Hi everyone. I'm not so well these days. I stopped menstruating when I was 61! Pretty amazing, huh? Even more amazing when you consider that my mom stopped when she was 40! I am 64 now. All of a sudden, within the past few months, I feel like aging has come to greet me. I have hot flashes. I get hungry. I get thirsty. My muscles ache all of a sudden. I'm stiff all of a sudden. My jowls suddenly started appearing. (I was always extremely young looking. In my family we all look about 10-25 years younger than our age.) Within the past 2 months I had to start using my reading glasses. Also, my short-term memory and word-finding has gotten a lot worse. All of a sudden I have a lot less energy.
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Hello and welcome!! I'm so sorry you are experiencing all of this at once...has something changed in your environment recently or did you begin using different hba products or lots of exposure to chemical estrogen?? Theses could be several causes. Are you using any natural supplements or exercise to help with the symptoms? Walking will help you have more energy. So glad you found us! I am using all natural ways to deal with my symptoms and doing fairly well ATM considering I thought I'd gone mentally insane 3 yrs ago my hormones were so out of synch.
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Hmmm, environmental change is more and more dust. (I'm not what you would call a spick & span housekeeper). Psychologically, I think when I had my "When I'm 64" birthday party, I announced to my body that it was ok to start being senior. I have been exercising regularly for years. I had hot flashes about 2 years ago, but they stopped for 2 years. I don't think of myself as "going through menopause" because I stopped menstruating 3 years ago. Would that be inaccurate?
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Hi I am with you on all if those feelings and experiences.....and the last sentence you said about your short term memory....Lordy is this seriously down to the menopause because I have been experiencing this for the last 7or so months. I am struggling stringing a sentence together and holding conversation....is this menopause or am I getting Alzheimer's?
I am soooooo getting panicked over all these mind and body changes!!!!!
I don't want to grow old!!
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Don't worry ladies...the brain fog is a huge part of menopause!! Ijust wrote out a big post to both of you and lost it...grrr I will try again tonite when the get home from work...hang in there girls, we will get thru this together!! Sending hugs to you both!
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Mechele, thanks for your useful questions. Here are a few more things I had changed recently. Less sun (it's winter here). More time in front of computer. Stopped using filtered water (the new filter I bought made the water taste horrible). Having some insomnia, which is really rare for me. On the plus side, I experimented with giving up gluten and cheese a few months ago. Am getting acupuncture for hypothyroid. Am under a great deal of stress right not -- not getting along with 2 relatives, disagreements with 2 long-term friends, feeling my therapist doesn't understand me, and boyfriend of 15 years is talking of other women! Grr! :-(
Hey, JanJan, your memory problem sounds like aging, stress, nutrition, or similar. Not Alzheimers. Alzh involves not recognizing where you are, etc. Please put your mind at rest by googling Alzh symptoms, and you will see you don't have it.
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@L2015 I have really bad hypothyroidism and see you do acupuncture. Is it truly helping? Cause I have to keep raising my dose and that us adding I think to my menopause symptoms.
hey thanks you for kind words... Mechelle gave this a good name ....menopause fog....I go with that. as insane and frustrating as it is I am hoping and praying that in time it will go and will resume normality! I am actually having acupuncture for the menopause. I try anything and everything...even a little reiki once a week for half and hour helps to calm me down and 'plump' me up as I call it :-)
I feel thankful to have found this forum....at least we can talk to women in the same boat and they understand!
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Here is the link to the cream i use ladies...hope this helps you as much as it has me!!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GFJJHY/ref=nav_timeline_asin?ie=UTF...
I would be a total maniac had i not found this cream and gotten my hiney on the treadmill!! Along wiht the supplements i use, this is verrry helpful!!
L2015...try to get a copy of the book "What your Dr may not tell you about menopause" This book addresses issues such as thyroid, adrenal gland, hyperthyroidism, peri and post menopause, osteoporosis and much more that us ladies have to deal with.
I am wondering along the lines of you being exposed to alot of chemical estrogen lately that would make your symptoms act up so quickly after being so idle for so long...lucky you! Im sorry it all seems to have caught up to you at once, but we will get you thru this... So glad you found us and hope you continue to stop in often. I use high doses of vitamin D and fish oil to help anxiety and mood...500mg of magnesium before bed can really help too with anxiety and mood swings. I also use Vitamins A C, D and E as well as Super B complex with an upped dose of B12 and B6 for energy. Folic acid is also a good one for energy as well. Hope this helps you dear and we see you often!! Sending hugs for you to feel like "yourself" again!!
@mechele I was looking for that book, on Amazon, but there are 3 of them. Which one and/or author. I find myself googling every menopause site and they all seem to stick to basic symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia, irregular periods, etc. I need or would like more information on the not so talked about issues.
Hi again Mechele, I realize I did change a soap I use around the time my symptoms started. I usually use pretty natural products. (Dr. Bronner's etc.) But someone gave me some "homemade" soap, and it looked translucent, so I thought it must be fairly chemical-free. However, it did have a strong annoying perfume odor, which I suspect was chemical. The fact that I found the odor very annoying is a clue, right? That I might be allergic to it? Anyhow, now that I realize that, I will stop using it, and see if that helps.
Also, I usually eat only organic food, but I have been dropping by a dinner every 2 weeks that serves who-knows-what kinds of food. I am also researching: (1) hypothyroidism, (2) diabetes, (3) candida. If you have any other suggestions, I'd be so grateful if you'd let me know. I haven't picked up the book yet. Nor the cream you recommended, because I used to use wild yam cream (natural estrogen) and it made me sweat way too much, and I felt better when I stopped using it.
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@L2015 wow…sure sounds like the different soap and food have played a huge role in how you are feeling. I have had several different soaps cause hot flashes! The natural progesterone cream is absolutely different from the estrogen cream bit it does contain a small bit of wild yam…it also has soy. This cream is good for hypothyroidism. This is outlined in the book I mentioned. Hope we have stumbled onto something with the soap…keep it as natural as possible for awhile and see if it helps. Are you exercising?
I've ordered the book from the library. Thanks for the lead. I've gone back to Dr. Bronner's soap. I used to do aerobics for 20 minutes every day or every other day. Had to cut back when this fatigue overtook me. So now I watch a 25-min. aerobics video, and rest intermittently during it.
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@L2015 very good, you will love this book…it really all makes sense to me and I have been on the program outlined in this book for the past .5 years…I haven’t had a single side effect or anything but positive changes. I added some supplements to this and walk a minimum of 30 minutes a day on the treadmill. This will create more energy. Super b complex and folic acid help energy levels as well. I also take an additional 1000mg of b12, high doses of fish oil, magnesium and vitamin D. Vitamins a c and E are also very crucial to us during menopause as well as calcium…and to digest all the supplements, 2 doses of fiber therapy everyday. Whew…did I get it all in there?? Lol I truly hope this helps you, I remember what it was like before I got my hormones back in to synch and I am thankful everyday to have stumbled on this info!! Love sharing it with others so maybe they can avoid all the horrible symptoms if they catch them in time!! Let me know if you try the cream and if it helps you.
Mechele, thanks for all the additional info. I stopped using the soap just about 5 days ago. Today I had enough energy to do aerobics and yoga on the same day, for the first time in a few weeks! (I always used to have enough energy to do aerobics and yoga on the same day, but haven't since this syndrome started). My goodness, could it have really been the soap??!! I also feel like my thinking is getting clearer. I usually use very unchemically cleaners. Like Dr. Bronners, and vinegar & baking soda, etc. But since I got the soap (around Christmas), I have been using it for: dishes, hands, face, bath, laundry, cleaning the floor, etc. etc. Maybe it's just placebo, or maybe it's something else; but I will keep not using the soap, and see if things continue on the upswing. I send you a hug and thanks!
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@L2015 that’s awesome that you had the energy for both!! When I get home from work will try to post some info about chemical estrogen for you…sure shed some light on the subject for me!! Zinc is also very important in making sure estrogen leaves your body the correct way. Talk later, have a great day!
Today I had more energy again. Also, I feel my head is still foggy, but less so. I still have "brain freezes." I have had less hot flashes. Muscles not aching. I have mostly stopped using the reading glasses. Amazing! Thanks.
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@L2015 @L2015 wow!! Very cool young lady!! I am sooo happy for you that you are on an upswing! Vitamin D can help with the brain fog and freeze…dont you hate that?/ I had big problems with remembering the next word in a sentence and couldnt finish an entire statement or listen to an entire coversation without my mind trailing off somewhere…ugh! Glad i have mostly gotten contr4ol over that! Here is some of the info i was telling you about…
http://main.poliquingroup.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/801/10_Ways_to_Lower_Estrogen_Toxic_Load_.aspx
This will all make sense to you when you read it and begin connecting the dots with some of the things you are doing…i was very terrible about using plastic in the microwave…i now only use glass containers and NO plastic!! I truly hope this helps you and pass this info along to every woman (and man) you can…this will help reduce the amount of cancer in our families and friends! Have a fantastic day!!
Hi there going threw a lot of the same things does anyone know of somewhere I could go a group I'm in San Jose California please
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@Teresa63 hello Teresa and welcome!! I don’t know about a local support group for you but sure glad you found us and hope you feel comfortable sharing with us. We know just how you are feeling and hope to be of good support to you!!