Is there any way in which the menopause CAN'T make you feel like shit?

[FatherFintanFay]

The latest thing that's happened to me is terrible indigestion that can be brought on just by drinking sodding water. I've read that the drop in hormones can also reduce the amount of bile you produce, so it's harder and takes longer to digest anything. I'm not even going to go into the constipation, suffice to say it's very distressing to someone who was once well-known for having to have a 2pm poo every day.

Does anyone else have rubbish menopause symptoms that they never expected?

It wasn’t shit for me. I had one week of waking up feeling hot and then I took Menopace tablets and suffered no symptoms after that.

Erm, good for you? I've had shitty and unexpected stuff happening for a year now. I was expecting it to be quite easy because my mum had almost no symptoms and I thought I would take after her. No such luck.

There isa thread with all sorts of varied issues over on the menopause board.

Yes indigestion from anything, including just lying down sleeping!
Other symptoms include back ache no matter which way I lie in bed. Achy legs so I can't sleep. Stiff feet and ankles when I get up in the morning so I basically hobble to the bathroom first thing.
Bloating and more windy 😶 then before. Plus no sex drive at all.
I want it over soon.

I was recommending the supplement Menopace to you, no need to be shirty.

Sounds awful op. I haven't heard about the digestive side effects. I'm at the more frequent and heavier periods stage and dreading what comes next. Would HRT help you?

Also available in supermarkets, drug stores etc

www.vitabiotics.com/shop/menopace/original

Do all the aches and pains go when the menopause is finished or are you then just an old lady walking all stiffly for the rest of your life?

I seem to be ok, I take magnesium, vitamin D, probiotics, cod liver oil capsules, and I do intermittent fasting. I am ''only'' 49 but periods stopped. So I reckon I'm well in to menopause. @Soola I'm glad you posted because I get scared reading these threads that I'm going to turn to aching ashes.

It’s the insomnia that’s killing me. I used to love my sleep but am currently going through a particularly annoying phase where I am suddenly awake in the middle of the night. I lie there for ages, eventually fall asleep and then wake again around 5ish feeling really ill and lie there until I have to get up at 6. I hate it. Really really hate it.

Oh my yes! My poor achy feet in the morning! I'm also hobbling like I'm walking on Lego bricks first thing. Why? And will it stop when I've over the menopause?

Oh, and am 51 and still getting my periods like clockwork. When will the fuckers ever stop?

Water retention. I’m covered every morning with imprints of the sheets and god forbid I forget to take off my watch I can see every link pressed into my wrist till lunchtime

Yes, insomnia is my constant companion. I take cocodamol for my joint pain, which does knock me out a but, but can't take them every night. And loose, wobbly ankles first thing in the morning. I find that sticking them over the edge of the bed and rotating them a few times before I try to stand up helps a bit.

Sorry Soola I misread you and thought you were being smug. Increased irritability is another symptom, as you can see.

It’s ok, I’m sorry if I sounded smug.

I also take iron but always have done. I take magnesium and b vitamins.

I also drink Meritene which is chocolate powder in a sachet and I notice a difference if I don’t drink it regularly.

I also do brain exercises by way of Sudoku, Suguru, crosswords, jigsaws, general knowledge quizzes to try to keep up with current affairs and keep the brain in focus as I can be forgetful.

I make it with water.
Vitamins and minerals:
Vitamin D
9.9 µg
198%
Folic acid
120 µg
60%
Vitamin B12
1.4 µg
54%
Vitamin K
39 µg
52%
Vitamin B6
0.72 mg
51%
Zinc
4.8 mg
48%
Phosphorus
297 mg
42%
Vitamin A
330 µg
41%
Calcium
330 mg
41%
Riboflavin
0.54 mg
39%
Niacin
6.0 mg
38%
Thiamin
0.36 mg
33%
Iron
4.5 mg
32%
Vitamin C
25 mg
31%
Selenium
17 µg
31%
Vitamin E
3.6 mg
30%
Pantothenic acid
1.8 mg
30%
Potassium
600 mg
30%
Magnesium
66 mg
18%
*One portion = 30g of Meritene + 20

It might be a coincidence but my hair is now much thicker and lustrous since I started drinking this. I can’t say for sure as I do take other supplements.

www.meritene.co.uk/product/strength-vitality-chocolate-shake

Insomnia, anxiety, irritability. misophonia. These are my constant companions now.

Chin hair, can live with that. Sinus problems, apparently your nasal passages thin out. Taking an antihistamine helps, not sure why. Flushes went with sage tablets. Aches and pains went with turmeric, a fatter midriff - now in better shape than ever by eating 2 meals a day and leaving a 16/hour window before eating again.

I rattle with supplements. No longer have to pay for san pro but spending more on supplements.

Are there any family history reasons (eg breast cancer) that mean you can't take hrt? If not , then I can't see why you wouldn't? It does actually help!

I've always had misophonia to a degree but now I have to put my headphones in at work when the guy opposite me has his morning bacon sandwich. Tbf, he does eat like a pig, so I don't think that one's down to the menopause.

Once you hit 50 (my personal opinion) you need to look at what you are eating and how much you eat and make sure you lower your calorie intake.

Avoid being overweight/putting on weight as it can be much harder to shift than when you were younger.

I eat what I want but not a lot of it. I do lots of walking every day and again this is my personal opinion, walking briskly is much kinder on the joints and face than running.

Weight bearing exercise is very good for the bones and is easy to fit in a few minutes a day.

I’m a vegetarian so I can’t take COD liver oil but I take flaxseed in the winter months.

Little or no alcohol is also better for you.

The cocodamol might be making the constipation worse. I know if I take it for a few days I'm bunged up.
I take starflower oil, it helps with the hormonal rages and crying. I remember a few months ago I read on here that there was a Mog book where she died. I looked it up on amazon and read the blurb.....well that was me crying for four hours. Ugly ugly crying. I hate the menopause, it's like I lost myself.

Takeittotheboss - be careful, stiff joints for the first 40 mins after waking that then loosen up is a classic starter symptom of rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune disorder fairly common in women). It may be worth having a quick google to see if you have any of the other symptoms.

I'm 40 and overweight, but with a 20-year history of eating disorders so I can't give a lot of headspace to diets at the moment. I am working on the way I think about food but I have to fix that before I attempt to lose weight because it's just not safe to try yet.

LordNibbler that's true, but it does help so much with the joint pain. Argh, the solution to one problem seems to be the cause of another.

I had a course of zopiclone earlier this year when I had a bereavement and was getting no sleep, and that was marvellous stuff. But they won't give you it for more than two weeks because it's habit forming. It is supposed to reset your sleep patterns so for some people it might be worth trying if you haven't yet.

I would sell a kidney to sleep right through the night and not wake up at 3am for a bout of rumination on actual, potential and frankly ludicrous possibilities.