Upper right sided pain , gall bladder ??

i was the same in the 1st year of meno...bloating right side abdomen, ache above right hip, feeling of numbness. anxiety through the roof. had tests to rule out all sorts of nasties. nothing showed up so doc called it ibs. this placated me for a while til i started worrying about ovaries. got an ultrasound scan, nothing unusual found. told ovaries look normal. 3 yrs post meno now, still have the bloating, food sensitivities, anxiety (tho on lower dose meds now). it's a long haul. so many symptoms are down to the meno but docs have to rule out other possibilities, sending our anxiety through the roof! in the majority of cases, it'll be meno related. who knew it could be this bad?! but it does get better, rest assured 😃

These boards are so comforting!

Thank you Julie. Were you post menopausal with these symptoms? I have not had a period now for going on my 12th month. Thought things would get better, now worse.

We all sound (I am sure to some) like a bunch of whiney women but this is far worse than anything I have ever experienced.

hi leisa, anxiety started building id say 2 yrs before periods stopped, including palpitations and panic attacks which then reached a peak a year after when period stopped. thats when i went on betablockers and sertraline to calm me down. i went from a normal functioning teacher of 25 yrs to an out of work wreck who could barely make it round a supermarket without an anxiety attack! betablockers stopped the adrenaline dumps quicklu, sertraline took a few months to bring the general anxiety down and it worsened symptoms before they improved...took around 3 mths to feel ok and 6 mths to feel better an a year to feel normal! but i put on so much weight that doc suggested i swap to prozac, lost a bit of weight but its only a low dose which now im working (whole new career change!) isnt enough. going to up the dose. im now 3 years post meno and still clearly have this anxiety issue though now im controlling it rather than it controlling me! i had a few sessions of cbt talking therapy which helped to an extent. the bloating, burping, acid reflux, sensitivity to gluten is just par for the course now and at least i no longer obsess and worry about it!

yes im sure there are people who think we're either weirdos or a whiney bunch. from what ive read, if you have an easy meno youre lucky. it can really overturn your life, as it has me. but out of that at least ive started working freelance, no longer work for a nasty piece of work boss! i work with adults now not children and am setting up my own business! so from this mess of anxiety have come changes which were hard to make but for the best! but i had basically a year out of work running up debts til i found the confidence to try to change career! its been the toughest time of my life but out of it positive things are emerging. oh and i had no warning it could be this bad...my mum sailed thru meno with only some joint pain! my sisters 5 years younger at 45 and already for 2 years having a hard time in peri. but at least she's seen me go through it and will hopefully recognise it for what it is rather than develop health anxiety like i did! all i'll say is this can happen to any woman, no matter how strong or together a person you are. our hormones are responsible for our state or balance. estrogen is necessary to make serotonin. estrogen drops suddenly-not enough serotonin-anxiety takes hold. its not all in the mind! anyway, enough from me. all us fellow meno sufferers, we are strong, resilient and resourceful and we'll come out of it better people with happier lives 😃

This nausea is what is taking me down. I can't eat, no appetite which in turn takes my anxiety to a new level which I am sure is not helping but I can't help it.

I read these and it makes me feel better but then go to bed an fear I won't wake up or the next test they send me for (not sure how many are left) is going to reveal something like cancer or something even worse.

It's like a vicious cycle I want broken! I want my "me" back.

Hi Julie, thank you for this post. It struck a chord. I have been out of work for almost a year because of this crap. I am self employed one woman show...own my business and love what I do...it is high energy work physically and mentally. I could deal with the aches, pains, hot flashes...but then got hit with fatigue, migraines and vertigo... I do not get disability or anything...my husband works and has been carrying the financial burden. It is hard for me because I have never not worked. I went into labor and practically gave birth to my first kid at the office I worked in 13 years ago!

recently went back on BCP and take a med for the migraines. I feel a little better, but something tells me I probably will not be the multi tasking powerhouse I once was. At the very least though, I am thinking about getting back to work and that is a positive sign. Stay well! 😃

hi Leisa i still have my periods so in perminpause . My health anxiety is the same. Every day i have something wrong with me . NEVER in my whole life did i ever feel like this . thanks for replying

That was the start of my peri menopause the palpations the fear factor and anxiety , i use to hate going to bed as i knew i would be a horrendous night , i have had every symptom , detached, brain fog , dizzy and nauseous, the list goes on , just now as you read its the ache in my side and my shoulders forearms , hot water bottles seems to help ... i have the health anxiety as well its awful . jusy glad we have this forum or i would honestly think i was mad ...

do you know what the pain is ? thank goodness we all have each other ...

my pains in my shoulders and forearms my health anxiety is really bad when im in pain ... the pain in my side is away today, doctor i think , thinks its all in my head