Hi all,

I hope everyone is feeling well today. I have a question and I am not sure where to post it, I haven't gotten a graps on how thi swebsite works yet, there seem to be forums that I have no idea how to find so I apologize if my posts are frustrating anyone if they are in the wrong place.
I am trying to get ahold on if there is a monthly pattern to all of this or if it is just willie nillie all over the place. What I mean is sometimes I feel worse and have more severe symptoms before my period, sometimes during them and sometimes after, such as this month, I only had a one day period this time and then just some light spotting here and there, does period length and amount have anythng to with how severe the other symptoms of going through all of this are? During the past three months it actually has been all month long that I have felt crappy...whenever, no pattern, day, night...just never know what to expect for the day or night anymore. Sometimes I awake with morning anxiety and heart symptoms and sometimes it is at night. Sometimes I can go to sleep feeling normal and content only to awake 2 hours later with the heart beating out of my chest and anxiety pumping through my veins. It is exhausting as you all know. It used to be that I knew when I could expect to feel crummy and then after my period I knew that I had a good week or two ahead of me and now I just don't know.
Is there any hormonal signifigance to the day of the month in which we feel our symptoms? If I feel more symptoms prior my period what does that mean hormonally? How about during and how about after our periods? Today is my 5th cycle day and I only bled on the first cycle day and last night and this morning I hav fast heavy heartbeats off and on with intense anxiety...what would that indicate hormonally?
Here are my symptoms: Dizzy, headaches, anxiety with and without full attacks, feeling weird like I have just gotten off of the spinning tea cup ride bit nothing is spinning I just feel strange, heavy feeling or pressure in head like there is cotton in my head or something, rining ears, fast, heavy heartbeat and palps.
I have had a full bloodwork done and I have seen a cardiologist, wore a 24 hour holter monitor and am having more testing done during September.
I am anemic, low B12 and D3 and low thyroid also. I am taking Iron supplements, liquid D3 and B12 shots,multi vitamins, hylands nerve tonic and bachs rescue remedy for stress and anxiety. I am waiting to start some form of thyroid treatment until my iron level comes up and I am not looking forward to that because I read it causes anxiety and rapid heartbeat...HELLO!!
Here are my stresses: I am 46 years old, I have had 4 c-sections and a tubal after the last one 17 years ago. For the first time I missed two periods at the begining of this year and since then they have been my normal 25 days apart but heavier except for this month. We looking to purchase our first home and have been looking full time since April, we have one month left on out current rental lease, my youngest daughter ran off and married a not so great guy so our family dynamics has been strained and she is expecting her first baby in September.....in Tennessee! I live in Florida and it has been very stressful for me to worry about her being pregnant and married to a mean and sarcastic jerk and now she is going to give birth 12 hours away from mama! She wants me to drive up and help her for a few weeks both before and after the baby comes which would be now and I am NOT looking forward to this at all! I really do not like the guy and I really do not want to be so ar from home for fear of panic attacks and feeling so dizzy that I will need the help instead of giving the help.
Other daughter recently moved in with her fiance and is not happy in her job at all and is having her own panic attacks...son lives at home is a firefighter and just became a reserve deputy sheriff in a bad part of the city so I worry about his safety all the time..he says all of this is in my head and I am just "looking for" symptoms...and our youngest son is still in highschool doing homeschooling. Our dog has sever allergies and is constantly ill...my husband is nice enough and he tries to sympathize but he has had an affair in the past at which point I did not even know where he lived for 3 months! Bleh! Oh and my Ex and the father of my first three children was an extremely abusive man that I had to flee and hide from. My 80 year old mother lives across the ocean and is just like the non-caring neighbor lady, polite and friendly but not really there for me.
I just really don't like any of this and now all of these miserable symptoms are going on...I probably should see a therapist.
I just wish I knew if my symptoms were hormonal, or from the anemia and low thyroid or if it is all in my head from stress...I guess it is all three. Well what are we all supposed to do to survive all of this?! Forget the terrible twos and all that other EASY stuff we face, this perimenopause and menopause is a NIGHTMARE and someone should warn us when we are younger so we will know what to expect! lol, I look at young, sassy women now and just think to myself "yeah, you just wait!".

SO as usual my post is too long and in the wrong place but that seems to be my speciality!

Any guidance on how to use this website to find other forums and any advice or opinions or insight on the symptoms that I brought up in the post will be greatly appreciated!!

Blessings,
Meg

All, I have to say is "WOW", you have a lot on your plate. I wouldn't even know where to begin except to say, you have got to find a way to honor yourself and take care of yourself first. You will be no good to anyone if you spread yourself thin. You have some health issues that will play havoc with your coping mechanisms until they get balanced. I am also struggling with my own brand of peri hell. I am fortunate in that I don't have as many stressors as you have. Your only choice is to make a conscience choice to not get so immeshed in everyone elses choices (good or bad ones) I know easier said than done but your gonna have to try. I know how it feels to feel overwhelmed and obligated. Part of that is you don't want to feel different than you used to feel, it is hard to accept the changes that are happening so your force yourself to behave as if nothing has changed, but, it has changed, you are changing. Hopefully, the Dr. will get you to feeling better sooner rather than later. But, the first person that can start you on that road to feeling better is you. Make good choices for yourself and try not to feel so guilty when it doesn't always include taking care of everyone else first instead of yourself.

Take care,
Mich

You have alot to deal with personally and physically, all,s I can say is I,m 3 yrs post and have all the symptoms you are having. Contact your obgyn and let them know what,s going on and ales turn to the forums here the women are great Just remember alot of your problems you described anxiety, panic, not feeling like yourself are all Hormone related I know I,m there Keep your faith, don,t give up and CALL your OBGYN Good Luck We,re all here if you need us.

ps Just click on Powe Surge Forums and that will bring you to all the forums then just click on the site you want to talk to someone via site for exsample click where it says Littlr Lil it will bring up their profile you can click on send message, view profile ect...

Yay!! Thanks very much for the help!!

Hi Mich,
Thanks so much for your wonderful words of wisdom and support! It helps so much to read supportive things. Guilt is built in to us women and it is pretty hard to push past but maybe if I can think about it as what I have to do to feel healthy again so I can be there for everyone then I will be able to try to put myself first, it feels pretty unatural though and you are right in saying that I don't want to feel different than I used to feel, that was an ah-ha moment for me and it helped me to realize that I need to let that go and look toward feeling as well as I can and to do that I need to heal from all the stress so I have to take care of me now. It will take some getting used to because I feel pretty worthless right now. It is no fun any of this. I just want to not be dizzy and feel like I am walking around in a dream, that would really help.
Thanks Mich and I hope you are having a good day!
Meg

megopause,
Hey I am new to this site and read mostly, not much posting. But just reading through your post, I wanted you to make sure if you have a good doctor ask them to test your adrenals. They are probably shot with the way you describe your stressors. it is a good idea to treat your adrenals, before you start to treat your thyroid. I have both adrenal fatique and thyroid issues. Now this menopause crap. It can be all so overwhelming. Sometimes I wished I could just runaway from all this stuff or at least find a doctor that understood all of this. Is is not unusal to become hypothryoid at this time of life. It looks like you are taking some right stuff. Do you know being low on iron can cause heart palps also? Keep doing your iron and other supplements. Also consider taking mega doses of Vitamin C. If it is your adrenals, they live on Vitamin C. Take to bowel tolerance. I take 3000 mg daily, split three times a day. Celtic brand Sea salt is also good for them. These two options give alot of support to them and should not hurt them. Right now my heart palps have returned with a vengence. I am thinking since doctor had me on water pill, it is causing a imbalance in my electrolytes and it is creating heart palps. Going to balance with a little potassium.

I really hope these suggestions help.

I am so happy my words were able to help you in some small way. I struggle each and every day. Currently I am trying an AD and using anti anxiety meds for break through anxiety. It is really hard to feel like you have been invaded my an alien form. Many of us were very unprepared for what we were going to be dealing with. It takes time to adjust and learn different coping mechanisms. What worked for us before will probably not work so well for us now. Dropping hormones affect all of that. You hang tough and I know you will adjust where you need to adjust. Remember (this is a 12 step saying) "Progress not Perfection"... " Take that burden off yourself, do the best you can and cut yourself some slack. Take care ((((((Meg))))) Mich

Hi!
Thanks so much for your support and suggestions! How do you take the Sea salt, do you just use it on your food? After reading your post I bought some Vitamin C powder from whole foods, I had been drinking a lot of orange juice with my Iron pills but OJ always triggers my Migraines so I am hoping the Vitamin C powder will help. I hope adding the potassium will balance out your system, I know too much water is as bad as too little...this is a balancing game I am rapidly learning...I am going to read up on Adrenals...part of my problem is having the energy and clear thinking it takes to look this all up and take it all in, that is what is so great about this website, everyone here is so wnderful to take the time to help eachother out! So far I am only able to be on the receiving end, I hope to be able to offer some support myself someday soon!
Thank you very much!!!

Meg

It is a minute by minute struggle, isn't it...I hope I am still alive and kicking when my two girls start to go through this, I have already told them that as soon as they are able to afford it, to make sure to have yearly thourough blood work done, not just the routine work up, so they will be a step ahead of getting to the point where you are barely able to function well enough to help themselves even figure out what is going on.

How are you feeling on the AD? What anxiety med do you take? I was given valium and I broke it into tiny pieces and took it twice, I am really a side effect chicken, it scares me to feel "different" but these panic attacks etc are to the point where I would welcome "different" if it was an okay "different", I know you know what I mean, lol.s

Thanks again so much for the hugs and the caring words, I don't have any sisters or much family support and your kindness has already helped a lot.

I have been here for a little while more of a reader than a poster, lol. I didn't know for sure what was going on with me. I just knew that I didn't feel "right" anymore. I have been quit smoking for a month, and I will turn 40 in a few months. I have had a lot of stress in the past year that seems to have kicked all of this up a notch. I have racing heart that wakes me up. Sometimes, I just suddenly feel the urge to run away! You echo so many of my concerns like about side effects from meds. I don't know where to start in discussing all of this with my doctor. I don't know if I start with the perimenopause, the adrenals, the thyroid or what. If I go in and start telling him "everything" that is going on, he is going to dismiss me as a hypochondriac! I look around at my high school friends with their "normal" lives and going on vacation, etc and wonder why that can't be me. I am sorry this is kind of all over the place. I am having a really bad day today. Sometimes hard to stay focused. I just want some stability so I can go on with my life. I have a lot of living to do and would like to get on with it!
l5hill (L5hill) You can call me Hill or Lisa

Hi Hill

I remember the first panic attack that I had, we were at the table eating pizza(now I know not to eat food with MSG in it as it is one of the many triggers for these types of problems for me) and we were all happy and talking and all of a sudden I got this HUGE bolt of sheer fear and I jumped up and said "I have to get out of here, I have to leave or something, I don't know what I have to do but I have to leave the table" so I know that feeling of needing to run away well and YES, some days it is so hard to stay focused enough to be able to search out help for ourselves. The racing heart at night/early AM really stinks because it breaks up our good sleep which we REALLY need and that causes even more problems. I sought out the help of a anti-aging doctor because over time here and there I have read about bio-identicle hormones and I found a woman Dr. who had a video of her practice on her website and she sounded like she completely "got it". I begged them to get me in asap and it was 3 three weeks before they could see me which at the time felt like ten years away, I was getting constant rushes of adrenaline and panic attacks. I was to the point where I was willing to try anything they prescribed which is really crazy for me, I usually look up the potential side effects of everything before I even think about taking it, hey, it is not out fault, some people ARE more sensitive to the effects of things, its NOT in our heads. So she ordered full blood work up and it was really thourough, not just the basics and in the meantime prescribed Progesterone pills, Iron pills, D3 and b12 shots. Okay, so I went home and looked up all the side effects and decided that I wasn't going ot take anything she gave me! I felt guilty that I ha just wasted the money on all of it and I was feeling like I was dying of something. I finally got the nerve to take one thing at a time, not all of it on the same day and I only took half of the dose. I started with the iron pills and all went well, then I added the b12 and all went well, then I added the d3 and all went well....then I took the Progesterone and I was okay thie first night and after that I was not okay with the progesterone, it made me feel more panicky and like I was drugged, that is how it affected me personally. I stopped that because I was NOT into feeling worse! I tried it for 5 days and got progessively worse in my symptoms so I listened to my body and stopped it. I also had to cut back on the amount of b12 shot because when I went from one to two shots per week as prescribed, I eneded up in the ER again from very rapid heartbeat and tremendous aggression anxiety attacks, it was too much too soon for me. I waited 1) days for it to clear my system and tried a half dose and I am fine with that. SO my long point is that we are all different and need to fine tune this stuff to see what works for each of us. When my labs came back it showed that my hormones were actually okay but I was terribly anemic due to low iron and my thyroid is off as well. I believe that my heart issues are caused my by anemia and thyroid and also perimenopause and the axtra stress that this year is bringing me was just the last straw. I would seriously suggest to you that you see your regular Dr. to run some heart tests because that will ease your mind and stop the chatter in your head that you have something wrong with your heart and at the same time seek out a Dr. who specializes in menopause and anti-aging because they are the ones who order the more comprehensive blood testing and that is where your answers lay. They believe in the symptoms that we have, they will not shrug it off. I also recently bought some homeopathic remedies to help me with my stress/anxiety/panic and they have really helped me and have caused zero side effects for me, they are Bach Rescue Remedy Spray and Hylands Nerve Tonic pills that melt in your mouth. I take them both about 5 minutes apart and I take them oftern during the day. I have tried them at night/early AM while having the racing heart and it has helped with that as well. Also reading posts on this website is one of the very best helps there is.
Now get on the phone and make some appointments, you are the most important person in your life!!
Blessings,
Meg

This has helped me as well, I wake each morning with my heart racing, absolutely racing, but I just do deep breathing (ha! ha!) and hope like anything they will stop. If it continues I will take iron pills again, they really hurt the stomach - but I am so tired, totally wiped, I wake up exhausted. I envy those who wake up feeling refreshed, happy, and LEAP out of bed ... that used to be me. Now I am not pushing myself, I get up at 7:30 every day rather than 6:00 and give myself time to pull myself together, stop my heart racing and get rid of as much anxiety as I can BEFORE I get to work. Some days it works. I wasn't on HRT but was on BCP for almost 40 years and just decided to stop in January 2009. Had one last horrible painful longgg period, nothing since. Now my body is changing on me ...

Sometimes it is just that minute by minute isn't it? I am doing okay on the AD (Lexapro) anxiety/panic is lessened quite a bit. I won't say I'm a ball of fire but I'm not suffering like I was. It takes time for an AD to completely kick in. I also have Xanax for any breakthrough anxiety which helps a lot. I usually only take it at night now, I was taking it in the morning as well for morning anxiety which I haven't had for a while. Xanax doesn't make me feel different, at first you feel a little sleepy but that's it, at least for me. Everyone responds diff. to meds. I tried Prozac and it made my anxiety worse. I hope you are hanging in there. Please feel free to PM me if you need to vent or "talk". Take care of yourself. Mich

Hi Meg,

Wow, when I reached the middle of your post I had to skip to the bottom to make sure I didn't write it! Sounds terribly familiar, right down to all the life stressors, and the homeschooling. I'm 46, too. Low iron, b12, d -- all the same stuff. This was all discovered when I got massive anxiety last winter, although I still swear what was making me so anxious were all the weird physical symptoms. Not that they've completely gone, but I'm adjusting to them and they make me less anxious now. My doc wanted to put me on thyroid meds but I declined. Only my T4 is low (not TSH) and I did not want to end up with a hyperthyroid situation. She does have me on iodine to help support the thyroid.

Also, since the meltdown, nervous breakdown, whatever you want to call it last winter, my periods have been all over the place. I've skipped a few, had some 40 days apart, some 25 days apart, etc. etc.

As far as all these issues -- the hormones, the thyroid, the adrenals -- it's true that nutritional support and sometimes meds are important. But for me it all comes back to stress reduction. Not that I've managed to do it, yet -- it's an uphill battle for me -- but all of these issues I believe will be helped by my learning how to relax, meditate, and slow down.

Keep taking care of yourself!

Missy

Hi Missy!

Sheesh, this 46th year is a tough one isn't it!! Ugh, sorry you can relate, but glad at the same time, if you know what I mean! It is good to have someone with the same symptoms, especially since you are doing better, it gives me hope!! How are you doing on the iodine? Which supplement are you taking and has it increased your anxiety or heart rate/palps? I understand that it can do those things so I am very hesitant to start the Iodoral that I was prescribed..
I hope you are having a great week!

Meg

I can find no pattern to my symptoms either. The last couple of weeks my anxiety has been really bad. Enough to finally try ad's (zoloft), but I am on a very low dose as I am SUPER sensative. Tried to up it the other week and the anxiety was unbearable. Had my first session with a psychiatrist yesterday which went well. He has me taking .25 of xanax 3 times a day and.5 at night. Xanax was a LIFESAVER for me. I too am completely pill phobic and side effect phobic. Xanax just takes that terrible feeling and melts it away. I do not feel weird at all! Again, it was a LIFESAVER. Sounds like you have TONS of stress in your life, but I have none, and still live in peri hell. So don't be too hard on yourself or your family. Just try to make yourself feel better. Try whatever you're brave enough to try, just be brave enough to try something. Don't make yourself suffer.

Thanks, Maine! I am so happy for you that things are getting better, yay! Your sentence about Xanax melting away the terrible feelings so you can feel normal again and not causing any weird feelings sounds like heaven! I am on my second cycle day and it's a heavier cycle this time around and I woke up this morning with the anxiety in the chest feeling and came right in here to start reading posts to take the edge off, it does help to read the posts and I was happy to read your post, it gives me a lot of encouragement, thanks!

Meg

I can relate to all this. I'm about 9 years post and I'm still in hell!
Gald I'm not alone, but wish it were easier for all of us.
All the best,
Anne

google post tubal syndrome
you will find alot of info there
im right next to you, in that sea of misery.....

I started having heart palps, in 1999, by 2000, they got so bad I freaked out & thought I was having a stroke, tore up 5 packs of ciggs & never smoked again......ok so I come to find out its pre menopause(I still quit, never smoked since) anyway in 2001 I was put on HRT to help with the palps & Vaginal Atrophy, and for the most part I have NEVER had them like I did BEFORE HRT, It ONLY occurs right before, during & after my period. Its like clockwork....they have been pretty good...but right now....Yee Gods.....my period ended yesterday and I have had one every hour all day..and my heart is racing like crazy...did I mention the panic attacks & heart racing that just showed up two years ago? Only during my cycle....I am now 54 and I am going to try the continuous HRT so my periods will end.....I wonder though if all the symptoms go away too??? MY BFF had a hysterretomy years ago and she still gets hot flashes....so this is just plain odd...I do taker at least 750 Citrated Magnesium and that does help....but it does get kind of scary!

If your thyroid is low, the TSH Is down it will help to go on the meds. I know everyone talks about problems with levothyroxine. I have been on it over 20 yrs. Tried many versions. All I can say is that the T4 works for me, does convert in my body and is effective. I would say to start on it s l o w l y. That is; take a very small dose and work your way up over a period of say a month. That way you become accustomed gradually. It takes 90 days on it before you can run bloodwork and see where it sits.

If you have low thyroid, you will feel better when it comes up to speed. As for the heart speed racing in the AM, more than a half dozen gals have reported this symptom just on this post alone. Compound that by about 25 similar posts and another four or five meno sites. Its not unusual. I think its very hard to deal with as its frightening and you have a bazillion people with heart related anxiety everywhere and here especially. I don't think the thyroid meds will make your problem worse, they may help resolve some of your symptoms, especially fatigue.

According to the information I have at hand, this heart racing when you wake up is owing to elevated adrenaline levels which has something to do with cortisol being all messed up. It should normally start rising at night until sometime in the AM AFTER you are awake. Maybe if your cortisol gets used up you end up with adrenaline instead. I am not up to speed with it all just yet but it sounds like the progesterone drops all through meno and since progesterone helps regulate/produce cortisol it may cause these adrenaline surges. Maybe we are just cortisol deficient. Perhaps the answer is to try low dose progesterone or progesterone cream for a period of nights to see if this will resolve the issue. Its worth a try. I plan to give a try tonight and will let you know but it may take several nights. My big issues is that progesterone can bring on bleeding for me very quickly.

Well ladies, menopause is the experiment and we are the guinea pigs!

Quote from J. Lee:

"Progesterone is a primary precursor in the biosynthesis of the adrenal corticosteroids. Without adequate progesterone, synthesis of the cortisones is impaired and the body turns to alternate pathways. These alternate pathways have masculine-producing side effects such as long facial hairs and thinning of scalp hair. Further impaired corticosteroid production results in a decrease in the ability to handle stress, e.g., surgery, trauma or emotional stress."

Gee whizz, that sounds like MENOPAUSE!

Just found this online:

Panic attacks or heart attacks? My adrenaline surges are scaring the crap out of me.

by drerika | October 4, 2006 at 12:47 pm
5115 views | 1 Recommendation | 0 comments

"When I was a young medical student I learned that good medicine was practiced when errors were made in the favor of over diagnosing heart attacks, rather than under-diagnosing them.

A senior resident used to say: “A sign of a good coronary care unit is one where 70% of admissions never pan out to have a heart attack, even though they are admitted as such.”

I took that to heart. When it comes to men, the philosophy does work, but when it comes to women, it is often forgotten, even in our day and age when conventional medicine touts egalitarian medical practices.

The truth is, that even today, a woman going into an emergency room with chest pain is less likely to be considered a possible heart attack victim than she is to be considered a “hysterical” female.

Women have the same incidence of heart disease as they age and certainly equal if not overtake men in frequency of heart disease after menopause. With that type of information you would think we take great care of women teaching them prevention and decreasing the incidence of heart disease with each passing year. We are doing that for men after all, right?

Wrong. Women are getting heart attacks in droves without much being done to help them prevent the disease or raise awareness. So, when you say you are scared of having a heart attack, what can I tell you not to further scare you, given the statistics involved?

Start today regardless of your age. Let’s create the best program to prevent heart disease from robbing you of your youth and life. You don’t really have to become a statistic.


1. Change your diet. Stop eating junk. There is no excuse for it. No soda, coffee, sugar substitutes, limit alcohol. Eat more protein and vegetables and fruit. You don’t need low calorie, low fat, low sugar, just eat right and stop making excuses for eating wrong.
2. Improve your physical activity regimen. Eliminate sedentary life habits. If you don’t have time to formally run to the gym and start exercising, you can still walk, move, stretch and lift a heavy piece of furniture once in a while.
3. Deal with stress. Do not ignore the stress in your life. Every day you live under stress and do not deal with it, is one day less left in your life that may lead you to heart disease.
4. Address your hormone balance. If you are pre-menopausal start a healthy program of Estradiol and micronized progesterone to maintain your hormone levels and avoid the precipitous drop that occurs at menopause. It may be helpful in even delaying or preventing heart disease from taking a grip of you.
5. Address your genetics. If you have a family history of heart disease make sure you are leading a lifestyle, eating a healthy diet and exercising from early on in your life so you do not find yourself at 45 worrying about impending doom.
6. Be able to distinguish between an anxiety attack and chest pain caused by heart disease. Chest pain caused by heart disease is continuous and crushing. It is progressive and often associated with shortness of breath. In women, nausea, vomiting and severe fatigue are also symptoms of heart disease and should not be discarded. Pain that fluctuates and occurs at 5 am with palpitations associated, is most often caused by anxiety and hormone changes.
7. Have your heart checked. If you are in your 40s and have a family history, it is easy to just have a stress test. It will give you information and even peace of mind."

Hi all:

New to this website and thrilled to find a heart palpitations page. I hadn't had any peri symptoms until about three weeks ago, when my period was late for the first time since I had babies (now teens). Then they hit like a train wreck. I have been waking up every night about three times with a pounding heart. Tried sleeping more sitting up, on my side, doing yoga and meditation before bed; nothing seems to make a difference. This morning it's 10 AM and the palpitations, while mild today, are still continuing.

Went to my internist who said palpitations are not a common symptom of perimenopause. (Glad to find this website, which lists it second among the 34 symptoms!) She did an EKG which was normal. Since the symptoms were new, she suggested waiting a few weeks and seeing what happens.

Every morning I wake up wondering whether I am having heart problems and should run to the cardiologist or ER. But then by noon or so I feel much better. Still, I'm wondering how you know if there really is a heart problem. (I'm also wondering whether all this heart pounding, which leaves my chest sore, isn't bad for my heart.) I've heard that exercise is good for peri but I fear even walking around the block; I'm not sure my heart can take it right now.

I am not on any supplements or meds. Doctor suggested antidepressant but since the symptoms are new I want to wait a while. I do eat a healthful diet and have been really strict these last few weeks about no sugar, caffeine or anything even remotely stimulating.

Would love to hear more from some of you fellow sufferers!

hello Newlifephase,
First of all welcome to PS. I have joined back in October and this site has been really helpful in finding answers that I did not get from my doctor. This being said, I think it is important to follow your doctor's advice. But let me tell you that I have had heart palpitations for years and so has my sister who is 63. I used to do marathon and triathlon when I had them. Now if you are going to start a new exercise regimen you need to check with your doctor. for me, I am not worried about it as I know it is common in peri to have heart palps and even though it can feel scary, in my case, they only last few seconds. Having made changes to your diet is very important, i have stopped coffee and alcohol 5 months ago but I am on AD and clonopin because of my anxiety.
I assume you have read the all thread here and there are good information to take from it.
take care
MrsBuff

Yes it really (**&^%$ me OFF!!!!!!!!!!! that quite a few of our so called "doctors" know ZERO about peri or actual menopause(just what they learned in med school) and I have a general feeling that the people who wrote those books know about as much. Palpitations are quite common with hormone flucuations...I have been keeping a journal and it ONLY seems to happen a few days before, during & right after. I have NO pain, just a sense of either skipped, fluttering etc.....quite a few times I do have panic attacks......this month was the worse.....my bleeding was ok, but the symptoms...I wish I had hotflashes & moodiness instead of all the *&^% I have.......
Get rid of stress???????????? yeah right...I am going through THE WORSE STRESS OF MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!! My mom who is like my BFF, who I have lived with for 11 years.....I took her in for a simple operation in May....no big deal...she would be home within 2 days....well they BRIAN DAMAGED HER, she can ONLY breath thru a trach, she can't speak, eat, drink or swallow....EVER!!!!!!!!!!!! So give me some pointers on how I am to cope with that???I am dying to know???? Because frankly I am it, the ONLY family.....so this is something I HAVE TO DEAL WITH.....
If it were niot for this forum, I wouldn't have ever had known how truly STUPID most doctors are about peri symptoms....I also have VAGINAL ATROPHY which was my actual reason for joining this forum....I read on this very forum, that quite a few doctors believe we are "crazy" and that if all else fails...PRAY!!!! If I had known that just prayer would work for my atrophy I wouldn't have spent the well over 750$ trying to cure it.....yes prayer is good for many things but not my VA!

Dear 'buffy123'
So very sorry for what happened to your beloved Mother.Nothing can bring her back to the way she was but I hoped you sued the pants of them.It is so sad how many people go in for routine or minor procedures and end up dead or like your Mother brain dead.
Stress is part of our lives but there is a fine life between everyday stress and the terrible amount some have to suffer with daily.That is why I use my Xanax as needed and HRT as my vaginal atrophy was severe.
I do believe in the power of prayer but also realise that God expects us to use our minds and commonsense in keeping ourselves well and healthy.
And you are right,I was very ignorant about so many issues until I joined this Forum and listened to the other ladies speaking of their experiences.
I think every Woman's Doctor and all Gynos. should be forced to get onto this Forum to understand how we really feel and the suffering many go through.Maybe then we would receive a little more compassion and understanding as well as medical care.
Warm Hugs
Elizabeth

You are so right about the thyroids effect on the heart. My heart racing was getting worse a few months ago and lasting much longer. My Dr. increased my T3 doseage and I was scared to take it. When I finally did, within and hour I noticed that my heart rate quieted. I was also anemic and that is improving as well so I am sure that getting those iron levels up helps. The most recognizable and dramatic improvement came from the increase in thyroid meds.

I've been taking Levoxiyl for 20 years, no issues. Since I have began taking 650 mg of citrate magnesium in powdered form, wow what a difference. I take 325 in the morning and 325 right before bed...it really has helped alot.

Hi Ladies,
I am very new to this site (today actually). I became desperate to find something or someone that can help me with the strange feelings that I have been experiencing lately. Heart racing, feeling faint, scared and anxiety attacks that make my muscles shake. I am 47 years old and I suddenly realised that I might have entered that critical stage in life where my body is changing. Be that as it may, this thing scares me! some days are good (the last two were pretty good) Last evening and today, my heart raced and fluttered all the time and I have been trying to slow it down with deep breathing. Visited my obgyn and had blood work done (waiting for results). She suspects that this is premenopausal and prescribed premarin which I refused to take because of those scary side effects. my greatest concern is that when the palps start, I feel as though my heart is racing to a stop. This thing is veeeerrrry scary. This is also so very new for me. It is as if I woke up one morning and the person I used to know is no longer there. I lost weight. I don't feel to eat and when I do, everything feels like paper in my mouth.

I am glad to have met so many of you who are experiencing similar symptoms. It has helped me to read your own stories and know that mine is no different. Thanks for helping me through this.

kelela

I am new too and have been so grateful for all the sharing on this site, helps not to feel so alone.
when all this horrible stuff started happening suddenly in April, i had terrible anxiety and heart palpitations that were so severe i actually got the doctor in the middle of the night thinking i ws going to have a heart attack..next day had loads of tests in the ER but all normal. I found acupuncture really good for them and have not had them since. The anxiety has calmed somewhat - I initially could not eat and lost loads of weight (normally would have been jumping for joy about that but it freaked me out and made me more anxious, like i could not relate to the shrinking body) But the appetite has come back, I think the acupuncture helped with that as well. I have other symptoms now like depression and wierd feelings of all kinds ...seems to just keep changing all the time...

I had my first anxiety attack in June. Two months after going on BP meds. I had dizzy spells that I couldn't shake and went to DR. They did EKG and sent me to ER. Talk about anxiety! After all tests were run, heart was fine. Now my BP is normal (on beta blocker) but my heart rate goes way up from anxiety even after taking beta blocker. I now take adivan, which helps with heart rate but I can't take it forever. I guess I'm going to try AD. Now getting muscle pain in my back and sleeping anxiety. I agree symtoms changing all the time. I know my DR thinks I'm crazy. Abdominal pain, heart racing, IBS, back and muscle pain, dizzy spells, vibrating feeling, etc, etc, etc. I was so greatful to find this site and realize I'm not insane! Hopefully all this won't last too long and we will get to the other side.

Dear 'kelela'
A very warm welcome to this Forum!
All the symptoms you describe are typical of Menopause so you are not alone
However, there is help out there.Some ladies use herbals and acupuncture with varying degrees of success
Others make total dietry changes and cut out caffeine,alcohol and sugary products.They also up the exercise which really works.I do Yoga.Very calming
Some use the BHRT and others the HRT,like me.
Eating was one of my worst symptoms.I had a total aversion to food.
However, I am still here at 58 fairly hale and hearty and was Post Menopausal at 39 so know how bad it feels
Please keep coming back for sharing,caring and great information!
The ladies here are fantastic!
Warm Wishes
Elizabeth

I know exactly what you mean about anxiety and palps that led you to the ER. Been there done that twice. I've lost so much weight in the past year it scared me. I'm the type of person who can't eat when I'm anxious. I was thinking of accupuncture. So how long did you to that for?? I've been on Paxil for 10 months and I'm seeing the doc next month to start weaning off. I feel like it's not working and the longer I'm on it the worse it will be getting off. The sisters here are wonderful...
((((char))))

I didn't try any meds like Paxil, too scared! A friend had just finished acupuncture degree and offered to help me and it did a bit but then the palps came back worse so i went to a chinese practitioner in town who also did acupressure and chinese herbs and it seemed to settle after a session or two. No offence to my friend but she was only just qualified and i felt not experienced enough, its a delicate balance of energy and needs to be done properrly. I took the herbs as well but got a bit scared there too as i don't really know what i'm taking! I was supposed to go to her for 12 sessions but it was expensive and i went off to the States so i only had 4 or 5 treatments. I would have liked to continue and will go back when i ever go back to work and have money! I must say tho that i do feel it was what helped. If you try it find a well qualified person with experience, I trust it and would recommend it - ancient stuff that is daily regular medical care in China. Now i have other issues like the weird "not myself" feelings and depression - this seems to have many faces! Hope the weaning goes well and doesnt bring too much side effects for you ...

I am appalled at how the DRs are so dismissive, my DR was really rude and confronting when i wanted bloods done and said oh the FSH one isn't very accurate anyway and wouldn't even discuss which ones I might need, basically like saying to me well what do you want-I'm like I don't know! I'm not a doctor! And at the ER when i had the EKG and xray and all he basically said you're just depressed go to your DR and get a prescription. They feel to attibute all symptoms to this and want to shush you away with a tidy little scrip!

June its the pits. I also have this and just had an episode after not having one for almost 3 years. To make a long story short since 2003 I had this went to the ER, Different docs, Cardiolgists, Gynos, no real help. Dont and didnt want any drugs they tried to give me Beta blockers and when I tried it I nearly died with a swelling tongue and a feeling of death. Now this was me many girls say it helped them and thats great.
I dont like them not being able to tell me what the heck is going on. When I came to this website it lifted my spirits and made me feel I wasnt plum loco and my symptoms were real. Okay so when I finally found a half decent doc that would listen he did. He gave me Diuertics water pills he said after me battling with him that it seemed more PMS than heart related.

So now after 3 years and a very stressful year dealing with cancer in the family, a new granbaby where the parents are getting along , having to adjust to being home without work after working 37years full and part time, etc etc I got another episode this a week ago. Now what happens to me is I also get BP spikes I know because I have a lil machine and take it a couple times a week.

So for now I am taking FORMULA 303 I buy at my herbal store has valerian root in it, it is a bit stinky but it works. It also has magnesium and I also take extra because this relaxes the heart muscles that help with the palps. If you have had your heart etc checked out try something that can bring you a sense of peace. Do something like walking, swimming, bike ridding it gets the good hormones out called Endorphins. Drink plenty of water, try juicing, eat right. Apples eat apples, celery its a natural diueritic.

I go to Church in the Mornings when I can that is how I get thru my days. I wont dwell on it, I try but then I get busy if we make our symptoms us then we lose ourselves. I refuse to give in I want a good quality of life not having everyone worrying about me thinking I am gonna die of this.

So for now the doc ran blood test I have to do a 24 hour urnine test to see what hormones are wacko.
My sister had this to they labeled it panic attacks and gave her beta blockers, she would still once in a while get some spikes and bad feelings but she claims it got better.

God love you,
Tinks

Valerian is extremely stinky and gross! but it works, i was taking it nightly when i had really bad insomnia the first few months, also had a combo one with hops,passiflora and something else in it, not as good as the pure valerian. But its a good calmer - i don't think i've see the formula 303 here but i did start taking a mag/calc supplement a while back as someone said it was good for anxiety, then i stopped taking it for some reason so i think i'll take it again. Alot of the ladies here seem to be taking it.
The palps are gone for now after i had the acupuncture thank God and i have been sleeping again since I got a really big bout of jet lag in Sept so hope that continues..
Sounds like alot of stress going on for you i'm sure that affects the heart alot, I also have not been working and cant stand it! I will do the juicing, been thinking about doing that again, hope things calm down for you and this episode doesn't continue, its good you are having the blood tests done...

Has anyone been told by their doctor why we get palpitations, racing heart, skipped beats during menopause? Also does anyone ever get a fleeting pain in your chest sometimes followed by a hot flash and sometimes no flash at all?? These thumps, bumps, racing are making me crazy!

Hi Kelela:

As another newbie, I wanted to respond. Welcome to the club!

My severe heart palpitations started about three weeks ago, when I woke up, out of the blue, three times that first night (and many nights since) with a pounding heart. I, too, was scared. Went to the doctor who did an EKG, which was fine, but she wanted to put me on a longer heart monitor to see what's happening in the nights. Turned out that monitor was going to cost me $1500 (I have a high deductible insurance plan) so I held off. By the following week it was clear that the real problem was my adrenal glands, which I could actually feel shooting off hormones like crazy, and causing my heart to palpitate soon after. So I got clear that it was indeed perimenopause and not my heart. (I think mentally it might be easier when you have traditional meno symptoms like hot flashes or night sweats.) That made me feel better, because it took some of the anxiety away.

Doctors don't have much in their toolbag for this. My internist suggested antidepressants, which I am not ready to consider. I have been to an acupuncturist twice and that has helped me a lot--partly from the treatment and partly from her reassurances that this is natural, if severe, perimenopausal symptoms, and that I should stop seeing myself as sick and start viewing these symptoms as my body's response to a major life transition, similar to all the twinges and pains we experienced during pregnancy. I think taking the fear out is key, because as I have relaxed a bit more, the palps haven't been as bad; they're still regularly there, but feel more muted. I am also doing a lot of yoga, meditation, and "alternate nostril breathing," a very relaxing breath I heartily recommend. (I'm sure if you google it you will see instructions, but basically you cover one nostril at a time and exhale and then inhale through it; it balances the nervous system.) I recently read in a spiritual book that pain is a signal that our cells are asking for what they need to heal; I like that because again I think the fear and anxiety only makes everything worse.

Good luck! I hope you'll report your progress so I can learn from you as well.

LOL, That was my primary care dr. The other day I went to my GYN and he said that dizzy spells and anxiety are "not common symtoms of menapause" (you know if only you were having hot flashes, then we could do something about that. So sorry). He didn't feel that blood work was necessary either. He said we can't give you a pill for menapause, we can only treat the symptoms. OK. You know now they want to take away mamagrams for women in their 40's and I just leaned that they are going to start recommending pap's every other year! Is there a medical conspiracy against women?

Well my gyn told me that palps, anxiety, depression are all symptoms of meno and wanted me to take hrt. But just for a short time to relieve symptoms. Well I wore a hormone patch for 3 months and didn't work so I stopped. It's been a year and I still have anxiety, palps. No appetite either. Could it be caused by post meno? I'll never know....

well I am going to see an actual Gyno...next tuesday...we'll see....not my normal doctor...but I saw her yesterday, she is so damn HRT apposed!..I told her I have been on HRT for 8 years for Severe VA & palps, plus other misc.....and now that I am 54, and frankly tired of my periods and all the crap that goes with it....that I want to do continous HRT,....so my periods would stop.
She was SHOCKED that I was given HRT even tho0ugh I still have periods. I laughed, I told her that millions of women are on HRT and still have periods, that how unfortunate but we actually have problems BEFORE menopause. I mean she was clueless..I also told her yes I new all the risks.....blah..blah..blah...and that I would rather live another 15 years PAINFREE, then another 40 not being able to walk because my VA was so bad...it would maKE ME CRY.......I think its a shame that even a woman doctor doesn't know jack *&^%! Frankly I have gotten better info from this site../.then from most doctors. My original MD..for 11 years...was not 100% savvy on HRT, but he was the BEST doctor I ever had....he made a point to investigate everything, and he did go through all the "things that could happen"...but he knew how much pain I was in and that for 139 days I tried every "natural" option available, and nothing worked......My old OBGYN told me 4 years ago if I want NO MORE PERIODS" JUST take 1 each of my HRT everyday instead of cycling them....same as PREMPRO but so much cheaper.

Dear 'chaotichar'
There are a lot of women who do suffer very badly Post Meno and I am sorry you are one of them
Have you ever thought of BHRT or low dose HRT?
Perhaps taken orally it might be of some help.
All the Best
Elizabeth