Just an update - all that worry, and the treadmill part was so easy I could not believe it. I was a little short of breath when they finished and said I had reached my target heartrate. I was amazed, as I am very out of shape. Clothes did not matter there -The second worst part was having to wear this huge gown, no bra, pretty open in the front for all the wires although they did tape it for me - the armholes were so big you could see every thing anyways. The very worst part was when the technician kept jamming the ultrasound wand under & into my breast before and after the treadmill. I had to brace myself on the table she was pushing it in so hard, I thought she would push me off. Something was really pinching into me when she pushed, Not sure if it was a probe with a wire attached that was being pushed in by the wand or just the tip of the wand. THAT really hurt, almost as bad as the mammo. I had a mammo and the stress test back to back, but it was done quick so I had time to treat myself on my half day off to some shopping, but I got dizzy halfway thru the store so did not buy anything. I must say, This was the very worst (painful) mammo I have ever had too. Also,the blood pressure monitor for the stress test, wow, I have never had anyone cuff me so-o-o-o tightly before(three times!). She said something about the "lower your pressure is the tighter they have to wrap..." or such - never heard that before. No doctors were present when I was there, just the technicians, who were quite nice. Well, wonder when I will see the results. (Last time it took a month to hear from Dr. on my mammo, then another month to get an appt, then another month to get a referral for breast ultrasound, then same for a needle aspiration..)

Hi figittts, A beta blocker is a drug that blocks the various beta receptors in our blood vessels. They are in our arteries in our brain and also in our hearts. (I'm no expert, so I'm just saying what little I know). When something activates our beta receptors, it causes our vessels to constrict, our BP and heartrate to rise. There's something about the beta blocker that prevents the spasming of blood vessels in our head, which is what causes the aura and the migraine. Supposedly, we get auras because the vessel spasm is in the vicinity of our optic nerve. Beta blockers are not without their side-effects.......like listlessness, lack of energy, motivation and for those who already have low blood pressure, it can make you feel dizzy. I'm on the drug Toprol XL and take just a smidgen of it. I'm not sure it keeps me from having migraines now, since the headaches really started easing up when the further away I got from having periods. I have the auras about every 6 months now, with just a very mild headache. How long have you had them? I'm almost afraid to say this, in case your's just started up, but they say that if you've had them your whole life, you tend to get over them during menopause. But if they just started up at menopause, then you're likely to keep them. That happened to my sister-in-law. she's on Topamax. I think it made her gain weight.......but most drugs that affect the brain do. You may have to try several different meds for migraines, until you find one that works. Are yours around the time of your period (or when your period usually is)? Look up Migraines on the internet and you'll find places that tell you things to modify, to help reduce your liklihood of getting migraines. when mine were really bad, I had to give up chocolate, nuts, MSG, and others. And I absolutely positively couldn't eat ANYTHING after 6:30 in the evening, or it would cause a migraine in the morning. I've heard that people with sleep apnea can get migraines, and once they start using CPAP, their headaches improve.

My hubby died suddenly when I was 42 & at that time I had been irregular or didn't have period for 2-3 months at a time. Dr said that was just early menopause. I did get the hot flashes & I do mean hot, after going in a store I came out & was walking down street toward my car when I started to unbutton my blouse, I had bottom 3 buttons undone when I realized I was trying to take my shirt off in public, wow did I get them rebuttoned fast but I was so hot I felt like I was going to die. It's been many years since then & I still get hot flashes tho most of time not as bad. Had a friend that was still having them at 96 yrs old & you could see sweat glisten on her face so you knew that was what it was. Other friends have never gotten over them either. You may not get them, If you do start to always carry a 16 oz bottle of cold water with you, you can run the bottle over your arms & neck or forehead & drink some too. I carry ice chest in car with some water & a blue ice frozen thing. Sounds like you are in it! Good Luck!

Yes it does. I am 63 - menopause hit at 57. But last year I started spotting so I called my doctor and I had to go for the water-drinking horrible ultrasound. It revealed a thickened uterine lining and small fibroids so I had to go to a gyno. She did the biospy in her office - it really hurt and she couldn't get much but fortunately just enough for the lab to check for cancer. There wasn't any. She prescribed 2 prometrium pills of 100 mg a day for 4 months and that took care of the problem. Jump forward to Sept. of 2013 and the spotting was back so once again the horrible ultrasound and then the biopsy in her office. Again she managed to get just enough - although she was doubtful. Had the lab not had enough of a sample to check for cancer I would have had to go into the hospital for a biopsy - I expected it would be by a local, much like a cysto - but no, you are put under. I am one of those who do not sedate well - it has the opposite effect. A local that should last 3 hours will last maybe 5 - 10 minutes at most. A doctor can put me under but I won't stay under for long. So I was grateful that I didn't have to have that done. In your situation I think the test is required. People think that I have a higher tolerance for pain than the normal person - I don't - I just know what is going to happen. Actually the gyno was very impressed that I didn't say boo on her table. I hope everything works out for you, but if you don't take the test and you do have a major problem you will kick yourself later. Despite knowing what would happen to me in the hospital I would have been there in a nanosecond - or however long it took for the gyno to arrange the test - I live in Canada so probably a year.