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Help! Perimenopause at 36? Or am I losing it!!!

Posted , 20 users are following.

lisa68384
lisa68384

I am 37. Last year I went to 10 different Dr's and spent so much money to find nothing. My symptoms are weird and all over the place. Finally Dr's chalked it up to anxiety, depression, or possibly fibromyalgia....grrr...basically, no answers. I track all my symptoms as well as charting my BBT and notice that my cycle is all over the place. My temps are erratic which lets me know my hormones are fluctuating. I feel like a mental mess and some days i steuggle to get thru. Feel like i'm dying here 😢 Here are my symptoms. They are not consistent. They are hit and miss:

-Weepiness, Anxiety and Depression, mostly after period ends up until mid cycle, not everyday

-Off balance feeling (but not off balance...It's weird, like walking on marshmellows)

-insomnia

-Sore breasts from mid cycle until period

-muscle tightness/ache (randomly and everywhere but especially in shoulders and neck)

-ocassional random skin crawling feelings

-Tinnitus (comes and goes)

- jittery feeling (tested neg for diabetes and blood sugar levels were normal)

-irregular cycles and lighter periods (I was always regular until symptoms started)

-occasional tummy issues

-on and off fatigue

-weird eye symptoms

-night sweats

-zero sex drive

-And a weird spaced out feeling. Like twilight zone weird. Hate this feeling!

-sometimes feel light headed upon standing. Get a feeling of a "gush to my head (had my heart checked...everything looked ok)

The list goes on but that gives you an idea. I feel like i'm losing it. I have been to several gp' s, rhumatologist, neurologist and once I figured out that it might be hormones then i went to an OB..she wasn't much help. Pages of labs and tests turn up nothing. Thyroid tested several times and all normal. Blood Hormonal panel came back a little weird but was taken at the wrong time of the month. Saliva hormone test came back showing low hormones but was also taken at the wrong time. Both tests were taken at mid cycle and then compared to post ovulation levels. I would think an experienced OB would know better but i guess not.

Ladies, any of you go thru this? I've taken so many supplements and even tried progestrone cream. Dr. Told me to up the amount of cream to a much higher dose and literally the next day all of my symptoms were exaggerated big time. A low dose didn't seem to hurt me but a large amount def did something.

At a loss here. Courage needed ??

5 likes, 46 replies

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  • Sally4x
    Sally4x lisa68384

    Posted

    Hi Lisa, I am now 48, but this started for me 4 years ago when I was 44. I keep a diary and track all my symptoms as well and have so many similar symptoms to you - anxiety and depression, feeling of being off balanced as if drunk, insomnia, muscle tightness and pain in my neck and shoulders, fatigue, a very odd spaced out sensation that affects my vision as well, lighter periods with cycles closer together, headaches, feel really ill, no sex drive. I too often presume I mist be dying. 

    I have also also tried supplements, mediation, I have bought  it haven’t used it. My doctor says it could be perimenopause but to be honest everyone is at a loss with me. You honestly are not alone. Whatever you have, I have as well xx

    • lisa68384
      lisa68384 Sally4x

      Posted

      It's Comforting to know that others understand. The spaced out almost drunk feeling is so hard to get thru. Is yours constant everyday or does it fluctuate? Also, mine seems to be worse when up and moving around. When I sit or chill in bed it's much better. Getting out of the bed in the morning is so hard! Just knowing what i have to battle when getting up takes courage! Thank you for sharing ??

    • Sally4x
      Sally4x lisa68384

      Posted

      Yes i have it all the time. It is worse when I first get up in the morning and when I am tired. You sound so similar to me! xx
    • brendababy
      brendababy lisa68384

      Posted

      Hi Lisa, I’m having a similar experience with symptoms as you. Dizzy/off balance, woozy spaced out feeling. As you say, worse when rising from sitting or lying to being upright. It’s a blooming nightmare, been like this for two years, no period now for nearly 8 months

      I have many other symptoms like you as well, the stiff painful neck etc. I find it really hard to walk when I get out of bed in the morning my calve muscles are so tight

      I can tell you that I’m on tibolone hrt that has helped a bit and allows me to have some quality of life

      Take comfort that there are a lot of us woman suffering from all of this weirdness and it cannot harm us, our bodies will eventually adapt and settle down. The worst thing you can do is dwell on symptoms and let them overwhelm you because it will just prolong things

      Hope this helps you in someway 

      Keep marching forward Lisa x

  • tina00239
    tina00239 lisa68384

    Posted

    It sounds to me Lisa as if you are in perimenopause. You are on the young side, but my late mother had fully menopaused by 34 or so. It is therefore not impossible for you. Do you have a family? Have you had all the children you wanted. Stopping the reproductive cycle comes to all us women. Horrid though it is, and very distressing, this forum and the love and support from the ladies on it, has let me know I'm not going mad and I'm not alone in what I am suffering. So rest assured, we are all here for you, and we are all going through it with you. Love, hugs and x's for you at this hard time.

    • lisa68384
      lisa68384 tina00239

      Posted

      Thank you ?? I have been blessed with two wonderful children. We were not sure if we were at a stopping point before all this started but we're at peace if we are. I never in my life would have imagined going thru this! Thank you for sharing!

  • danielle74822
    danielle74822 lisa68384

    Posted

    Perhaps you have too little estrogen or just too much bad estrogen . . which dim plus supplement will alleviate, either way! Works great! Also, if you have severe fatigue it could be "exhausted adrenal glands" they produce all your sex hormones and more. I had adrenal exhaustion in my mid to late 30's, very tricky to diagnose. Definately probable if you are often cold and tired esp if your thyroid is fine. Good luck!

    • lisa68384
      lisa68384 danielle74822

      Posted

      How did you ultimately determine adrenal? I am not cold and my fatigue is hit and miss. When i do have fatigue it hits like clockwork around noon and generally lifts by early evening. I had my cortisol tested via saliva and it was fairly normal. High in the morning but that was expected as i was having anxiety. A tad bit lower in the afternoon but still within normal ranges. Getting it tested again next cycle.

      I'll have to check out that supplement. Thank you for sharing ??

    • evi75119
      evi75119 lisa68384

      Posted

      Hello Lisa,

      ​what are you doing? Did you take any therapy to fight your symptoms?

    • lisa68384
      lisa68384 evi75119

      Posted

      My dr has started me on a very low dose of bio estrogen and progestrone. She said I had a leutal phase defect and that she sees women with my symptoms all the time. And that my symptoms indeed seemed to be hormonally related. Her conclusion was that it was hormonal imbalance. She was reluctant to say perimenopause until my fsh started raising...but that it's still possible. It's a wait and see and adjust as we go but I did notice some of my symptoms improved this month after 12 mo ths ot always being there. One of my worst symptoms...the weird, spaced out off balance feeling has been completely gone this cycle which is HUGE! My depression was less. My anxiety was worse for several days around ovulation but overall better this cycle.

  • tina00239
    tina00239 lisa68384

    Posted

    Oh Lisa, poor you. I really feel for you as I am going through much the same symptoms and really severe. I have gone on HRT and things are gradually improving slowly but surely. Perhaps the progesterone cream was the wrong method of hrt for you. Try patches or oral medication. Then like me you can come off it very very slowly, a little bit at a time. You will then be in control of how quickly you menopause and the severity of your symptoms. Hope this helps you. Hugs and x's. Dont forget we are all here for you should you wish to talk.

  • vicky36055
    vicky36055 lisa68384

    Posted

    no you are not losing it. I'm 39 and have had all those symptoms for 4 years now. doctor doesn't even engage in conversation when I mention perimenopause they just keep telling me it's health anxiety. it's so frustrating . I have had blood tests ecg all normal but always have symptoms. it helps to know we are not alone

  • natalie86711
    natalie86711 lisa68384

    Posted

    Omg yes I’ve basically had most of your systems , it’s scary feeling I always think something is wrong with me. New one this year is at times I get a muscle tightness under jaw feels like a cramp. My  glands tightness up occasionally feels weird .
    • lisa68384
      lisa68384 natalie86711

      Posted

      I chuckled reading your comment...not at you, but because I've had that one too. Thought it was my lymph nodes and got worried. It went away after a cycle or so. Again, that symptom is hit and miss. Realized it was muscular. Bizarre isn't it. Hugs!

    • natalie86711
      natalie86711 lisa68384

      Posted

      Omg really, I truly always get scared of any of theses systems, always feeling like something is wrong I hate this, I feel so much better this knowing that there are woman that have experienced the same as I . I can’t really describe this one it’s really weird feeling , it truly feels like a cramp tightness, when it dose happen I have too open and shut my mouth too loose it up. 
    • tina00239
      tina00239 natalie86711

      Posted

      Hi Natalie, your body is not your own when menopausing. It feels totally alien and you get feelings in your limbs that you've never had before but they will go. After nearly a month of HRT I am slowly feeling better. I thought I was dying at times my symptoms were so bad. The dr put me straight onto HRT due to the amount of symptoms I was getting and the severity. Now I can take it for a while then reduce it all be it very slowly and a little at a time so I take control of my menopause rather than it controlling me. Take my word for it, this forum is great, so many ladies all supporting eachother through what is one of the hardest times in a womans life. It helps so much that you know you are not alone and we are all going through the same symptoms. I am so lucky. I've been blessed with a son and a partner and a dr who all love and support me. I also thank all the ladies in any of the menopausal discussions for their un waivering support and reassurance. Lots of love, hugs and x's to you all. Keep posting!

    • natalie86711
      natalie86711 tina00239

      Posted

      Thank you I think if I weren’t on this forum I would have been going crazy worrying that something is wrong with me. It helps a lot knowing there are woman out there going threw the same thing. We will all support each other.😘

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