rmc12

HI DebraL,

I can relate...one of my main peri symptoms is also ANXIETY!! You put it so well as it is like the "logical" or rational mind is yelling at the irrational anxiety ridden part of us. And sometimes it feels we have no control over the not so rational mind!!

My gyn has called peri a long PMS so the moods, the anxiety , etc, will be worse. Unforutnately I do not have any experience with the bioitentical hormones. you might want to do a search on here for that or you can start a thread with those words in the title so perhaps others who do have experience with them can post.

For myself my anxiety seems to come in waves. Last year in the early part of the year it was very bad. Then my hormones seemed to stabilize and I coped better. Then this year after about 8 months of not feeling so anxious, it reared its ugly head again and a lot of Feb./Mar and April I was again in its clutches it seemed. Coming to this board and venting and getting support was and is a great help. Just knowing others are going thru it does help. I also increased my exercise and tried some of the coping mechanisms that Jude posted , when I'd get anxious at night. A couple of them were : talking to yourself loudly when anxiety overtakes you, just telling myself to STOP!! Also there was another she mentioned where you picture a number on a chalkboard like number 30 and then keep counting backwards, visualizing the number in your head. She probably could say this better than I am as she posted a great post awhile back on Anxiety. Anyway, at night this seemed to help me at times. Other times nothing seemed to help. But I do know the more anxious I got the more my other symptoms got worse. Like intestinal issues I have at times with peri get worse with anxiety that is for sure.

I don't know what exactly has made the anxiety subside from a couple months ago. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for it at times, so I guess it is the hormones just calming down. I just hope it remains stable!! I still have my moments but not as bad as a few months ago. But then again I said that last year in May after a bad bout and then it acted up again after as I said a good 8 or 9 months of not being that way!! So that is what I mean by no rhyme or reason!!

I know this probably doesn't help, but hopefully it will in part help to know you are not alone.

I hope you will continue to post and vent your anxiety as I do think it helps.

Take care,

rmc