Indigestion so bad felt like heart attack

[jessty]

Hi All,

Does anyone get the most awful indigestion a few days in to the progesterone part of their hrt?

I had indigestion so bad last night that I seriously considered the possibility that I had confused it with a heart attack. The pain is like an awful tightness and I can't get any relief from it until I lie down flat.

Anyone else? Think I'll just stop the hrt as this is a problem every month now

So you get this every month? How long has this been going on for?

Don’t assume it’s that.

I had the most horrendous indigestion/chest pain that started in the stomach and migrated to the chest. This began a couple of years into peri and only stopped when I started HRT. I read a bit about it and digestive issues can definitely be linked to menopause. But I’ve never heard anything about it being linked to HRT.

For me, HRT cleared my dreadful hot flushes within days (which is how I know it was working) and two years later, I felt/feel so much better on it. Plus, no digestive issues any longer.

Are you sure it’s indigestion? When I had a gallstone attack I actually thought I was having a heart attack or something terrible - the pain was excruciating. Glad bladder has since been taken out and no more pain!

Please get this checked out just in case.
I’ve definitely had this - and gone to A&E a couple of times, always fine but you have to make sure.

If you’ve got Gaviscon, take some and see if the pain eases, but don’t rely on that as a diagnosis please.

When I had it, it was early days of peri so no HRT, not sure if there is a connection.

One last time - go get it checked out 🙏🙏🙏

If I get indigestion the worse thing is lying down. Being completely upright alleviates it for me. Does it ease with Gaviscon or the like?

I put mine down to menopause, but I actually have a hiatus hernia. Get it checked at the GP.

You should press for an investigation - you might need an endoscopy or barium meal to check what's going on. You should rule out a gastric issue before looking at your HRT as the cause.

It’s understandable you want to quit the HRT if this keeps happening, but it’s best to speak to your GP or menopause clinic first.

Get to GP. I get horrific heartburn but it's always worse when I lay flat. You could have something else going on that's contributing.

@jesstyhow are you today? If you’re no better please go to A&E or at least call 111

I had horrible heartburn which I put down to perimenopause. Turns out I had a gallbladder full of rotten stones and ended up in hospital with acute pancreatitis. Please get it checked out!

Definitely get checked out. Sounds very much like a gallbladder attack. The first one I had, I called 111 and they sent an ambulance!
I ended up having many attacks, and they were worse than labour pains…

Hi all, thanks for all the replies.

Yes, it has eased today though I can still feel it threatening to come back, just slightly lower down today. Can you believe that I contacted the Dr and they never got back to me! Could be dead in the bed now 😅

It tends to coincide with taking the progesterone part of my hrt each month. I'm fine for the first few days but its like my body can't tolerate the build up or something because by about day 5 of progesterone its awful. I've been on hrt five months now and this month has definitely been the worst.

Interesting that some are saying theirs gets worse when they lie down. That does make me think this could be something else. I'm off to google gallstones 😬

Yes, so I followed the advice of some of the other posters on here and swapped to taking my progesterone vaginally instead of orally and I’m now not necking Gaviscon like it’s a bottle of vodka anymore and have zero side-effects so very happy.

I am similar and I will raise it next time I go in for review. I find if I’m doing something like lying on my side, propped up reading it comes on particularly bad, and I feel like I might be sick. Like you, getting onto my back is the best thing for relief.

Came here to suggest gallstones. Mine took ages to diagnose even after several painful attacks and years of occasional dull shoulder pain at night. Doctor was useless - people on a forum diagnosed it instantly.