Topic: messed up hormones post treatment sudden menopause tto much too fast HELP
LisaK
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Member # 41384
posted
so I went through about 18 months tx and got so much better all around- ups and downs over the last 15 yrs with hormones and all that.
drs told me back then I was in perimenopause (instead of lyme which is what it was)
now I am done with all current tx and all of a sudden my bloodwork shows Postmenopausal numbers!
and my period just suddenly stopped 3 months ago and without any warning or irregular times in the last (at least) 8 months or so.
what gives?
and now suddenly- like over night!!!!!- my skin is sagging and my face looks so old. I am getting freaked out.
is this normal??? I am havnig a hard time finding out what to do on line or what natural choices for anything that could help might be out there. I am hving trouble reading and there seems to be no real dr that I can track down around me that specializes with menopause that I would trust with my history and all that.
anyone have any usefull info to share? websites? magic face saving cream?? I don't wanna sound vain, but this is like over night scary. wha tis the new word on hormone replacement.
I have 2 current drs and neither is addressing my sx with this- they are concerned about HM and adrenals right now and ignoring my questions about this.
-------------------- Be thankful in all things- even difficult times and sickness and trials - because there is something GOOD to be seen Posts: 3558 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2013
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Ann-Ohio
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Hi Lisa, Are you seeing an Ob/Gyn? Ann
-------------------- Ann-OH Posts: 1590 | From Ohio | Registered: Aug 2014
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LisaK
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Member # 41384
posted
I just went to one for another issue and I mentioned I missed my period so she checked my FSH. she also did a CBC w dif, but not checked estrogen.
she was not a dr, but a PA which I really don't like seeing, but that was all they had for weeks. (no offense intended towards any PA that may be here) PAs around here, in my esperience, just don't know enough at all.
when the bloodwork was done I got a call from the office saying it was all normal and showed I am going through menopause, but when I got my own copy as requested a few weeks later I see that on there is said "postmenopausal".
-------------------- Be thankful in all things- even difficult times and sickness and trials - because there is something GOOD to be seen Posts: 3558 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2013
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LisaK
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posted
I just googled and found this article about having mercury can make you age prematurely
-------------------- Be thankful in all things- even difficult times and sickness and trials - because there is something GOOD to be seen Posts: 3558 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2013
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Just sharing my experience, I am not a doctor. Posts: 2682 | From Colorado | Registered: Oct 2009
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
Lyme gave me a false menopause. It also gave me facial drooping which is medically known as mild, bilateral bells palsy.
So, when you say your face looks old, what exactly do you mean? Do you now have wrinkles all over your face, for example?
Or, do you have frown lines and does it look like you are always scowling? This is what I had, and I seriously considered getting a face lift because it looked so bad. My husband agreed that I should get it!
When people took pictures of me and I was unaware of it, so I was not smiling, I looked liked I was scowling with deep lines on either side of my mouth.
If this is what you have, it is bells palsy. Get back to the lyme doctor for treatment. One day, after 3 years of this facial drooping, I woke up one morning and my face was totally back to normal.
The bell's palsy spontaneously resolved itself! This was all prior to finding out that I had lyme disease.
When I had this false menopause and facial drooping, I thought they were both from aging and going through menopause. Not so! It was undiagnosed lyme disease.
Once I got good lyme treatment (but not for the 2 years that I got lousy lyme treatment), my periods came back, my ovaries began producing estrogen again, I was able to stop hormone replacement, and I was a normal pre-menopausal woman again.
I had been on hormone replacement for 7 years! I was considered post-menopausal. I had the "menopause" from hell--because it was really lyme attacking me gynecologically.
So, when you tell me you have these 2 things happening to you simultaneously, it really makes me think of lyme disease. That was my experience.
If you look at pages 9-10 of the Burrascano Guidelines where he lists some common lyme symptoms, you will see:
"Unexplained menstrual irregularity" and
"Facial paralysis-Bell's Palsy"
If you research Bell's Palsy, you will learn that a mild case is called "facial drooping." It certainly seems like it is from aging and it makes you look old and weird.
Let me know if this is what you have!
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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Judie
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posted
Consult an ND (naturopathic doctor). One got my hormones on track when all the MDs failed.
You might also want to consult a traditional Chinese Medicine doctor who specializes in herbs.
Both have fixed hormone issues, especially ones caused by Lyme.
Regular MDs, even the llmd, were all useless in this matter for me.
Posts: 2839 | From California | Registered: Jul 2012
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LisaK
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Member # 41384
posted
TF, yes some wrinkles, really dry crinkly skin. haha. I have had those scowl lines for a long time.
I think that comes with age and depending on your genetics? my whole family has the heavy expression cracks inbetween eyebrows and everyone woman I know past 45 has crack on each side of her mouth.
how old are you TF?
your prior experience sounds a lot like mine. like I said in the first post, I was all over the place with crazy cycle symptoms and that is why three drs told me I was going thru menopause.
when I went on abx around 18 months ago it all fell back in place normal, like a miracle and now all of a sudden period just halted. and I started to age so much in my skin.
so I am confused if this is still lyme wreaking havoc or is it really menopause, and what to do about that.
I just told my mom and she said to be thankful periods are over, haha and that theres nothing to do except put on face cream.
-------------------- Be thankful in all things- even difficult times and sickness and trials - because there is something GOOD to be seen Posts: 3558 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2013
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lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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Tf that is an amazing story
My experience was different and showed how many medical docs are so ignorent
I had at least ten docs insist i was menopausal over a fifteen year period. They said that because of hot flashes or as i called them sweats
My gyns insisted it was not meno for years-they g a ve me blood test over and over
It was babs of corse but it took a long time to get dx
When i went thru real meno i had real hotflashes for about six months and then they ztopped immediately
My real hot flashes were very different from my babs sweats
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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LisaK
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posted
kayak, I agree. I thought they were the same, all the years from them telling me meno my hot flashes were night sweats from babs!
I now had hot flashes. as soon as my period stopped I got them for like 2 weeks straight and now just very mild ones like once a week or so.
have not had night sweats since tx ended for babs
night sweats are very different from hot flashes!
-------------------- Be thankful in all things- even difficult times and sickness and trials - because there is something GOOD to be seen Posts: 3558 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2013
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TF
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Member # 14183
posted
I was 47 years old when my gyn problems started. Not only did I have no periods or just spotting, I also had extreme vaginal atrophy.
That means that my vaginal tissues were dried up like those of an 85 or 90 year old woman. Blood tests showed that I had NO estrogen, no testosterone, etc. None.
So, I couldn't stand anything to touch my crotch. It would be painful. No pants, jeans, or pantyhose for me! And, I could not cross my legs due to vaginal pain. I would get irritated from just walking. So, by the end of each day, I was in pain. This was so highly unusual for a 47 year old woman, but because of my blood tests, they just said I was going into menopause.
It was the "menopause" from hell!!! Nobody else in my office had a menopause anything like mine.
Not only did I take hormone replacement, but I had to insert estrogen into the vagina daily. It took many, many months before the vagina returned to something like normal. I had to continue the estrogen in the vagina for the entire time I had undiagnosed lyme disease.
In fact, I knew when my lyme treatment was working because I began to have a vaginal discharge on my underwear again--after 7 years of not having any.
The scowl lines I got in my 40s. I have read many lyme doctors articles saying that many people say they have had these lines their entire life and think they are normal, run in their family, etc., but once they are treated for lyme, these lines go away.
If you conclude that this is truly menopause for you, you can get a good wrinkle cream from a dermatologist. It will have retinol in it. Expensive, but it will work very well. All the small wrinkles will go away and the larger ones will lessen.
I just turned 65 but all doctors and others say that I look 10 years younger. I think that likely runs in my family, but I also have been using the wrinkle cream for 5-7 years now and I stay in shape with weightlifting, etc. I love the wrinkle cream.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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LisaK
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Member # 41384
posted
that's what I need- magic wrinkle cream!
I did get some- I guess I will keep using it to see if it helps.
I am sorry to hear about your dryness and the pain! Maybe my body is still messed up from buggers.
I don't know what to do though because I don't really have a dr that can help me with this.
I hope if other people have info on how they helped themselves they come forward and tell. maybe I need hormones? I have heard that no one should be on them, but.... idk.
-------------------- Be thankful in all things- even difficult times and sickness and trials - because there is something GOOD to be seen Posts: 3558 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2013
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lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5230
posted
Tf that is an amazing story
My experience was different and showed how many medical docs are so ignorent
I had at least ten docs insist i was menopausal over a fifteen year period. They said that because of hot flashes or as i called them sweats
My gyns insisted it was not meno for years-they g a ve me blood test over and over
It was babs of corse but it took a long time to get dx
When i went thru real meno i had real hotflashes for about six months and then they ztopped immediately
My real hot flashes were very different from my babs sweats
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
When I was having problems with my sex hormones, my doctor at the time was supportive of my using bioidentical progesterone cream (before lyme dx). I used it twice a day, one in the morning and a bigger dose at night. I would say it was pretty helpful for my moods.
I had to use estrogen suppositories for vaginal atrophy. That was miserable, walking, sitting, driving, everything was a literal pain. I was getting close to asking for bio-identical estrogens to go with the progesterone, but decided to give things more time.
My nightly babs sweats were dx'ed as hot flashes also.
Another vote for the good wrinkle cream. I love what it does for my skin when I have been using it for a while.
You can get a small, natural bristle skin brush and learn how to dry brush massage the skin on your face. It is stimulating to the skin and can help it to thicken back to its healthy state.
A homemade vitamin C serum is super easy and cheap to make. It is a great skin active. It's very nourishing to the skin and will give visible brightening with just a few uses. Don't combine it with retinoids. Vit c in the morning, retinoid in the night .
Some people like to do facial exercises to improve muscle tone. Not sure how well this works for those of us with lyme, and I can never remember to do them often enough to know if they are doing anything. Some programs are much gentler than others.
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LisaK
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Member # 41384
posted
gz, I was given the bioidentical cream for my "menopause" 12 years ago too, when I was undiagnosed with tick disease yet.
I don't remember it doing anything for me.
I have heard about the brushes- maybe I will give that a try.thanks
and yes, I read about using C on the face. I will see about making it like you said- sounds good.
I rememebr now that you mention it about the facial exercises. I saw a book years ago about it that looked great. I kinda wish I would have started them then!
-------------------- Be thankful in all things- even difficult times and sickness and trials - because there is something GOOD to be seen Posts: 3558 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2013
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LisaK
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Member # 41384
posted
__
I am wondering if my thyroid is messed up
_
-------------------- Be thankful in all things- even difficult times and sickness and trials - because there is something GOOD to be seen Posts: 3558 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2013
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LisaK
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Member # 41384
posted
still no sign of period. I get PMS I think, and I feel like I am going to get a period, but I don't. is this "normal"?
it's been almost 4 months I think.
I am just concerned that I should be doing something. I feel pretty good except I seem to be eating for 4! and no, I am not pregnant. just getting fat
-------------------- Be thankful in all things- even difficult times and sickness and trials - because there is something GOOD to be seen Posts: 3558 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2013
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TF
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Member # 14183
posted
I know at least one woman (she never had lyme) who told me that in menopause you get all the signs leading up to a period but you never get the period.
This went on for her for years. So, it is normal. It was not my experience, however.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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LisaK
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o my gosh. I just got my period. UGH.
haha.
-------------------- Be thankful in all things- even difficult times and sickness and trials - because there is something GOOD to be seen Posts: 3558 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2013
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