihistamine

May I ask what exactly the Allegra helps with?

Right now I am on Prempro which does help some with hot flashes but that is about all it helps with. I am also on Wellbutrin which is also supposed to help but can't really tell it does much.

I have recently lost my health insurance and my meds are ridiculously expensive so I really need to find something OTC that actually works because my Prempro without insurance is over $300 for a 28 day supply. No way I can afford that.

What have you found that really does help with hot flashes and insomnia and mood swings?

Thank you for your help. I really do appreciate it. It is so hard to get anyone to listen much less offer any real help.

I forgot I also have testosterone cream that is prescription. What i have found is that anything everyday doesn't work for me. What helps one day hurts the next day. What makes it much better one day makes me feel terrible the next time I take it. I think the reason for this is that perimenopause is a time for major hormone fluctuations. SO if your estrogen is too high one day, it's too low the next etc... What I have found that helps me is using small amounts (sometimes super small, like almost just residue, but I am very sensitive to things, so other people, like my Mom, need a lot) . I try different things to figure out which symptom means my need for which hormone. I have found this really helps. I will say, though, that even that changes. It is really trial and error for me and i think that might be different for others. I have had some days, months even, where I needed testosterone, then it became estrogen and pregnenolone, then it became a mixture of progesterone and antihistamines. SO, back to the Allegra...if you search, you will find the link between people's sensitivity to histamine and their problems with menopause. What the antihistamine does for me has something to do with estrogen. I'm not sure what. Some days, it helps with fatigue. Other days, it does the opposite and helps tone down the nerve energy and surges etc... Somedays the antihistamine makes it worse. What I've found for me is that i am doing damage control. If i try to look for a panacea, i get frustrated because it doesnt seem to work. If i just try small amounts of things day to day to alleviate my symptoms, i do better with that. Sometimes i feel a lot better. Sometimes i have days where it's really bad just when i thought i was feeling better. I haven't found many people who understand. It makes it hard when you feel like you're the only one. I have had medical professionals handle the situation cluelessly and very poorly which has not helped. I have also had obgyn types understand the concept but not understand my ultra sensitivity to things which means they think i can just have pellets or a patch to help when, in my case, i need a very small amount to suggest a change to my body, not to force one, which makes things worse even when it's a hormone i definitely need more of.

Here are things that have helped me. Most of them can be ordered online : est-adapt drops you put on your skin (biomatrix), bi-est cream (biolabs), pregnenolone cream (biolabs), progesterone cream (now), ladycare magnet (lady care), testosterone compounded cream prescription, estradiol compounded cream prescription, allegra antihistamine (otc allergy medicine), cranberry nature's bounty with vitamin e - a big help with bladder issues, b vitamins, no spicy food, no caffeine, sleep in cold air, minimize stress, watch cheesy romantic movies that make you laugh and relax, get sunshine, some people have had help with vitamin d. Many of my symptoms have improved and then i have gotten others that are worse. Right now i am improving. i am noticing small things here and there. The worst part has been going on for almost 3 years. The wider scope of issues is probably around 10 years if i think back and start tracing the beginnings of certain things. I would like to be able to pm you somehow so i can share all of the symptoms and issues completely. I had no idea this was something that was "normal". It took me totally by surprise and has limited me from doing many things i normally do. It has been helpful to be quarantining because i haven't felt like leaving the house for the last couple of years.

I also have very different reactions to different versions of the same hormone. You would think that estrogen is estrogen. In my experience, that is not the case at all. There are three kinds of estrogen: estriol, estradiol, and estrione. They each do different things. I have taken estriol (est-adapt), estradiol (prescription) and a mixture of estriol and estradiol (bi-est), and they have profoundly different impacts on my symptoms at different times. I have also noticed a big variation from brand to brand. Perimenopause is definitely not a one-size-fits-all situation! I think that's what can make it so much harder to find relief. I also think that the balance of the hormones is very important as well and not just the levels of a particular hormone.

I am not sure if it makes a huge difference but I am in full blown menopause. I have not had a period for over 4 years. My mom suffered and still does suffer with horrible hot flashes and she had a hysterectomy when she was in her late 20s and is now 76. she took hormones for years but dr took her off them; said ahe had been on them too long. It makes me sick to my stomach to even think about suffering for another 20 years like this.

I will look up the the correlation between antihistamines and menopause. I have never heard anything about that.

I have so many symptoms that I am aware of and think there are probably other symptoms that I do not realize are related to my hormones.

Right now here are the symptoms that I can think of:

hot flashes

night sweats

debilitating insomnia and waking every 2-3 hours every night

having to pee every couple hours at night

bladder leakage which is so embarrassing

mood swings with anger and irritability issues

memory issues

overwhelming fatigue

absolutely zero energy

zero sex drive

itching especially in vaginal area

zero patience (never had much to begin with)

every little thing gets on my nerves so quickly now

flabby: not weight gain; just I have lost muscle tone and it is obvious

severe dry skin

have noticed sagging on my face which is awful. 5 years ago I looked young; now I look old

I have lost my self esteem. I used to have so much self confidence but now I have very little

I feel ugly; I have never felt that way about myself until the last couple years It is a horrible feeling; one I don't know how to overcome

I have zero motivation to do anything

I try to eat healthy and walk and do some yoga but it does not make me look or feel better at all and actually makes me feel worse most of the time due to chronic pain pain and I am aware the pain contributes to a lot of the issues I have

I used to be so hyperactive and always on the go and loved shopping, socializing, and spending time doing things with my kids and husband and being outside but now I do not feel like doing anything and rarely go outside or anywhere I don't have to

I go to bed tired and I wake up exhausted every single day

I do take supplements that are "supposed" to help but nothing does

Sorry this is so long but I just happen to be having a bad day

May I ask how you knew what to use? When I have talked to my drs about my symptoms all I am offered is things like Prempro or antidepressants. I really want something natural but can not afford to throw a lot of money away trying to find something that works. I have already spent thousands on so called healing supplements and creams and pills. Also, how did you know to use testosterone cream? I have thought about trying some but how do I know I need it? I also worry about things like won't it cause hair to grow on my face? I have just heard things like this and that scares me because I have noticed more hair on my face in the last couple years also.

I had to find out everything for myself by searching the internet. I have a family with a medical background, so that helped with my understanding of things. As far as testosterone, that is hugely important to women - not just men. I actually have not gained any facial or body hair but i dont take it a lot. My Mom is 81 and she still takes estrogen and testosterone. She has had a hysterectomy, but she couldn't take progeterone even before that. There have been times i don't know what i would have done without the testosterone. Thats the first thing that showed on my blood tests. My testosterone level dropped 75% in a short time. I have most of your symptoms and more. I used to be a huge multitasker with tons of energy and would be very active with everything. Now i dont leave the house very often. I ordered the creams online - mostly for 20 or 30 dollars -that i didnt have to have prescriptions for and just tried very small amounts until i found a way to make it work. Like i said, it's more damage control. I havent done things like i normally would do in at least 4 years. But damage control is so much better than nothing. It means i dont feel like everything is life threatening each time it happens. I really understand the low confidence, low motivation, and feeling unattractive. I used to have high confidence, lots of motivation, and felt pretty. I dont know how to fix that part either. My energy and sleep are starting to improve. I will take any improvement i can get. For 3-4 years i have been utterly exhausted, dizzy, off balance literally, full blown anxiety when i never had that before, claustrophobic, can't be around noises or movement, agoraphobic when i have previously been a regular party host and president of many different things. I haven't had the energy to shower at all. I have been out of breath, super moody and emotional, nervous, bladder issues, spacey mind, afraid of driving when i used to drive hundreds of miles at a time, afraid of stairs and heights, the list goes on and on. I have felt helpless and incapable of so many things when i used to handle so many things simultaneously. I have grown in my faith a lot during this time and God is using it for much good despite my suffering. I have learned to let go and surrender and slow down completely. I still feel embarrassed constantly and very much judged even by my family, even if that's not true. It has been really difficult. But i have learned to appreciate the smallest things and to be thankful for things i have previously taken for granted.

Also magnesium can be helpful to some.

I would recommend getting your thyroid and adrenal function tested- and by someone who can think out of the box. People often have thyroid function issues whose numbers aren't that off.

And there are many versions of magnesium, so you should research that thoroughly.

Where do you live? Are you in the US?

This is the third time I have tried to reply to your post. It won't post my replies. I am not sure why so I will try again.

Yes, I am in the US

I have actually researched magnesium and take it every day

Finally, it posted my reply. I had typed a very long reply earlier but it wouldn't post.

I guess the main question I had was if you take prescription testosterone or OTC?

The only place around here to get my hormones tested is my gynecologists and they say the test is useless because I am on HRT.

I did look up low testosterone symptoms and I have almost all of them. I read on webmd that women should take DHEA for testosterone. I think I am going to try a low dose and just see how I feel. Do you know of any brands that are better than others?

As I was reading your response I was thinking that I could have written it. Sounded so much like me.

Prescription testosterone - cream from a compound pharmacy, so not just a normal prescription. I do have dhea drops and they helped me some about two years ago. The ones I have are biomatrix like the est-adapt. I went to a gyn a couple of times when my symptoms got really bad a couple of years ago and had some bloodwork done. That educated me some and I started doing research myself, mainly for 2 reasons: I felt like even though they were able to confirm my symptoms were probably/mostly/all hormone based, I felt like a pariah and am/was very uncomfortable trying to explain/justify my current situation to someone, and secondly because a couple of years ago my symptoms were so bad that leaving the house was a life-changing, tortuous experience. Leaving the house is not much better now but my existence inside my house is greatly improved, particularly if I don't have to interact with anyone or go anywhere!!

What state do you live in?

I was just rereading some of your old posts....sounds very familiar. Even the used to sleep in pitch dark but have issues with dark now. Thankfully I'm not having that as much right now but for several periods of time in the last 2 years I have had to have some light to sleep. The dark has either woken me up, made my heart race, or been extremely uncomfortable. Strange! I used to have to tape over alarm touch pads or alarm clocks because any light would interfere with sleeping.

And teeth clenching. Especially in my sleep. So much that I have cracked a molar. Jaw tightness started with neck and shoulder tightness and pressure in my head and behind my eyes. That started 5 3/4 years ago. That was my first bad symptom. And it really bothered me. No medical people had any suggestions for what was causing it, even though if you look on blogs, it is a very common menopause symptom. Thankfully that got better once I started with some hrt, but the other symptoms got worse when that got better. Now I still have the jaw and neck tightness a couple of times a month that has started to make my neck and throat feel tight at times which is not fun. And I still have the clenching at least once a month. But it used to be almost constant. For years.

Hi dee28383. Are you still on here?