Perimenopause and SEVERE joint pain - any one else??

Julie I have been getting the shakes as well for about a yr now and have had every test possible done and nothing has ever showed up.  I now know that it is just another perimenopause symptom.  What can be done for it is still a mystery.

Hi Debbie i went to Holland and Barret and the lady there told be to get Star flower and Soya isoflavones,  and to take Soya isoflaones and Star flower together in the morning and then another Soya isoflavones at the evening on its own.Its only my second day so hopefully these will work.I will keep you up dated.

Hi Julie.  Is the soya isolavones and star flower for the shakes or for the body pain?

I don't really no Debbie i just went into Holland and Barrette and i explained everything that was happening to me from the shakes to the aching bones to the iching when i get into bed and thats what she gave me.

 

Wow, you sound so much like me!! I am in US too, and also stopped my cycles, just a bit longer ago than you, about two years. I also just woke up one day, almost a year ago, with this intense joint and bone aching, especially in my hips and on down my legs, but some all over. When I first get up, it is so crippling I can barely move for about 30 minutes. It does let up some, but there are days my whole body just aches all over and it is never completely gone....I am never totally pain free. At one point, about six months ago, I woke up one day with no pain!!! I had done nothing different than previous, nor taken any different pain reliever or supplement than before....it was just gone. However, it gradually came back about six weeks later, and has stayed the same since. Some days, it hurts so bad, I just want to sit and cry. It also seems to make me feel very tired, probably from alwayd fighting the pain. I am a bit afraid of doing HRT due to soem past female issues, but am about to the poit that if I  knew it woukld give me relief for sure, I might consider it. I've been told that when you sto HRT the symptoms just come back tho, and staying on it long term is not a good idea. I was so relieved to read all these posts and not feel so alone.

 

Hi Kandie,

I can let you know that being on HRT has not helped me in any way, no matter what the dose is. I was on birth control pills from age 17 to 50. My period stopped last summer, so I stayed on the pill until January, and have been on HRT for just over 3 months. I take Estrosmart (a little estrogen patch that you wear), Vagifem (also Estrogen, to help with dryness, etc) and Progesterone Pills. 

One day last July, I woke up with excruciating pain in my neck and right shoulder. Debilitating. Note that I was still on the pill, but obviously my period had just stopped. My GP and Gyno both agreed that I should move to HRT asap. They both said my weight gain was from having Estrogen Dominance. I am the type of person that spends hours on end, every single day, trying to do my own medical research. I've learned that symptoms are quite similar between too much estrogen, too little estrogen and too little progesterone. It is pretty much impossible to figure out. Anyhow the pain was existant on the low dose BC Pill and is present on low dose HRT (which is substantially lower amounts of estrogen than being on the pill). The pain has spread to my collar bones, knees and heels. It feels like I have pulled oblique muscles when I sleep, but have done nothing physically for that to happen.

I have tried really regular massage, physio, dry needling, TENS, aqua therapy, yin yoga, chiro, acupuncture, osteo. You name it, I've tried it. I've had x-rays and blood work more then I thought necessary, and nothing shows up. I know that I can't go for a walk today, kneel down or even swim. I wish HRT were a magic elixir. In my case, it is not. 

Hi Kandie and Amy, reading your posts sound so much like an earlier post of my own!  I've been in the pain you both are describing.  I have severe insomnia is I don't take sleep medicine.  A little over a year ago I started taking fish oil and could tell a little difference.  I was hurting so terribly bad that I finally started the Progensa Plus cream.  I also take glucosamine and vit. D3.  For sleep I take gabapentin.  It's one of those meds that can be for multiple purposes.. for me, it's for sleep and pain.  I WAS taking tramadol, but several weeks ago I went through physical threapy/exercise sessions for three weeks and it has worked wonders for me!  I have only taken tramadol a few times in the past month or more.  I am going to talk to my doctor next month about how to come off the cream.  I may have to continue w/the sleep med., as I've tried to do w/out it and I do not sleep!  Oh, and I've started spoting this week, but I think I remember my doctor saying that may happen.. .  I hate we are going through these things.  Best of luck to you and all you other ladies!     Barbara

Hi Amy,

Thanks for your reply.  I appreciate it.  I have been told pretty much the same about the HRT as you have as far as symptoms starting up when you stop that too.  It is all so frustrating.  As much pain as I am in, I am going to try to tough it out.  After the year I've had I do not want to risk anything else happening.  Just to give you a little more background, last year after my initial joint pain started and then went away, I had some other extremely weird things happen.  I would get these stings in my body and immediately feel very itchy when it happened.  This went on for several weeks and my MD thought I was having an allergic reaction to something, but we couldn't figure anything out.  I wasn't too worried about it, but then I started to drop weight like crazy.  I went to WI to visit my family there and the minute my mom saw me she thought something was extremely wrong.  While up there, I got even sicker.  I dropped another 10 pounds in a little over a week.  I couldn't even drive back to Ohio.  My husband had to fly up and drive me back and even on the way, we ended up in an urgent care.  I drank a Naked drink in the car and had a reaction to even that.  Broke out in hives, face got numb, I couldn't breathe, heart was racing, BP skyrocketed.  We got home and the next day I went in it see my GI specialist as we thought I had developed a gluten problem.  I was tested for that and negative.  He then thought I might have pancreatic cancer so I had to have a CT with barium.  That was fun.  That too came back negative.  I kept on losing weight and was having reactions not only to foods, but to smells of things, cleaners, laundry soap, etc., etc.  I saw two allergists here in Ohio and everything was negative.  I saw the GI and an endocrinologist here.  I had hundreds of blood panels and everything was normal.  I had tests that the labs had never had to run on anyone.  I went from 140 pounds to 106.  I ended up in the ER 3 times and everyone was baffled.  At another MD appt., he told me he thought I should go to mayo and go as soon as possible.  He thought I had Neuroendocrine tumors.  I was also mimicking the symptoms of high histamine levels and those tumors produce that.  We went to Mayo twice.  The first time they ruled out those tumors.  The second time I saw an allergist who diagnosed me with Idiopathic Environmental Intolerances.  It is also called Environmental illness.  This is where you develop intolerances to food, chemicals, and things in the environment.  I have always had sensitivities to medications, metals, smells, but this was extreme.  I seriously thought I might die!  I got on some medication to control the reactions and it did really help that part of it.  After a year, I have gained all my weight back and can eat again, but I still cannot be around any chemicals.  The stinging and itching in my body has stopped and on doing some research of my own, I read a book called The Magnesium Miracle and it said that 90%+ people who have EI are low in magnesium so I have started to take it.  I was also checked by a rheumatologist and have no signs of arthritis, but yet all this horrible joint pain and muscle pain.  In her tests I was found to be low in Vit D3 so am taking that.  Otherwise all my blood work for the year has not changed even as sick as I was.  It is all perfect.  I find it very interesting that all my problems started a year ago when my periods finally stopped.  I cannot believe it was a coincidence.  Sorry this got so long, but I was also wondering if anyone had anything like this happen in addition to the joint and muscle problems.  We spent thousands last year on all my medical problems and I am so thankful for the support I had and some very good doctors, although they continue to be as baffled about some of this as I am.  

Thanks for your reply BeePee.  I too feel that HRT is not the answer.  I am too scared to put anything into my body after the year I've had.  I just posted a long reply to Amy (above) if you care to read about my weird year and symptoms.  It was not just the joint problems for me and I have nothing to pin this on except going through menopause.  People will probably read that and think I'm crazy, but Environmental Illness is very real.  Medical massage has helped me and I also bought pure magnesium lotion to massage into my joints.  At times I feel it helps, but at others, not at all.  I wish we weren't all suffering like this.

Thanks Barbara for your post.  My sleeping has improved, but I still wake up in extreme pain some nights.  For me it is the worst if I sit or lie in any position too long!  I had a very difficult year medically....read above!  I cannot take many medications as I have reactions to things because of Environmental Illness.  I am going to try Tumeric next as I have read that can help and is natural.  Dark cherry juice or the cherries themselves also help some people.  I am ready to try anything.  Hope you find some relief.  

Hi Sweet pack fan,

Your case is very similar to mine, I was also tested for neuroendocrine tumours as I had high blood markers; the doctors were baffled too; until one doctor said he thought my back pain was coming from my stomach. No-one else had made the connection but I thought it was coming from there too. It turned out that Atrophic gastritis can produce high chromogramin A and  gastrine and that's exactly what I have. I go through periods where I just can't eat and all of this exploded during the peri menopause. Strangely I don't have stomach pain it's all back pain and muscular, a lot of neuro pain too;  My theory is that if you can't absorb nutrients properly you end up deficient causing bizarre reactions; I think this can happen in the menopause too as hormones and allergic reactions are closely related and when you're hormonal any weaknesses are exacerbated, so if you're having a GI issue you may feel these symptoms more. I'm currently trying to calm my stomach problems but I think I'm swimming against the tide because my hormones are out.

BTW I had a fibroscopy to diagnose the atrophic gastritis.

also, my mum was like you with reactions to just about everything (we both lost a lot of weight) then she was diagnosed with crohn's disease, again all around about the menopause. the good news is she's fit and well now as her hormones have settled. There's hope for us all!

Hi Kerry,

Thanks for the information.  My whole experience was so bizarre and I DO think it was all from the hormonal changes.  Normally, I am always very healthy and even through all that, I continued to be healthy.  You know when the Mayo Clinic (one of the best in the world) can't find anything wrong with you other than you are in menopause, that it has to be that then causing the problems.  I do know from dropping all the weight and dropping it so fast, that I lost a lot of vitamins and minerals stored in fat in the body.  I had NO fat on me whatsoever.  At least now, I have regained my weight.  

As far as your stomach issues go, I had suffered with stomach problems and had been on meds for over 12 years.  I finally got to the point where even the meds were not helping and a friend suggested I look into Food Combining.  It is now a year later and I am totally off all stomach medications.  I was after just a couple months of doing it. It has made a world of differnece for me.  I still eat pretty much everything I like, but just in a different way.  I feel so much better.  Check out Sherry Brescia (not sure I am spelling the last name correctly) and her plan of Great Taste No Pain.  I food combine now without even thinking about it.  Not that I don't eat the occassional uncombined meal, but most of them are combined.

How long did it take for your mom's hormones to settle.  I know it is different for each person, but I'm wondering how long I'll have to suffer like this.  I had read once on the average it is 3 - 5 years.  Argh!!!!  Don't know if I can be in this pain for that long without drugs which I am avoiding due to my sensitivities.

 

Hi there, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but my mum had big food issues for 8 years!! the aches and pains lasted about three, but I do believe everyone is different. Thanks for the info about Sherry Brescia, I'll look her up. basically I think any issues you have when you go into the menopause get blown up by the imbalance; it homes in on your weak spots.

My food issues resolved.  It is only the chemicals that still continue to give me problems.  Hoping it doesn't take 3 years.  I'll go insane before then.  

You have sure been thru nthe wringer!!! Glad to hear you seem to be doing better now. I too, take some supplements like Vit D3. I had horrible insomnia for about a decade before my periods stopped. When they stopped, I still had trouble sleeping. I would fall asleep okay, but wake up every 90 minutes to two hours, so I never got a deep restful sleep. I started taking Tart Cherry supplements because several people had told me Tart Cherry helped them with a myriad of things, and I was surprised to find that after a few weeks of taking it, I began to sleep four to six hours without waking!!!  I still have not found an answer to my aching joinmts and bones tho. At least sleeping helps me have a bit more energy to cope with it, but I would love some real answers. I think doctors are more often as clueless as we are than they care to admit. I hope you continue to recover  and that the magnesium helps!!

I am Beth I live in US too.  I have bad joint pain mostly in one hip but also in other joints.  I think I might just go crazy.  Some days I can hardly walk.  I applied for disability and was turned down.  They want me to get a hip replacement.  I am without insurance and a job most the time because of all these issues.  It all started at the age of 47 and I am now 56.  Will it ever end?  I go months without my period but it always comes back.  I have been having anger issues also.  I am at a loss as to what to do?

 

Hi Kandie,just thought i`d tell you my experience of hrt.I always had gyno problems since starting periods,went on to have a few miscarraiges then had 2 daughters now 36 and 26.Had numerous ops and investigations over the years which resulted in ruptured ectopic pregnancy at 30 which almost killed me and then caused me to be bedridden for almost a year.I then had to have a full hysterectomy a year later where they took everything away but didn`t put me on hrt.Within a couple of weeks I had extreme joint pain almost everywhere but 26yrs ago doctors didn`t seem very well informed about hrt and were reluctant to prescribe it(in my case).After a few months of agony with my joints I decided to ask my mum for a few hrt patches that she was on just to satisfy my own curiousity.Within 5 days I was out of bed and jumping up and down clapping my hands(they were extremely painful couldn`t lift a cup or even hold a pen to write).The doctors couldn`t argue with the change it made to me physically and mentally so I was prescribed oestrogen patches.Unfortunately not all the joint pain went as all the months without any hormones had done it`s damage to my joints.I was then put on oral oestrogen instead of patches as they thought I needed a higher dose.The unfortunate thing was I developed osteoarthritis,That`s another story they took years to diagnose me and went through all sorts pain killers and medications if only they had put me on to hrt after hysterectomy,instead it was a surgical menopause I went through instantly! I would`ve got osteoarthritis if I had gone through a normal menopause in my 50`s but not as severe as I got at 31.My mum is 80 and my arthritis is so much worse than she has had,she has never required surgery whereas I have had the small bones removed from my big toe as I could`nt walk only hobble and the pain was intense so was very restricted on what I could do.Had sesamoid bone removed from foot and that solved the problem only for a couple of years then a bunion developed due to losing sesamoid bone and my toe is no longer straight so now awaiting surgery for that as my walking is restricted again.I also need knee surgery/replacement.My hands are full of lumps and nodules and have had bone taken out both my thumbs and ligament reconstruction`s in the last 20 months,I have now got it in most of my joints but hrt has slowed it down dramatically,HRT has been alife saver for me and given me some quality of life back.I know it`s not for everyone and gets a lot of bad press to but the advantages for me far outweighed the risks of taking it,been 25 years i`ve been on it and have regular mammograms(when I reached 50} It has been invaluable to me and i`m never coming off it.My eldest daughter also had hysterectomy early thirties but kept her ovaries I didn`t have that choice she is well educated on the problems that she has seen me go through over the years and doctors also so hopefully these sort of things wont happen to anyone else....Marilyn..

Hi Sweet and everybody else.  I am in USA. I am sorry everyone is feeling bad but happy to find this group.  Sweet, you are not the only one with weird allergic reactions. And it is great I found you, so I do not feel crazy or hypochondriac alone, lol.

Looking back, I guess the first thing I had of symptom was DRY EYES.  Then, an anoying tinnitus in my left ear, and just after, a back injury.  I steped out from a curb that I did not see and the impact hurt my low back.  I was supposed to have my period the next day, it did not come for two months. Just a coincidence?  I am 48 and had never lost a period in my life, only for pregnancy.  

During the one, two months I missed the period, I did not have any other symptom, but this back issue.  Really, it was odd the way I hurt my back, do not think it made much sense, it was only a bad step, nothing special.  

ANYWAY, after that, I had it all, and that coming from someone that never sees the same doctor twice a year...  

Just after my period came back and I was still feeling fine, despite my back, my gyno had said to me to take Calcium+Vitamin D. Soon after  I started taking the citamins, I started with DIZZINESS, BREATHING DIFFICULTY, JOINTS AND MUSCLE PAIN, NOISY JOINTS, BLOOD PRESSURE ABOVE MY REGULAR (which is a good low), SENSITIVITY TO SMELLS. One day I took a full dose of vitamin D+calcium (1200 UI Calcium + 1600 UI Vitamin D3) at once and left home to a dusty store.  While there, I barely could breath, but even my husband complained about the quality of the air.  I came home and when I went to bad, I had something very much like a HEART ATTACK, I thought it was the real thing.  Two days after, I was visiting my new Physician.  He put me on a eletrocardiogram and saw my beats were irregular and I missed some. I put a holter for 24 hrs.  Same day I put the holter, I had a very bad cold break. Thought the problem with breathing could be from the cold, then I saw the HASHES all around the body.  Doctor looked more inclined to think everything was caused by some kind of allergic crises.  He said I should stop the vitamins but his nurse called me and put me on Vitamin D again for mine was low.  He recommended 1000 UI and I felt sick again (?!).

During the cold, I started COUGHING and it took more than 3 months to get over it, so I came back to the doctor. He tested my Thyroids! Nothing wrong.  (Told his nurse about the reaction to Vitamin D, she did not belive). Still, every time I went to any department store, I would have trouble breathing.  It was winter, even at home was hard to breath.  Vacuumed every single corner of my home, sprayed water and vinegar all around, changed the heater filter for one expensive and specific for allergies.  Felt netter, but I notice that now I am more sensitive for smells, so I have been very concious.

My back has made me go several times to doctors, but I am back to my yoga class.  My joint and muscles don't hurt every day, TG, but somedays I wake up all sore, even the muscles hurt, my joints crack.  Next day, I am fine, no pain, no cracking joints.  But I am still having tachycardia and still thinking Vitamin D in doses higher than 400 UI causes me some increase in blood pressure and tachycardia.

Went to my Gynecologist, hopping she could give me a light, but she doesnt belive in PERIMENOPAUSE.  She says all I am describing are things related to aging, BUT WHAT IS MENOPAUSE?! At least she believed I could be having some reaction to Vitamin D.  She tested me for several things, including artroses and artrites, nothing wrong, BUT MISSING VITAMIN D. Now, I take 400 UI twice a day and even though I feel something, it is not that bad.

I am desappointed to know that HRT may not make the symptoms disappear . 

Sorry for the lenght of this, I just wanted to describe evrything, so maybe anyone else could confirm my symptoms with their own cases.

To all of you, I am reading a good book, THE CHANGE BEFORE THE CHANGE from Laura E. Curio.  This gynecologist had more knowledge in 2000 than many doctors nowadays. It is worth the reading.