Menopause

I think I am going through menopause. Am overdue and also unusually irritable. However I am also depressed and living in a very hot place so I can't even tell if I am really in meno or if it's just my emotional issues. All I know is I feel as if there is nowhere to turn to for relief. These past few days have been intolerable. I just cut my own hair (I always do) which was not the wisest thing to do in my current frame of mind but that was the only thing I did today that was enjoyable..

Yesterday I went to get some Indian food. Was so hot (not the best time to get Indian food...) that I blurted out to the lady serving the food that I was shfitzing...I don't even know what that means but it just felt like the right word for how I was feeling.....She gave me an extra piece of lentil bread...

How long has it been since you saw your gyn doc? Perhaps s/he might want to check some hormone levels in your blood.

What age was your mom when she started into perimenopause?

shfitzing?!! shi- fit? LOL

Shvitzing - Yiddish for steam bath, I think. Seinfeld: When Elaine's mascara was running down her face when she runs into denim vest guy (actually one of The Kids In The Hall).

LOL......actually menopause for me wasn't bad at all......a couple of years of hot flashes.....waking up at night completely drenched in the middle of freezing cold winter when I couldn't afford to heat my house, it was kind of obvious that it was a hot flash.

I was dealing with anorexia a couple of years before the hot flashes started to hit. It was at that time my period quit, so thought it was that & not manopause. After I was able to start eating a bit better & had left my husband after 33 years (ah, what a wonderful relief that was also), I had a couple of periods that hit when I wasn't expecting, but mostly just quit.

After the hot flashes quit which lasted a couple of years......ah, life is GOOOOOOOOD.

I would definitely go in to see the doc to get checked. It could very well be but in case it's not, you want to make sure.

I thought I was starting too, I'm the same age it happened for my gram and mother, my cycle has been off and depression was setting in as well, with hot flashes; it turned out to be something else, a vitamin B deficiency instead. Routine blood work helped narrow that down. It could still be both, but waiting for the B treatments to kick in to know for sure.

"Shvitching" is a great word by the way to describe that feeling. When underwent chemical induced menopause for another illness, that is exactly how I felt. I also used keep ice packs with me in a cooler for my body everywhere I went and cold drinks for those moments as well to help cool off. Oh did they feel good, went with me everywhere; especially living in Tx and during the summers. Oy. Perhaps that might help in the interim and their are vitamin supps to help with the flashes but I have to remember what they were; will get back to you if it turns out to meno.

Hang in there in the meantime as you find the answers to what is going on.

I see her just for my annual pap smear. I don't have health insurance so I don't go unless necessary. My mom went through the change at around my present age. I really think this is menopause. (yea, no more massively heavy, leaky periods because I have a large fibroid) Thank you!

Thanks for the explanation. oh ha ha - those goofy weird Kids!

Well I'm glad that menopause is something to look forward to. I won't miss my periods at all. I can deal with the hot flashes as long as I know what is going on. Just wish my car's a/c hadn't gone kaput. I have already called the a/c repair guy twice. He keeps saying he will call me back. Very disappointing. The daily temp is around 88. I don't know how it will affect my depression though. I have been working so hard on that. I don't want that to get worse. and last, but definitely not least, congrats on leaving your husband if it made you so much happier

The only thing is I don't have health insurance. I can deal with the hot flashes though. not even sure if that is what they are. I feel cool at night. as for supplements, I don't like to take any kind of meds, not even supplements, only iron as I was very anemic. As for vitamin B deficiency, funny you should mention that, I don't eat a lot of meat, that probably doesn't help. I also take a cooler with ice packs with me when I drive around but that is because my car a/c broke. Actually the only thing I really worry about is my depression. Am trying to get a grip on that and on myself. Thank goodness for the people on PC. Thank you so much for your reply

Some supplements like Black Cohash, Flaxseed (oil or the seed itself), and Soy can help women.

Dressing in layers can help, so you can remove a layer if you get hot.

I've heard of these miniature fans you can keep with you too; they are battery powered.

Good posts in this thread. Unfortunately, the caveat is that menopause is an individual thing. Some women don't even have any symptons, or they do and they are mild. Also, I didn't even know there was such a thing as PERI-menopause, and POST-menopause. I just heard of menopause until recently. So, there's 3 stages to go through, and depending on the woman, it can last up to 10 years for peri-menopause!!!!!!

I know, I have to do some research on those phases. 10 yrs...good lord...thank you!

Like you, I have never been a big meat eater. That might have been a factor in me needing to be treated, twice in my life, for anemia. You need to be concerned about getting enough Vitamin B12, which is not obtainable from any fruits or vegetables. Lack of B12 can cause anemia that does not respond to iron supplements.

It might not be a bad idea to start taking a multivitamin on a daily basis. Doctors seem to generally support that. I think it provides some insurance that I get things that might not be in my diet in sufficient quantities. I just get the store's generic version, which is inexpensive. Since taking a daily vitamin tablet, I have not needed to be treated for anemia.

It is very difficult to tell what is due to what. I've had emotional turmoil since childhood, but it does seem that it got worse when I became peri-menopausal. I have no idea if they are related. Taking hormones did help tremendously with the hot flashes, but did nothing for me otherwise. I've even read that HRT can exacerbate depression. Plus, they are expensive.

Mainly, I think you really need to get the anemia resolved. It might not be the cause of your mental state, but it certainly could make it worse. Not having insurance is tough, but I hope you can afford to get your blood checked to tell if you need to continue the iron, or not. Too much iron can nourish bad bacteria in the gut and be toxic in other ways. I hope you get to feeling better.

Hi Rose--thanks for the tips My "hot flashes" are gone so maybe it was just the weather. Am feeling back to normal. But I still think I am starting menopause as I am very late. My GP and I are actually looking forward to menopause because then I won't lose so much blood/iron and be so anemic. I do take iron pills for that. But I will look into a multi-vitamin too. As for HRT, am very leery of that because my mother got breast cancer from it. I believe in as being as natural as possible anyways. No mad scientists please..

I just got told that I have early stage cataracts. I'm kind of young for that but where I live is extremely sunny. Well, when I googled "cataracts," I read that HRT increases the risk of developing them! HRT does other bad things, so I totally would support anyone avoiding it as a remedy. I think it "goes against nature" to put these hormones into our systems. In my case, however, the hot flashes were just so severe and such a source of stress. I want to try and ween off of them, myself.

I heard this saying: "Definition of a medication: a poison with beneficial side effects." I totally endorse that. As a nurse, I've learned that there is absolutely no medication that doesn't have a downside.

I'm glad you feel better, Terry. What I found true for myself, and others have said the same, is that a real peri-menopausal "hot flash" is like nothing else I ever experienced in my life. And I always blushed very easily. It's not like blushing, or like the flush that comes with exercise. For me, it would feel almost like sunburn sometimes. I toughed it out for 4 years, before asking for anything that would stop it. Everyone is different. I hope you won't have severe symptoms. Some women don't.

Hi Rose--I have the same thing--beginnings of cataracts and I also live in a sunny place. (why don't all sunglasses have side flaps to block the sun from the sides?) Now whenever I am in the sun, I hold a jacket above and around my head area to block as much rays as I can. I look ridiculous but I don't care. Got to find a big floppy hat.. which also looks ridiculous on me though

As for your hot flashes-wow they sound intense. sorry you had to go through them for so long. Have you tried alternative treatments?

Yes, sunglasses are not as protective as they could be. Mine are prescriptive and dorky, but they were the most protective I could find. You've inspired me. I'm going to cover up more, however I have to, no matter how foolish I may appear. (It is really foolish not to.)

For now, I am just taking my lowest dose HRT pill every other day. I don't have much faith in alternative stuff, but maybe I should investigate and, at least, try something else out. I might start a thread looking for advice.

I know, when I found out what cataract surgery was really all about (putting in an artificial lens), it gave me even more incentive to protect my eyes. I see some people walking around covered up even more than I am, and I think "good for them!"

I am peri-menopausal and I get hot flashes followed by a feeling of chills. My body cannot regulate its temperature well and yet the doc says my thryoid levels are fine still.

I have not been able ot get a full night's sleep in the last two years. However i do not get night sweats.

My eating habits are all over the place. One minute I have no appetite at all. Another time, I just have ongoing hunger.

I try to regulate my diet. I do exercises, and I require help with sleeping, but, that is what I am experiencing right now.

I think maybe I am going through this too, I am having periods sometimes twice a month and also hot flushes.

Hi Ingrid, I hope your symptoms will get better soon. At least you are doing all you can to take care of yourself. I haven't a good night's sleep in years myself but that is because I have acid reflux and have to sleep with my head elevated...that's another thread altogether...take care

Hi Buttercup, I think all women look forward to not having any more periods. I certainly won't miss them. I hope your meno (if that is what you are going through) won't be too bad. Please take care

I worry that since my cycles have been medically stopped since 2002 with medication, will all of this return and will I have ot go through the normal menopausal symptoms again if I come off of the medication? Or, will my body naturally halt anyway and how will I know?

Hi Ingrid, I think you should ask your ob about this one. sounds complicated and delicate. or maybe you could google your medication? I hope it will all go well!