Perimenopause or Anxiety or ???

The advice on here is very good, we need something to take our minds off worrying what the hell is wrong with us. Turn your music up LOUD and dance and sing! I found talking to people helps forget whats going on in my head. Not talking about the peri, just talking. Coffee mornings, etc, there are always old folk about who love to tell you about stuff. Watch some comedy, that always helped me, re runs of Friends for me. Good luck, you will feel better, but it may take time. Deep abdominal breaths are good when panicking,

Hi gilly

I hope so to thankyou for your reply 😌

Hi ladies,

Not been on for a while as I've been feeling so bad. I have just finished an 11 day cycle after 16 days respite from my last one. Urgh... It's so tiring I was just wondering if any of you ladies have tummy issues (digestion) after your cycles or whether you find you are more intolerant to certain foods. I'm slowly counting down until 10 April until I get to see my doctor. I feel so disappointed in myself with not feeling able to do things. I used to go to the gym regularly but haven't managed it for weeks... Do you think any form of supplements may help?

Gilly, thank you so, so much for answering me. Gosh, you can't know what that means to me! Can I ask what supplements you take? I'm not in the UK but whatever they are, maybe I can find something similar here.

It meant the world just to have someone "hear" me on this, thank you.

Camper, I don't have digestive issues after my period specifically but I have become intolerant to certain foods. Wheat makes me itch and milk in any form gives me terrible (TMI warning) diarrhea. This is something that seems to have build up over time. I don't ever remember being this way in the past.

Oh, also...Gilly, you asked if I cried when I was pregnant...not much. I was a hormonal whack-a-doo, LOL, but more in the form of anger and then just extreme tiredness/sadness...not over the pregnancies, I loved the fact that I was pregnant. I just basically felt like I had PMS for 9.5 months each time but I don't remember crying all that much.

The crying is really really recent.

CalMel - I'm not on any supplements, a few ladies on the peri-health tips chat have recommended some but I'm trying to do what I can to help myself before trying anything but am open to even HRT! We're all different and its whatever suits. I'm overweight and it doesn't help in soo many ways and Campervanqueen, I've just gone back to the gym (yesterday), having only managed to go 2 or 3 times since xmas and regaining all the weigt I lost last autumn. Just pack your bag and go. Try and get there twice a week, it'll lift your spirits, get you feeling healthier - you know it - it helps with anxiety, joint pain, sleep, periods etc. I haven't been today (migraine) but my bag is packed ready for tomorrow. Think about what's putting you off going - don't be put off, find a way - watch America's Biggest Loser for inspiration (on demand on sky at mo, last few series, if nothing else you can gaze upon Bob!).

Me and Mooma are both trying to get back into a healthier lifestyle, as of this week, it's hard sometimes, we all fall by the wayside, whether it's life getting in the way or losing motivation/feeling down. Keep on the site and keep talking to people, find your motivation again, you can do it.

I have a legendary digestive system (in our house) and almost get evicted the week before my period - tummy ache (on my knees with it sometimes) & v v windy! Lots of things kick me off - eating too much, coffee, pastry - so I've cut down on portions generally and peppermint tea helps, I've tried all the chalky rubbish but it makes me feels sick. There's a lot you can do to help yourself but you need to mention everything to the GP. I think we all get anxious because our body's changing so much, and doing such awful things, and think gloom & doom about it when it's this natural process for most of us.

If there are so many of us worried etc maybe the GPs need to sit up and address the issue properly and look after us a bit better.

I'm really sorry about your periods - my 17yr old daughter has been similar for the past few years and she's got all this to come yet! Keep records of how much, often etc so you can stress how debilitating it is to your GP. Remember that this isn't going to last forever - that day of your final period should be heralded with trumpets!

Campervanqueen - if I were you, nice bottle of red, bath, music, bit of pampering wouldn't go amiss, say no a lot to other people.

This place is a godsend.. It just seems to be getting worse really and I know it's the sign of things to come. Women go through so much but hey, gotta be grateful I've had a womb that worked to have three wonderful boys (and they know how lucky they are to be boys) lol 😄 they will also know how to look after their partners, I hope xxx they've been very understanding 😇 not bad for teenagers! I seem to be suffering more with lightheaded feelings/dizziness at the moment and the nausea is urgh! Very windy though, can put the boys to shame 😷😷 lol xxx I've got a few issues with food anyway, can't have milk and suffer a little with gluten so I've decided to go all out and change the diet to remove wheat and gluten for a while to see if it helps.

This has gradually been coming on over the past year but these last couple of months have been far worse. I'm finding I suffer a lot of pain, especially in my neck and shoulders and a metallic taste in my mouth 😟 reading all the posts on here does help though. I'm so glad I found this site xx Sharon xx

Hi ladies so sorry to hear what you are going through I'm glad to read this though , I have had regular periods with little pain up to last year I'm 46 now so for over 30 years, In July 2013 I began having very heavy and irregular periods and very severe pain it went on up to Novemember 2013 then didn't have any sign of a period at all started spotting 24th February and spotting every day until13th march when I started bleeding so heavy and clots etc continued heavy until 21st march then spotting again until today I saw the doctor last week who said I could go for a scan and I should hear about an appointment in a month . The doctor said it could just be the menopause but after reading all these posts I'm questioning that , any thoughts would be very grateful please I'm a little concerned , thank you x

hello campervanqueen, I also suffer like you with digestive problems, for me its before a period during and after, i must say my IBS is always worst at this time. today im 8 days into a period and my stomach is bloated i feel nauseas and uncomfortable, I have to wear my size 12 trousers this week as my normal 10s are too tight. I've just started to drink Aloe Vera but couldn't tell you as yet if it works cos i only started this morning. We have a lovely aromatherapy and alternative medicine shop in my village and the nice helpful lady in there advised the Aloe Vera. i hope you find a solution that helps cos i do understand how awful it is as if we've not got enough to put up with. sending you a comforting hug x

What a blessing this sight is. Feeling horrible for all of the women who came before us who did not have this kind of technology. I too have had many of the horrible symptoms you all speak of. I too have been to ER after collapsing at work, even spent the night in the hospital, had MRI, MRA, echo stress test, wore a hauler monitor for a month, and has 48 hour EEG done, as well as all of the blood tests known to man. Guess what? All normal, thank God, but then what? I am 47 years old, have had night sweats for past couple of years, tinnitus, mouth zingers, anxiety, jelly legs, foggy thinking, CRS, the feeling that spiders are crawling on me, fatigue, sticky saliva on occasions, fear, Migraines, etc. oh and I still menstrate every 28 days faithfully. Have been keeping a journal of symptoms on a day to day basis. I am 100 percent convinced, especially after reading all of your posts that this is hormone related. As long as you still menstrate, the doctors won't go there. They say there are no tests that will show perimenopause until no more cycle. Well, I have decided to go the homeopathic approach. First appointment next week. Tired of the roller coaster ride. Hopefully I will have some better luck with a holistic approach. If I learn anything good, I will post back. Good luck to all who are going thru the same crap. Also praying/ church have helped me a lot, especially on the really hard days. Keep the faith women, we can do this!

Rattler, you could have fibroids. The scan will tell you. They're harmless, but they can be a pain in the you-know. But a lot can be done for them (if that's even what this is, I am definitely no doctor!) HRT can actually help by keeping you from ovulating (just like birth control pills), hence, less lining is built up and ultimately, no bleeding. That's just one thing I can think of off the top of my head - wait to see what your doctor says.

Thyroid issues can also make one bleed much more heavily.

And yes. Apparently, so can perimenopause. So your best course right now is just not to worry, get your scan and see what's going on. It may be absolutely nothing but peri. Peri throws hormones into whack and of course, the first thing we often see when our hormones are out of wack is crazy, crazy cycles!

Thanks, Gilly! I'm actually not so much worried about what's going on or afraid of what this might be. I pretty much know what it is, since my bloods showed I was in peri and it all coincided with my cycles going wacky. I have regular tests for other hormonal issues as I am hypothyroid so I feel pretty confident that it's just peri.

So it's not that I'm worried - it's more that the symptoms are simply driving me crazy! Even when I'm telling myself, "Oh, this gloomy feeling is just peri," I logically *know* that but...it's still happening. LOL. You know?

I guess I really just needed to spout off. I have to live with it, it happens, all women go through meno with varying degrees of symptoms. This too shall pass...but in the meantime...man it's hard to live with.

RATTLER, that should have meant "ultimately, less bleeding" - not "ultimately, NO bleeding" - sorry! Can't find an edit feature!