i feel like im dying

I have the same horrible symptoms like you and  Kim.  I never knew that one can get symptoms like a permanently upset stomach and flu like symptoms etc.  I thought it was mainly about other symptoms.   It is so unfair to have to live like this.  So what did your gym say how long this horror would last ?  I also had all sorts of tests for lungs, sinus and cardiac.  Also all came back negative.  Only mild gastritis was found and I was told that mild gastritis can cause horrible symptoms for many many people .  

She apologized then said it could go as long as 7-8 years. I’ve been chasing symptoms for about 3 years. Chest pain, palpitations and GERD which led to gall bladder surgery last summer. My GB was over active - but about 3 times the normal rate - which produced similar symptoms to gallstones. Last October, at the one year mark after my last period, I started seriously considering whether my symptoms were menopause related. I don’t have hot flashes or night sweats, so menopause wasn’t my first thought when I started feeling unwell. Then later in the fall my heart rate and BP well haywire and panic attacks started to become a weekly occurrence. I get dizzy spells, sinus pressure and brain fog.  So now I see a GI (bc the GERD is still a thing), a cardiologist and I’m in PT for back and joint pain.  Its like I’m fixing cracks in windows on the Titanic and I don’t know who will help with a big picture solution. Maybe HRT? 

I am going through exactly like u. 59 and severely debilitated with all these symptoms which started again after stopping tibilone. It's like I got all the 60 symptoms of menopause. My latest is burning urethra with no infection

How long have you had all these horrible symptoms ?

Hi

I started having all these symptoms at 51 when I went into menopause. Really debilitating. And u

Hi Teri, i was just reading your post and your symptoms sound like mine. What kind of symptoms were you having with the gallbladder issue? Because, Ive been having these ongoing palpitations..i also have gerd and gastritis was diagnoised last summer. I think these two are really whats making my symptoms. Also, i have stomach palpitations..like heart palps but its like the stomach is palpitating amd i can actually see it.moving. im noticing both the heart and stomach palps mostly occurr if im bloated or need to release bowel. Ive been seeing a GI also, but not too much success there. I have my next follow up appt next month. This hormones can cause havoc on the body. But ive been told many times that the gut has to be fixed first but in my case i think the hormones are what messed up my gut. So im targeting both. I hope you get some relief real soon.

Chest pain and a very specific cramp-like pain on the upper right side of my abdomen. Just at the rib cage level. It was sore to the touch, oddly enough. I went to the ER 3 times convinced I was having a heart attack. GI put me on GERD meds and I tried to maintain a GERD friendly diet. GB was checked by ultrasound twice and by CT scan once. Always normal. After the last time in the ER, my GI sent me for a HIDA scan which showed my GB was functioning at a very high rate. Ejection fraction they called it. The test that should have taken 60-90 minutes - waiting for the GB to purge a synthetic fat they gave me via IV - took 20 minutes. Surgery helped the pain quite a bit. It will be a year ago in June. I was feeling pretty good from June until about November when anxiety issues started in earnest and then the GERD-like pain followed. I've continued taking GERD mes, but I see the GI tomorrow. My symptoms and yours seem to fit IBS. My stomach symptoms get better after a BM (sorry if TMI) and I bounce between constipation and diarrhea. I'm sure stress and hormone are the route of most of this.  

Yes Teri at my last visit that is what my GI think it could be IBS. I bounce also between the two. At one time early on in peri it was diarrhea but now it seem to be constipation. I hope you get it all sorted out tomorrow. Let me know how you come along with appt.

GI ordered a HIDA scan to check for sphincter of odi dysfunction, common after GB removal. He said IBS is the likely culprit of most of my symptoms but the upper right quadrant cramping could be SOD. And yes, he said the IBS could very well be exacerbated during menopause. He talked about meds, but I think once we rule out SOD I’m going to seek natural remedies for IBS. Just so tired of meds! 

Yes, Teri, you said it :  Who will help with the big picture?  The problem seems to be : nobody will.  They all have their specialties and sub specialties and they’re unable to ‘think around the corner’.  Everything that comes out of the GI area sounds so vague.  Nobody seems to know what causes these gastrointestinal issues and, as a consequence there seems no way to cure them.   For me it seems logical that the panic attacks and palpitations, dizzy spells etc are also a result of your stomach being upset.  There is the gut brain axis and the vagus nerve (which is in your stomach and your intestines) can cause also these kind of nasty symptoms.  The question is whether and how this gets aggravated during the menopause.  I must admit I never thought about this before because I don’t think I had the hot flashes.  

Hi, 

I got those symptoms in 2012 and had them for 3 years.  They came out of the blue.  I then was fine and very well for 3 years.  I was so happy.  Then in Oct 2017 it came back with a vengeance.   I must say that I never thought of the menopause , due to the absence of hot flushes.   

I had that very same thought when I saw the GI on Wednesday. He totally discounted any symptom that didn't fit what he had in his mind. When he was about half-way through the exam I mentioned that the URQ pain can sometimes be felt in my back and that certain foods seem to trigger it, like popcorn, raw veggies etc. The softer the diet, the better I feel. He actually said "that doesn't change anything". Time to find a new doc I'd say but I'll do the HIDA scan first. He did say that my symptoms fit IBS, which I've always suspected. He just wants to rule out SOD since I no longer have a gall bladder. That can cause infection etc. The healthcare industry just doesn't allow doctors to listen to patients. They have 10 minutes to take in information and make a decision on treatment. 

Teri, yes, it changes a lot for you because your stomach feels better with softer food,  which means it gives you some relief from your horrible symptoms.  Many GIs in big hospitals are also split into sub specialties,  so the GI specialised for gallbladder etc ‘doesn’t do Gastro & intestines’  and the GI specialised in intestines & Gastro ‘doesn’t do gallbladder’ etc.  etc.    He might only care about his specific gallbladder related tests and test results ..... never mind you being in pain....    Not impossible that he’s mainly interested in diagnosis and classification etc.   = job done!   He possibly doesn’t have any idea how horrible these symptoms are.  So if something ‘only’ relieves symptoms in your stomach ...it is possibly not at the forefront of his mind.  

IBS just means ‘we haven’t got a clue what it is nor what causes it and therefore can’t cure it’.   One GI Professor said that.  

That’s what I have heard as well.  It just means your bowel is irritated....for some reason.  🤔

So many things in GI they don’t know and can’t cure.  Therefore it’s best not to ever get any GI issues.   

Hi Mary,  I think you’re spot on with your analysis. I have exactly the same symptoms like you.   You’ve analysed that much quicker than I did.  It took me years to understand.   Inever ever considered that there may be hormon issues.... as I never ever had heat waves or night sweats.  I never had stomach issues before in my life either.... I ran before this horror started.   No doctor ever suggested this idea.  I just thought that I never had a menopause  but that I had some kind of sinister illness.   I was totally ill and debilitated from 2012-2015.  Was tested for sinus cancer, lung cancer, a serious heart condition (palpitations etc).,  all negative.  After 3 years they finally discovered the stomach problems.   GI were not able to resolve the stomach problems .  It is ‘unknown’ what causes them but there’s seems to be nothing sinister.   YEars ago i got lots of antibiotics which didn’t solve the problem either.  It’s still Gastritis.  Out of desperation (I assume) I was given PPIs which made my symptoms much worse.   I totally agree :  All these horrible symptoms  like palpitations and the other horrible symptoms are  clearly caused by the upset 😡 stomach.  But WHAT caused the stomach to get gastritis ???  I wonder...     . So many women have this problem.  It could very well be  hormonal changes.  Why are doctors not aware of that ??  What do you think Mary?