Attention menopausal posties--HELP!!!!

[Captain Deb]

OK here's the deal, maybe some of you have been through the same things.

I feel like I'm walking around in a fog all the time, have NO energy, can't remember anything, want to sleep all the time. At Thanksgiving I: undercooked the turkey by an hour and when I put it back in, forgot to turn the oven back on for another 45 minutes.  Tried to bake a cheesecake at 225 rather than 325 even thoug I looked right at the oven control 10 times. etc, etc, etc.

I've been like this for a long time and simply cannot tell if it's due to medication, post-op trauma, depression, or wacked-out hormones.  My old neuro had me on vicodin (Lortab, usually 1 to 2 a day) for over a year because nothing else was working, and the new one added 2700mg (ahuge dose) of Neurontin to the mix. Well, duh, who wouldn't be in a fog with that much meds in their head.
I quit the pain meds right after Thanksgiving and had been slowly decreasing my Neurontin over the month to see if the fog would lift, but so far it hasn't, although my permanent headache is certainly bouncing around up there. The only thing I'm still on is 600 mg Neurontin and 60 mg Cymbalta, an anti depressant. I'm using my injectable Imitrex more often without the Neurontin.

I've seen 3 different docs for my post-op headaches and not one of them has come up with the smart idea to check my hormone levels. At the time of my surgery I was still fairly regular, but I started stopping just after and it's been about 2 years since my last period.

So once again, Capt Deb takes charge of her own health care and I'm seeing a gyno next week to talk about what's going on. Maybe it's time for some HRT? which, I swore I'd never do, but I just can't live like this anymore!!! I have an awful time concentrating on my work, or anything else for that matter.  Dr Love is out busting his hump working 2 jobs and all I can do is mope around the house and sleep and feel guilty about it.

Help!!!

Capt Deb

[nancyann]

Oh yeah, the thrilling adventures of menapause.

I've never had memory problems, but lately I'm putting things where they don't belong then can't find them for days. Phone numbers I've been dialing forever are lost in space.   Most of my work group is going thru the 'change' (change nothing, it's hell on wheels!!!).
Some are on HRT, me and my office buddy are going 'au natural', we just love the natural steam sauna our beds make during the night!!!
Depleted energy is putting it mildly(but I'm the only one with that problem, so I think it's due to fatigue from balance issues).

Good luck Captain - this can last for years (you gotta laugh about it or we'd all be crying out of our one good eye!!)
I'm sure at the time the raw turkey wasn't funny - but I had a good laugh reading about it (sorry)

Take care Capt., Nancy

[Volley]

Deb,

When similar symptoms started happening with me, including racing heart and palpitations, I checked out the Internet and found a great web site for perimenopausal and menopausal issues.  It is called PowerSurge at www.power-surge.com.  They have message boards and a live chat area.  I have found the message boards very reassuring.  It's truly alarming what changing hormones can do to your body and mind.  Check out the Power Surge discussion boards.  You'll find that you aren't the only one with "brain fog."  They have several forums.  One of particular interest is called "Am I Losing My Mind?."  Another one you might want to check out is called "Headaches/Migraines/Hypertension." 

Good luck, and maybe Dr. Love can help out with the cooking for a while. 

[Captain Deb]

WOW! Thanks volley. I knew I was having hot flashes, but all that other stuff is news to me. It seems alot of them are post-surgery symptoms as well. A double whammy is maybe what I'm having. Maybe with a little help from a good women's doc, I can reduce it to a single whammy!
Thanks again--I hope some of the other girls on this forum who are still struggling to recover from surgery will take a peek at this site and maybe find themselves there like I did!
Capt Deb

[matti]

This a yet another topic that I can totally relate too!  Since my AN surgery in 1998, I have lived in somewhat of fog/wonky headed state, but 2 years ago, I started with the palpitations, night sweats, hot flashes, irritability and forgetfulness/lack of concentration and now I have developed Acne and hair loss!  My AN issues along with the peri-menopausal symptoms are taking a toll on me.  I did have a complete blood work up and it did show that I am entering menopause. It also showed that my testosterone level had increased, which is why the Acne

 My doctor suggested hormone therapy, but I have some issues with it at the moment. I do find that calcium and magnesium help with the palpitations. Also, stress increases the durations and severity of hot flashes. I find that since all the peri-menopausal symptoms have started, that I am completely exhausted all the time, but another symptom that has crept into the mix is insomnia. What's a girl to do

 Deb -Good that you are seeing your gyno. Have you had your Thyriod level checked? I am sure your doctor will do a total blood work -up. I found a wonderful female gyno that I hope never retires. In the past, my gyno's were male and I am sorry to say (guys don't take offense) but men just don't understand.

Cheryl

[Captain Deb]

We have two female gynos in our town and neither are taking new patients. My wonderful femal GP quit her practice just before I was diagnosed. GGGGrrrrrr.......... I got this appt at a women's clinic and he was the one who was available at the time--which is before the first of the year and my deductible is used up, so going with an unknown male is the only option for me right now.
Capt Deb

[nancyann]

I'VE BEEN HAVING PALPITATIONS & WAS SO SCARED SOMETHING ELSE IS GONNA HAPPEN SO I PUT MY HEAD IN THE HOLE IN THE GROUND YET AGAIN (had tinnitus & decreased hearing for years & never did anything about it, look what happened, & history is just repeating itself) & now I learn it's  MENAPAUSE !!!!!!   
WHEW !!

Thanks guys

[matti]

Deb - But alas, the "unknown male" maybe the one that finally understands

Nancyann - The first time I had the palpatations I was freaked out of my mind and I thought I was having a heart attack. Many women who first experience them will make a trip to the emergency room because they are so scary. It feels like butterflys fluttering in the chest and sometimes it lasts for several seconds. Isn't it fun being female

hugs,
Cheryl

[Windsong]

Deb, Perhaps someone might check why your periods  began to end after an operation? iis this hormone related for example? And did anyone check that out for you, I wonder. Do hope so.

I see you have symptoms that continue to plague you. Finding the right medicine if needed is like sifting sand sometimes... I know you have/had migraines. definitely not fun along with hearing one has an An, treatment,  and dealing with any post symptoms.

On the other hand, have you checked into the total background of neurontin? It has quite a colourful history in a rather short time...including some pretty wonky headed comments.... in that that medicine caused quite a few... with some startling results... at least i thought so....have you looked at what was better and what got worse since you began that medicine? I assume you were titrated up gradually over a long period of time so that you can check that out. In any case whenever anyone goes off that, they do have to titrate down...

Hope you get better for sure, and find answers...
Windsong

[nancyann]

Oh my God Cheryl,

The damn palpitations scared the bigeesus out of me.   
I was too scared to GO to the doctor or ER.
I just ignored it, like everything else in my life, until it's too late (when will I ever learn???).

Nance.

[Obita]

Hi Ladies:

I had a hysterectomy 18 months ago when I was 51.  Taking everything out was a shock to my system even though I had been going through the peri-change for years.  I did not want to take HRT if at all possible.  Drugs tend to backfire on me with side effects.  I tried cold turkey for 3 months, couldn't stand the night sweats and decided to try over the counter Estroven.  It took a month or so for it to work, but it did.  My OB/GYN said I was feeling like my old self because I was sleeping good again.  No fatigue, no "I want to rip your face off" episodes etc....it was like being 30 again.

I took the Estroven for about 9 months and I can sleep like a baby without it now.  

My OB/GYN had said it might work and it might not.  It worked for me and I am grateful she told me about it.

The thyroid check is a good idea (hi matti) and so is a hemoglobin check.  Anemia is pretty common in peri-menopausal women when the periods are willy nilly.

Good luck everyone, Kathy

ps:  When I can't hear someone/something I get a hot flash.  I am happy to say, that is the only time I get them anymore.

[Battyp]

OH Boy....Capt after surgery I had horrible hormone problems.  Part of it was they took my hormone pills away and I had a hormone imbalance before surgery so it made my symptoms worse.  heart palps, night sweats, brain fog..yep.  They finally determined that my symptoms were hightened due to the tumor removal and all the hormal jumbies it causes.  I used to get a migraine the day before my period would start.  Since surgery they have gone away..now I only get them when the weather changes and a pressure front comes in.  Thinking I need to move to a place that has no pressure fronts  LOL  My sister who had the hysterectomy took vitamin E as her hot flashes where so bad and that helped her.  The rx meds the doc prescribed had not affect.  Between my hormones, my add and my an I'm a walking mess  LOL 

[kerri lyn angel]

oh yeah! i can relate. i was already in the midst of my changes when i had my awful 14.5 hour life ruining translab surgery. the drugs such as morphine and heavy muscle relaxants to reieve the pain in my legs caused by the spinal tap that was supposed to have fixed the csf leak which i still have increased my flashing uggh! and hormonal havock by about a million percent. it was so awful to lie in sweat for 8 days. i too was prescribed medication ater the fact cymbalta was among them. it helped for awhile but it started to not make me feel good. i actually weaned myself off it since i moved out of the state i formerly lived in ( a whole nother tale of woe) and currently have no insurance or doctor. (disability-24 months from date of disability to be eligible for medicare -puts me at oct 2008 for that haha) its true that we must be our own docs because if you ask me no one knows a blinkin thing about an"s. your hormones may very well be wacked because of the menopause but i think medicines make things worse and i know for a fact that this an surgery definitely made my menopause symptoms worse. the constant head and earache the exhaustion felt due to concentrating so hard on balance and hearing through the tinnitus, the twitching and lack of sleep all make the menopausal strain much worse. you are not alone. you'll laugh when you tell the gynecologist and he or she says yeah you're in menopause. and why do they call it that anyway they should call it menostop. one more thing if you have any history of female cancers in your family anywhere do not do hrt.

[matti]

Hi Kerri - I changed the term menopause to  maxi-pause, due to the long length of time and interruptions it is causing in my life 

I agree that most doctors don't know much about AN's.  Everytime I see a new doctor for various reasons and tell him/her of my AN, if the say "so explain that to me", I want to run for the door. And I also just love how they blame EVERYTHING on menopause, in fact that was one of the many things I heard in the 2 years of being misdiagnosed with my AN.

Cheryl

[Janet]

Deb,

I couldn't think straight on Neurontin 300mg. I had a constant foggy feeling that I couldn't shake. I would forget things that people told me. I felt clear thinking again after I stopped taking it. I didn't notice any difference in my headaches with Neurontin but I probably wasn't on a high enough does. It came down to side effects vs benefits.

We are the same age and I don't take any hormones. Hot flashes feel good to me as they soothe the sharp pains in my head. I don't know why but they just did. It is like the pain is being melted!

Janet