What kind of symptoms are you having? Did you see the endocrinologist yet?
Mrs H

My symptoms have been strong hot flashes, numerous all day most days, and bright red flushing of my face and neck. I also have heart palps, anxiety and high BP.
Saw the enocrinologist today, and he's doing tests to rule out Pheochromocytoma. I was tested for that a couple of years ago and tests were negative. All I can do is wait, although that doesn't help much in the anxiety department!
If this is just a difficult menopause, I'll be pissed at being put through all of this by my docs. But I guess they have to rule out other stuff. Wish me luck! Gayle

I do wish you luck. Menopause can be a real booger for some of us :) Keep us informed.
Mrs H

HI Gayle,
One thing I'm learning about perimenopause/menopause, is that our ovaries and uterues aren't the only things involved in the picture. It also includes our pituitary and hypothalamus.
Some people with hormonal migraines who have hysterectomies are hopeful that their headaches will stop.......but many times they don't. I think its because they've only removed part of the hormone equation.
I'm wondering if you will start to get relief when you're at the age that you would have naturally gone through menopause? Hopefully that will be soon!
I started my perimenopausal symptoms around l996, and they are finally subsiding.....but not completely yet...... So for some of us, its a long, hard ride!
Good luck to you. In the meantime, you'll just have to try various ways of decreasing your symptoms........eat less carbs and sugar, cut out caffeine, try something like black cohosh, or Estroven, meditation, accupunction, etc.

Thanks everyone for your posts and support. I'm hanging in there,and doing lots of research on natural remedies and self help. I've tried Estroven and soy milk and found that my anxiety increased...wonder if I have estrogen dominance and soy isoflavones are aggrivating symptoms instead of helping?? I tried taking 1/2 tablet of a B complex + C vitamen (B vitamins make me nauseous). It may be too soon, but I think I'm feeling some relief from the anxiety.
My sleep patterns have been upset because for the past 6 months I've been working at a new job on the night shift.
I work alone on this shift in a hospital stat lab, so you can imagine the environment of sporadic high stress situations. After 30 years of this type of work I believe that my adrenals must be mush by now. I also raised my special needs son (now 25) as a single mother. I have remarried (after 21 years divorced!), moved to a beautiful small town , and have simplified my life significantly (except for the job!) I'm thinking that my endocrine system was in high gear for so long, that it now doesn't know what to do with the positive changes. Throw in menopause, and it's really screwed up! Thanks for listening girls, I know we'll all get through this eventually. This forum is a great way for us to help each other through it! Gayle

Hi again Gayle,
Wow.......you must be a really strong person to have gotten through what you have. I think being a single mom, (and especially with a special needs child), takes a really special person.
The B vitamins can make me nauseous too.......but not all the time for some reason. Be sure to take them on a full stomach. Another tip......vitamin C can really make some people nauseous. I've discovered that there's more C in a big glass of O.J., than in a pill........so you might consider that.
Not sleeping well can really make other symptoms worse. I hope you can get better sleep soon. That, in itself, will help alot.
Good luck with your new, simpler life. It sounds really nice (except for that job!)

gaylee- if you are concerned that your adrenal glands are mush, go have your DHEA and cortisol levels checked. I was having horrible symptoms like you describe about a year ago. My DHEA was so low it was almost undetectable. My cortisol was a bit on the high side too. My gyn put me on a DHEA supplement that greatly helped within a couple of months, but you need your levels monitored and a doctor who will stay on top of it. I still have some occasional mild anxiety problems, but I suspect that it's normal going-through-menopause stuff, so I don't worry too much about it. Even though you have simplified your life, all the good changes stress you too. Good luck.
Mrs H

I do believe that some of us are more susceptible to hormone fluctuations...maybe our genetic make-up, maybe our life experiences are some of the causes. I am going to make this endocrinologist work for his money with me! I will be calling his office tomorrow and ask for a hormonal work-up including the ones in you've suggested. I am also searching for a new primary care physician closer to my home and more with it in the menopause department! As I'm sure many of you can relate, "I'm so sick and tired of feeling sick and tired" ... and the anxiety is like nothing I've experienced before - I hate it. Thank God I didn't have this while I was raising my son, because I know I wouldn't have been able to cope. It just drains you.
Thanks for the suggestions... Gayle

My FSH levels are consistent with being post-menopausal. Tell that to my hot flashes and mood swings! The hot flashes have become worse in the last month or so (stress aggravates it). I'm seeing my GYN next month. Will ask her for further bloodwork, and either HRT or something comparable to help me.

Hi Girls,

I'm a newbie on here and I have been searching for like minded people like youself, feeling of going mad with frustration. I live in Norway and feel quite isolated. My doc's English is pretty good but I still feel there's a language barrier.

I am 54 years old, soon to be 55 and the last few months have been a living hell. I can cope with the night sweats and hot flushes. What I can't get my head around is crippling back spasms, low pelvic pain and cramping. Feels like a p about to start but nothing happens. Sound familiar? It's almost like my hormones have gone ga ga and whatever is going on, is making me feel very anxious and tense. I take Efamol high strength, vitamin E and Omega 3 caps. Due to see the gynae in 2 weeks time and I shall have a very long list! Can't take HRT for family history reasons but really miss just getting out there without having to endure feeling of stiffness and backache.