Perimenopause and body pain?!? need some help
Posted , 44 users are following.
Hi again this is Jennifer, I am 50 yrs old and have written before about the complex horror of Perimenopause. Has anyone ever experienced low or upper back pain that radiates to the waist and absominals? It's a terrible feeling, I feel like my whole body aches. From my feet to my shoulders. I don't know if sometimes it has to do with ovulation at mid cycle. I went to a neurologist who said I do not have Fibromyalgia. I just don't know what is causing the aching. Sometimes my lower back hurts and I can feel it in my abdominals. Can someone please shed some light on this for me it's giving me bad anxiety. Thank u
6 likes, 118 replies
jazzy77001 jennifer85396
Edited
Wow you sound like me (except the injuries ang gut issues)! Even to the times you are waking! I am actually seeing a rheumatologist tomorrow to properly diagnose fibromyalgia (drs have been throwing the word around). I'm so terrified they are going to tell me I have Ms.... I have just started seeing a bowen therapist and it actually seems to be helping a lot (only had one session), but it could just be that I'm not in a flare stage. Going again on Friday so will let you know how I go. I'm like you I want to avoid pharmaceuticals and stick to natural. Drs either want to put me on birth control, antidepressants, or pain meds which initially I did try and it just gave me more symptoms and made everything worse. I've been using magnesium oil which helps a little. And I've heard arnica hel is really good also (its next on my list of things to try). This all started for me after 1 depo provera shot that I was prescribed as a treatment for adenomyosis. I was told there were no side effects... WELL I've had a ton basically the 66 side effects listed as peri.
chris03884 jazzy77001
Edited
Thank. I meant to add in my comment that I think the fibromyalgia diagnoses is something Dr's do when they don't know what else to do with Peri menopause women. My GP tried pushing Paxil on me for hormonal imbalances. It's funny how I feel better when I get a period and then all the good hormones disappear once my period ends. That tells me it's hormonal not auto immune disease. I even saw a rhumatiod Dr who cleared me of any rhumatiod diseases with an exam and blood work.
Hang in there I've been told it eventually gets better on the other side. This forum is great to share. Keeps us from going nuts!
jazzy77001 chris03884
Posted
Oh thanks so much Chris this has eased my mind a little. It's funny I also feel a lot better when I get my period. Not entirely but definitely better. But I also have adenomyosis so I have a couple of excruciatingly painful days during my period. I'd take that over all this peri mess though haha
SmileyBear jazzy77001
Posted
HI Jazzy... So sorry for the long delay in replying . I haven't been on this forum in quite some time. How are you now? What did you find out when you went to the DR?
I really hope things have gotten better for you.
pinkcatfairy jennifer85396
Posted
Dear Jennifer
I just read your post about back pain radiating through to the abdominals, my pain seems to start in the upper back shoulder (right) area and it seems to radiate through to the abdominal area. How are you doing now?
shelley_49119 jennifer85396
Posted
hi I just found this forum and it helps to know I'm not alone and losing my mind. I just turned 47 and my life drastically changed 5 years ago. I started having panic attacks and then heart issues. called svt. not life threatening but my heart gets stuck at a high rate and I need pills in order to deal. I've had hair loss. I have extreme gas,bloating and constant belching. sensitive to lactose now when I have never had an allergy in my life. I am on antidepressants for bad anxiety now. I should be depressed but I'm always hopeful. Recently my joints and muscles ache, I have pain behind my eyes when I've never been one to get headaches. My periods are regular pretty much but different. lasting 7 days or as short as 4. after my period ends I get fatigue and jelly legs where im forced to lay down. my hands and feet ache and mostly when I'm trying sleep at night. I have hot and cold flashes at bedtime. breast tenderness when I'm not pmsing. hip pain and my upper abdomen feels tender. not sure if its from bloating or what. been to hospital and dr.s so many times and I'm extremely healthy. So finding this page makes me feel less alone and scared. I hope this helps in some way. I do find cutting out sugar and bread and carbs and dairy helpful. I can't eat spicy foods or garlic, onions tomatoes. I have never had a health problem in my life and I'm healthy so I have no doubt its perimenopause and I have to hold on and go for this crazy depressing and frustrating ride. good luck to you.
kelly64062 jennifer85396
Posted
Hi Ladies
So glad to find this forum. As many of you thought , I also thought I was sick with an illness and was having to face the fact that I would be leaving my husband and children. Whats so frustrating to me is that the medical field acts as if they dont have a clue about what women have been going through since the beginning of time. And what little they do know or talk about is HOT FLASHES as if thats the only symptom associated with perimenopause/ menopause. Ive had the weirdess symptoms. From tingling extremities and fingers and toes, muscles twitches,muscle & joint soreness & pain, weird vibrations, eye issues, facial numbness & tingling, sinus issues, acid reflux and new found allergies and only GOD knows what other symptoms I will endure before this is all over and done. Google these things and of course anyone would be planning their funeral. AND trying to talk to Doctors whether male or female and they all say the same things. MY PMD which is an internist and female, when i mentioned can all these symptoms be associated with perimenopause, she waves me off and says Im not there yet & too young for menopause. Meanwhile Im 42 and has a mother with a history of her last period before 35. YOU would think that my PMD would even ask me about my maternal history of early menopause before waving me off. AND this is why these forums are soooo important. If nothing else, they serve a purpose of letting us all know that we arent alone, that we arent crazy, hypochondriacs & that we are all going through real symptoms of perimenopause/ menopause and we can help one another get through this rough time and are not dying of some serious illness . Before all the tests Ive endured so far, I thought for sure I had MS, Parkinson's, Bone Cancer and a host of other diseases. IF men had to go through this, there would be so much information and research beyond what it is currently. Everytime a new symptom comes up, instead of googling it which scares the crap out of me, I WILL NOW LOOK ON FORUMS LIKE THESE which has helped to ease my anxiety because I KNOW IM NOT ALONE!!!
amy341731 kelly64062
Posted
that has been such a help to me, knowing I am not alone, and probably not dying...i also have a ton of random symptoms and like you, I had only heard of hot flashes and crankiness...everything else made (and still does) make me feel absolutely horrible, crazy...glad to see everyone on here, reach out if needed!
kelly64062 amy341731
Posted
glad that I could be of some help. Ive been to many doctors and not one mentioned MENOPAUSE! I guess if I was having hot flashes then just maybe they would believe or speak the word! JUST as we have went out to educate ourselves about what our bodies are going through and the not so common symptoms of menopause, as Professionals in the Medical field, they should be seeking this information as well to better assist and take care their Patients.
amy341731 kelly64062
Posted
it amazes me how little information and help doctors give women in this time of life...every women goes through it, that is half the worlds population!! Looks like we are helping ourselves and each other! Thank you for being here!!!
kelly64062 jennifer85396
Posted
ooohhh I Almost forgot other not so common mentioned symptoms that I Have endured:
Vaginal dryness
Bacterial Vaginosis ( due to changes in Vaginal PH)
Bounding & Racing heart
Aching Feet & Hands
Breast and armpit tenderness
Period fluctuations(Heavy to light)
Cycle changes (from every 28 days to 21-23 days)
Migraines
Dry Eyes
Muscle spasms, twitches
Muscle & Joint soreness & pain
Numbness & tingling (arms, legs, feet, fingers, face)
Vibrating feeling in legs
Eye issues
New onset Allergies
Sinus issues
Clogged ears
ANXIETY secondary to all of these new symptoms that are not usually mentioned with the perimenopause/ menopause phase of a woman's life that can scare the crap out of anyone!!
Im sure there are more but these are ones I can think of right now
chris03884 kelly64062
Posted
Hi, I find your responses comforting. My GP told me i needed Paxil because I mentioned that sometimes I get a hot flash in addition to all the crazy other symptoms including weird body aches, cyclical anxiety and brain fogs! I'm not depressed. But I can say I'm really frustrated!
I did find an alternative Dr that mixed up anti inflammatory cytokines. They have helped with the weird body aches. I get the aches once the bleeding stops and they last for about 10 days. The cytokines have helped shorten the duration to a couple days. But i still have to be careful and not over do it physically. I'm not near as active as I want to be.
Sometimes a supplement called Phara Gaba has helped with the anxiety. It's an amino acid. Available on Amazon.
Keep posting what works. I feel like a moving target some days. Things work for a while and then another weird issue comes up.
brooke25r jennifer85396
Posted
Hi Jennifer,
Yes, I just started experiencing this. It is horrible. For the past four days, I have had a searing pain in my hand, my right arm and through my shoulder. I also have an aching pain in my legs from time to time. I feel like my whole body is burning internally. And it’s also exhausting. I have no motivation to do anything. I have tried Advil, it doesn’t help at all. I have tried blue emu. I have tried massage. None of the above help 😦 I have experienced a hormonal changes for about seven years now. I am 49. Most of it has been controlled either through birth control or with the help of vitamins and supplements. But all of a sudden I’m feeling a turn for the worst..