ArtistDi
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 2297
posted
Looks like I am in perimenopause, and I am in late forties....all of a sudden this past month, week before cycle, lots of sweating, burning sensations in my body.
LLMD at first said this was an immune reaction, but I went on my gut instinct, and had gyno run tests--estradiol and FSH. FSH is high for follicular stage and indicates perimenopause.
Now, I have had this new symptom of burning, which is difficult to figure out--immune reaction or hot flash stuff.
Also, I have noticed that I am losing hair all of a sudden, like after I had a baby.
Anyone else have anything like this happen to her?
All I need is this to happen now, and all docs say we won't be able to tell what is menopausal, what is infection, what is autoimmune type reaction. So....how am I supposed to know?!
FYI, my pcp said many women get burning mouth syndrome with onset of menopause.
Posts: 1567 | From Hatfield, MA, USA | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
Hi Di I just turned 35 in April and think i've been in pre menopause for about 2 yrs. From what ive been told pre meno can last for yrs and yrs.. My cycle has been strange for about 2 and for the last yr or so I now get VERY HOT right before my period and durring.. Not drenching sweat hot but hot like I can't cool down and would love a snow bank to fall into for a while. Also, my PMS has gotten horribly worse and 2 months ago I actually went 40 days between periods. My flow has also changed in the last 2 yrs. Some months it's 7 days others it's 3, some months its real light and then there's months that I feel like Im bledding to death..I also have Lyme Disease as well as Babesia and Erlichia for almost 15 yrs now and while yes its hard to tell whats what we are also women and our bodies will follow the course of "change".. Now whether these infections bring it on sooner or later? That I could believe and I think thats why mine has started so early... Hope some of this helped..
------------------ "It is not genius, nor glory, nor love that reflects the greatness of the human soul.....it is kindness..."
Posts: 209 | From South Carolina by the beach | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
When I started peri, just prior to bleeding my auto-immune sx always became much worse. At the time I didn't know I had lyme and babesia, so I didn' t know why I was having an auto-immune reaction. I started bio-identical hormones as the only way of trying to lessen the symptoms.
Now that I know what I am dealing with, it is different. My LLMD, however, believes in bio-identical hormones, so I am on them again, tho not seeing any benefit.
Hormones are very controversial. I would do a lot of research before you decide if they are for you. You might do a search if the engine is working. Good luck.
Posts: 830 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2005
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ArtistDi
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 2297
posted
Thanks, ladies for your replies. Lyme-- I learned from gyno same things you said-- cycle can be all over the place because of estrogen levels.
Ali--yes, my autoimmune reactions are more pronounced before cycle and that is when I have seizure activity.
I am just so hot.
Posts: 1567 | From Hatfield, MA, USA | Registered: Mar 2002
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lla2
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 2364
posted
me too di..
lyme pushed me into early perimeno...hot flashes, where I get all tingling then hot from chest up..you know i get the catamenial seizures right before my period....
I also get night sweats, hot for no reason...lightheadedness and dizziness for a few days right befo]re and after my period...
headaches during period..longer time in between..shorter periods, but clotty, bleeding to death, afraid to stand up kind...i know you know what i mean.!
it's all hormones..we have a llooonnnng way to go tooo....
yikes!
lissa
Posts: 4713 | From saunderstown, ri Usa | Registered: Apr 2002
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chroniclymie
Unregistered
posted
yes it sounds like menopause creeping up on you, not abnormal at your age, in fact lyme tends to hasten the menopause course. YOU MUST READ ABOUT ESTROGEN REPLACEMNET VERY CAREFULLY, THERE ARE MORE DANGERS THAN BENEFITS WITH HRT. my mother works in a breast cancer clinc in baltimore and they have had a 500% increase in breast cancer under 30 in the last three years. 400% under forty. so what's causing this under 30 woman, estrogen, in the form of birth control pills. my wife took hrt(estorgen for 7 years) and then developed breast cancer while on the hrt. the bx was estrogen specific breast cancer. SO BEWARE OF THE ESTROGEN AND EVEN HERBAL ESTROGEN (BLACK COHOSH) IT IS STILL ESTROGEN AND CAN CAUSE AND DOES CAUSE BREAST CANCER IN WOMEN. you have to take your family history of cancer along with how bad are the symptoms, and decide if you can tolerate the flashes without drugs then do it. if not you need to have yearly mammograms on estrogen. how is that info from a guy,but i do have a doctorate degree.
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posted
Hi Ed I tend to agree with your doctor..As for hormone replacement, allthough I haven't hit full menopause, when I do I wont be taking replacement therapy. There are just WAY too many side affects for my liking.. I also think back to years ago when there was no hormone replacement.. Women survived and we can too.. These days it seems they invent pills just to make people more comfy which is a good thing but in this situation I think I'd just rather learn to deal with my symptoms...
------------------ "It is not genius, nor glory, nor love that reflects the greatness of the human soul.....it is kindness..."
Posts: 209 | From South Carolina by the beach | Registered: Jun 2005
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ArtistDi
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 2297
posted
Thanks for all your replies...misery loves company.
Thank you to the gentleman on board, and no, I will not be on hormone replacement therapy. When I was on birth control pill, I had horrible migraines, and doctors were afraid I would have a stroke, so warned me in my 20s that I most likely would be doing no treatment, especially HRT.
My gyno and pcp have advised against it due to my sensitivity to meds. I will just be thrusting my head into the freezer, I quess.
Lis, did the seizures let up at all? Mine seem OK, without big activity, but still I can have one sneak through. I think they are driven by my hormones.
In my next life, I am coming back as a man... without Lyme.
Posts: 1567 | From Hatfield, MA, USA | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
I have a theory that I was a man in my previous life and that I must have been such a swine to women that I was sent back as one to teach me a lesson!!! Seriously, I think that all my hormone problems stem from being on the pill for such a long time- I think that my body still hasn't worked out how to produce them on it's own. My doc thought that I was having an early menopause as my hormone levels were that of a women that was well past menopause. But my FSH came back normal... ArtistDi have you been checked for polysystic ovaries, hair thinning can be one of the symptoms. As to hormone replacement and Black Cohosh; BC has really helped me, it's cut back the PMT, my mid cycle pain is not quite as bad as it was, I'm down to 7 days of pain instead of ten. Helped with night sweats too. There is a risk with everything we do and take in life. If I can take something now that will improve my quality of life now then I have to do it- anything to get my life back! I have lost some very dear friends to cancer ( recently, one at age 19 and another two at age 50), none were smokers or drinkers, were careful about what they ate, didn't take the pill or hormone replacement etc. etc.
Posts: 229 | From United Kingdom | Registered: Jul 2005
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chroniclymie
Unregistered
posted
spray bottle of cold water helps. also my friend puts ice in her tennis panties when she plays tennis with her flashes. my wife poor thing has air conditioner set on 63 and has two fans by the bed. i wear flannel nighty and the floor in or house is tile so its perperates its soooo cold in our house. helpful advice from somebody that lives around 5 women that all have flashes at different times, its like a theater act listening to them talk about their flashes.
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Nal
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6801
posted
Im sorry to hear about your problems. I have been wondering if I am not going through early menopause as well. My dr says no but I don't always trust EVERYTHING he says either. I do have a consult to see a GYN again.
HRT-Im not sure about it. Guess I am on the fence. If you don't take HRT then are there natural remedies?? Id like to have something to help relieve the symptoms.
janet thomas
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7122
posted
Here's another viewpoint- Lyme caused an early and extremely difficult menopause for me. For 7 yrs I thought my problems were menopausal when in fact they were Lyme and menopause mixed.
I intensely studied HRT and consulted experts. I learned a lot. Here's a bit.
All the studies and all the bad press about estrogen is about Premarin. Premarin is prepared from pregnant mare's urine. It has about 20 different estrogens in it and only maybe 3 are bio-identical to human. The rest is horse estrogen. Why do a study of horse estrogen in humans? Why even give horse estrogen to human women? (answer-$$$) It's as big a mess as Lyme misinformation.
Furthermore Premarin, horsey as it is, is often given with Provera (Prempro). Provera is not the same as human progesterone. Provera is risky. (google provera and cardiovascular or stroke or heart)
Then, to make matters worse, they are swallowed. Hormones do not naturally pass thru the gut.
So, if hormones are to be used they need to be bio-identical (estradiol patches). And used transdermally. (estradial patches). And natural progesterone needs to be used cyclically.
IMO, used this way they are not only safe but beneficial.
Young women have low rates of breast cancer and they have lots of estrogen. Balanced constantly by the body with all the other hormones.
Birth control pills-same problems, not bio-identical and they are swallowed. The birth control patch is causing stroke deaths in young women-the hormones are not what the body makes.
posted
i used BIO-Identical hormone creams (rubbed on arms leg and tummy) while I was taking Biaxin and plaquenil after 3 months of this I FELT Great. Suzanne Summers discusses these hormones in her book called the sexy years -dumb name. There is a pharmacy in Worcester that provides this stuff but i'm not going to say the name because when i posted this info about a year ago i think i was called a troll. Taking HRT like premarin is MEDEVIL . it cause heart attack, cancer, and stroke. I think Biaxin and plaqu made my hair fall out.
Posts: 15 | From Worcester, MA USA | Registered: Jan 2004
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