[thunderbear]

I will be 35 in 5 months. For the past year, my periods have been horrible. Sometimes (like now) going 11 days. The first week they're like a normal heavy period then for the next 5 days they're light. I don't even see blood until I wipe after peeing. There isn't any on the pad. My hair is thinning. I am either gaining 10 pounds or losing 10 pounds. My sex drive is at 0. I have no desire for it. I cry a lot over stupid things. I have a lot of break outs on my face but it's not acne. I just always have a pimple or two. I have mild cramping and my bowel movements are weird too. I'm constipated most of the time.

Now, the past year and a half has not been an easy one. Starting in July of 2014, over half of my husband's family has died. The ones that I loved. I had lived with them for 15 years. It started with his aunt committing suicide. Then 5 weeks later I found his mother dead of a heart attack in bed. My husband became extremely abusive so I had to leave in November 2014. I moved 80 miles away and had a boyfriend who turned out to be a nightmare. I left from there in December. In February of this year my husband said he'd changed and was working on his issues. For a couple weeks it was great. Then the boyfriend texted me. I didn't talk to him but it made me really quiet and withdrawn. I finally told me husband 3 days later. He went off. Got violent so I left. Again. I moved to the next town (my hometown) and stayed with a friend. She is as drug addict. She kept doing meth. Which I don't care, I just told her keep it away from me because I've been clean for over 15 years. She would get high. And try to keep me awake. I would tell her I had to sleep. Well one morning in April, I had been up and down all night with my anxiety and a sinus cold and was laid back on my bed with my arm over my eyes while she talked and talked. All the sudden I smell meth in my face. She had took a hit of meth and blew it in my face!! I was livid. I cussed her and threw something at her. She left. I tried calling my husband and grandmother all day to come get me but no one was answering. Finally at 8pm my husband had gotten off work. That day I had nothing to eat or drink because my friends water line was busted and dope heads don't keep food in the house. By this time, between lack of food and anxiety over that meth being blown in my face, I was a mess. My husband came, brought me food and coffee and took me to my grandparents house. My grandmother has severe mental issues and she can be verbally and mentally abusive towards me. She doesn't mean to. She's bipolar and refuses medication. And she's 78 years old. I was there. In June I went on a morning friend date and got a call to come to my husband's house ASAP because someone had died. No one would tell me over the phone. I got here 30 minutes later. It was like a horror movie. My husband was standing under a tree he had blood on his hands and was in shock. The police were trying to get him to take crisis management right there. His uncle, who was like a brother to him. Who had always took up for my husband and helped us out during Christmas to make sure our boys had a really good one, had shot himself on our side walk. He has used a deer rifle. My husband was the only one home and had just woke up and was taking out the trash while his coffee was making and found his uncle on the side walk. He ran over and saw blood and thought he'd fallen son he rolled him over and well.... what he seen was not something I would describe here. It's too gory. My husband wouldn't speak at that point. He was just standing there like he was somewhere else. The police took pictures tired of his hands and was trying their best to conduct an interview. My husband described what he'd seen and how. The police eventually left. My husband was in such shock. The sidewalk looked like a horror movie. I got him and his grandfather in the house and put on coffee. And found out that my uncle's children were on their way. I didn't want them seeing that side walk. So I got garbage bags and bleach and scrubbed it. Picked up parts of my dear uncle in law. And cleaned the fence. For over an hour I cleaned. When I was done there was nothing there. His kids came not long after. I stayed here. I couldn't leave my husband and his grandfather. They're my family. And 6 weeks later my husband's great uncle unexpectedly died from an aneurysm. It's so much grieving for us. Now my husband is very volatile. He's suicidal. He has panic attacks, flashbacks and talks about his uncle's death all the time. He is very hard to deal with. He gets abusive physically. I can not find him a psychiatrist. I've got him in therapy though.

That was my year. I'm beyond stressed out. I can't get into my doctor until January 15th so I'm obsessing about this whole period thing. It's triggering my own health anxieties and the panic attacks come in waves all through out the day. My .5 Kolonipin is not helping anymore. To top it off I got a job. At McDonald's. I start next week and I'm really freaking out about that. Could all this stress be the cause of my long periods? Can I die from it??

[IrisBloom]

Stress can definitely mess with your hormones and cycles. Just to illustrate: I was a single mother with 3 kids. Events happened where I had to be away from them for a prolonged period of time. I was so stressed that I did not have a period for 7 months. After we were back together my period resumed as normal. In fact I started like 2 weeks after reuniting. I then went on to get remarried and had another baby. I've had a strange life. lol

You do need to be seen by doc to determine what is going on with you. Might or might not be menopause. There are other conditions that can cause hormone upset.

Holy **** ThunderBear! I never heard so much trauma in my life! (((hugs)))... Yes stress will trigger bad periods. Just focus on one day at a time. When you get off work before you get home go somewhere for 30 minutes to yourself to drink a coffee, meditate, pray quickly, whatever, listen to the radio. Then slowly head home. Make sure you take vitamins, drink lots of water and fluids. In the bathroom in the tub bring the soothing radio in with you, light a candle. You have to do things for yourself in all the extra minutes you can grab. And come back here and keep posting on the forums.

[thunderbear]

Thanks for the responses. I've always had weird periods starting from age 11. I had to be put on BC at 13 due to prolonged heavy bleeding. I didn't tolerate the hormones very well. I've got an IUD. The Paragard. It's about 2 years over due from being replaced because I'm scared to death of it. Then, I read about copper toxicity online today. I really shouldn't have done that. Now my health anxieties are *really* in high gear.
All this stress and grief I've been dealt over the past year is on my mind everyday. I just found my uncle's broken cell phone under the couch where he slept. It looks like he twisted it and broke it. Now, my husband and I are wondering if whoever he was talking to triggered his suicide. It's hellish. The wondering. Everything happened all at once. And watching my husband's decline in his mental health and physical (he has Crohns disease) is just heartbreaking. I feel helpless. Everyone in the family is hateful towards him. His real parents tell him he was a mistake baby. And his pos dad even said "You were supposed to be aborted".

Everything has been so tense. Husband had been extremely abusive for the past month. He's been much calmer the past few days. Even wanting to go out. But I'm still left with what he's said and done. And now I'm scared for my health. I'm hoping the bleeding stops. It's not even bad just pink spotting today. But my mind still races.

[thunderbear]

Yesterday it started being heavy. And it feels more like a period. I'm scared.

[Saltine American]

Any stress can be a trigger for little to no periods or even heavy periods but I would really REALLY go see a doc/gyno. I've was diagnosed with stage 2 endometriosis at 16 and was on Lupron which made me go through menopause for 6 months. then on the depo shot for ten years which they rarely use anymore because of osteoporosis or ??..I Just recently had found out I had the cells that cause cancer in the cervix. Thank god "everything else" came back okay. Nonetheless, Although it may seem giving your stress, it could be just that, I would go to see a doc asap.

[thunderbear]

I can't get into my gp till Jan 15th and my gyno till Feb 11th. I told my gyno's receptionist everything and she didn't seem too concerned. Just said if I had further questions, to contact the nurse there. I'm not anemic yet. But I've noticed that I'm really tired. Not weak and shakey just sleepy.

[Saltine American]

Sometimes the receptionist is not the person to talk to. I would contact the nurse. leave a message. just because you're not anemic YET doesn't mean you should wait this out. I hope everything goes ok.

[IrisBloom]

You can go to the ER or call 911 if you are having symptoms that are alarming.

[Sparkles4me]

I am sorry that you've had so many setbacks...I can certainly relate on many levels. I pray for healing for you and everyone. The menopause situation can be a crazy thing. I am in menopause. I wanna say early menopause because my symptoms are light. it seems..but menopause,ugh...not good in the beginning, I'm learning.

[JeanKrueger]

The symptoms of premenopause are highly variable.Premature menopause occurs not only earlier but also faster than normal menopause, often necessitating supplemental hormones to maintain physical comfort during the transition.That means understanding what is happening in your body, and supporting it so that you continue to produce adequate amounts of hormones for the rest of your life.

[CRJSAHM]

I'm new and just reading your post. How are you doing now?