HOPE THIS HELPS MANY....FOR YEARS I SUFFERED WITH A HOT SPOT THAT FELT SOFT AT TIMES , WOULD GENERATE A HOT DAGGER EFFECT THROUGH THE EAR, AT TIMES AN ELECTRIC SHOCK ...ALL EVENTS WOULD DEBILITATE ME FOR HOURS OR DAYS. WHEN YOU CANT WALK, OR TOUCH YOUR HEAD YOU SEARCH FOR ANSWERS. I DID......I WAS WATCHING A HISTORY SHOW ON TV ONE NIGHT AND SAW DATED SKULLS WITH HOLES DRILLED IN THEM...WELL BELIEVE ME THERE WERE TIMES THAT I THOUGHT THIS WAS THE ANSWER TO RELEASE THE ALIENS IN MY HEAD..... NOW I AM BY STANDARDS SANE, BUT THE TRAMA IS REAL. ....LONG AND SHORT....A VIRUS HAS ATTACKED YOUR NERVE ENDINGS AND REMEMBERS THE SPOT... A VIRUS CAN BE FROM MILLIONS OF SOURCES. I DONT LIKE THE LABEL THAT IT IS MEDICALLY TREATED UNDER...HERPIES SYNPLEX...BUT EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NEVER HAD STD'S OR A FREE SEXUAL LIFE THE MEDICAL; WORLD LABELS THIS VIRUS AS SUCH. STRESS TRIGGERS MY ATTACKS...PLAIN AND SIMPLE...EVEN THOUGH WE TRY TO REDIRECT OUR DAILY CHALLENGES SOMETIMES THE PLATE OVERFILLS AND BAMMMMM....THE PAIN...THE ALIENS.... HAVE A WORK UP FOR THIS SCENERIO...LYRICA IS A MIRACLE DRUG FOR ME , BUT IT IS POWERFUL...ICE PACKS, QUIET, AND TRY TO AVOID THE STRESS. THIS VIRUS IS A FORM OF FIBERMIALAGA. FACE IT WE HAVE "SHINGLE" ATTACKS WITHOUT MAJOR SKIN BREAKOUTS. I PRAY FOR EACH OF YOU THAT OUR PRECIOUS LORD WILL COMFORT YOU AND RESPOND TO YOUR PRAYERS, IN JESUS NAME, AMEN

My gosh. I thought I was the only one in the world, and here you all are! I'm 55. I had an hysterectomy when I was 41 and my ovaries removed at 43. I have been on estrogen only HRT since I was 44 with no issues. I had a normal mammogram six months ago. I started taking methotrexate for arthritis six months ago and my extremely sore and swollen breasts seemed to start when I moved to the higher doses of that drug. I even had some evidence of lactation from my right breast. My GP ordered hormone tests and they all came back in the normal range except SHBG which is a protein that binds to sex hormones to carry them around in the blood stream. I also had a mammogram which showed enlarged ducts with some debris. (My boobs are trashed after breast-feeding five kids but nothing they did is anything on this pain and tenderness.) I missed a couple of doses of methotrexate (taken weekly) and my breast pain seemed to start to diminish. I also stopped my HRT because I was so desperate for some relief. After a month, the pain has substantially subsided but I still have a residual tingly burn and they haven decreased much in size. I am yet to have repeat hormone tests or a repeat mammogram. I will try the flaxseed recommended above and post anything else that changes.

Hi cheerful, I don't think we can count on everybody being the same at this time of their lives, or the labs meaning the same in everyone. You could be going through menopause, but because you might not have the right combo of estrogen and progesterone, your uterine lining might be too thick.......and not always sloughing completely. Are your periods still regular? I think you might have one level of FSH, and I might have an even lower one, but maybe I wouldn't have periods, and you would. I think everyone is soooo different in this respect. But, I'm glad they're going to check your uterine lining, in case it's too thick. I think it's common sometimes for women, during their passage through menopause, to get thick linings. If you constantly have a thick lining that doesn't slough completely.....you can develop cancer that way. So I'm glad you're going to have the ultrasound. Good luck! And I wouldn't worry about still having periods if your lining is within normal limits. If you were 60, I'd be more concerned. Let us know what they find.

Hi ladies! Glad to see I'm not alone. I had an endometrial ablation July, '07. (stopped my periods) I'm 49 now and for the past month I have been having what I think are hot flashes. All of a sudden I'll feel very warm from my chest up. My face and neck get red to the point that people have been asking me what's wrong. I just laugh and tell them it's a hot flash! I average one per hour. I noticed when I had my physical a few months back that my blood pressure has increased also. I'm usually a very, very, good low. Now, I have prehypertension. It never hit me, but I have suffered from migraines the last ten years. (never had a headache in my life) My dr. thought they were just menstrual migraines, but now I think they were due to perimenopause. Good Grief!! Anymore, my skin is so dry (my hands snag clothing), I can't concentrate, I'm forgetful. I take Lexapro for PMDD, (guess I really don't have that anymore either!) which could be why I am not experiencing severe mood swings. My appetite seems to have lessened in the past six months also. I've lost about 15 lbs., and am now down to 132 lbs., which I am very proud of. lol Here it goes! I'm having a hot flash as I'm typing this!!!! Does this sound like Menopause to anyone other than me? (I have no one in my family to compare to. My mom went through an extremely early menopause at 35. Weird. My sister had a hysterectomy at 32 and has been on hormones since. She is now 52.) Thanks!