A Very "Peri" Thread!!

[CordyC]

There are quite a few of us in varying stages of menopause, and I thought we should have a place to discuss this!

I'll start: I'm 48, and have had TOM twice in the past year! The last time was six months ago. I am having hot flashes, day and night, sleep disturbance, and of course, my WL efforts are not the smooth, downward trend I would love to see! I will not be taking HRT, because of a family history of heart disease. But I will be buying sweater sets, so I can peel off layers.... :angel :headover:

[nancyny]

There is an extensive thread on this topic in the Fab 40s area (where else?).

Try here: Fab 40s perimenopause thread (http://www.healthdiscovery.net/forums/showthread.php?p=189514#post189514)

Lots of good stuff! Feel free to join in!

I am not up to menopause yet, but I'm done calling whatever it is a "cycle."

[judyo53]

I'll be 51 in a few months & I just recently started missing TOM's. The most I've missed is 3 months in a row & keep forgetting to keep track of the last one. I'm probably at 2 months now.

I don't have hot flashes & have always been a light sleeper & there certainly have been a few nights where it seemed like I didn't get a wink in, but that doesn't happen all the time. In fact, I attributed it to not working out lately (because of muscle pulls & sickness), but maybe it is a symptom.

What scared me was a few months back an entire month where both breasts were so sore I couldn't sleep at night & even had to buy some sports bras to sleep in (& I'm pretty small on top-so size wasn't the issue). I used to get breast tenderness as a PMS symptom & this was like all month PMS. Thank goodness it went away but last week I had several days in a row with a pain in my left breast, but a more designated area this time, almost like a bruise. It also went away & I have read that these are perimenopause symptoms, too. What fun!

The only thing I'm taking is Ibruprofen for the painful times but nothing else. Hopefully I won't have to even consider it. I know hot flashes are not fun but I'm always cold so wonder what one would be like for me. I better not wonder too much or that'll be my next symptom.

One more thing that I don't know is related or not. Every once in a while I can have such a bad day with not remembering the simplest things, or one day when I got completely lost somehow. Usually I know where I turned wrong or did something incorrect, but it took me a while to realize I was driving in the opposite direction of where I should have been & I couldn't for the life of me figure when I made a wrong turn. It scared me into thinking that maybe I have Alzheimer's although I think this could be perimenopause, too (I hope). SCARY !

[SSKatie]

Cordy, I love you!! :buddysmoo And I'm peri..I mean VERY...thankful that you're my buddy!!

I'm 50 (duh!) and am in the "throes" (don't you just love that word? Makes me think of Wuthering Heights and I must "take to my bed"!) of peri-menopause right now, as I have the memory problems (THANKS, Judy (((( hugs )))) )--it IS scary when that happens, but I just keep telling myself that this is temporary, and that my hormones are running rampant--humor is good right now, huh? :lol:) I also have some hot flashes (but eating more soy has definitely helped that), thinning hair, dryness, & irritability.

I picked a baaaad time to come off my medication for depression, and I've been crying on and off for...oooohh... about a week now. But I'm starting to take some supplements now, as well as progesterone cream, & may start with another med, so I hope I'm gonna start to see some changes really soon.

We can all band together and get through this--AND WE'LL JUST LOOK BACK AND LAUGH ABOUT IT LATER!! (Sorry if you're not feeling like goofy humor right now......but I've got to start laughing about it, or I'm gonna have permanent tear tracks on my cheeks! :D)

[CordyC]

AND WE'LL JUST LOOK BACK AND LAUGH ABOUT IT LATER!!
Assuming we don't have simultaneous "Miami moments" and forget all about it!! :kiss:

One of the best comments I heard on the subject of forgetfulness was from an acquaintance who was a geriatrician: "Okay" forgetfulness is not remembering where you put your glasses. "Not-okay" forgetfulness is forgetting you even wear glasses!!!

OTOH, I got a "boost" while in the ER after the fracture incident, and one of the residents asked the other, "Old or young patient?" I practically preened when he replied "Young"!!!

[SSKatie]

Good point, Cordy---I DO know that I wear glasses!

You youngster, you!! :exercise2

[judyo53]

Hey, & I KNEW I was driving in a car (I think)! It was getting dark out! It was definitely too far to walk...

Katie-All this COREmotion must have really gotten you in a tizzy-no wonder you've been crying. My DD suffers bad depression & can't seem to find the right meds any longer. Are you taking a "time off" to try something new?

Cordy-Well, you ARE young. I was surprised to find out you're close to my age. You, too Katie.

I remember one of the Gabor sisters saying that 50 was her favorite age. Well, I'm here & I don't know what she was smokin'.

[SSKatie]

Judy, yep, I'm taking time off to figer out what kind of medicine I should be on---just off Effexor that I've been taking off & on for 6-7 years. I don't think it was the right med in the 1st place for me.

And you know, this Core-motion HAS done a number on me. Just STARTING the Core program was hard enough...and then all the confusion?????? Yuk and double yuk. Here I am trying to decide what to do with the rest of my life (empty nester, single), & then not knowing what to do with cornmeal and baking powder is more than I can handle! :crazy: :)

[judyo53]

Here I am trying to decide what to do with the rest of my life (empty nester, single), & then not knowing what to do with cornmeal and baking powder is more than I can handle!
Too funny! LOL!

I don't know if I've heard of Effexor. DD doesn't share too much of that info with me & I'm not even sure what she's on now, if anything. I've been told to tell her not to give up & to keep trying to find the right mix. But she's already switched doctors & I just don't know how they figure this stuff out.

Instead of being the empty nester I should be, I now have her back home after 11 yrs. & am pretty much raising her daughter who is 2. She can't handle life right now, self medicates with alcohol (although she's been very good for a while now after I put my foot down after the last episode) & she just got a new job that she quit after one day. She just struggles with life & can't take care of herself, let alone a child. Plus my 21 yr. old DS is still here. Thank goodness my 25 yr. old DS is married & doing great.

BTW, all this talk about perimenopause brought on my first TOM in probably 2 months. I've got to mark it down on the calendar right now.

[*WWDonna*]

Well, I am hearing menopause knocking at my door. I missed April, August, and it looks like I'm halfway to missing September.

According to my reference gynecological books at work,
The average age of menopuase is 52.
Yes, there are some early women who stop in their late 40s.
Yes, there are some late women who stop about 58. Yikes!
Once we loose the protection of estrogen, our cardiac risk is about the same as the males.

[Duchess Talks Too Much]

I remember one of the Gabor sisters saying that 50 was her favorite age. Well, I'm here & I don't know what she was smokin'.
And here I thought 50 was the new 30. No? ;)

[nancyny]

Maybe 50 looks pretty good when you're looking from 70 or so... I guess we'll all just have to find out. I turned 50 this year. Haven't had a "cycle" for a couple years now. Haven't had a "period" since April.

My cycles became irregular when I was 45. My dr. said that was "too young" but then I told them it was happening to my sister (then 44) too.

When my cycles got irregular, the doctors were worried because they were too short (average less than 3 weeks). They were about ready to "do something" when they all but disappeared on their own. I had already tried The Pill, but the lowest dose available did bad things to my blood pressure and I had to stop.

[SSKatie]

Nancy, you and I are almost twins on the "timing.' :D I started being irregular when I was about 45 with VERY heavy bleeding alternating with lightER days on a constant basis for months....to the point that I became anemic. The Doc put me on Provera for about 3-4 months and it took care of the intensity of the whole thing. Then it gradually tapered off until this year when it's just plain erratic (but not heavy, thank God). :exercise2 :exercise2 Also this year, I'm starting some other symptoms like skin dryness, dryness other places :), and emotional & memory stuff.

We will survive!! :bcbsalute

[Sandylee]

Hi I have the "peris" too. I am 47 and have been having different symptoms for the last year. My cycles are irregular, that I can live with. The scariest thing for me has been the heart palpatations. Also I have had 2 panic attacks in the last 4 months. And my emotions are all over the place. I started keeping a little menopause journal to track how I feel and what symptoms come up. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to them but I do see the emotional swings last about 3 days and then change to another. I have seen my Dr but he is not much help. I do take a black cohosh supplement and also a B vitamin. Weight loss is very hard. Make that very very hard. I look at it this way - if I wasnt trying to lose I would have blown up like one of those parade balloons by now. So at least this way I am succeeding in some fashion. Oh and yes I forget things all the time. I heard WW has a menopausal handout regarding diet and weight. Has anyone seen this? I would like to know what it says. I am going to have to ask my leader next time I go. Thanks for starting this thread. All of us power surgers have lots of weight loss issues.

[Frisky]

It's very similar to the previous handout. Pretty much recommends getting active if you currently aren't. Recommends including resistance training if you're already active. Notes that building muscle will help burn calories even at rest. Mentions improving your mood with exercise. And support, suggests using the Tools for Living section on page 58 of the Getting Started book, talking to your leader or asking other members how they're managing menopause.

You might want to read the thread on the 40s board about this subject.

Some things to pay attention to from the Action Sheet, helps avoid the thinking that you're doing something wrong. Paraphasing here a bit ... Research shows, on average, women gain between 5 to 10 pounds during menopuase. The gain is more from aging and metabolism slowing down than from menopause. This part we'll all hate ... menopause is associated with a redistribution of body fat to your abdomen along with an overall increase of body fat. Energy needs change from more fat, less muscle, and slowing metabolism.

They don't cite the source for this info but state "results from studies have shown no difference in weight gain among those receiving HRT and those receiving a placebo."

[SSKatie]

I've decided to make some kind of exercise part of my daily regimen---period. It helps my mood tremendously as well as my metabolism.

As far as supplementation, I'm also taking Black Cohosh, as well as Evening Primrose Oil. I'm eating a lot of soy, which appears to be helping with hot flashes. :bcbsalute

[nancyny]

To add to Frisky's remarks, supposedly that fat that's redistributed or gained at menopause produces estrogens, to replace part of what your body's not doing any more. I believe this is why WW adds a few pounds to the weight ranges for people over 45.

A lot of my story is on the Fab 40s thread, including the supplement I'm using now. I have had night sweats, mood swings, cramps at odd times and for no reason, PMS for 2 months at a time, but not hot flashes (yet).

My dr. says I'm pretty much on my own about supplements -- all of them help some people, none of them helps everyone, you have to experiment.

[Momma25]

Count me in as a "peri". In fact, when the Acute Leukemia hit me (literally overnight), I didn't realize it was anything serious because it started off as a very, very, very heavy period which I had had before (just not that heavy).

And, I didn't go to the dr for 12 days (which almost ended my life because my platelets were so low), because I thought it was just perimenopausal. The only reason I went to the dr is because I literally couldn't walk and I broke out in red bumps, but I only thought I was anemic from the heavy period! (Talk about being the Queen of Denial!!) :crazy:

Anyway, I continued to bleed while in the hospital for 5 weeks on chemotherapy and again came close to dying a total of 5 times. The bleeding was horrible and nothing they tried could stop it. Finally, after 5 weeks, it tapered off and they put me on a low dose of progesterone to keep me from menstruating while on the chemo.

I go to the gyno next month and she'll decide if I should go off the progesterone and menstruate or not. I still have the peri-menopausal symptoms (night sweats, hot flashes, hunger, memory loss, fogginess, hair thinning, dry skin, irritability etc,) Both my oncologist and gyno said to take Vitamin E and eat soy, which I do.

Oh, BTW, I am 47, I'll be 48 in December and I've been going through the perimenopausal stuff for several years and the leukemia hit just a few months ago.

[Sandylee]

Oh Vickilynn you sure got it all at once didnt you? Its hard sometimes to know exactly when a period is out of control. When I was in my 30's I had lots of excessive bleeding (fibrods). One period lasted 30 days. It was awful. I am so sorry you had to go thru that. Frisky thanks for the info on the handout. Seems pretty much what we try to do anyway. Live a healthy life. I know my whole being including my mind is much better off when I keep up my regular exercise. Sometimes the only way I stay sane is with a long walk. I add soy in my diet too. I just wish soynuts were Core!

[Momma25]

Hey Sandy!

Soynuts ARE Core if you bake them and make them at home using just organic soybeans with just a spritz of olive oil and some spices. They are dee-lish and if you use organic soybeans, they are good for you too.

[cindijh]

:ugh: Add me to the woes of peri......alternating no periods with unending periods. I am in the unending phase of things right now. I have a huge array of sanitary products....all shapes, sizes and absorbencies stashed everywhere. In my van, in my purse, in my lunch bag, in both bathrooms, my bedroom, my drawer at work.......

Anybody need a product review? I can tell you the pros and cons of all the name brands plus many of the store brands........

I had it checked out about a year ago.....slightly thickened uterine wall and a small fibroid. She said if it continued (the bleeding) I would need a D and C and a biopsy. It seemed to normalize after that but it is back at it again and I have another appointment mid November with another doctor in the group.

Cindi........

[LAMom]

I know this is an older thread but I just had to post when I read it. I am one of those "lucky" women who is going through menopause early. I started with the irregular periods in my late 30's. I didn't have a period at all last year. Last one had been 12/25/03 so I thought I was through. After all my dr. told me that when it's been 1 year you are supposed to be post menopausal. Well imagine my surprise when exactly 13 months to the day of my last one I started my period!!!!!! Can't exactly call it TOM for me it's more like TOY (time of year!) Go figure. By the way I'm 46 and my mom was an early "change of lifer too! Apparently it runs in families. All my friends say how lucky I am to be going through it early, but they don't have to put up with the heart palpitations, panic attacks, crying, hot flashes, insomnia, weight gain, dry skin, etc.etc.etc. I wish I could be just like a normal woman who doesn't even start until 50.
Susan

[shelac]

I laughed awhile ago when my MD told me I could still get pregnant - I told him it wasn't possible as I'd had a tubal years ago and my husband never could have children, I'm 53. Apparently I'm still producing lots of my own estrogen. I'm more regular than I've ever been in my life. But I do get PMS and a lifetime of shift work has ensured I don't sleep well. Honestly I think I've contributed enough money to the 'feminine products' manufacturers over the 40 yrs, but it looks like I'll be buying those things for awhile longer..... I have to admit though that I sometimes feel a little sorry for my husband - he went thru the menopause thing with his first wife. I told him if he wanted a woman with NO hormonal issues, he needed to marry someone a lot older than he is! Sheila