Is anyone going through a menopause 12/13 yrs after full hysterectomy and HRT?

hi Aileen, i too have had constipation for about a month on and off, this a new one for me, i am 8th year Peri, currently having over one week of lower tummy cramping, back ache, and no period, all the symptoms but nothing..

i too get palpitations, maybe one a day, increased thumping in my chest, think many ladies mention this, try not to worry, i am hoping its just peri symptom, i dont take HRT....

i am taking liquid Dulphalac for constipation when it occurs, its on and off..

insomnia is my biggest nuisance, been like it for years, and anxiety, and sometimes feel very sensitive and tearful of late... cannot be bothered with things i normally enjoy, its awful isnt it ...

Thanks for taking the time to respond. You're right, it's comforting to know that others are going through the same things, but I feel sorry for them

My sleep pattern is also very erratic, which is playing havoc with my work life, I want to sleep at 2 in the afternoon - I work full time so afternoon napping is not an option.

Let's hope that this all comes to an end soon and we can go on with enjoying life instead of planning around these symptoms.

Hi ladies..mine started in Sept last year..anyway i think its peri but since im only 40 doctors give me that look of your to young..have night sweats and having trouble sleeping..have had the palpitations on and of but am always tired and get shaky..dr say they want to put me on anxiety meds but had bad side affects with one of them and scared to try anymore..hands are always cold also and periods became very heavy now..just wish i could sleep so i had energy during day...all blood work comes back normal and its just very frustrating not knowibg how to help symptoms...have upset stomach alot and some joint pain...uuuggghh

Hi, I'm sorry to hear you're going through this so young. I can totally relate to all of your symptoms. I've never been on any forums like this for anything but I was at the end of my tether with this and just wanted to know if anyone else felt the same. I'll keep you posted on how I get on with heart monitor thing, I've had bloods taken again, second time in a few months, but I'm sure they'll come back clear.

Thanks for responding and I hope you find a way of coping with it all. If I get any advice that I think might help, I'll post on here.

Laurie, my hands too are always cold, especially the backs of my hands and toes, i too was given a med last week for anxiety but only took one as it made me feel so dizzy, and headachey and i was bumping into the wall, so feel better with out it..

a doc i saw ages ago ( i was 41 when i started peri) well i started younger but was told it was peri after the FSH test and home menopause kits, at first around age 40 and 41 i kept fainting, three times in total, once while i was shopping in a Boots store, awful... I had to eat little and often and never skip breakfast, i still had fainty dizzy bouts and still do, cold hands maybe be thyroid troubles have you had some blood tests? i had to but all was okay at the time, but i take iodine kelp tablets for it now and since the test...

Hi there

I had a total hysterectomy 14 yrs ago ( I am now 62yrs) Have been on HRT ever since and now my Dr says I'am to come off it. He has reduced my dose by half.

I really don't know what to expect and have tried searching for help via internet but have not found anything telling me what may or may not happen. Will my skin start to sag? Will my hair start to drop out or get thin? eeek none of it is nice is it?

What about...... will I loose weight? I put it on when I STARTED HRT, surely it should now come off as easily???

HELP HELP HELP please!

Hi Suzie, I think the answer is that everyone is different. There doesn't seem to be any guarantees about how easy or difficult the menopause will be. I looked at my immediate family history to try and gauge it but my mum had an awful time but my older sister seemed to come through it with only some flushes and mood swings but nothing major so I'm not sure that you can predict anything. All the advice about eating well, taking regular exercise etc is all good advice but to be honest I've just had to deal with the symptoms as they happened. They didn't all come at once and to be honest after two years I thought that I should be getting better but I'm afraid that's not the case.

Anyway, you might be one of the lucky ones. Take care of yourself and be kind to yourself, don't beat yourself up for feeling low or being moody - I learned that I can't control it, so just go with it and who knows you might be one of the lucky ones! - Good luck.

Jayneejay i have had blood test for thyroid,peri,diabetis, and few other things and all is normal..i know its good news but frustating when u feel so awful and doctors just dont get it..wish i could take what i feel on some days and give it to dr and let them see how it feels then i bet they would figure something out for us...yes anxiety med i was on made me dizzy and made my head feel like it was on fire..and i also only took one..very scary.thank god my husband was home with me..be nice to feel like my old self again..hugs to you

laurie, the FSH blood test for peri can not always be accurate until your well into peri, as the FSH fluctuates up and down.. in early years my main symptom was waking up wet through. legs use to slip off each other with the night sweats, for me that was my first clue.. then occasional hot flush during the days, i had many of those awful night sweats early on, i do not have them now... i can sympathise .. bless you...

hello Aileen1962, don't apologise for feeling sorry for yourself cos we all get to that stage. I too had the 24hr heart and blood pressure monitor fitted which only proved my blood pressure dips too low at times. I'm not on HRT and would rather not go on it. My problem at present is anxiety that came from nowhere in Jan 2012, i get so many headaches that can last for 4 days with nausea and dizziness. like you i constantly feel unwell and i think about how i feel 24/7 which is obviously not doing myself any favours but i cant help it. i so sorry your feeling this way and hope things get better for as i do for all the other lovely ladies on this forum that have been a tower of strength to me with their advice as i'm sure they will be for you . Keep taking on here cos it does help. take care of yourself. sending you a comforting hug x

Hi all is it me or does any one else feel like no one is listening to how ill we all feel its got to the point where ive just given up going docs and putting up with it all I want to do is sleep all day as joint pains wake me up at night dont know what pain killers to take tried naproxen did not do thing nor co codamol any suggestions anyone

Eileen, I had a hysterectomy and oopherectomy at age 38 and went immediately onto HRT (estrogen implants which are no longer available in Australia - so now I have to use awful patches and supplemented with gel because the 2 patches a week do not last me a week and sometimes the patches become unstuck). My current gp does not like HRT and I have got flack from various drs over the years. However, their reasons are based on flawed research and for every warning against HRT there are studies that reveal HRT is good for you.

I am now 63 and I am not giving up HRT for anyone. I have haemochromatosis which robs my body of oestrogen, and a prolactinoma which also robs my body of oestrogen. I do not have any fat on my hips or thighs (not a boast - I wish I did) so I cannot store oestrogen and as soon as my oestrogen dips for above reasons, i get arrythmia, rapid heart beat, waves of depression or anxiety, head sweats.

i went for 7 years with extreme head and face sweats (like sweat visibly bubbling out of my pores), sticking my head under the shower at midnight because I could not stand the smell and the heat. It sounded like menopause or thyroid but I was on HRT and thyroid tests were normal so it was ignored until I decided I would try to get botox to reduce the sweating. This dr said she would really like to find out what was happening to me and referred me to an endocrinologist who told me to go off HRT. Then when he found I had prolactinoma, he said stay on the HRT (as women with prolactinoma need extra oestrogen). I researched that and found that excess prolactin causes a reduction in the body's oestrogen via a 5-alpha reductase enzyme. I have now discovered that I have a prolapse as a result of insufficient oestrogen to keep the ceiling of my vagina strong.

When I was given cabergoline to reduce the prolactin, my sweats, etc stopped. However whenever I try to reduce the dose now that I have minimal prolactin, menopause symptoms overtake me. Another endocrinologist now says it is more important for me to have oestrogen in my body, has no worries about HRT, and can continue cabergoline for years without any side effects.

Read Dr Christiana Northrup, specialist in female hormones. She has no problem recommending HRT past 70 years. Important that you use bio-identical hormones. Estrodiol implants and estrodial patches and gel are ok. I have never used oestrogen tablets as they pass through the liver. I have used Provera tablets though - recommended by a knowledgeable dr when she found out I had endometriosis. Endometriosis can be activated by oestrogen, but progesterone/gen? deactivates it.

Don't let a dr (in denial and not keeping up with research) destroy your health through their ignorance. Their recommendations cause heart failure, early dementia, divorces, and/or jumping off cliffs.

Thanks all for your replies to my questions. It's a real comfort to know that I'm not going mad and imagining my symptoms as someone suggested to me! I've had more time off work with menopausal symptoms than anything else - and I'm 'old school' as far as work is concerned, my mother believed that " if you can walk then you're ok to go to work" - I have a strong work ethic and am really struggling with the way this is debilitating me. When you get those looks from men when you're in a meeting and you're trying not to draw attention to the fact that you are burning up and finding it hard to concentrate - some smart ass always has to comment on it, somehow it makes you feel weak and undermined. Anyway. I'm now two full years into menopause, surely the symptoms should be getting better? Or at least, lessening? Dear Sheryl137154, you have certainly had a struggle - I think I was on every patch available and the strongest dose and had all the issues with them that you describe - I don't miss taking them at all but I do wish that someone would tell me when I will feel normal again :-) Thanks again for words of wisdom folks and here's to coming back a man the next time lol.