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Post by jisp on Apr 23, 2010 4:21:19 GMT -5
I am in this big time. And it is not fun. I had my annual and learned that I put on weight for the first time ever in my life. I feel like I have constant PMS. And my brain has gone to mush. For those who are through this charming phase of life any thoughts or advice? For those who are in it as well I need sympathetic ears.
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Post by Mayleng on Apr 23, 2010 8:25:42 GMT -5
I am right smack into either peri or menopause itself. Got every symptom there is. The ones I can't take are the emotional ones ie. sadness (I cry for no reason), anxiety and panic attacks over silly things like driving over a bridge. I have put on weight and can't seem to drop it no matter what I do. I have had night sweats and hot flashes for a number of years now, and that seems to be ebbing.
I was just about to post asking what others have done to alleviate these things especially the mood issues. I am a control freak, and to not be able to control my emotions is driving me totally nuts. It is definitely not fun.
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Post by wimom on Apr 23, 2010 9:47:15 GMT -5
Right there with you!!! It is to the point that when something sad is on tv my dd turns to see if I am crying... gosh it is like a bad tv show!! And the weight UGH, I have always been heavy but I have put on even more weight and am eating LESS, I am really watching everything and trying hard to lose but it is having the oppoisite effect I sware!! And the nightsweats have improved over the last year... but then I haven't had my "friend" in 9 months YIPPIE!!!... however dd got her first just this month.... I really hope I have hit menopause because if there are two hormonal females in this house I fear dh will truely move into the basement to get away from all the drama!!!
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Post by tootallmom on Apr 23, 2010 10:34:41 GMT -5
Oh yeah! I am in it big time...I recommend that you visit a site I have been using power-surge.com and go to their forums. It has provided me with very useful information.
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Post by Mayleng on Apr 23, 2010 11:05:51 GMT -5
I feel like a walking emotional mess. How long is it supposed to last, oh dear God!
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Post by aterry on Apr 23, 2010 12:31:05 GMT -5
I'm sorry to say that I've been having my own private July for 10 years. My doctor says, "sometimes that happens." Gee, thanks. I thought I only had to struggle through 2 years. Only two things help me (other than the estrogen patch which was wonderful 8 years ago but my doctor nixed it because of the controlled studies)--drinking lots of water and taking black cohosh. I use the brand Estroven Maximum Strength and I take one in the morning and one around 8:00pm.
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Post by Mayleng on Apr 23, 2010 13:33:51 GMT -5
aterry, does the estroven help with emotional issues? I thought black cohash was only for hot flashes.
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Post by teacherabc on Apr 23, 2010 15:26:20 GMT -5
You know, I did not realize that perimenopause/menopause causes all of these emotional symptoms...well, this may explain a lot...including my seeming inability to be at all level headed when it comes to dealing with HP and why I take it too much to heart when he is mad at me (not that he is the only one...same thing happens with my husband because both of them are alike and can harbor resentments for a while, unlike my daughter who can blow up but not stay mad...)...today in one of our English classes, we were watching the part of Schindler's List dealing with concentration camps to end a unit on Holocaust literature and I told him that I would be happy to take students who needed to finish their essay to a different room but that I could not stand watching that...I am such a basket case. I have had night sweats and a few flashes...always have had a weight problem, but I have not gotten my period in a few months and I am 48. I feel so old...
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Post by kc4braves on Apr 23, 2010 15:47:18 GMT -5
WOW. I thought I was going nuts all by myself. lol I have always felt perimenopause was a label for everything a woman has worng after age 35 that the docs can't figure out. I am seeing more symptoms though since hitting 40 a couple years back.
I'm interested in what jisp said about her brain going to "mush". I'm wondering in what way? I have word recall issues at times that I really feel are hormonal. My doctor/NP isn't helpful. I really just wanted her to reassure me that it was nothing to worry about. I've always been bad with names so I'm not talking about fogetting a name. I'm talking about forgetting a word. You know.....seeing what you want to say, but can't get the word. I end up playing charades and my family guesses the word. We usually just joke about it but I wonder if I'm the only one. It isn't all the time but when it does happen, it may be several words in a couple of days time. Very frustrating.
Also, I have not seen much change in cycle itself. Doctor did estrogen test and said my level is still normal. Not sure if she meant normal for a woman or normal for my age or what. I just keep thinking that a static test of one hormone doesn't tell much.
I can relate to all the emotional stuff. I have had PMDD since early 30s. CAn make you feel crazy. I get overly angry sometimes and overly weepy just like you guys mentioned. Maybe we should start a club! lol
I would like to know if your docs ran any particular tests or anything that proved helpful and what you may have tried that helped. Especially interested in word recall issues.
Kathy
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Post by Mayleng on Apr 23, 2010 16:43:17 GMT -5
Oh, my memory and word/name recall has gone. I can't remember anything these days. I know my mind isn't as sharp. It is very frustrating.
I was watching Oprah today, and she was saying how good being 50s is, how you become who you want wanted to be. She must not be suffering from menopause, or living in a different world from me. This just sucks big time. It is not wonderful to be in the 50s, when you think you are losing your mind and you have no control over your emotions nor your physical self.
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Post by teacherabc on Apr 23, 2010 18:37:26 GMT -5
It's not a picnic being 48 soon to be 49 either...suddenly I am in the middle of a sentence and I forget what I am talking about...
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Post by dwolen on Apr 23, 2010 21:12:11 GMT -5
See the thread about brain games. I got a lot of help with my memory via the Posit Science training programs. I noticed becoming absent minded around age 40, and figured I had too much to remeber between my dd, who was a little girl then, and my job. Now, 18 years later, with having used the Posit training, I am not nearly as absent minded. Honest, I am not a sales rep for Posit.
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Post by kc4braves on Apr 24, 2010 0:19:45 GMT -5
WOW. The Posit programs sound good but $395 each. It's funny that I'm awesome at Brain Age ( kids hate it) but might not recall the name of the game if i were trying to talk to you about it.
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Post by dwolen on Apr 24, 2010 7:30:33 GMT -5
That is a problem, it is expensive. I view it as an investment. It takes 3-4 months to complete.
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Post by dwolen on Apr 24, 2010 8:56:26 GMT -5
MAGAZINE | April 18, 2010 Here's an interesting article about estrogen from the NYT magazine last Sunday, April 18. I could not manage a link, but perhaps you can find it. I have been drinking soy milk (due to lactose intolerance) for 15+ years, but I don't know if that helped me with menopausal symtoms. Anyway, I recommend the article. The Estrogen Dilemma By CYNTHIA GORNEY New science is showing that estrogen's effects on women's minds and bodies may depend upon when they first start taking it. What should you do?
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Post by Mayleng on Apr 24, 2010 9:36:16 GMT -5
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Post by healthy11 on Apr 24, 2010 11:41:01 GMT -5
I recommend the book "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause" by Dr. John R. Lee. I know there are supposed to be newer books on the topic by other people, too, but I've found useful explanations and advice in it for what's happening at this time of life.
For me, the memory losses (ie, going into a room and forgetting what I went there for) feelings are the most frustrating, because I was always known as the person with a phenomenal knack for remembering details and having a computer-like memory for everything except names (I've never been good at that.) I do find going to the YMCA and exercising more regularly has helped keep some of the weight gain down, but in general, it's "sinking" into my midsection and nothing seems to help that. My back is also more sore than it ever used to be, and I'm not sure if it's because all my muscles are weakening with older age, or what. Like they say, getting old isn't for sissies, but I guess it beats the alternative of not being around at all.....
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Post by wimom on Apr 24, 2010 12:25:28 GMT -5
About 10 years ago I started taking Topamax for my migrains. Well one of the side effects is trouble with word recall -- Now add in permenopause problems (and stress!!!) with memory and recall WOW I do the stupidest things, Yesterday I was heading to the health food store to get something and completely forgot that they had moved to a diffent location (which I have been too several times over the last YEAR) I didn't figure this out till I had literly parked the car in the lot UGH. But then maybe I subconsiously wanted to go to bar it had become more than I wanted to go get melatonin LOL!!
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Post by Mayleng on Apr 24, 2010 12:54:46 GMT -5
I am just happy to know that I am not going crazy, and that there is a reason for it and not my imagination. For months, I have been wondering why I turned into a recluse, and feeling sad all the time. I thought it was because of winter and not having enough sun. Then I had a bad day where I actually had suicidal thoughts. And that scared the hell out of me because that is soooooo not me. I only realized it was menopause related when I asked d if there was a relationship between menopause and depression. I always thought it was just nite sweats, hot flashes and some moodiness but never to this level.
Like the article that dwolen referred to, the author mentioned about "mood swings":
This is exactly how I feel, mood swings is putting it mildly. Although I feel more like wishing someone would run me down with a car, than wanting to hurt others. The depression/sadness, anxiety is the hardest for me to deal with. I am/was such a level headed rational person. Losing control of my emotions is such a hard thing for me. Not to mention my family. I am glad that I am not raging for their sakes.
Healthy I also had a phenomenal memory, and now I can't remember what I did two minutes ago. I can't tell you how many times I had to drive back to the house to check that I have closed the garage door.
So when does this end?
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Post by healthy11 on Apr 24, 2010 14:17:30 GMT -5
There is no simple answer, I'm afraid... I find it frustrating that typically women who begin having their periods at earlier ages, generally end at later ages. That doesn't seem fair!
I can't even figure out what my family history would normally be, since my mother is deceased, and she'd had a hysterectomy at age 50, anyway, due to fibroids and heavy bleeding. I used to be as regular as clockwork, and even my husband commented that I could tell him half a year in advance, of when to plan our vacations to avoid my period, but not anymore. I don't know what's happening next month, or even next week.
Last time I went to my ob/gyn, whom I've seen for over 20 years, she shared that she'd been having totally regular cycles, and then one month they simply stopped, and she hasn't had another one since. Most people, though, start experiencing differences in both the time between cycles, as well as in the duration of bleeding. Some women also experience more fibrocystic breast cysts, due to hormonal fluctuations during perimenopause. I've had them in the past, and usually the doctor would advise waiting a cycle and see if they disappear on their own before aspirating them, but since my cycles are so bizarre these days, I can't even tell what's happening. I wish I knew when things would improve, but since each of us is different, it's anyone's guess.
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Post by kc4braves on Apr 24, 2010 14:18:04 GMT -5
I would like to know the answer to that one, MAyleng. I also sometimes feel like I fight depression. I didn't recognize it a first but I think it probably is. My mother who is 69, went through the change late and has never felt it was a big deal. Her only hot flases were a red ear she gets sometimes. And her bone density is decreasing. She doesn't take hormones and is sharp as a tack. One of the best secretaries around. Alwyas knows where everything is and sometimes pretty much runs her office. lol Not sure why I'm so different.
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Post by teacherabc on Apr 24, 2010 14:51:45 GMT -5
I am an emotional person to begin with, as probably many people on the board could figure out looking at my posts, lol. However, in looking back on things, I realize that I have been perimenopausal for awhile. My cycle has been irregular for some time, though I did not really take notice of it because I have never been the most regular person except for when I was on the pill. Now it seems to have stopped altogether--a couple of months ago. But I am so overly emotional and forgetful. I go to get something out a drawer...and can't remember what I am supposed to get. There have been times at work that something throws me for a loop--a couple of times it was what was going on with HP, another time an argument with my husband, another time, it was having to watch Schindler's List in our English class. The next day, I volunteered to work with a group of students in a different room who needed extra help with finishing essays--we were getting toward the concentration camp scenes and I told my co-teacher that I just couldn't stand watching it. For whatever reason two of my three co-English teachers want to teach Holocaust literature which I understand, but end up involving watching movies that unglue me. Last marking period in the other class we watched The Boy in the Red Striped Pajamas (I think that's the name) and a student looked at me and asked, "Miss, are you crying?" It was okay because she was too, but...
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Post by Mayleng on Apr 24, 2010 16:00:21 GMT -5
My period stopped a few years ago because I had a hysterectomy, but it wasn't until about 6 months ago that I began experiencing the "mood issues". Hot flashes and night sweats started a few yrs ago, I also just realised (looking at the list) that my acid reflux/indigestion problems could be a symptom of menopause as well. Since it started out of the blue and continued till today, although not as bad as before. Hopefully, that is ebbing as well.
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Post by majorv on Apr 24, 2010 21:49:24 GMT -5
My experience seems to follow pretty much what most of you are going through. I started getting hot flashes in my late 40's and those continued for a number of years. I still get hot easier than I used to but the flashes have gotten better. Emotions? Oh yea, I used to be able to get through a sad movie, even a movie with a happy ending, with just watery eyes. Now I'm wiping away tears. I noticed that I'm more sensitive to what people say and I get depressed easier. I find that I'd rather stay at home than go out for social occasions. My memory? I was beginning to wonder if I was getting dementia but it sounds like from listening to y'all that this is normal...thank goodness! Just tonight I was trying to find a backup cellphone for my son and for the life of me I can't remember where I put it! I also get very aggravated when I move something, thinking that I will remember better where it is if I move it to a more logical place...NOT! I always seem to remember where I used to have something but not where I moved it to! The one thing I AM glad about is that I don't have to deal with my period anymore!
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Post by michellea on Apr 25, 2010 20:43:49 GMT -5
I'm 50 and still as regular as ever - although my periods only last about 4 days now instead of 6. My only symptom is WEIGHT GAIN. I'm nearing my pregnancy weight which is too much. I used to be quite slim (size 4) and now I'm busting out of size 10. Even my feet went up a size. I really can't stand myself......
Since I cry all the time - I can't imagine that getting any worse.
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Post by aterry on Apr 26, 2010 11:29:08 GMT -5
I find that the Estroven helps with all of my symptoms except the memory part. I think that may be hopeless.
When I first hit menopause my doctor recommended the estrogen patch which I was skeptical of plus I had NO symptoms. I felt fine, I just didn't get my period. But the doctor had lots of reasons to try the replacement therapy so I tried the patch. I cut them in half because I wanted to minimize my risk. Even at half a dose I felt GREAT.
Then the studies came out about the risks being worse that they'd thought and I stopped the patch. Right away I got bad hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, etc. So I'll never know if I would not have gotten them if I'd never gone on the patch. But the Estroven does help so I take two a day. One in the morning and one at night.
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Post by Mayleng on Apr 26, 2010 15:57:10 GMT -5
thanks aterry, I will give it a try and see how it goes.
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Post by kewpie on May 10, 2010 14:03:17 GMT -5
I have found that when I take Omega 3-6supplements, my memory does not lapse nearly as much. It does make a difference. Anybody have suggestions for creaky knees?
The weight thing is awful. After trying to eat healthy and cut down for over a year with no luck, I finally started a weight bearing exercise DVD for 28 minutes per day about 4x per week. I figured the only way to get thinner was to build up more muscle to increase the slowing metabolism plus it is supposed to build bone density. I am in my 3rd month. I haven't lost or gained weight but I have lost some inches and feel stronger. I think I will try that estroven for the occasional hot flashes. I had awful heavy bleeding for a while so I got an ablation that was supposed to make it all go away. It did ..for a few months and then they came back with a vengeance. Finally they are slowing down!!
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Post by Mayleng on May 10, 2010 16:47:49 GMT -5
kewpie, I have really bad knees (both of them) going up and down stairs is murder on them. However, since I strengthened my leg muscles they haven't been doing too badly. So lots of squats, make sure your knees do not go pass your toes (just like you are sitting). Your knees might hurt at first, but the more your muscles strengthen the less your knees will hurt. If you have access to an eliptical machine, it will strengthen your thighs/legs without hurting your knees. You will see your thighs shrink too if you have big thighs like I had.
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Post by kewpie on May 10, 2010 17:11:08 GMT -5
>However, since I strengthened my leg muscles they haven't been doing too badly. So lots of squats, make sure your knees do not go pass your toes (just like you are sitting). Your knees might hurt at first, but the more your muscles strengthen the less your knees will hurt.<
You are absolutely right. My routine includes those squats. My knees are getting better at going up and down stairs. :-)
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