What has been your hardest/strangest symptoms

Omg!!!! I have smelled that too. Of course, with the health anxiety I thought I was having a stroke and was freaking out. My hardest symptom has definitely been the anxiety.

My health anxiety has definitely heightened but my tools have really helped me in not staying there for very long. My supplements as well. My naturopath has recommended that I also take L-5HTP to help in staying calm. Magnesium at night helps me to sleep well so my cortisol doesn’t go into night anxiety. Rhodiola is another good one to help during the day as well. I think the cigarette smell comes with the dryness we go thru. 

I have that too!  I just finished about a week long period where I smelled cigarette smoke.  This has been happening off and on over the past few years.  My most debilitating symptom this past few years is chronic gastritis.  If that would go away I could handle everything else.

Oh and I’m also using sage oil to help with my hormone fluctuations. I don’t want to jynx myself but I think the sage is really helping. I rub a few drops on my inner arm.

Hi Karen, yes the dry mouth I wonder if it gets better I have been chewing been like this for a long time

Gastritis is one of my top 3 worst symptoms too and I am getting so tired of it!  It is definitely hormonally related because I can have a flare up for about a week where my stomach is really bad.....burning stomach, esophagus and throat and then it eases off even though I am not doing anything different. Had endoscopy 2 years ago which showed chronic gastritis on biopsy but my stomach lining looked good on visible exam.  But it hasnt gotten better and even though I take medication for it, it seems like no matter what I do, nothing helps.  I will have days where my stomach is great and that is what gets me because I'll go off my limited diet and then it gets worse.  I cant take HRT due to blood pressure issues and am at my wits end trying to find some way to balance my hormones to see if that can help.   I have an appointment with a new GI doc at Emory University here in Atlanta and hope that he may be able to shed some light on the relationship between hormones and gastritis.....and perhaps refer me to someone who can help me with hormone balancing while not on HRT.  I know its a stretch.....but I am hoping for a miracle!!!

Dear tmpearce

I sympathise with you, I know how horrible gastitis is and how long it can go on for. I went on ppi's for so long a(Omeprezole then zantac) I switched to zantac because omeprezole didnt agree with me after a while giving me bad stomach pains and gas. It is important with stomach issues to not eat late at night and have your bed propped up at top end. Ease off fat, caffeine and alcohol and loose weight if needed if sitting around your Middle!

Try bioidenticals; you might not get that bp problem while on them.  Your body will recognize it and be able to use it much easier than synthetics.

I have problems with ppi’s too.  The only one I can tolerate is pantoprazole but at half the dose, so I am taking pantoprazole 20mg in the morning and Zantac 150mg at supper time and usually some form of liquid antacid at bedtime.  If I take full dose of the pantoprazole I get stomach pain.  I don’t have to lose much weight..my BMI is 24 and doctor says I’m good there.  But I DO need more willpower!  I don’t drink alcohol at all but I DO have an addiction to dark chocolate...like, a serious addiction!  And carbs.   I know that the sugars and carbs also cause havoc with the hormones and that doesn’t help either.  What a mess this menopause is!!  I guess I could always turn my chocolate addiction into a handbag addiction...lol😀

I’ve been thinking about the bio-identical route.  The problem is finding a doctor who will prescribe them.  I’ve mentioned them to several doctors and keep getting resistance.  I just want to scream at them to live for a month in my body and THEN tell me what they think!

I get so confused with the different hormone levels and thought about looking for something I can buy myself but I don’t even know how to determine if I’m estrogen or progesterone dominant.  All I know is that living this way is really not living!

I completely understand!  I've been fighting this for 2 years, feeling the symptoms for 4.  I finally found a Dr. that doesn't card about numbers or labs, but how I am feeling.  She just prescribed me 3 mg estradiol/estriol blend and 200 mg progesterone.  She said I should not be feeling this way.  We will tweak as we go and she doesn't draw labs to keep checking hormone levels.  She said I know my body better than labs do!  I love her so much!!  I found her by calling a local compounding pharmacy and asked who they worked with that prescribed bio-identicals through them.  That is where you will find Dr.s that know about bio-identicals.  They aren't getting cut-backs from big pharma to prescribe synthetics, they are prescribing because they know it works and helps women.  They only get paid the office visit.  

Thanks so much for that info!  I never even thought of calling a compounding pharmacy to get the name of a doctor.  I will try this! 🙂??