I need some input please....from anyone who can relate. I am 43 yrs. old......still have regular periods. However, I believe I am in peri because I can identify with many of the "34 signs". This one is driving me crazy...... The whole thing started about 1 1/2 yrs. ago with an aching pain in both legs (shin area). Since that time I have had twitching, burning, prickling, tingling, aching, and other "wierdo" feelings that have spread to my feet now. I am in good health and have had numerous trips to the GP and had alot of bloodwork done.....all normal (Electrolytes, Thyroid, Glucose, Iron, Everything!). I even went to a foot doctor and got expensive shoe inserts for my flat feet......no help. I believe my GP thinks I am crazy. I do suffer from anxiety, but I do not believe it is causing this evil. Anyone have a similar story? Could this be Peri hormones ? Any advice?
HELP
Thanks
Janet

Janet OMG.I have the same thing going on in my feet and legs. 6 weeks now. I don't think anyone knows what it is but it is very distrubing. There are several ladies here that have this and it has been somewhat of a comfort just knowing it is not a terrible disease. Seems that it manifests in those of us that have anxiety and are going through peri. I took a xanax last night for the 1rst time in my life to calm done the symptoms and I had an allergic reaction to it. I saw a post from Pete the pharmasicts and he said twitching was from anxiety and stress due to fluctuating homones. It's good you got everything checked out. But it is frustrating that Doc.s' don't know what to do? I will be praying for you.

OMG Janet you could have wrote my story here, this is the very thing that bought me to PS in the first place. Like you I had been to the Dr had numerous tests all good even went to the foot doctor. He wanted me to use some kind of insert in my shoe but I haven't as yet and I'm glad I didn't cos it's pretty well resolved for the most part only an ocassional ache in my feet now and then now. I still get the weird tinglys up and down the fronts of my legs mostly when I'm really really stressed like now and mainly first thing when I wake in the morning when my cortisol levels are supposedly high to get us going in the morning or maybe it's the adrenaline doing it to kick start the adrenals to splurt out cortisol, who knows. All I now is I hate the feeling with a vengeance, I even get it in my forearms from time to time when I'm really really anxious and stressed like today. I am also nearly 43 and I do believe it is from anxiety as I have lots of info on anxiety and they say tingling burning weird skin sensations is classic anxiety. And when I'm feeling relaxed and in control I don't get these sensations practically at all. And I also believe it's anxiety from the hormones that is the number one culprit to all this.

Do you have any other bizarre ongoing symptoms also??

Hi Janet ,


this sure sounds like ME....and yes, very much peri. When peri first hit me, FULL SWING, a few years ago, my legs were the "first to go"...lol..yes, and it was bad! Everything you have, and more! I remember the fear that struck me, because this was so strange, and scary. They tingled, BURNED, twitched, ached, ..all of it! That went on for a few months, and that was enough, thank you! It would go from one leg to the other, and then back again. So, yes, I would say, peri...esp. since you can relate to so many other symptoms. Don't let your dr. tell you, that you are to young,,,,you're not! Believe it or not, anxiety, CAN cause these symptoms! So, while i do believe it's hormonal in nature, i can assure you that anxiety CAN DEFINATLEY cause those symptoms as well.

Don't fret, we're all in the same boat!

I forgot to say that my leg issues also started with the pain being in my shin area, foot doctor thought I had shin splints and what he called OOS of the fronts of my legs from overtight calf muslces. My MIL also had this alot while she was still working too.

Hey Rox,
Thanks so much for your input! I forgot to say as well that when I first went to my GP, he said I has shin splints too. BUT, shin splints go away rather quickly (few weeks) with rest and ice. Hmmmm..... Plus I did not do anything out of the ordinary to cause shin splints.....I am not a runner. I do have flat feet, but I have had that issue for years. Do your legs feel "tight"? and "overworked"? Like you have just run 20 miles? I get that feeling alot.
Janet

Thank you for your reply and prayers. I will be praying for you as well.
Take Care
Janet

Hello My Darling,
Wow, I guess I am not the only one. I thought I was crazy. So, you really believe anxiety can make you feel this bad? Did your symptoms go away on their own or did you find a "cure"?
Thanks
Janet

My Darling and Roxursox, I'm with Janet what helped? Time? Anxiety medications? or Hormones?

I have also been suffering from strange symptoms. As far as the shin aches and weirdnesses, that came with weakness for me. Had every test in the book. Finally after asking my doc several times she tested me for Vitamin D. I was extremely deficient -- single digits. Since taking the D my legs are feeling better. It's worth a shot. Missy

P.S. If you take D, try D3. I'd get levels checked first, though.

I've had restless legs syndrome (RLS) for most of my adult life, and your description sure sounds like it. My RLS got much worse during peri and has subsided since, in large part because I figured out triggers. I've posted elsewhere here pretty thoroughly about RLS; maybe you can find it. Is it worse at night, particularly as you try to sleep? Does moving your legs and/or walking improve it? Does it come on when you are sitting still at a film or watching TV? If so, avoid like the plague: caffeine, cold and allergy medication, anti-depressants, food coloring. Things that trigger it for me: flour, sugar and electric sources of heat. Low iron can aggravate it. Adequate magnesium can help. I OD on the stuff sometimes. There are OTC things available, too, but with any of the trigger substances on board, they won't help. Look into and see if this sounds like RLS. It is also called Ekbom's Sydrome.

I forgot to mention this in my previous posts too. I was tested for vit D end of last Sept and found to be low so took a sublingual D3 supplement for two months then was retested in December and my level had come back into the middle of the range and funnily enough I think that is when a lot of my leg an feet issues went away. Now some of them are back and I'm wondering in my levels have dropped again as I have not supplemented at all since early December just before my retest. I am trying to find a cheaper supplement of D3 that I can take on a regular basis (the sublingual was expensive & tasted nasty) but most seem to be derived from fish oil which I can not take cos of reflux problems but I have heard of a herbal one that I may look into. We are so limited in what we can obtain here in New Zealand as supplements are strictly governed much like Rxd meds.

It seems vit D deficiency is prevalent these days even here in NZ where we get plenty of sun during the summer, well usually we do but not the case this year, January was great but not February . But for the vit D to be absorbed via the sun you must not wear any sunscreen or body lotions at all (the UV reacts with the natural oils of the skin to make vit D) and expose a good amount of bare skin to the midday sun for at least 5-10mins 3 times a week and then your body may not be able to convert it properly to make it available. This is what my holistic doctor told me when I was tested for it. She also said vit D is a hormone and not just a vitamin and is very very important to many mechanisms in our bodies. You must never stay in the sun too long or even get pink as this is unnecessary and dangerous. Apparently it's only the summer sun that is useful as you can't obtain it from winter sun something to do with the angle of the sun in the sky??

Janet R and Yedah look into this as it is only a simple blood test to find out but as I found most doctors here wont test for it as it's not a cheap blood test compared to most others and they are always watching the $$, too bad about our peace of mind or health.

Anyone that does have RLS...................do you have the leg aches? Does it bother you all the time or just at night? I cannot make my symptoms go away by moving.............
Any input would be great.
Thanks
Janet

I don't get the achy legs, but it's not an uncommon feature of RLS. There's an OTC product called A to B Calm that might help. It seems rather low-tech, but it just might help. Some people find relief from applying cold packs under their calves, others use heat. My legs bother me mostly at night, but again, with RLS it can hit at any time of the day. In general, RLS is common when the legs are still, and most common at night, before sleep. I've had a few rough episodes where nothing made it go away, in my legs, arms, and torso. It was post-surgery and I blame that. If you have caffeine, cold/allergy meds or certain anti-depressants in your system, it is more likely to be relentless, day and night. It is a cruel, tormenting disorder. For me, eliminating all of the above plus sugar and flour has made a huge difference. I keep an eye on my iron levels, too. From what I've read, hormonal fluctuations impact RLS. Some of my worst RLS rounds it occurred during peri. Check out the RLS Foundation web site.
I wish you well in finding out the cause of your symptoms and getting relief.
GK

Oh my god. I can't believe this type of thing is happening to others. I thought I was crazy. Mine is similar but my pain is from the hips all the way down to my feet and they all ache like period cramps. It happens at odd times, there is no predicting when it will hit but it always hits midcycle and during my period. I also have started having pain in my feet, like they are aching from trying to support too much weight...and I haven't gained weight either. I have to hobble for a few minutes every morning and then any time I've been sitting a while. In general my feet seem hot, dry and achy a lot. I am 42 and have the majority of the 34 peri symptoms. It is just recently that I have thought this might be perimenopause.

Anything else supplement wise anybody has taken besides the vitamin D to help this?