What can I do to stop me walking like I'm 100 every morning

[Moveyourbleedingarse]

I'm on HRT 100mcg oestrogen/coil/testosterone. I try to eat protein. I've been lifting moderate weights for 15 yes continually so not new to exercise and not especially prone to DOMs because of this.

But when I get up I can barely walk. The aches and pains in my legs and feet are horrific. It takes 5 minutes to be able to move naturally. I have to hold onto both bannisters to get down the stairs.

I did get tested for arthritis last year and it was negative.

Is there anything anyone can suggest to help? I've looked into collagen and there's zero scientific evidence for it. I take Vitamin D/K2, probiotics and magnesium glycinate at night.

Really want to avoid the GP again after several years of surgery and many medical appts. Can't afford to see a nutritionist/functional medicine specialist.

Thank you!

You might also switch the crocs to recovery sandals. I have the Kuailu sandals from Amazon, reasonably priced so worth taking a punt. I wear them indoors and they have really made a difference to my feet, knees and hips. Not sliders, the proper sandals with Velcro straps.i think cros and sliders cause you to flex your feet to keep them in/in place which isn’t great, and they don’t cushion everyday impact.
(If you walk in a way that causes the sandals to make farty noises, then buy some cotton towelling liners from Amazon. Although Mum’s farty noises cause such merriment around the house….)

“The key to diagnosis is to measure the level of calcium in the blood at the same time as the level of parathyroid hormone as it is the relationship between them that is important in reaching a diagnosis.
These tests can all be done by your GP
Blood tests
total calcium
parathyroid hormone (PTH)
vitamin D (25 OH cholecalciferol)
serum phosphate

A substantive poll of our hyperpara members at Parathyroid UK members found the most common symptoms, in order of frequency, to be:

• fatigue/ feeling tired and lethargic
• brain fog / loss of concentration/ confusion
• anxiety/depression/low mood/lack of enthusiasm in life
• muscle pain and weakness
• bone pain
• joint pain
• irritability
• frequent urination
• increased thirst
• digestive problems, eg gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• insomnia

Other warning signs can include:

• loss of appetite
• nausea
• constipation
• upper abdominal pain
• migraine like headaches

If left untreated, symptoms can become much worse. In severe cases, extremely high levels of calcium (hypercalcaemia) can cause:

• vomiting
• drowsiness
• dehydration
• confusion – difficulty thinking and speaking clearly
• agitation
• muscle spasms, tremors.
• bone fractures
• irregular heart beat
• high blood pressure
• loss of consciousness
• coma and, very rarely, if not treated, death

Hypercalcaemia can be a life threatening condition if it is not treated. from ; https://parathyroiduk.org/hyperparathyroidism/primary-hyperparathyroidism/

I'm no expert but I'm not sure it would affect your whole body. If your back is not getting enough support, maybe it could affect your legs? I used to get up feeling incredibly achy and the new mattress stopped this immediately.

still on hyperparathyroid
Realised, need add that several of us @ facebook group suffered from
more than usual hair loss
very high calcium in urine, literally making urine obviously cloudy & lavatory bowl becoming heavily limescaled.
random sciatica, not associated with doing eg. daft garden jobs to excess.
,

@Catwalking well I don't have excessive thirst or urination, but I certainly do have awful brain fog which I'm sure is getting worse and the aching tendons and bones. But the rest I don't have, not irritable or insomniac. In fact I sleep like a log most nights.

Still something to bear in mind though..

@rightoguvnor i hope you added a review to the sandal shop and mentioned 'farty noises' 😁 that's a compelling reason to buy a pair for sure!

@BitOutOfPractice googling now. There's only so far my foam roller and hockey ball go with myo-fascial release.!

This morning I was so achy and the sciatica was so sharp, I rolled around on my yoga mat making the kind of noises usually reserved for the bedroom. Happy baby and pigeon pose were especially excruciating. Lots of ahhhhhhhhghhh going on. Thankfully the teens were still asleep and the dogs didn't care!

Hormonal shifts can really hit hypermobility hard. HRT BCP and hormone shifts in life, teen years, pregnancy and peri. I wonder if losing elasticity of skin and other tissues as we age is also having a knock on effect of the stability we feel in all of our joints.

Have you seen any correlations with your HRT? I was very cautious about adding in Progesterone as I had been so intolerant of BCP’s and my own progesterone.

Other things to put on your radar : vitamin D, if you can consider having food based only and getting it from sunlight. Electrolytes seem to be a problem for hypermobile people. I also find a grain free diet with lower carbs helps. You could also look at some more extensive stretch videos (I also use Tom Morrison and like the Caroline Girvan 20 min stretch video). If you check your thyroid again have it taken early in the day and check the reading. The right orthotics help me. The bed of nails mats are quite good. Finally, a bit weird but have a look at TRE exercise for fascia relief and perhaps EFT. It might all come down to how you are holding your body and patterns that are tough to note and break.

There are some who feel vitamin D supplements should be approached with caution even with K2. I can’t remember why now but at the time it caused me to pause mine.

Such helpful information, thank you. It's interesting how many of us aching women have diagnoses or Reynauds. I do too - I noticed this winter that my Reynaud's symptoms seem to have improved since I started HRT, but I now have the stiffness instead.

@Lelivre i am generally progesterone intolerant. The pill made me suicidal on several occasions, Utrogestan had exactly the same effect. But the Mirena is brilliant. No side effects at all. Other than the odd spiky ouch feeling on days when my uterus sits low. (all the prolapses).

I've heard the same thing about Vitamin D. Tim spector did a pod about it but then I also read about the importance of regular supplementation.

I thought electrolytes were good? The GP suggested using them as I sometimes get dizzy standing up, so he said more salt/electrolytes. Tbf I only use them every now and then, though I do sprinkle salt on my oats some days.

I do have tom morrison videos come up occasionally though I do find him a teeny bit irritating, I'm sure he is a lovely person though irl!

I do CG workouts, hadn't seen her stretching will have a look. I generally go straight to her 20min legs or arms if I'm short on time and want to make it count.

@Bluebootsgreenboots my raynauds has stayed constant irrespective of HRT but the chilblains have got worse in the last few years I think. It doesn't worry me tbh, I just get on with it. I'm pleased we've have a mild winter though!

I’m so glad I’ve found this thread, it’s given me reason to try some new ideas to manage my chronic morning knee and finger pain. Mine is knees (rather than hips or ankles), probably not helped my 3 previous knee surgeries, and my fingers / thumbs are so painful. Once I’m up and about, it’s all much better.

Two years ago I was tested and found to have Vit D deficiency (not just low), so ever since have been on a Vit D/K2 supplement. My knees and hands were also xrayed - very early signs of arthritis in my surgery knee, and arthritis in both thumbs.

I had more blood tests 4 months ago, all normal.

I’m 54, no HRT (I’m still on the oestrogen only pill). I am slightly overweight and am working on this (BMI just over 25, really want to lose min. half a stone). I hate exercise! I walk DDogs twice a day, so it’s rare I don’t do 10k steps a day, and I try and walk at pace rather than dawdle. I also horse ride every fortnight. Do some weights at home, generally 10-15 mins 3-4 times a week. I’ve tried yoga and Pilates, just didn’t enjoy it all.

After recommendation from a friend, as well as the over 50s multivit and Vit D/K2 I take each morning, I’m also now taking collagen - 2 tablespoons in my first morning cup of tea. 3 weeks in and I do genuinely feel my joints are slightly less painful, and my skin feels less dry.

I think I need to look at cutting carbs and definitely sugar, I do have a sweet tooth. I generally have a healthy diet and mostly cook from scratch, but there are lapses. Also relook at starting my chiropractor appointments (I moved house a few months ago and haven’t got around to finding a new one) and maybe look at some physio too. I have vitality health insurance, so should see what may be available through that as well.

Thanks @Moveyourbleedingarse for posting this thread in the first place, it’s given me hope and food for thought!

My aches and pains from my EDS suddenly got a lot worse in my 40s. I can only assume when younger my muscles, tendons etc could cope better. Plus a potential drop in oestrogen

Yes OP keep going with hydration and electrolytes.

That is great about the HRT and mood but are you sure you have not had more subluxation or tension in your body (compensating) or any more falls/going over since?

low carb really gives me an edge and I’m not sure why I can only assume it’s something around blood sugar/sensitivity to grains or just that it’s supplying more energy to tired muscles.

The Tom Morrison stability builder program is okay if you have that. Otherwise a physio that will target the stabilisation of vulnerable joints.

I also find orthotics in some ‘house shoes’ are necessary.

I find it’s like a part time job trying to manage pain with hypermobility in Peri/menopause.

Maybe also check your sleeping position and breathing and look into night time mouth taping for nitric oxide and energy.

@Lelivre thanks so much, all really good info and advice.

I did think about mouth taping, but basically I'd drown in my sleep 🤣 I like to sleep on my front - the same pose as a chalk drawing of a body that's been thrown out of a window. It's the same position I've slept in since I was 17. Sadly the addition of reflux means I occasionally wake up choking. Mouth taping not advisable (I know that the advice is to sleep on a sloped bed with reflux, but I just can't, I can't even sleep in a hospital bed on a slope, I have to put them completely flat and chuck the pillow off the bed, got some raised eyebrows from my nurse!).

I only noticed my knees bending too far backwards when I got to 42, during covid I'd be standing at the worktop and would have to lean over for support and I couldn't stand straight. So yes def recognised it more when oestrogen declined, even though I didn't know what it was at the time. But I haven't noticed it any more since HRT than pre HRT.

{mention:ScoobyDoesnt}@ScoobyDoesnt sorry to hear you are struggling too.

Just out of interest (and nosiness) have you had a DEXA scan given your arthritis and no HRT? I'd be concerned about bone density even though you take vitamin d.

I have used asthma inhalers since I was a child and I keep seeing evidence that this can contribute to low bone density, but my asthma nurse laughed at my suggestion! I do keep wondering if I should do a dexa.

I do the whole jumping with force thing though just to help it along 😊

I was like this (51, perimenopausal), getting progressively worse for a year or so, until I made a few changes -annoyingly, I can't tell which is making the most significant difference, but something is doing the trick so I'm reluctant to stop any of them.
I began taking a daily prescription of Levothyroxine for a subclinical underactive thyroid.
I take a daily collagen supplement.
I also take Tribulus terrestris capsules and Glycine NAC capsules daily.
Now I feel my usual lithe self and shimmy out of bed in the morning without stiffness or creaking. But, as I said, I can't say precisely what it is that is making the difference.

No, not been offered anything - my mum is very arthritic so I’ve put it down to genes!

I got it wrong, I’m on the progesterone pill - so get no periods, no symptoms, although I think the doctor said that I’d still have menopausal symptoms potentially on it because it isn’t oestrogen. I’m scared to stop taking it and get symptoms! Equally coming off may help with weight loss. I won’t have much choice when I get to 55 as they take you off it then anyway.

@ScoobyDoesnt there's a bone density check online where you can check your risk factors and get GP to refer you if you have high risk. Might be worth having a look.

@ACommonTreasuryForAll after this thread I'm ever closer to going back to GP with a list of everything that's come up in the last three years that I've dealt with privately and asking if I should try to join some dots.

Will Google your supplements which I've never heard of!

Just a small update.

I had a session with a BUPA GP earlier to see if I could get advice on anything I might be missing - supplements etc. I mentioned increased excema esp on face, recurrence of hot flushes, flaking nails, tendon issues, joint pain, general knackered state.

She told me to... . 'drum roll'......

Drink more water
Get an extra hour of sleep
Try mindfulness

I smiled politely. Holy guacamole. Glad I did it online and didn't waste an hour waiting at the surgery!!!

Did you mention brain fog? (with PHPT I couldn’t even work out the instructions to make a forehead thermometer work)
with greatest respect & sympathy, not so easy to get a blood test online…

Yes! I did mention increased brain fog. I told her that even my DH had noticed how much worse it was.

She said that unfortunately even on HRT the amount of oestrogen wouldn't be sufficient. Basically told me to suck it up as it was because of peri meno.

My legs and ankles are also so stiff in the mornings. I managed to slip on the stairs the other week because of it. I'm 50, active and fit.

I'd put it down to neglecting yoga, and post workout stretching in general for a while.

@Pricesandvices i think more stretching is always good. But it's finding the time on top of actually exercising!!

I am perimenopausal (early ish stages not on any HRT except Mirena) and have double sided Achilles tendonitis. You may have this. It leads to referred issues everywhere - hips, glutes, everywhere. The physio isn’t really working 😬

Sorry OP, I’ve just scanned the responses to see if anyone mentioned PMR, as my sister’s main symptom was pain and stiffness in the morning. Just checked:

First symptoms of Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) typically include severe morning stiffness and aching in the shoulders, neck, and hips that lasts longer than 45 minutes. Symptoms often appear rapidly, usually affecting both sides of the body, and may cause difficulty getting out of bed, dressing, or raising arms.

It’s your legs that are most painful isn’t it, but it might be worth just having a look to rule it out.

Just dropping back in to this thread to see if anyone has tried anything new, and if it worked.
@Moveyourbleedingarseyou asked about my PF shoes - I ordered Ergofeet slippers for the house, just wonderful, and I got some trainer type things and a set of insoles from FootActive. Ive ordered some more insoles from Amazon. They all feel good and supportive but my foot is still painful and I feel stiff and achey all over.
The physio said that i just
have to wear the right shoes, stay off my feet and give the PF time to get better. she may well be correct but I'm going to check the insoles with a podiatrist.
I already take magnesium at night for sleep, and in the morning cod liver oil (helps digestion), vitamin D plus the odd sachet of Spatone.
I'm thinking of trying collagen for the aches and stiffness. I'm reluctant to throw more money at unproven products, but lots of women have said it helps so I'll give it a go. Does anyone have a brand recommendation?

unfortunately even on HRT the amount of oestrogen wouldn't be sufficient.

What does that even mean? Sufficient for what? Sorry, but it sounds like she was talking out her arse.

Go see someone else. She sounds like a terrible GP. I'm angry for you by proxy.

How cold is your bedroom? Are you curled up when you sleep?