Can the perimenopause really cause all this?

[macc noodle]

I am in a right old pickle and have made an appointment to see the doc on Wednesday this week.

Does anyone else, who is perimenopausal, suffer from really bad aches and pains in their joints, particularly hips and generalised aches and pains round the top of your leg and into pelvic region on one side and then rib area on the other side.

I am so worried that I have something majorly wrong with me that I am going insane with fear.

I also am suffering from feast or famine in the toilet department, wind and stomach pain.

All in all feeling like poo!

Anyone ever felt similar??????????????

[suzy-sue]

I did lol .When I went to the Dr she sent me for a back xray ..It showed worn discs .Joint pains are common in a lot of women as they reach the menopause .I was sent for Psyiotherapy ..The toilet probs sound like IBS ..I have bouts of this too :lac:..Buscopan and a diet rich in fruit and veg helps .Usually flares up when ive been stressed or eaten something I shouldnt ..Certain foods trigger it .Hope you get on ok the Dr ..luv Sue x

[ElizabethJane]

Hi I'm forty nine so do I count as being peri-menopausal? I don't suffer from the joint pain but I am sure there are those here who do. As far as the bowel department is concerned I do suffer from a lot of wind as well as excruciating pain sometimes. anxiety does not help. Peppermint is good either tea or the capsules.I also take agnus castus and evening primrose to help with the breast tenderness and grumpiness. Good for the tenderness not so sure about grumpiness. Mostly I try to ignore it and deal with it either with fybogel and immodium for when food is straight in and out. I'm far more windy as I have got older. I'm stepping up my swimming. At least no-body can hear if I'm windy in the water! It is hard sometimes whether to blame this type of thing on the menopause though. Good luck at the doctors.

[macc noodle]

Thanks guys - the bowel issues have been pretty ongoing and the doc has said IBS in the past - just when I am feeling anxious it manages to become either bowel cancer or ovarian cancer (especially with the hip and pelvic pain!).

I am a great fan of peppermint tea and also green tea - can't remember the last time I drank tea with caffeine in 'cos it started to give me headaches! I still persecute myself every so often with a nice cappucino (gets me everytime with the milk and the caffeine - still it is worth it in the short term HA! :))

It really is just these aches and pains that are getting me down - and forgot to mention also seem to be bruising really easily (this used to happen when I was on my periods when I was younger).

Jan
xx

[blueangel]

Perimenopause causes all sorts of crappy problems - and the bad news is that it can go on for years, and it will continue into the menopause. I think I've had various peri symptoms for about 8 years now.

The good news is that it's not serious - hurrah! It is a pain in the bum though, and you can get all sorts of aches and pains, worsening of pre-existing conditions (e.g. migraine, IBS, joint problems), anxiety, palpitations and many more.

ElizabethJane - yes, 49 can still count as peri; the time it starts is different for everyone and can be as early as late 30s, depending on how your body clocks are set up. Time of menopause can have a hereditary component (my mother was 44, so I was aware that I could have a slightly early menopause as well), and can also be affected by smoking, which is supposed to knock 3-4 years off your fertility.

Hope this helps.

[Mogwog]

I remember my mum telling me she was having this trouble,went on for a while i'm afraid but she is fine now.

Hope your ok.

Love

Laura.xxxx

[Angelina]

Im struggling too at the moment i had not seen a monthly for almost a year had a very bad anxiety attack and hey presto a really heavy period followed same night. i was devastated as ive been going through the menopause for at least 7 years :( was hoping it was finally over. Had to go onto antidepressant although im not depressed just a bit anxious & panicky still have a good laugh with my partner so im sure its the menopause any ideas???? xx

[macc noodle]

Thanks guys - joy to the world - 8 years OMG I will be truly insane by then!!!!

The worst of it all is the aches and pains I feel like an old woman - still better stop feeling sorry for myself and get doing some exercise - boost the old serotonins and stave off the osteoporosis. :)

Hey Angelina - did you see your doc about the return of the period? Have you had one since - I thought they had gone if you hadn't had a period for a year - must be mistaken. Oh the joys.......................

Jan
xx:hugs:

[macc noodle]

In a right old mess again - Dr Google is persecuting me - have had bad stomach (chronic IBS has been suggested) but nasty pains down along my pelvis too and feeling really out of sorts with myself - going to docs on Thursday and will have to ask for some help.

Don't want to die of cancer :(

[Tish]

Hi Macc noodle.. just make sure when you go to the docs that they don't fob you off without doing some tests. You really do need to put your mind at rest. I was told outright by my gp that it looked like I might have bowel cancer but tests came back negative so then I could accept that it was IBS. This made sense as I'd switched to a 'healthy' diet of wholemeal bread and lots of fruit and veg. It actually GAVE me IBS, I couldn't cope with all the fibre. You have to learn by trial and error what diet works for you. I avoid roughage now and have been fine for a long time now. I'm 53 and menopausal, aches and pains are normal but usually in the joints. Good luck, T x

[Ambers]

Macc - I feel for you.. YOU ARE NOT DYING!!! I am having exactly the same symptoms as you and have been in and out of the doctors for the past 2 months. I had a MRI scan last Wednesday and awaiting results (yikes). I wondered if it was the start of the peri (I'm 42). Sometimes I can even feel a large lump in my right lillac... or is it all in my head arrrrrrrhhhh. My tongue has also turned yellow and I am constantly suffering from blood blisters in my mouth. Life is so much fun in your 40's as a female suffering from anxiety lol x

[macc noodle]

Yes well - looked back at my posts over this over the weekend after feeling generally s**t and decided that I had to take some action and get to the bottom of it all (pardon the pun re my recent toilet habits) !!!

I am so blinking bloated today that I found my jeans digging in which was horribly uncomfortable and am currently wearing some comfy tracky bottoms!

Really very scared about ovarian cancer - last year had CA125 tests - came back negative - but didnt have scan - too scared and ran away from hospital - God how I wish I had been brave enough and gone through with it - then I would not be in this mess now.

Thing is - I may have ovarian cancer - I have upset tummy, aches and pains, pelvic pain and bloating etc etc and then I damn well googled it and found a post on an american website where someone kept being fobbed off by their docs and they had all this plus headaches (yes, I have those), neck pains (yes, I have those) and backache (yes, you guessed it, I have that too)- and if I have then I may well have left it too late - so unhappy, so scared and it just doesn't help that I am terrified of hospitals and docs and ops etc.

:(

[Ambers]

Please remember this is all caused by anxiety & IBS to! Honestly I am with you too as I have OC on my mind to. To put your mind at rest go to your docs and ask for a scan - they can be done at some local surgeries rather than at hospitals. My last US scan was done at a surgery and the doctor rushed through the appointment for me within days (I was limping from my pelvic pain - still am). US scan looks at the ovaries, takes a matter of minutes and are painless - do you have someone that will go with you? I wished I could help further - but i really understand whay your going through x

[macc noodle]

Hi Ambers

Hope you get your results soon and yr mind can be put at rest - what are they looking for with MRI scan ? How brave of you to have the scan - just scares the pants of me thinking about it.

Yeh - I do have someone (well several willing volunteers really) who could come with me - it is just I simply have a real issue with hospitals (goes back a long way to being 6 and being rushed to theatre whilst still awake for emergency surgery - I can still remember the sights, the sounds and the smells............ has haunted me for too many years - 44 to be precise).

Tnx hunni much appreciated.

Jan
xxx

[macc noodle]

OK - here it is - I apologise in advance for driving you all mad and I know I will just have to gather up my courage and see the doc tomorrow and make sure I get the tests BUT I AM SO SCARED .............................

Why didn't I go for the scan last year - what if I have left it too late and they can't do anything for me.

I am sitting here with backache, pelvic pain, low abdo bloat, frequent urination and ABSOLUTE FREAKING TERROR - how can I be ticking all the boxes for OC????

I could cry but am afraid once I start I might not stop and I simply cannot frighten my kids - my eldest is about to take his gcses and my youngest is so sharp - he just knows when something is wrong - what will they do without me?

It is just hell today and I cannot think of anything else - anyone out there to give me a helping hand?

I just keep thinking what if my stupid health anxiety and fear of doctors has caused me not to seek help earlier and effectively signed my own death warrant.

:ohmy:

[macc noodle]

So here is how it went - idly googling perimenopause and wind - cos I am very very windy today !!!! and petrified about scan on Friday - convinced I am going to be given very bad news
:ohmy:

and up pops my post on Dr Google's suggestions - oh my Lord - how long have I been banging on about this - now I am even more freaked out .....

Why have I avoided the scan for over a year ????????????????

What the hell am I going to do :ohmy::ohmy:

Seriously scared (despite a CA125 level reading of 5) and all other bloods ok - cannot ignore the obvious pains I am now getting plus the bloat and wind ........................ far worse than it was a year ago.............

[nomorepanic]

Hi Macc

I have just got back from seeing my GP as the really really bad back pain and constant diarhhea leading up to my period (and during it) has been getting me down so much.

She is referring me to see a gynecologist as she is concerned that the constant diarrhea will really upset my Crohn's. Equally she said that that the Crohn's could be upsetting my periods as I have lesions left on my bowels from a flareup and they may be causing the issues as well.

She mentioned a laparoscopy - no idea what that is - not googling it yet lol.

My only option is the Mirena Coil really as she cannot give me the mini pill as I am classed as a Grade 3 risk with the heart problems.

Oh the joys eh?

So I guess I will have to wait however long it takes for the appointment to come through and see what they say.

I did ask specifically if I was peri-menopausal but she wouldn't commit to anything until I had seen the specialist.

I too get bloating by the way and I have fibroids as well

Good luck with your scan.

[macc noodle]

Nic., hopefully not too long before u get your Appt.

And then they can get u sorted - one of my friends had similar probs and it turned out the endometriosis was causing the pain and upset tum! she is absolutely fine now though :-)

Don't really want the scan but since I have already imagined the worst, I may as well get it over and done with - eeeekkkkkkk

Thanks Nic.

Macc xx

[nomorepanic]

She did say the word endometriosis as well - still don't know what that is though lol

Yeah you need the scan to get it sorted Macc. We will be thinking of you xx

[haz]

Do you remember answering my post last week about mid-month spotting Nicola?

Well, I asked my GP about it this morning and as I've had a smear test (clear) 11 months ago, she said it is probably ovulation spotting and nothing to worry about.

Hope you get your appointment and problems sorted out soon.

As far as I'm concerned the quicker the menopause comes and GOES, the better!

P.S. My GP won't give me the blood test to check my hormone levels for perimenopause (I'm almost 44 Yrs) as she said it would be inconclusive depending on the time of month it was taken. My psychiatrist said it wasn't necessary either as it would only come up with "a number":shrug:. I have heard that this test is very expensive, don't know how accuracte that is?

Haz.x

[snowgoose]

Hi Macc:hugs:

I so empathise with the utter terror you feel .truly do .
I think health anxiety is the utmost pits and ruins lives .
But hey ? lots of us on your shoulder with you when you have your scan my love .. giving you that boost to that feisty inner strength that is in you lady .......its just gone awol for a while .

None of us can say that all will be ok cos we are not docs with scans and blood results at hand .....we all know this anyway .

But ........ Ovarian cancer is rare Macc .........it really is and I worked in cancer care for 15 years .
The CA 125 Is only an indicator and can be raised with all sorts of lady gynae things . yours is not high at all xx
fibroids and endometriosis ......the menopause or peri one .
That is without IBS sticking its oar in to boot :mad:

take whatever you need to get through the scan Macc .
rant cry ..........talk to us ..........but somehow you will get through this and come out the other end with peace .
in the morning have some thing to eat that is easy like a yoghurt and hot water with lemon maybe . have something on your tummy to keep blood sugar up .
go outside with cuppa and breathe in the fresh air .
do your calming breaths ......and then my tip is to say to myself ........ok I have done all I can. I will now let other professional people help me and the higher being [be it God or whatever ] take control for me for a little while .

hope this makes sense Macc .........

The witch on your shoulder is me :scared15:

love snow x

[macc noodle]

Ha ha Snow - u know me so well!!!

Not sure how I am going to get thru this without going mad! I tried to make an Appt at docs for Monday but was told in no uncertain terms that they would contact me if I needed to see GP about results!!!! They have no idea what it is to be so scared - the waiting will be worse than the scan!!

Although not eating for 6 hrs before the scan and having a full bladder for the scan will be torture!!!!!

How did it come to this :-(

[nr13]

Hi, I think my wife is in perimenopause, she is showing a lot of the symptoms, she left the house three weeks ago when she came home from work and seemed agitated, we had been getting along okay , she has a very stressful job and our 2 children have recently left the family home , she said if she stayed we would end up fighting and hating eachother, this came totally out of the blue, she said things I have said or done lately she hated me for, when she told me what it was I had said or done they were only trivial things, but not obviously to her. I have read a lot of information on the internet as I am very worried about her, she will not go the doctors as she says she will deal with it herself. she asked me to leave her alone as she just needs to be by herself right now. I have respected her wishes and
I have told her I love her and will always be there for her.
I feel helpless as there is nothing I can seem to do, I cannot drag her to the doctors, I know something is wrong as she seems a totally different woman.
does anyone have any advice please?
or how long will she want to avoid me for, is it a permenant thing or a mood swing? I dont want to push myself on her, i.e, texts or phoning as she has asked me not too.
can anyone help please??