I know that when I get anxious or panicked like I am now I always want to see if someone else has felt or is feeling like I am. I just thought if I listed my symptoms some people could relate ( and me ) to the " feelings " that occur when having a panic attack or feeling very anxious. Here are " some " of mine . feeling of dread fear of heart attacks tingling or pain in arms and hands neck pain dry mouth IBS can't sleep cant' sit still wanting to run scared to go anywhere feeling like your going crazy Lately I'm under alot of stress and these symptoms are very scary. Would appreciate if other meno sisters would add or comment. Hugs Moozie xoxoxoxxo

Hi Moozie I also suffer all of the above and lots more. Feelings of terror, not being able to breath properly trying to make myself take deep breaths but not being able to manage it. I can be just sitting watching TV and suddenly i get this overwelming feelings of fear and i have to get up and walk about or just try and talk to someone to take my mind of it. I have always had a problem of panic at night but lately its dreadful, i think its because its so quiet and at least in the day you can do something to distract yourself. I lie there just flashing panic and seeing myself going mad and i get so frightend incase i just cannot cope with it and i start screaming and well you know losing it. I wonder what my family will think of me oh the shame of it. Having panic and anxiety has really messed my life up and its such a shame, you get through everyday but what a way to get through it. Lets hope one day we just might get some peace. Your in my thoughts. take care Pauline

Oh, Mooz - of COURSE you're having a hard time with all that you're going through with your dad. It's such a shame that, in addition to just feeling badly about him that you have to deal with all this cr**. I definitely have the cottonmouth (not the snake, mind you) and the not sleeping and the neck pain. The others have thankfully skipped me so far, though I have another five or six nasty things I'm dealing with. I do have two good sleep-inducing tricks, though I sometimes forget to use them. I have a videotape of restorative yoga - it calms me down and knocks me out pretty consistently. And, because for years I've turned on the public radio station when the alarm goes off it now has the effect of putting me right to sleep (and this year the middle of the night programming changed to the BBC World Service, so after fifteen minutes of football scores from India I'm back in sleepland ) Your dad is so lucky to have you. I hope your list of difficulties gets shorter every day. You deserve it big-time. Thinking of you, Otter

Pauline - been there. As I said on another thread today I had a period where, if I laid down I would shoot back out of bed because I couldn't breathe. Keep a paper bag by your bed (tips on site). Are you taking anything, Natracalm, doctor's prescription? I was given diazepam at the time, which helped. I occassionally take half or quarter of a tab now. It does pass but I find if I get a cold I can be a bit panicky. Now when I go to bed I put headphones on and listen to music and set the timer on my mini system. Somehow I take them off, but can't remember doing it. I play soothing classical music off those chill-out albums. You can even find well being music now, even in garden centres. Don't be embarrassed. You don't choose to feel afraid. Haven't you always been brave when situations have arisen in the past? Well now you just need a helping hand.

HI Mooz & everyone Mooz, I have had all the things you talk about. Plus scary thoughts,weird thoughts. Thinking I would go insane. It's a goofy time in our lives. I know you have been going thru He*l lately and your under more stress than just meno, so thats probably why more symtoms are popping up for you. A friend of mine, who in not going thru peri or meno, recently lost her Mom. but during the time her Mom was sick, she had all they symptoms you have and she could not understand that it was all the stress of her Mom being sick. Her Doc put her on Lexapro and now she is back to her old self. My point is, you are dealing with meno and your Dad, so that is why every symptom is worse. I'm sorta in the same boat as you, my Dad has lung cancer and now a tumor on his spine, and things are not looking too good. It's a wait and see situation. So if you ever need to talk , U2U me. Take care and I hope things improve for you and your Dad. Peace AA

Alice I have had anxiety for years its just comes natural to me now, i think that is the problem if it had been caught early perhaps i would not be in the mess i am now. But unlike today where if you mention panic attacks to someone then they will of heard of them, but i never new what was happening to me so now it is as if my mind know's nothing but panic. Over the years i have tried most anti-depressant tabs but they have never been any good for me. I do have some diazepam but only 6, 2mg as that is all doctor will give me. I know what you mean about the cold thing as it feels like you cannot breathe properly so that makes me panic more. I have tryed all the things that you have mentioned. Over the years i have tried so many things. It really is just a matter of putting in a new programme into this mind of mine one that does not involve panic now if anyone has found a solution to that i would be so pleased to hear it:o Take care Pauline

Hi All- I have had all the symptoms you listed pulse the scary thoughts thing. Worrying about going crazy. I have also been awakened at night in a full panic attack unable to breath. I have felt dizzy, need to flee, unable to sit still, extreme nausa, wanting to cry... You guys get the picture. I have had times when this is constant 24/7 (that is really bad) but by using a combination of Revival Soy and Natural progesterone, I can keep it almost bearable. At times I almost feel normal againg I have 2 weeks of the month (second half of the cycle where I can feel the anxiety just under the surface lurking around. I have tried Cognative Behavioral Therapy but I also tried Yoga and Meditation in the past ( I had these problems for about 1 year in my 30's when they made me stop using the pill) Did you know that the pill is 5X more hormones than we have normally. No wonder I had problems coming off the pill but when I mentioned it to Drs they looked at me with that blank stare " you must be nuts" kind of look. Going into peri I had the same problem with all my old Docs. They just wanted to hand me a pill and get me out of the office. Well I have better doctors now and tests that show my hormones are definately out of wack and that provides some comfort. Pauline I think that Yoga and Meditation were the most helpful with the anxiety. I also took a class in self hypnosis that helped me reprogram my thoughts. The problem is this all costs money..... the pills, the soy bars, etc. I am not good at following a regime at home. I am alone too much anyway so I am thinking of joining a Yoga class. I need to get out and be around other people. I wish there was a group of women in my area who met and talked about this. It would be so great. I have not found a group like that and except for this site, no one I know likes to talk about it. The worst feeling is the isolation. The feeling that you are the only one out ther with this problem. Thank God I found P.S. and all you wonderful people. This site provided me with information to improve my situation. No Dr. did that. It is not perfect but it is better than when all this crap started last year. Hand in everyone. Sandy

Hang in there Mooz.....you are NOT alone by any means. I have every symptom you listed, plus many more. It's a horrible, HORRIBLE time in our lives, but some day we'll all be in our rocking chairs talking to our granddaughters and telling them 'this too, shall pass'. Thinking about you.......... Kleeo

Kleo, thank you my sweet friend. Hugs, Moozie

Oh you're welcome Moozie. You and I sound so much alike in many ways. Thank God we have each other here in Power Surge. I swear I'd go nuts without the support from friends like you! BIG ((((HUG!))))

Panic Attacks Obsessive Thoughts Internal Shaking Insomnia Incessant Crying Jags Guilt Hypocrodria Fears of loved one's deaths despair hopelessness helplessness rage pacing flashes IBS Palps Arthritis Muscle Aches Heck, some days if I wait a half an hour the misery passes. The closer I get to menses the deeper the anquish. If you had miserable PMS, peri is HELL!! I'm always rather astonished at women who first get slammed by hormones in Peri. Guess I had a long warm up. But for cripes sakes, I got at least a 3 week hiatus of sanity back in the day. Well, things they slowly improve, but I long and hope for better days ahead. I was always a bit moody and anxious, with killer PMS, but there are days that I feel I'd be better off dead. Not in the cards, however. Not a quitter!!!

OOOOOPPPPPPSSSSS, forgot the attention span of a gnat. And my head spins in a vortex of confusion. Are we having fun yet ladies???:mad::mad::mad:

But, I'm not in a wheelchair, nor eating dirt biscuits in Haiti, so I try to practice gratitude, which in depression can easily segue into guilt.

LOL! Yeah, I do this too - "well, I'm not missing an arm; I'm not herding llamas in the mountains of Peru," etc. etc. There are a bazillion blessings, when we remember to count them!

Moozie, I have had all of these (except the IBS) and many more. The scariest for me is the dizzies and the panic. I literally had to take the wrong exit off the freeway yesterday because I was having a panic attack. I felt it would be safer than continuing on. Course that put me behind a half hour but I frankly didn't care. Hang in there Moozie, you are going thru a lot right now. Andrea {{{HUGGS}}}

Hey Drea and everyone who gets the dizzies. They were my very first symptom of peri. Being very level headed and possessing the ability to remain calm in any situation, I assumed I had a fatal brain tumor and would certainly die young. Anxiety reared its ugly head shortly after the dizzies began. I spent a lot of time researching brain disorders and neurological disorders, when I happened upon this site. I don't know if I was in denial or not, but I never even suspected menopause. Of course, I do have a Peter Pan complex. After reading, I was so relieved to find that anxiety and dizziness are commom signs of this transition. Not that this knowlege made it any less annoying or easy, but at least it wasn't as frightening. If it helps, I passed the magical 1 year mark this past April, and now am officially post. I hate to put this in print lest I jinx myself, but the symptoms have greatly subsided and the anxiety attacks seem to be further and further apart. I hope this gives all of you something to hold on to. Have a great day all. Donna

I have been having a very bad month after months of being somewhat leveled out. I am reading that a lot of you have panic attacks and I feel that is what I am having along with headaches, neck pain, shoulder and arm pain and breast pain (all on the left side). This makes my panic even worse. I am trying to work through it, but with no one to talk to, it is hard. I appreciate all of you that post here. It is a help to me.

I recommend reading the transcripts of Bronwyn Fox - beginning with her first. At the bottom of every transcript, you'll find links to her other transcripts. She has excellent information, personal experience and insight into panic attacks.

thank you to all my friends here at PS, I guess you can all relate, but when it's going on it feels like we are so alone. I'm so glad to have all of you to talk to and compare notes. Hugs, Moozie

Donna, Thanks so very much for that encouraging post - really needed to hear it! I'm 51, had only 2 periods last year (6 months apart,) and am so goshdarn ready to be done. I'm now counting at 3.5 months, and praying that in another 8.5, I can have the tampon-bonfire celebration I've been planning!

Oh boy, I know what you're going through. Here I am at 2:09am with incredible anxiety and panic. I'm also have hot flashes. I just threw a ton of cold water on my face and chest. This s*cks!

Hi Gia, Welcome to power-surge! Lots of us have come to read the boards in the wee dark hours, because we can't sleep or are in the throes of panic! You're one of us! Hang in, and I so hope you get some relief soon. Jacquie

Have I had any of those symptoms? How about ALL of those symptoms, plus maybe a few of my own! I am 36 and in surgical menopause, all of my symptoms came on the same day. The shakes and tremors are great - I love looking like a drug junkie and scaring small children. And, for those of you who wake up from sleep feeling panicky - be glad you slept at all. I can go for days at a time without sleeping. I would like to write to Comcast Cable and tell them that every station should not have Informercials on from 3:00am- 6:00am because some of us would like to have something more intelligent, exciting, or funny to watch. I cup my hands and breathe into them when there isn't a paper bag handy for my panic attacks, but sometimes it's hard because my hands are shaking too much or I need them to wipe away my free-flowing tears. If I had one wish, I'd like it to be that men would be inflicted with this aggravation. We all know, though, that it's women who get it because they couldn't handle it! That's what makes me smile!

Bless your attitude, Lola! That you can find something to smile about in the midst of all this is pretty impressive. It must be hard to have had all of this come on all at once. May you find some relief soon!

My symptoms: racing heart --I hate this!!!! feeling out of control butterflies in my stomach throat tightening chest pains feeling of dread shaking running my hands through my hair dry mouth

Hmmm lets see..... PERI ~ duration... age 40 - 50yrs in order of occurence....... heavy flooding/irregular period - 1st cramping ovarian cysts other cysts uncontrolable crying deep depression pointlessness doom and gloom obsessive thought of sickness or death lack of energy lack of concentration forgetfulness hot flushes - intense-02-03 night sweats - moderate to intense anxiety - mainly 02-03 burning tongue or 'globus' burning sensation - UTI's diminishing libido...any wonder!!! dreadful sense of LOSS ceasation of period - last one-July 02 age 49 ~ I have to add that during this 10 year period - lol - no pun intended - I ended a '25' year dysfunctional marriage to the father of my 2 children (10 years traumatic stress prior), Divorce!, was dragged through the family law court for 2 years, my youngest son was hit by a car at age 18 and suffered multiple injuries (on the 5th and final day of the traumatic family law court battle), 5 yr court battle for son re accident, nursed son 5yrs, eldest son had major phsychological problems (one weekend in jail) my Father suffered a major heart attack and had a tripple by pass, my Mother DIED 18 months later, MENOPAUSE for approx 10 yrs. So, it's very hard to determine what was meno and what was just TRAUMA! some of these incidents overlapped! POST......official - age 50. Till Now 2yrs post age 51...amazing! hot flushes diminishing in intensity night sweats - mild as well depression eased anxiety all but gone last 6 months carpel tunel syndrome - mild gall bladder upset - short term - twice pointlesness still a problem dry mouth dental sensitivity itchy/annoying throat- globus?....throat cancer? burning sensation - UTI's come and go NO LIBIDO! - and don't want any -over it! constant thoughts of death and illness self absorbed..........what's gonna become of meEEe..... still have a terrible sense of loss - the list is just getting longer... Don't want to die but don't want to get old and decrepit??? have equal thoughts of how lucky I am/how ripped off I was ??? abore the 'wasted years' but keep wasting them??? morbid sense of humour have trouble relating to people whinging about CRAP!(including myself) have no respect for the human race - US - "the intelligent" species lolololol Desperately want WORLD PEACE, but see none....... want to save the planet, the forests,the animals - but not the people??? So as you can see POST is a bit of a MENTAL problem as well as a physical one - just when you thought it couldn't get any worse...EVERY time - it did! So now I find myself waiting for the next blow/symptom of this insidious aging process that the only cure for is DEATH!...and I'm not even depressed! ...such is life....that's about it! - and as you can see, I have too much time on my hands thank goodness for small blessings! ***Life is a parradox*** I DO have GREAT respect now for all those little old ladies that beat the odds