Hi All,
I am really having a hard time today. I haven't felt well for a few days now. Allegies are worse than they've ever been. My ears keep plugging up or feels like pressure in them off and on. That awful spaced out detached feeling and just exhausted. Today at work I had a major panic attack, except that I still can't bring myself to believe that's what it is. I feel like there is something awful wrong with me and I'm going to die. I've been having symptoms for so many years. I feel like God has not been listening to my prayers. I even yelled at him driving home from work today and then just cried and cried because I just can't take feeling like this anymore. I just want to be normal!!! I had to call my mother and have her stay on the phone with me until I was almost home. (Imagine that at 4 years old, what a big baby!!) I did take a xanax, but it didn't seem to help alot. I've been dizzy alot again too. It's so scary. My period was a little strange this month. I still get them like clock work every 28 days, but last month was 2 days early and this month was 2 days early, but for the first 2 days just had brown spotting, then Friday it was alot more but still very dark brown (gross, and TMI, I know, but it's different and scary for me.) Then later on Friday it finally became a normal color and yesterday was the last day. Sometimes the week after I feel worse than ever, so I don't know if that's what it is or not. Is this really all peri or is it something really bad like diabetes or thyroid? My symptoms are always really bad after I eat. What's with that? I've read that your hormones have alot to do with how you metabolize sugar and carbs. Alot of times after I eat my heart gets racy or pounds really hard, but today was everything. Tingling in my face, eyesight felt off, racing heart, dizzy, ears blocked, presure in my head, then freezing cold. I felt like an idiot when my boss pulled up and I was outside getting air and trying to look like I wasn't totally freaking out. I've only been at this job for 2 months. I have definitely been under alot of stress. Bad marriage, voluntarily surrendering my van because our finances are so bad, shot off notices, almost running out of oil, etc....... I am such a mess. When I got home today I fell asleep for a while, but now am just so drained and spaced out. My eyes are driving me crazy, watering, stinging, and I've been so stuffed up off and on. I am trying to keep my faith, but it's really hard when I feel this bad. Now I'm scared to go to work tomorrow, what if it happens again? I just don't know what to do anymore.

Well, thanks for being there. God Bless.

Hi Faith: yes you have been having a hard time! I am 47 (almost 48) and have been going though this and thryoid problems as well (often they go hand in hand) for about 7 years...yes, but I believe it has slowly gotten a bit better...a bit! My periods are also fairly regular about lasting only about one day and then drip for about four to ten more. I often get many of the symptoms you have in off and on severity...blurry yese, spaced out light headed drunk like symptom is almost daily and my worst symtpoms often lasting all day...often feeling tired and on and on!

Well, of course you must know you are not alone. And next my advice is to make sure you at least get blood work done for thyroid...thyroid is also tricky so be sure to test for FT4, FT3 as well as TSH (some docs only recommend TSH but try to get them all) and a TSH between 0.3-2.5 is where most folks feel the best annything outside this can specll trouble for how you feel...not all docs are up on this nor sensitive to this so be prepared to work a bit to get what you need....always get copies of your blood work....it is required by law that you have axcess to them...you may pay a small fee for the copy but you can get it....

Also go for the ovarian blood tests of progesterone, estrogen FSH LH and so forth...these tests may or may not give you indication of peri.

I also used to have and still occassionaly to the heart beating after eating....the best I can say for this is to watch your diet. For me I eat very little to no sugar or sweets or gum or mints or anything like that and try to get my fish oils, (tuna is good) and of soure you probably know the rest with fruit and vegetables....stay away from fast foods (McDonalds or Kentucky have high in iodine and really do a job on my heart rate....for me it is the iodine as I have thyroid problems , but the oil and salts I think can cause problems as well) ...and my last advice is try not to make too many changes all at once..that is stressfull I found! For me I just started with the sugar first and then once I got used to that the other stuff went much more easily.....I give too much advice but this is what worked for me a bit....hang in there! Joan

Hi Faith,
I posted some time ago about feeling like a hipocryte because I claim I have God in my life yet I live so afraid lately. I did the same after having a couple of horrible mo. just cried out to God...

I have everything you described including panic attacks more lately. I can feel one coming and try not to think horrible things. I can tell you this though I have had symptoms of peri off and on for some time, a few yr's. My periods started to get earlier and earlier about 8 mo. ago, just by a couple of days at first, and like you this was not normal for me because I was every 28 days like clock work. A couple of days turned into 4 then a week then 2 weeks. I was having 2 periods a mo. with just a few days between. When my period started to come just a few days early my symptoms went through the roof and daily....palp's, dizzy/spacey, hotflashes and many others. I suddenly couldn't work or function at home. I was tired all the time even after sleeping all night. They stayed elavated like this for months then my periods started to go the other way...now they are a bit late.
One thing you'll see is there seems to be no beginning or end to pms anymore. HUGS Mikki

I am so sorry that you are feeling so awful :-( It's all so unnerving, frustrating and, yes, scary, to be having all these horrid and frightening symptoms. You are not alone, though, and talking about it with women who have and are going through it can help keep you sane and relieve some of the anxiety. If you have not already done so, you should probably go to the doctor just to get some bloodwork done, particularly your blood sugar. I have had similar symptoms as you experienced and I, too, thought I was dying or had some horrible disease. It was just a bit of low blood sugar - nothing serious. I take chromium now three times a day just to help stabilize my blood sugar so I don't get the peaks and valleys. If you allergies are bad right now that could explain the blocked ears. Have you tried some Clariton or Allegra? I have been living with blocked ears for over a decade now, so I sympathize with you. It's a weird feeling - yuck! Plus, hormones can wreak havoc on the system. I have noticed for the past couple of years that, while my periods have become much lighter, my PMS symptoms are much more severe, including the fatigue and anxiety. Bummer :-(

Hang in there you will get through this.

Hi faithcain,
I too am having all this and more, just when I think I have one thing under control a new one pops up! It can be very distressing but, remember we are all in this together! we are here for you! peace out.

faith.....

I can so understand how you feel. I experience most of the things you talk about. I'm sitting her at work wondering if I'm going to feel better soon....it's been so long I don't know what it's like to feel normal. I get angry a lot too and I scream for God to relieve me of the pain I'm in and I still feel the same. I just have to remember that it can always be so much worse. Thank God for this site. I can come here and know that I'm not alone.....so many of us are suffering so and at least we can reach out to one another and not feel like we're going out of our minds.

Hugs,
Karen

Thank you all for your support. I don't know what I would do without you all. Alot of the time I come on and just read and have all the same symptoms as everyone, but even just writing a small sentence takes so much energy. But I so appreciate you all. I'm at work, and before I left this morning I took a xanax so I wouldn't have to go through what I did yesterday, but I am soooooooooooooooooo out of it. It's just so hard to function, but I really can't afford not to work. I have had all the blood work in the past and no one ever finds anything wrong, but it's been a year since I have done that. I am at a point now where I have Dr. anxiety now. I am petrified to go as I have had some high blood pressure and because I am so scared they'll find something wrong. I use to run to the Dr. for everything becasue it would alleviate the anxiety knowing nothing was wrong, but now I am just so scared to go. The blood pressure really scares me. Plus nobody really believing that it's hormonal. They all just want to label it "Panic disorder, when I believe that there is something physical creating the "panic". (Like hormones??? ) Anyway, thanks again for being there and for your encouragement. I also pray for all of you going through the same thing.

God Bless, Faith

Faith,
Hang in there - take it from me - things will get better. I have been fighting the same things as you for the past year. I also started a new job in the midst of everything. I went to the Emergency Room in the middle of my second month on the job because I thought I was having a heart attack. Of course, they found nothing wrong with me again. My doctor still thinks that 40 is too young for peri - but I am convinced that's what it is.

Please know that we're here for you.

Rlsmarty