Perimenopause-Menopause Hell

[creativewriter71]

I'm new here, and this is my first post.

So, I've just discovered from my recent blood results about 6 weeks or go ago, that I have gone from the perimenopuse stage to the menopause stage. Fortunately I don't seem to be suffering the typical symptoms such as night sweats or hot flushes, but I have terrible mood swings, I'm emotional. I have constand intermittent nausea. I cry almost every day or night. I am suffering severe gastrointestinal issues. Technically I read that perimenopause can trigger IBS and that menopause can exacerbate it. So I am living a high life right now of constant stomach cramps, going from constipation to diarrohea. The pains are so bad sometimes that I cry hard, because I have zero tolerance for pain. I got told by one doctor that nausea and gastro issues do not go hand in hand with menopause. Yet I had CT scan and endoscope done in 2016, which came back clear, a myriad of blood tests, also clear, apart from the hormone levels. What does that tell you?

Today, spoke to a doctor and finally, someone is listening and realises that these are not pleasant symptoms to be suffering with the menopause and I have an appointment with a doctor to discuss treatment possibilities that are the least risky. Has anyone else going through or have gone through menopause ever suffered the same symptoms? Because I have been worried that there is something more evil going on and yet, surely blood tests would have shown that up?

Since I never had any gastrointestinal issues before I became menopausal, it speaks volumes to me about what is causing this. I guess I am writing this, to see if I'm alone in this and if not, to tell others, that you're not alone.

[Zazzel]

Menopause can bring on all sorts of symptoms that aren’t “common,” however, gastointestinal symptoms are common. See this article healthline.com/health/menop... so I’m surprised your doctor didn’t know that. In any case, have you tried adding probiotics such as sauerkraut or grass fed yogurt to your diet ( not the standard yummy sugar fruit filled yogurt, but rather plain non sweetened grass fed yogurt or Greek yogurt.). That has helped me a bunch. As far as mood swings, there are some natural hormones your doctor can prescribe, I opted out of that and since I am now about 6 months in, most of my issues have gone away or lessened. My mood swings a year ago were horrible. Try yoga, exercising and listening to meditation. I used an online meditation sleep hypnosis by Thomas Hall on YouTube that I swear by. Reall6 helped me get through the tough times. It was his anxiety and depression sleep hypnosis. Good luck. Things get better, you’ll get through this!

[creativewriter71 in reply to Zazzel]

Hi, thanks for your reply. Unfortunately the probiotic foods you mentioned, are not something that I can take. I have a very poor taste for food and my intake is very minimal. I am on multivitamins for that very reason. I don't even like the sugar fruit yoghurt, so... I am also disabled, so my movement is also very limited. So all the natural remedies are not easy for me to come by. However, I do have an appointment with a GP on Monday to discuss all of this. I also bought multivitamins that contain biotics, and took my first one of those today. Hoping they will help. I also bought some peppermint oil capsules, as I was told they can also be very effective in helping the digestive tract and with IBS type symptoms. I will take my first one of those in the morning, providing that I can take one every day with no issue. I had been taking buscopan routinely but my cousin told me last night that I should only take that when I have a flare up. Maybe taking it routinely had been messing with me, but I had been doing that for about a year with no issue. It would seem that since I stepped from perimenopause to menopause, I have incurred a lot of nasty changes. So it's possible that the buscopan is indeed having a negative impact when taking it every day.

Yes, the doctor that I saw, was a junior doctor, and I am not going to lie, I don't think she knew what she was doing or what she was saying. She said adamantly that nause and gastro intenstinal issues are not a sign of the menopause and wanted me to go and get all these tests done. Some of which I had already had done before they discovered my hormones were all other the shop. So, she clearly hadn't looked back on my medical history! Why be a GP?? My treatment room nurse was the one that told me that gastro intestinal issues ARE a menopausal symptom, so that put my mind at ease, however, the trouble I am having is no picnic and the pains and bubbling etc., and the urgent need for the toilet are horrible and not easy to deal with, given that I have zero tolerance for pain, which also does not help.

I was getting to the stage of not being clinically depressed, as I still like to do my hobbies and happy within myself, but that the situ was getting depressing and feeling like I was scared to leave the house in case of a flare up outside. It's no way to live. However, I have been suffering all of this since 2016.... though 2017 and 2018 were what I like to call lull years, where everything was lingering but not as severe as 2016, and now, this year, it's back to what it was like in 2016. I lost over 10 stone in weight in 2016 with being so sickly that I couldn't face eating at all! I have lost even more weight this year, having dropped from 18.4 stone to 16.13 stone.

[Zazzel in reply to creativewriter71]

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. I sure hope you feel better soon.

[Escarole]

Hi, I'm also in the transition from perimenopause to menopause and apart from other symptoms like cold flashes I'm also having gastrointestinal problems, with cramps that sometimes wake me up at night and loose stools. I sometimes have nausea and feel tired too. I try to massage my abdomen with peppermint essential oil when I start feeling the cramps, but sometimes especially at night is hard because I can't even sleep.