Up until Jan 29/08 I don't remember ever having pains other than menstrual pain!! (oh yaw, and the joy of labor pain-NOT!!!)....but man oh man-since that date I am nothing but aches and pain..

Have been diagnosed with Lupus of the skin (biopsy),Intercostal neuritis, Costochondritis, EVERY symptom of menopause (with anxiety/panic attacks being the VERY worse)
I was involved in a vehicle accident last fall with whiplash/concussion...that left me with bulging disc (I've been having many different treatments for this (steroid injections, Physical Therapy, Massage Therapy, Cranio Sacral, MRI, Bone scan, injections in my scalp for numbness.

Now every joint (and even some large bone) pain has been aching and aching for 10 days or more....I've been taking Tylenol, it seems to help for about 10 mins.

Hurting joints: neck, shoulders , elbows, wrist, fingers, hips, knees, ankles, toes and even bones leading to my toes...............................I'm about ready to cry!! I heard Turmeric can help with this type of pain.....................

Any other ideas to help with pain? Any and al suggestions appreciated!!!

Thank you so much!

Helen ((((HUGS))))

A few people recommended calcium and magnesium. I have tried the glucosamine/chondritin combo, but dont' see any difference and can't see spending the money if it doesn't help. I have added more calcium but it's too early to tell. I use aspercreme to rub into my hands and feet sometimes, it seems to help for a little while. Rainy weather doesn't help and that's all it's been doing lately, so I am not sure where you live, but maybe that's adding to it and hopefully will stop soon. I take baths in epson salt, I dont' know if it works, but at the time it feels good and my skin is much softer.

I hope you get relief soon, it is awful and I know you dont' want ibuprofen all the time. It helps sometimes, but not enough for me to take a lot of it.

I would suggest some Ibruprophen or a creme containing Arnica. Great stuff for muscle pain and might help with other achey pain too. Most of the arnica cremes smell kind of "funky" but are great. I've bought the cheaper brands but they don't work very well. I usually spend around $12.00 for a small tube of the better brands. Try finding it at a health food store or online. Sorry you're suffering. Regards, JZZ

Changing from Tylenol (which has no anti-inflammatory components) to Aleve may help. Inflammation is a big key to pain and reducing that may help. I have been having issues with my hips, fingers and toes BIG time lately and don't know what's triggering it. If it's just meno that's fine but I'm also diabetic and it kinds worries me a bit even though my numbers are fine. Meno ***** big time huh?

I've heard collagen supplements help. I bought some this weekend... I'll let you know how it goes.
Sorry you've been through so much and are suffering so terribly.

Biofreeze - you can buy it online or chiropractors sell it. I bought it for my parents for arthritis, etc and it seems to help them. Also, try finding a good chiropractor. They are not all the same. You could also have trigger points. Look up trigger points online - they can cause all kinds of pain.

Good luck and I hope you feel better!

Thanks to all suggestions/advice..

I've tried the Biofreeze........no help at all
Last Night I bought Aleve, which took the pain away for a few hours (took it at 11pm..been awake since 3amish) Can't say what's worse, shoulder joint pain or tight painful knees. Are these all meno related?
I've got neighbors who are 84 and 79, they seem to move like 20 yr olds!
Will these symptoms (no energy, painful joints) pass?...before I croak?

Thanks-Helen

Helen -

I went through a period of time where every muscle and bone in my body seemed to hurt so bad. My doctor thought I might be suffering with fibromyalgia and asked me to do some research to see what I thought... I wasn't sure this was the correct diagnosis for me, and so I started to do some stretching exercises every day .... It took just 5 or 10 minutes of my time, but I did it without fail. Eventually the pain subsided and went away. I still get the odd aches and pains but nothing compared to how I was. I think the pain is mainly due to hormones - Also there is a link between thyroid disease and fibromyalgia..maybe it's worth having your thyroid tested.... Keep plenty of Epsom salts in stock ---- Epsom salt baths really helped me.

Get better soon.

(((hugs)))

Oh bless you Eve! I am no fan of pain. What has helped me with my joint/muscle pain is flax seed oil, fish oil...it seems to help me! I agree that Alleve is better too than tylenol - you definitely want an anti-inflammatory. Epsom salts baths really truly do help as well. Do you have some Lakota? I have used that too in the past - for pains on my neck area, fingers....

Big hugs to you Eve! Also, don't forget that Adam ratted on Eve!

Suzanne
<><

Hey you wanna play???
;-)

I am now taking Alleve!! If I did not have a bone scan a few weeks ago, I would be in such a panic thinking all this pain HAS to be bone cancer! I can barely walk anymore! Alleve "softens" the pain for about 1 hour!!
Whether I am at rest or not...this pain is continuous......

Someone, anyone--please tell me this pain isn't going to be with me the rest of my life..if so-just shoot me!-NOW!!!

I've tried every thing all you ladies suggested/advised........nothing is taking the pain away!

I can understand fully, why so many ppl with such pain.........end thier lives! (No, I am not depressed but I am not lying when I say this pain is making me the biggest B-I-T-C-H, so cranky and irritable, not sleeping, loosing my appetite bec of it) I'm so tired of all this crap regarding menopause-It fricking *****! I'm near tears almost every min of every day...Life has to be better than this!

L-Theanine

A chiropractor recommended black cherry extract. The health food store said it helps many people. I bought it, but just started,so can't give you an answer yet. It may be worth looking into though.

Do you have a lot of rain and humidity where you live? That makes it worse, unfortunately that's the weather I am in and it is miserable. I literally feel your pain.

Hey enough!!

No, where I live (Indiana) we are not having rain (Thank God)..I'll try anything!!!

Is there any of you ladies who are NOT on hormone treatment, but have joint pain--I am wondering if the pain ever subsides? I need to know...I need to know now! I can not and will not go the rest of my days in this pain!
Alleve isn't working!

Thanks-Helen

The body aches subsided yesterday to the point I could actually enjoy some things. I have noticed that about 2 days before my period and at least 10 days afterwards I feel just awful (so thats half the month sometimes). I did get up and take a multi vitamin, 1 potassium suppliment, and magnesium/calcium suppliment. So I dont know if its coiencidence/timing .. or its the vitamines and potassium/magnesium/calcium. I have read other posts here that say its the suppliments.. give them a try .. what could it hurt ??

Eve,
I can SO relate to what you're writing. I have had ongoing "chest and arm" pain/discomfort now for over 6 months and it's only gotten worse. Now it is here 24/7 and it's as you said - so bad I wonder if I can go on sometimes. (And no, I am not thinking of ending my life.) It's just beyond my belief that this is like this and that it isn't going away. Mine is not necessarily "joint" as it's in my chest area - right across the tops of my breasts and across both arms - topside, bottomside, etc. It's excruiating at times.

I broke my left arm in January and that didn't help. But I had xrays and it shows it's healing fine - so that's not the problem. I was also tentatively diagnosed with "frozen shoulder" on my right shoulder, so that's likely a factor here too. There is no "test" for frozen shoulder, it's a diagnosis by default really.

I've tried ibruprphen, calcium, magnesium, arnica, tiger balm, Theanine (which does help me with anxiety, but not pain), fish oil, primrose oil, stretching exercises, ice and heat, espsom salt baths, etc. So far, nothing has helped for any lenght of time -longer than an hour or so. I am truly beside myself as well.

I too had a bone scan as the pain got so bad. Thankfully, it was fine. It got so bad that my dr had them do a cat scan of my chest and a basic heart work up. I also had breathing tests as it feels like I don't have as much reserve breath -I'm fatigued very easily which is VERY unusual for me.

Costocontritis has been "diagnosed" as well, by default. I tried 3 rounds of steroids and didn't respond at all. Fibromyalgia has been discussed and I tried Lyrica and it made me so sleepy and I didn't get any relief.

I too don't know what to do. Some days I feel like I"m barely making it through the day. I've had to cut back at work because I just can't do my "normal/usual" load. It's so frustrating and yes, scary for me too at times. How can anything that feels this bad not "be bad". Yet, all tests have come back with nothing that ties to this pain.

Is yours sharp? Mine is not. But it's nonstop and it's just wearing me out. My chest pain/discomfort also feels like it's burning - like a bad sunburn, but internally. It gets so bad it makes me nauseous -or at least that's the connection I think is there.

It is to the point I can't sleep on either side, as the arm pain is so bad. When I sleep on my back, my arms ache as well. My sleep is very very disturbed and I know that is not helping. I'm going to have to start taking sleeping pills to see if that gets me any decent sleep. As it is now, I wake up crying from exhaustion, nasuea and discomfort most days.

If you get any information or relief from anything, please let me know. I am going to call a chiropractor today to see if they can do anything with trigger points. I am at the end of a very short rope.

I"m thinking of you and feel so bad that you're having such a terrible time. Please feel free to email me if you'd like. Kathleent

My pain isn't sharp.....................it's like a heaviness/ dull pain across my chest.

I'm sorry to not write more about this..but honestly, I'm too tired to think!

Thanks for thinking of me....hoping your pain subsides soon!! (I am not thinking of ending my life either)!!

I have a chiropractor appt tom!!!!

Hi...I am new to these posts but thought Id throw my 2 cents worth in...I am in peri but my doctor says my numbers definitely show I am in menopause..I am 54...I also started having terrible joint,muscle and tendon pain all over...My doctor was no help..says it was anxiety..anyway..I started my own research and found a fantastic multi vitamin that is called a broad spectrum vitamin..you take it 3 times a day so your body gets the vitamins spread out...also in my lab work I found out I was on the low end of normal for vit D...I was at 27..I did alot of research that they are now finding most menopausal women are low in vit D...they say you should actually be between 30-50 ngl..not the 25-80 range...new studies are even saying that you should be between 50-70 ngl..anyway to make a long story short I have been for 9 months working very hard on getting my vit D levels up..also taking lots of pharmacutical grade fish oil and flax seed for iNflammation..Now 9 months later I am up to 43 ngl on Vit D..and I am a different person..I AM VIRTUALLY PAIN FREE!!....I dont know if this is the answer for everyone but I would have your Vit D levels checked..my Doctor never even said anything !!..I was dignosed with gout..athritis..etc..I have read that it can take up to 2 years to get levels of Vit D up..it sure helped me!! Hope this can help just one person..I know I was so miserable I struggled through everyday..the new vits also helped my mood!!...

this explains why I feel so good after a weekend of laying in my pool basking in the sun ,, I seem to crave sunlight lately

With me it's arms wrists and hands. And that terrifies me because all the things I love doing - like gardening and playing guitar - need me to have fit hands. I don't know how much life would be worth living if I couldn't play music. I am having to practise bass every day as there is a gig coming up, and every day I pay for it - HARD. Then I use a computer all day at work, and it's a stressful work environment so that just compounds everything.

A couple of things that help: Floradix, it's a multivitamin herbal tonic, great for the energy.

A gel called Ibuleve. It is an anti-inflammatory ibuprofen gel and I just rub it on my hands before playing each day.

And a good chiropractor. Mine is the best! Unfortunately she is on holiday at present.

for my disc problems i take percocets- yea i know there habit forming but id take dog do-do in a pill if it made me feel better and they do, im at a point in life i dont give a rats petunia !!!!

I have vicoden for my hip arthritus ,, I only use at night to sleep,, I had hip surgery last july and now need the other one done.. 2 weeks ago my anxiety and pain were so bad I actually took 1/4 - 1/2 a one at work .. I like you no longer cared and needed relief,, I have to keep going !!!!

I am the pain queen. I have suffered with back/hip and knee pain and in the shoulders for like 3 years now. I thought once I started the bios it would go, but it didn't. I had MRI and I have 2 mild bulging discs. I've tried it all. I have gone through 4 rounds (about 20 sessions) of physical therapy, then after that made me feel worse I stopped. Then I tried 20 session with a chiro just in the last 2 months and I stopped again b/c no relief. I would try and get back to the gym to move a little and do stretches and I'd get spasms after a few days and stop and do nothing. I changed my mattress to one that is soft for tender points but with some latex and memory foam, and that's not working.

I've bought numerous books on muscles and triggers and I have felt that most of the problems were from trigger knots. Then I found the link that says trigger knots in the muscles can often be caused my low thyroid hormone and sex hormones. And women get diagnosed with fibro more than men, and more often during the peri/meno years. So I believe the hormones should help but so far they haven't. But I think what needs to be done is a good trigger therapist. I have a new guy I'm going to tomorrow that swears he knows all about these triggers and I will need many sessions. So I think having someone work those triggers and also having adequate thyroid hormone and sex hormones will help.

I would suggest you get good thyroid blood work done: antibodies, a sonogram of the gland, free t3 and free t4, cortisol, and vitamin D.

It's very true that low vitamin D can also mess up your muscles. Mine was 25 and I've been taking 4000D3 a day, you need to take D3. Levels close to 100 but not over are the target, but anything near 70 is optimal. It takes awhile to get that level up. Also check your ferritin. If that is low, you get low energy and that affects the muscles too.

Pain things I've tried that failed:

Biofreeze (works for about a few minutes, and pain is still there)
Arnica (did nothing)
Emu oil (zilch)
Bosewellia cream and oral supplement (zilch)
Capsacin (burned me like hell and was so uncomfortable, couldn't tolerate it)
and just about every pain cream in the healthfood and drugstores (zilch)

Zyflamend (nope, but it has things that are good for your body, Tumeric, ginger, etc. in it, but it's expensive)
Osteo bi-flex with boswellia (I still take it with faith for the future of my joints, but pain still here)
Hylauronic acid (nope)
Bromelian 500mg (nope)
Apple cider vinegar (nope)
Aleve (nope)
Advil (nope)
Flexeril (nope, but it helps me to sleep )

4 glasses of wine and no husband or kid (yes, some of the time)
ice packs while sitting (yes, but then once up and around, nope)
sleeping (yes, i can sleep w/o pain, as long as I'm not standing and walking)
Tens unit (somewhat, but not that effective)

Armour thyroid and bio HRT, so far not helping, but it could be doses are not high enough yet.

So I've tried it all. After getting some trigger point massages and upping my Armour I'm hopeful I can get relief. But I've had this problem now for 3 years so those knots have been there a long time and it will take awhile to get rid of them.

Do you find that if you press in the areas that you have pain, the pain is worse or refers to another spot? Check the Trigger Point book by Janet Travell, or google it online and you will find diagrams with these trigger points. I swear I know that is what I have and nothing will help it until the knots are broken up and the muscle is stretched and strengthened.

Check your thyroid and look into the trigger information. Also get checked at a rheumatologist for lyme, lupus, RA, etc. just to rule all that out.

I hear you with everything you are saying!!! BELIEVE IT!! (Tho I don't drink) Perhaps I need to-to kill the pain?

I'm wondering why my joint pain "bounces" around!----1 min it's in my left shoulder, 5 mins later it's in my right knee,5 mins later it's in my left elbow, 5 mins-right ankle, 5 mins left wrist, 5 mins right shoulder etc............it's in every joint from my shoulders down to my toes.
Is it some sort of "special" arthritis? NOT!!

Could someone please let me know if this "bouncing around" joint/muscle pain has a name?

Thank you!

ELATIONS.......sorry I'm not yelling. That's the way it's spelled on the bottle.

I started having awful foot pain this past winter. When I would go to get out of bed in the morning it felt as if someone has beaten them with a rubber mallet during the nite..but I didn't know it. I could barely stand on them much less walk. Geez....the pain was just bad!!!! For 20-30 minutes I hobbled around.

Well....1 week ago I started drinking this supplement. It said.....6 days....try it for 6 days....if there is not a significant improvement in joint/pain....money back.

Guess what.....by the end of the 6 days....no more foot pain. I get out of bed pain free...just as I had done my whole life.

I tried both flavors. I personally prefer the raspberry white grape. The cranberry apple tasted a bit medicinal to me. You drink one little 8oz bottle per day. You can purchase it any grocery stores, pharmacies, cost cut chains, etc.


each 8oz bottle contains:

Glucosamine HCI 1500mg
Chondrotin Sulfate 1200mg
Calcium 300mg
Boron 3mg
sodium 0mg
sugar 1g
calories 30

Suffice it to say.....I'm a very very happy girl!!!!

Sounds like a magic potion all right - I hope it can be bought in Ireland.

You said you suffered whiplash? I know this is going to sound strange but on my thyroid board when they saw my low ACTH and Cortisol level they asked me if I ever suffered whiplash. They said that an injury to the head can damage the pituitary gland and thus causing less output of adrenal hormone ACTH and cortisol. Well I told them the only injury I had was I was thrown off my bike 40 years ago by getting hit smack in the middle of my forehead with a baseball bat. They said that's it. Doesn't matter how long ago it is.

And low cortisol/adrenal problems can have symptoms of joint and muscle pain. My trigger knots in my muscles may have begun slowly over time from low cortisol or low thyroid. I can't say for certain. I've been taking bio identical cortisol and thyroid and so far I still have the pain. But I have to keep getting the therapist to push on them and believe me the pain is bad I cry out. You'd think I was in labor! Actually I never went through labor, but it sounds like I am the pain is that bad when he works them. And he only does it for about 2 minutes.

Get your cortisol tested via blood serum first thing in the a.m. and an ACTH level. Then take a saliva cortisol test too. Just to see. Seeing as you did suffer a whiplash injury. I've read other research that seems to validate this injury to the head worsening pituitary functions.

Check it out.

try l-theanine do a search on this site .. it will make sense

Can I join the achy hope I don't break something club?

I hurt all the time and it either one limb or another.

My left leg was hurting so bad last month my doctor made me go straight to the hospital for a ultrasound to rule out a blood clot .

He said I have fibromyalgia but I wonder!

Think it just my body throwing a fit without it estrogen fix!

1 more try.....


Why is my pain bouncing from 1 joint to another to another back to the other....like every 5 mins or so it's in a dif joint!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

ok .. l-theanine .. lack of progesterone causes the neurotransmitters in the brain to how shall we say "malfunction" or be non-existant causing muscle spasms in different parts of the body leading to "bouncing" pain .. gerd (because of the spasms in diaphram or stomach muscles) etc... I call this "phantom" pain because the minute you start to think its in one place it moves somewhere else.. if you have xanex try using that .. or try some l-theanine to correct the GABA imblance in the brain chemistry. let us know if it helps

I will try anything (and thanks for everyones' responses)

I'm just nervous it could be blood clots (My Dad has this prob)....my leg pain is constant, let's say 23/7.
Aleve doesn't help...nor leg elevation, nor sitting in hot water with epsom salts bath, nor Biofreeze, nor Detox/cleanse (like my Chiropractor promised) nor the Chiropractor....sometimes DEEP leg massage helps!
Dang-I just want to be pain free....