Perimenopause and SEVERE joint pain - any one else??
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Hi
I am 50 and have been in perimenopause for some time. I just wanted to post here to see if anyone else has suffered extreme joint pain as a result of fluctuating estrogen.
Quick history: regular as clockwork from the age of 13 - up to and after the two pregnancies in my thirties.Then aged 47 I started to get very heavy and irregular periods. Then I went for six months with no period at all, then two very scant light periods in quick succession. I have had nothing now for two months but I do feel as if it might happen soon as sore boobs etc.
I have never had a hot flush. I do however have lots of other peri symptoms, including insomnia, heart palpitations and skipped beats, and a strange 'rushing' or whooshing feeling which starts in the abdomen which I think is an 'adrenal' surge. I also have other vague and odd symptoms, dry eyes and inside my nose, and a really vile taste in my mouth sometimes - I mean really vile, like a chemical taste, unrelated to anything I have eaten. I also have odd tingling skin sometimes, which I can only describe as feeling like 'cold' sunburn!
However, about the joint pain. Three months ago I literally woke up one morning with a sore left arm/elbow. Over a few days, the pain then moved into my shoulders, and I got really worried as if was incredibly painful, and showed no signs of going away, it just got worse and worse. It is worse in the morning when I wake up, I am as stiff as a board. It is on my mind 24/7. Doing normal things is almost impossible - I have problems carrying shopping, drying my hair,walking the dog, driving...everything seems to hurt . I have never suffered from arthritic pain, and I went to the doctor thinking I had some awful bone disease, or even polymyalgia. I was told I had nerve pain!! The GP was terrible and made me feel like a hypochondriac and it was all in my mind. I was told I had good range of movement, and no inflammation. But I am in agony, and i am not imagining it.I made the mistake of asking Dr.Google too, which is never a good idea as I scared myself half to death. I never even thought it could be related to hormones or menopause, as the pain was just SO bad and I had never heard of joint pain being a symptom.I mean I have read than meno can be bad for some women, and I expected hot flushes etc, but I didnt realise it meant pain like this.
Anyway - for the last few weeks I have been having worsening pain which has spread from left elbow and both shoulders, into left hip, both elbows and now my knees. All my joints are cracking and popping loudly and even my husband can hear the awful grating in my neck and my knees....I sound like a one man band as I go up and down the stairs!
I went In for my three yearly Cervical smear on Monday, and could hardly get up on the examining couch I was so stiff and sore. Womans health is dealt with by the Nurse Practitioners in our large practice (15 GP's) and when the NP saw my discomfort she asked me what was wrong. It turns out she has a real interest in womens health, and has been involved in HRT trials and research for many years. She informed me that my symptoms all point to fluctuating estrogen, and possible thyroid involvement. She told me a load of stuff about estrogen and cartilage, dry mucosa etc, the details of which I can't remember now but which made so much sense when she explained it - even down to the foul taste and tingling skin I have also experienced on and off for months which are both known side effects of estrogen surge as the ovaries go a bit haywire. Asmall percentage of women are very receptive to estrogen fluctuations which involve cartilage, which mainly manifest as abnormally severe joint pain/menopausal arthritis but it is not an 'obvious' symptom of perimenopause.
I asked why the GP was no help, and she just raised her eyebrows when I told her which male GP it was, and told me to make another appointment as soon as possible with a specific GP (who must be more knowledgeable about womens health.) Going in tomorrow to see her.
I can't do HRT as I have a heart condition, but maybe I can do estrogen cream, or phytoestrogen/soy.) It could last for a long time I guess until I come out the other side !
So i have not yet been diagnosed, but it sounds like it could be caused by estrogen. Sorry this has been so long....but anyone else out there feel the same way I do???
Lesley.
85 likes, 1485 replies
leesa1
Posted
came across this page whilst doing an internet search. I'm from Australia but couldn't find any info locally. I'm approaching 50 this year (blah) and have always been healthy and very flexible, in the last year or two, I've noticed that I'm riddled with aches and pains, widespread joint pain. Every major joint aches, from ankles, knee's, hips, lower back, shoulders, neck, elbow's to wrists aches ALL THE TIME..... I'm sick of taking pain killers everyday and the codeine just doesn't seem to help at all anymore. I've been checked on all auto immune diseases, and am just about to have some more blood work done this week. Is there any sort of diet that I can follow that may assist in this. I've also started University this year, so what follows is a few years of very low income so seeking alternate therapy's is out of the question, I also don't have any private health insurance, so there are limited specialists I can see. Any info from members would be greatly appreciated
Kind regards to all
Leesa
leesa1
Posted
Read all your symptoms after posting my q.... ain't life great..... NOT!!! I'm at my wit's end, the crunching in my joints is annoying but the pain radiating through my body is really getting me down, it's just constant, can't get comfortable in bed, moving around is agony, no relief, I'm wondering if swimming might help, weightlessness may give some relief, but who can spend their life in a pool???? unless we become fish..... Wish I had some answers, as I said, I can't live on pain killers all the time........ any feedback would be welcomed, this could last a decade I'm told, I've been postmenopausal for over 12 months now, but my quality of life is really being affected by all this constant pain....... If I come across any new info I'll post it here.... Hang in there girl, we gotta way to go yet
claire17043 leesa1
Posted
Hi Lesley, your message made me laugh, which takes a lot now, as I too am a sufferer! 😩 Didn't realise that getting older would bring such pain. I heard about menopause but wasn't prepared for all the joint and muscle pain I'm experiencing! Anyway, long story short, I am having to pay to see a phsio therapist, which is breaking the bank but I do find relief, especially from the acupuncture. I am also taking a food supplement in pill form from Holland and Barrett called Soya Isoflavones along with another, Calcium/Magnnesium with vitamin D3. I have not been one to try herbal remedies before but unfortunately I do not qualify for HRT as I have had low level breast cancer but upon research for a substitute, I found the afore mentioned. Look them up yourself and the studies taken on them are very good with reducing menopausal symptoms and I think they are helping me. Well, I don't appear to be having the hip and wrist pain I was prior. I wish you well and hope we both get through this gaustly time. Oh and I'm 47, just incase you wondered 😊😊
linda39
Posted
I know this thread refers a lot to perimenopause, but mine was about 6 years ago, so I am a little suprised if this is only just starting to affect me - as such.
With this latest addition of severe 'kidney' pain over the past 3 days I have got an appointment with the doctor this morning.....so I will report back later any updates!
linda39
Posted
katie13
Posted
Yet more unanswered questions, oh dear!
I am 5 years post HRT, but reading all the blogs here, it does sound as if my aces and pains are related to hormones, so I have dug out my Menopause Magnet ( have you heard of them) I have had it on for 4 days and nights and already pains are much less. I have had 2 full nights sleep, and this morning only my fingers ache and I have been able to ride my horse. Can this really be coincidence? There is no substantial evidence for these magnets but many people find they help with the menopausal symptoms of flushing, anxiety sleeplessness, and so did I. I shall keep it on now unless I get the pains back, and when I think I can cope with pains I will try with it off. Not a real trial I know but should be quite interesting. I think that I am quite a placebo affected person, so could be the placebo effect, but I don't care about that as long as it works!
claire17043 katie13
Posted
Good good fir you Katie. I'm also of the riding fraternity. Well, my daughter is a professional event rider but I pay for it all and act as groom, lorry driver and general dogs body. You know how it is I'm sure 😊
Its so depressing all of this. I'm only 47 and it hurts to bend over to pick out the horses hooves and sorting Show jumps when training nearly put me in hospital, I jest not! Wishing you well and happy riding 😊
alice7
Posted
I have bouts of terrible pains in the kidney area, which I actually think is coming from the adrenal glands which sit on top of them. I often get adrenaline 'rushes' which is common in peri/meno, and is, I am told actually cortisol being released into the bloodstream.Bloody hormones!!!When I get these episodes I also get 'extreme' anxiety, which is not like normal anxiety - butterflies in the stomach and feelings of doom and gloom. All consistent with too much circulating cortisol.
Ladies - HRT definitely helped my joint/tendon pain. Been on it for six months and definitely feeling the difference.
2chr2015 alice7
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Lesley998
Posted
2chr2015 Lesley998
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linda39
Posted
It is very interesting to read that others are experiencing kidney pains.
It is amazing how we tend to get almost every part of our body attacked.
leesa1
Posted
Leesa
jjeremy
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katie13
Posted
The Magnet is a Lady Care menopause magnet. It fits on your pants( they need to be quite tight) and works I suppose in the same way as the bracelet you are familiar with. Look it up on the web. In England they can be bought at Boots the chemist, which is where I got mine some 5 years ago. It cost £20 At that time I had just finished 17 years of HRT and was experiencing horrendous cold turkey, the magnet seemed to help but I put on weight and in the end stopped wearing it. But now with the arrival of these terrible joint pains and reading this site made me think that there was a menopause connection, I have got it on again, and really it is amazing, the pains have almost completely gone! Worth a try even if it is only the placebo effect.