Hi everyone,

I really need help with something and I'm hoping somone can comment. First a little background... I'm 45 years old and have had three healthy daughters. I started my period when I was around 12 and had normal periods since. About 2 years ago they started to come every 23 days like clockwork. They were previously every 28 days. Now within the last 4 months my periods are only heavy for 1 full day and the rest are light. I've always had heavy periods for like 5 days and spotting for another two.

Well I hope I'm not boring you but here's what's happening to me..... I get this strange feeling.... Can hardly describe it but I don't feel like myself. Kinda like "out there" but I look like my normal self. This has been going on and off for about 7 years and actually i haven't had this feeling for about 4 months until this past Sunday. I got this weird feeling in my body again however, here's the thing that's really, really scaring me. About two weeks ago, i got this sensation of something feeling thick inside right underneath my right front collar bone. It's nothing you can feel with your hands, you can just sense it within yourself. Do you know what i mean? I guess the only thing you can feel with your hands is the a little thickness on the outside of the bone or around it. I didn't lift anything and i thought maybe i slept on my side and did something. that was two weeks ago and it felt weird on and off. but the past two days i've had this feeling along with my strange feeling and now i have myself believing i have breast cancer or i'm on the brink of having a heart attack. it's starting to overwhelm me and it's only been two days. i had an echocardiagram about a month ago and all was normal. i have slightly high blood pressure and i'm on atenolol on a low dose. i guess i'm really scared because a 49 year old friend (male) got a strange feeling, jaw hurting and he died within 4 days of these symptoms. i have two lumps that that saw on my mam last year and i went through the ultrasound and they were ruled cysts and i go again in august for my yearly.

i'm sorry for yakking but i need some sort of advice.
thank you.

Oh T, I am so sorry you're having these weird symptoms. The good news is that the echo was normal. Take care of yourself and if in doubt, call your doc. Do you have decent insurance? The strange feeling definitely could be peri (as I'm sure you know from reading all of the posts on this board!!) Obviously, things are changing with your body re. the period changes. I had this pain in my chest/breast area and of course thought it was serious and then it was gone. Good thoughts from me to you. Take some deep breathes. Hope you're feeling better as we speak (or write- lol!)
Adair

Yep, that "out there" feeling is definitelysomething that is commonly reported on this board. One of my first more bothersome symptoms..I had a LOTof anxiety and didn't feel "normal", "like myself".
Some time later and I still am not quite back to me..but have more days where I am. Am hoping that hormones will help.
I wish I had know about this board then..I just thought I was going crazy and didn't know that these symptoms were things that other women my age, my predicament (peri) suffered the same. I think it would have really helped and relieved.
Avi

Thank you for your replies. I went to my pcp and he did a chest x-ray on my collar bone and found nothing. the only thing he did say was that my thyroid felt a little enlarged but my bloodwork that was done 2 months ago showed normal. so i'm really not quite sure if something should be done about that. but here's the deal. it's sunday afternoon and i've been on the couch since wednesday evening. i haven't gone to work and i have no energy to do so. i just want to lay around. i did get a burst of energy this morning and cleaned the kitchen up and went to pick up my stepson but now i'm back on the couch. i'm extremely tired and don't feel like myself. what could this be?

That "out there" feeling started to hit me when I was about 41-42, and it made me really cut back on my volunteering and other commitments. I just wasn't sure how I was going to feel on any particular day, and didn't want to embarrass myself. It's so frustrating too, because when you're used to being able to tackle just about anything, you feel like a bit of a wimp (I did anyway). I don't get it as much now (I'm almost 48), but if I don't watch what I eat, and don't make sure I get enough sleep, that very unsettling feeling starts to creep back.

Take care, and use your echocardiogram results to help you get through this. It's the little things that can sometimes help with the anxiety that comes along with all this stuff.