numbness and shocks

Hi.... yes I have neuropathy, in my hands, feet & legs... my left hand drops things all the time & has no strength, my left foot is numb but pains & burns constantly. I fall down all the time because of it, so now I use a cane...

Hi Girls...I too have to use a cane, have had to for years now due to my back and hip, but now with theropathy, it really comes in handy!!!  I am always off balance, really helps to keep me off the ground most of the time!!  Do any of you notice when you shower, the warmer water makes it worse?  By the time I get out of the shower, I can hardly stand my feet, my lower legs and feet are so bad, I can hardly feel them at all.  I can barely feel them at all when I try to dry them.  So strange.  My Neuro doc told me I might be taking too hot of a shower, causing the reaction to worsen.  I've tried cooler water, but it has not helped.  It does ease up some after a while, but of course does not go away.  So darn tired of all this business!  But, it could be worse...at least we can still walk around so far!  Just get frustrated at times!!  Especially when I tip over despite the cane, which I did this morning!  Grrr!  LOL  I do still laugh at myself, as I must look like a crazed spider trying to get up off the floor!!!

Hi... I have Sjogren's & I had a hysterectomy (I had endometriosis) I also could not take hormone replacement. So I take black cohosh (natural) it seems to do the trick (I take one in the morning & one before bed) I do not know if hysterectomy & Sjogren's go hand in hand but it seems that so many of us on here have the same health issues, so it is possible.... hope this helps...

Good point. On reading through these SS boards, I've often seen endometriosis coming up and I'm convinced there's a link. I may have had it, as I used to have a lot of lower back pain when lying down, as well as severe rectal pain during my periods from the age of about 30. Both got worse in the run-up to the menopause, especially the rectal pain, as well as having painful, heavy periods in general, with bleeding between them.

I was diagnosed with probable fibroids a couple of years before the menopause. Well, not exactly diagnosed. My gynaecologist could feel that my uterus was bulky and strongly advised investigations. However, MRI scans weren't available in the 80s and I didn't fancy the investigations that were on offer in those days! She issued all kinds of dire warnings, of course, but I decided to take my chances. My mother, my grandmother and one of my great-aunts had all had fibroids in the run-up to an early menopause, and all their problems had stopped suddenly at menopause, so I figured I'd probably be the same. In any case, I wasn't prepared to take hormones or have a hysterectomy (except for malignancy) so I accepted the calculated risk.

In the event, I too had a relatively early menopause (45) and all my problems disappeared overnight. I mean that quite literally! My periods stopped just before my 45th birthday and I started getting hot flushes. Three months later they started again, much heavier and even more painful. Three months after that, on 30 December 1989, I went to bed, bleeding profusely as usual, with all kinds of protection including a plastic mattress cover. I got up on 31 December to find the bleeding had stopped overnight, and I somehow knew it was over. And that was that. I had hot flushes for 18 months after that, but I was so relieved to get shot of it all, I hardly noticed them!

I never took HRT. I'd taken the contraceptive pill when I was younger, but decided the benefits vs. risks of HRT weren't worth it. I've been in osteopaenia (first stage of osteoporosis) since my first bone density scan just after the menopause, but it hasn't advanced in the intervening 28 years. But I've always taken calcium, magnesium, vits D&K and a homeopathic osteoporosis remedy, as well as walking at least 5 hours per week and eating moderate amounts of dairy. So far, I haven't had any fractures or spinal problems.

I had a partial hysterectomy in my mid 30's, then in 2011 I had the remainder (ovaries & cervix) my doctor did not want to remove those because of my age so I had to endure 2 extra surgeries plus ended up having the rest removed anyway (I got a new doctor for this) I too had horrible periods, the pain & bleeding (my bleeding was so bad, I wore bladder (diapers) pants... my mother had fibroids & all of her cousins (on her mother side) had hysterectomies. My grandmother did not have any trouble but her mom died of ovarian cancer... I had trouble taking hrt so I now take black cohosh, vit a&d, calcium citrate, etc... the things we have to go through!!!

Hi Sweetness, I had a complete hysterectomy at 33, now 62.  I have been on hormones ever since. Premerin, and now Estradiol.  Have had great luck with both, but really like the later one now.  Tried going off, but did not work, so went back on, and back to feeling good in that department again...so is my husband!  LOL  I did have a horrid case of endometriosis back then, had it from very young, was never able to have children due to this.  I was reading someone's post on this earlier, they thought there could be a link of some sort, to SS.  Sure makes ya wonder!!!  There really needs to be more research on SS, and all the other related auto immune related diseases!!!!!  The more we read, the more I think there are links to each other!!

Hi... I use to take estradiol myself but I started to have numbness & tingling in my face, my neurologist said that when you hit 40 (I just turned 49 this month) the chances of having a stroke increase the longer you stay on hrt. I have had some out there doctors, but I humored him anyway & stopped the estradiol & he was right the numbness & tingling stopped, so now I take black cohosh twice a day & no hot flashes... I do believe that Sjogren's (and other autoimmune diseases) may cause problems that lead to hysterectomies (I had endometriosis & cysts) reading others comments, we have so many of the same problems... 

Interesting about the estradiol.  I have had this long before I started the estradiol though.  I do feel better on it than I did on Premerin.  Remember, a lot of those reports that came out a few years back about HRT were very miss guided, and the research was incorrect.  Now they have retracted those reports, and have said the opposite, although some women still can not take them.  I have had no issues since I was 33.  There are women in their 80's still on them, and swear they will never go off, I tend to agree with them, after what I went through!  LOL  We, being my doc and I, have tried going off several times, never worked, and I was just sick and miserable, and always went back on them.  Staying on them now!!  I'm on a very low dose, but enough to keep my body happy. 

Exactly the same situation here! I was in my early 0's when i had mine but had over a dozen surgeries leading up to it. I couldn't take the hormones either. I am now nearing cough cough cough 50

20's

Well TJ, unless that's a very old pic on your avatar, you look years younger than that!

Aww you're a sweetie lily!! It's pretty recent so thank you so much! I needed that after a frustrating weekend. STupid blood sugars are up in the 300 and 400's and I don't start insulin until next week. I am going to be posting about Toujeo and see if any of us SS/Diabetics take it. The number one side effect is dryness of mouth and pharynx. I am also calling my dr in a few hours totalk to her about it. Have a great day!

Oh my goodness TJ - you have diabetes as well? You poor love, you certainly drew the short straw. Is that the result of SS attacking the pancreas?

My blood sugar was nudging the upper limit at 101 last month, but I suspect that's because I'm drinking a bit too much wine. I'm not overweight (though I'm towards the top end of normal BMI), I rarely eat anything sweet and potatoes are my only carb indulgence, but I need to remember that alcohol gets metabolised as sugar! The remedy to that one is clearly in my own hands...