I think I'm dying of the peri menopause

[MorningsEleven]

I've had kids, labour, c sections - one crash- an endometrioma the size of a jaffa orange on my ovary, an operation to remove the ovary and several paper cuts 😉

I went to bed this afternoon because the cramping and the flooding and the clots and the fucking anxiety and sleepless nights have ground me down. I've got a migraine aura and I'm just so bloody angry that my fertility can't gently fade away with a whimper.

I've always been the "get your bodyform and go roller skating in white jeans" type but I can't do this. DH gave me a hot water bottle, he's on my good list

If anyone has any advice, chocolate, chips, wine, bread, cheese, weight loss tips, similar peri distress please come share.

Yes - I was being a bit flippant when saying about sun & Oz - plus I was young and stupid when I was there!!!

Re vitamins, I drove myself potty researching them - taking too high a dose of some can be as bad as being deficient, vit D needs calcium for absorption, iron needs vit C, how much fish oil for bone health etc. After getting blood tests a while back that showed I was within normal for all except iron, ferrous fumarate for a few months took care of that, and now I just add vit D in for winter/spring months.

@CakeInMyFace It was actually a consultant who recommended that I get HRT - estradiol in maintenance dose patch form to go with Mirena coil already in as the "safest" way to take it. I just repeated this to my GP and he wrote a prescription! While it hasn't helped with the symptoms I thought it might do (and might not be related) I'm more than happy to keep taking it for bone health benefits, coupled with resistance exercises at the gym.

Just back from the gp. I've to monitor my blood pressure for a week and hand the readings into the doctor and if they think the readings are okay I can get started on HRT he also mentioned taking sage to help with the night sweats in the meantime, so I've ordered some online

That's a good start, then!

Great! Glad your GP wasn't weird about it then!!! Sounds like most are! (Especially the female ones, weirdly!!!).

Apologies for choice of paper but this article is quite interesting...some GPs. Need to keep up I think!

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6726351/Why-doctors-denying-women-HRT-Prescriptions-plunged-two-thirds.html

Oh...and apparently the bit about women with a FH of breast cancer or history of blood clots avoiding HRT is incorrect!

I just read it. It is as bad here in Aus, I think! Sometimes it feels like some GP’s stop educating themselves once they finish university. (There are some brilliant exceptions and I have luckily landed on my feet, I think!) At least in Australia you have more choice and the ability to go elsewhere if you don’t like who you end up with. (Admittedly you pay quite a lot towards this.)

I think GPs tend to have one or a few specialities they are particularly good in. My GP might well have given me HRT had I asked, but the consultant suggested it first.

I’m happy to take it for the bone health as much as anything. I thought periods till an older age would mean more estrogen n the body but was really pleased to get the Mirena in to knock them on the head (luckily fitting Mirena is one of my GP’s specialities ).

How does healthcare work in Aus? We are lucky to have the NHS, and my GP surgery is one where I can be seen the same day as it’s a pick a number and wait system. However referrals for further treatment can be massive waits.

We have medicare, and if you are on a full pension, your doctors can choose to bulk-bill you directly to medicare. If you are not on a pension, you pay the full amount of the doctor's fee and the doctor processes the medicare rebate for you. It costs you approximately $50-75 per visit. Similar concept with medications. Pension holders pay between $3 and $7 on average for a prescription to be filled, and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme pays the rest. We pay between $12 and $30, etc.... Some more.

Wow that's a lot extra work for the Drs to have to do! it does seem to cost you more than us - wonder if less people would go if it cost money here. while I think we are lucky, there has got to be a lot of people who go needlessly

I just asked today what my gym membership will be when I turn 60 in just over a year...they've just stopped doing cheaper membership for older people

A Mirena and estrogen patches sorted me out . Also, exercise good, sugary food bad for peri symptoms.

@Salty- couldn’t agree more about sugar being the enemy. (Sadly!) My neurologist put me on medically-supervised Keto/Intermittent Fasting diet for my severe migraines (I was totally skeptical, but desperate, as have a brain full of tiny scars now - and I don’t think the increasing severity of these bastard migraines is at all unrelated to perimenopause, btw!) Anyhow, keto diet has helped enormously! (First to admit it’s boring as batpoo, but am sticking to it.) Quite like the other side effects like thicker hair and lunch less inflammation in joints. Have had rings resized from O to L so that’s six sizes smaller. (Partly flab, partly arthritis.) have had to revamp the wardrobe too. Oh well! Didn’t like those circus tents anyway!

Shoot me now.

My 6 month streak has ended. Sigh.

@pickled