1. Community
  2. Women's health
  3. Menopause

Scary symptoms, anyone else?

Posted , 28 users are following.

suzie70
suzie70

All of a sudden I am experiencing really scary symptoms. I was wondering if they are the same as anyone else? .

What is really concerning to me are the recent feelings I have had over the past several days. I had feelings similar to anxiety. This past weekend I felt not quite right with weakness in my arms. I thought perhaps I was dehydrated and too much caffeine.(No caffeine since.) I also felt like I could not take a deep enough breathe. And when I tried to sleep I felt an overwheming feeling of doom and jolted awake a few times as I drifted off to sleep. Since then, over the last few days I have felt weakness in my arms and a kind of warmth or heat. I also felt the tingling sensation like they had fallen asleep. I wouldn't describe the feeling in my chest as "pains", but I just feel "aware" of my chest and heart beat, if that makes sense? It's really scary! It feels like my heart is beating very strongly and sometimes more quickly. It made me think that I might be having a heart attack. Then of course, I get anxious and feel panicked. The feeling eventually subsides but it has come back and more intensely this morning. I've read thru this forum and found that other women talk about feeling like they are dying or ending up in the ER because they thought it was a heart attack. Is this similar to aynone's experience?

I wasn't really concerned with my initial symptons that seem to relate to perimenopause. I'm 47, have not missed a period yet, just slightly irregular. I have had night sweats for several years fairly steady then on and off. Have some slight depression, weight gain, feeling of bloating and irritability. An occassional feeling of anxiety. I used to be a great sleeper but over the past year find that I can't always fall or stay asleep. I just haven't felt quite like myself and feel rather lethargic and foggy. My libido has dropped also. I am petrified of these new symptons and also afraid of doctors.

?Thanks for listening

4 likes, 42 replies

42 Replies

Next
  • jacqueline53282
    jacqueline53282 suzie70

    Posted

    I have experienced the rapid and irregular heartbeat in the past and had tests run. They found nothing. I will tell you that anxiety can effect anyone at any time. It can make you feel awful and the response that your body has to that can be very overwhelming. Caffeine makes it worse and light exercising or even just walking can help. If you can get a brief break in the roller coaster ride of emotions it helps tremendously. You might ask your doctor to give you something non addictive for anxiety when you are experiencing these symptoms. Having someone to talk to helps a lot also. Peri menopause plays a big part in this too.

     

  • jamie50513
    jamie50513 suzie70

    Edited

    I have had my share of these scary feelings. Although the tingling has subsided, I still get the racing heart, feeling like I can't catch my breath and jolting out of my sleep with the racing heart like I had been running. I can even turn onto a certain side and beging to feel my heart racing. I never dealt with anxiety in my life but I do now. I have had many trips to the ER and overnight hospital stays on the heart ward having EKG's, and Echocardiograms and whatever testing I could possibly have. All came back normal. It wasn't until my last trip to the ER that I realized that this was all really a part of Peri. I just knew that there was something seriously wrong with me and the docs just wasn't finding it. The last trip made me feel so embarassed and angry. I left work early because I had been having this really weird head pressure like someone was sitting something extremely heavy on top of my head and I was scared that I was going to pass out so I left and drove myself to the ER. While there I had a few episodes of my heart racing but nothing they were alarmed about ( by this time I was a regular and the staff knew my name) so when the tests came back the doctor said "you are fine, your iron level is a little low but everything else is fine, you can go home and follow up with your primary care doctor". So as I proceeded to put my coat on I had the funny head sensation again and mentioned it to the nurse...she went and told the doctor who came back in the room and said (shouting)..."you are fine!! we have tested your for everything and you are fine, it's just your menstruation and common in women your age see a pshychiatrist!!" I was so embarrassed, angry, and hurt....but now I know that it is a part of peri. Once I was able to except that it am able to manage the symptoms a little better. So please know that you are not alone in expierencing these symptoms. They are scary and can really ramp up your anxiety. Stay on this forum and try some of the suggestions that the ladies will share and find what works for you. I pray for all of us daily. Take care!!

    • DaisyDaze
      DaisyDaze jamie50513

      Edited

      Ugh...I have had the head thing in the past. I thought I had a brain tumor or something. The tightening of my skin around my skull, and then feeling out of sorts--like I was dreaming or something. Worse part was, Dr. though I was nuts. He said he never heard of such a thing.
    • metamorphed
      metamorphed jamie50513

      Posted

      i sort of understand their frustration, 'sort of'  but if any of them had to experience this horrible sensation they would understand WHY we think it is more than just menstruation.  What a horrible experience, but at least you realised that you were ok, other than 'just menstruation'.!!   What we have to put up with!!  I've been through similar experience myself.   

    • jamie50513
      jamie50513 DaisyDaze

      Edited

      Everytime I would get the weird head sensations I would panic because I just knew something was happening to me. Everytime I went to the ER they all looked at me crazy and then started treating me like I really wasn't an emergency. I really thought I was losing my mind and at times I still do, the symptoms haven't gone away I am just learning how to cope a little better with it.

    • jamie50513
      jamie50513 metamorphed

      Edited

      I was embarassed because he was darn near shouting at me, and others were looking at me. Then I instantly got angry. I was like who are you to tell me how I feel. I know what I was feeling was a real thing. I finally convinced myself to stop going to the ER unless I feel like it's something I just can't deal with. I try to work calm myself as much as possible or busy myself as best I can until things subside. I seem to get some relief in the afternoon but that's about it. I feel like I'm permanently nervous and anxious all the time. 

    • suzie70
      suzie70 jamie50513

      Edited

      Wow, the way that Dr handled the situation is really upsetting. Thanks for sharing; it is comforting to know that I am not alone. Though I do wish that none of us had to feel this way! I will definitely continue on this forum.
    • DaisyDaze
      DaisyDaze jamie50513

      Edited

      That's awful of him. The thing is, sometimes they just don't understand. They run tests and say you are fine, but you are not fine. You don't feel right, and more importantly, they should understand that you do NOT want to feel this way!

    • Wannabenormal
      Wannabenormal jamie50513

      Posted

      What a horrible experience for you at the hospital.  I have had similar symptoms, the head pressure more recently (only now do I understand what that is) and the heart symptoms, a cardiologist discovered that I have Microvascular Angina which can be caused by oestrogen and should hopefully resolve when I have menopause, till then I'm on medication.  

  • Gillian1956
    Gillian1956 suzie70

    Posted

    Sounds like your getting anxiety attacks to me I remember having them like that and th heart beating fast so I felt more anxious just try to breath through this feeling when you get it and tell yourself it's all ok and nithnjbg is going to happen to you learn some relaxation techniques ask your GP to refer you to see someone thaf can help you with this

  • Guest
    Guest suzie70

    Edited

    Suzie, I'm dealing with the fast heart beat ,heart pounding, I get the weak tingling in hands and arm even numbness feeling in leg and sometimes thighs. My anxiety is through the roof! I wake up in sweats then get them throughout the day. The gloom and doom feeling throws me into full blown panic attack I'm having all kinds of weird and crazy symptoms even nightmares here and there and internal nervousness plus light headed and faint feeling the horrid list goes on!

    • suzie70
      suzie70 Guest

      Edited

      Thanks for sharing. I am really learning so much by reading thru this forum. I had no idea that perimenopause was this way. Let's all hope and pray we get thru it as quickly as possible.

    • audrey34187
      audrey34187 Guest

      Edited

      Hi,

      I am readin through these posts looking for some answers to why I am feeling the way I do (I'm 46 now) and I came across ur post and has to reapond. U r one of the few ppl that mentioned tingling in your thighs during panic. I get that too!  Tingly lower left leg and both my thighs not to mention my left arm and right side of the face and parts of my head some days. 

Back to top
Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.