Hi all. Some of you may recognize me, others may not even know me. I came on these boards in March of 2004 and was a regular at that time. Had everything from tingling to burning, then on to hot flashes, a period every two weeks then it disappeared for a few months, then would come back etc. Well, I'm still getting my period, not very frequently, and I've gone through the most anxious times, but lately, I could just sleep my life away. I know it's hormonal related because I've been getting small/light periods like every other month these past four months. I would skip like 5 months and then get a period. I just turned 48 a few months ago. I do notice I snap a lot when I never use to do this. I take 20 mg. of prozac and they up'd my lipitor to 20 mg., my cholesterol doesn't seem to want to lower the way they want it to, but then again, I don't behave when I eat, lol. Hard to re-train the body when it's been use to eating anything it wants to without gaining a pound or raising cholesterol. But guess what? Ever since this perimenopause thingy, well cholesterol is high, and the weight is on! I'm sure some of it is from the Prozac too. The hot flashes finally stopped for now. Gosh, I was getting them like fire crackers after my period started up again. It's not regular at all. Not even close, like I said, I can skip almost, if not five months at a time. The problem is, when it starts again, so does the changes and the anxiety, etc. ARGH! So I'm still going through what a lot of you ladies are still or new to going through, lol if that made any sense.It's amazing, u get rid of one body dysfunction and then a new one comes a long. Or, after a while, u might go back to muscle twitching, hot flashes, tingling, burning skin, irritability, etc. The only thing I do to help me along, is tell myself what it is I'm going through, read up on it to refresh my mind and keep going. It's a good thing some of you know what's going on with you. When I first came down with peri, my brother died also and I came out a live from a serious car accident. I totally had a nervous breakdown! Hello to all the oldies here. Welcome to all the newbies.

Hello Ainfante

I think a couple of years ago when I first joined we discussed the burning skin and twitching as that was one of my first symptoms. I rarely pop on anymore as life is busy! I am glad you are still hanging on and like you... I too am still in peri. Sounds like mine is going alot like yours .....every 2 weeks then back on schedule then a month or 2 miss. I have yet to have a hot flash although I am cold all the time. Thyroid is fine though. I think I have true estrogen dominance and need some progesterone. My breasts tell me this one. I do not see any of the familiar names anymore like Judith, and that crew. Its nice new ones have found this site and are learning from it.
Well I just thought I would pop on and say Hi and I don't often see ppl I remember. Glad your still out there.......not so glad that peri still has hold on you. Take care.....Les

Glad to have you back. We are all still looking for answers to help with this peri thing too. Funny how you can have a problem that is driving you crazy, then it will disappear and new one start! I have heard that Prozac can cause some weight gain, but peri can too. I am fighting health anxiety, but not so much for myself, everyone around me. I worry about my husband's health, daughter, granddaughter and anyone else I hear about. I guess it takes my mind off the peri for awhile. Hope you get to feeling better too. Ann

Hi, glad to hear from you both again. Ann, is your husband ok? You said you're worried about his health? I'm a natural worrier anyway.

As far as the progesterone, funny how the breasts give the sign we need it. As I said before, I had over did mine, so my gyne told me to stop. She said recently to give it go again if the hot flashes got bad. Right now they are good, wondering if it's because it's below zero outside, LOL

Andrea

Hi Andrea,
Thanks for asking about my husband. He is fighting a pneumonia and has to go for a ct scan Thursday to make sure there is nothing else going on. I swear I would love to turn back the clock 10 years and not have all the worries I do now. I never had much luck with progestrone cream. Periods got much heavier and longer when I was using it. I haven't had a period now for 2 1/2 months and feel pretty good except for the weight gain! I am eating way less these last few weeks worrying about my husband and have gained about 4-5 pounds, all in the stomach and butt! Not getting much exercise either, below zero here too. Good to hear from you, if you've got any ideas on fast weight loss, I'd love to hear them! Ann

Hi Andrea,

Good to see you but sorry to hear that the peri stuff is still hanging in there for you too. I can very much relate to the anxiety (comes and goes for me). I still take xanax when I need to but not often.

You mentioned cholesterol, mine all the sudden went up this past year. The dr. said he felt it was hormonal and I think so too as I was doing nothing different than I had been before, and in fact exercise a lot more now and pay more attention to what I eat , etc. Anyway, he put me on Zetia in Oct. and that has helped. It is just above 200 but my HDLs are very good (60) and so the ratio of the good stuff to the bad LDLs is good and the Triglycerides have always been good.

To think we both were posting in 2004 and here it is 2007!! Never would have imagined that. I do not post often, but do check in now and then. At the time I started posting I think it was probably the worst for me : night sweats, high anxiety for looonng periods of times, tummy troubles, periods coming closer together and spotting in between.

The update on me is that I am 52 now and had my last period a bit before Thanksgiving, so going on 3 months without it. BUT having said that , I know it can return of course as I have been without it for 4 months before (that has been my record-last year) and then I got it coming every 24 days. Mine is always scanty no matter when I get it. I am not getting the night sweats anymore, have never had a daytime hot flash at all in all of this, but do have on and off bloating and the biggest symptom : anxiety , not as long lived as it was in 2004, it seems to now come in spurts, but when it does it is hard to deal with. I do get cold flashes which I have read is common but one doesn't hear about them as they do the hotflashes. I still feel at times even when I am NOT getting my period , like now, that I am going to get it and will get symptoms like it is coming but it doesn't. Sometimes I wish it would just come as the anxiety and PMS type symptoms (which is a big thing in this for me) is relieved then. When I get the anxiety and pms stuff it is like a black cloud is hovering over me. No good reason at all for feeling like that except pesky hormones!!

I certainly agree with you that the symptoms come and go and the only way I deal with it is to remind myself it is all Peri and to read up on it too to refresh my memory as you put it. That book The Pause that you recommended to me when we first were posting is like a Bible to me!! lol It is is worn from use that is for sure. The difference in how I feel now as to in 2004 is that I now know it is all normal and so not as frenzied about every little symptom. The stomach stuff I had back then was so worrisome to me and I think I just worked myself up even more as stress is not a good mix for our tummies that is for sure. Don't get that type of thing anymore with my stomach and I am glad of that.

Anxiety is still there but not about the symptoms as much. health anxiety is still a big part of it as someone else said or just worrying in general. As i said it comes and goes for me. But when it comes it is very difficult for me to deal with and this last month has been a real tough one for me with that. I was glad January was over frankly as it was one anxiety attack after another it seemed.

One thing for certain, I have gained a great support group through this board and those individuals and their support have helped me immensely.

Take care,

rmc

Hi Andrea!! I am so glad you are back. I have missed you and your great advice. I was wondering what happened to you.

I actually, was, and please notice the word "was", feeling great for about 5-6 months. That's why I didn't post on here for awhile. Now, within the last two weeks ALL of my symptoms have returned. I have been doing NOTHING different. I've actually added exercise to my life, but still, the symptoms have returned including the dreaded nausea, fatigue and anxiety.

I thought since I'm approaching 51, I was finally past all of it. But I guess not. I just feel so wrecked right now with all of this back. And it makes me so unmotivated to do anything at all. When does it all end?? And to top it all off, I had a period last week as well. So I think my hormones are completely out of whack again.

Well, I know the feeling danigirl! Actually I didn't get a period for 6 months and now it's decided to come back again. Sometimes, it's really late, but lately on and off it's been on time. It lasts about two days, not too heavy but it hasn't been thru peri, I seem to be the opposite of a lot of ladies here, I have light bleeding. Today, I was just sitting in the car, caught the cold flu but it's the end of my period as of yesterday and my heart starts to race out of nowhere. I evaluated it all, nothing seemed to scare me, nothing was going on, I just was adjusting hormone wise I guess. Anyway, breasts are getting sore again before period, and nipples. My stomach has been ok but the joints and the sinuses and all aren't. I notice I still get the tremors in my hand but thyroid is ok. Although most on here know that I could be borderline. But to convince a doctor of that seems difficult. Anyway, onward with anxiety, lol.