Hi Heidi,Did you have any other tests?  Have you tried the Mircette yet ? If you did has it helped?  Does anyone know if there is  a test to check progesterone levels and if so has anyone had a progesterone test after having normal FSH and LH test's results and  if so what was the results with that? Does anyone know what the symptoms would be if you do not have enough progesterone?Dearest thank you for the info on Hormone therapy. Jeanne and Snowbird thank you for the replies.

(Edited by Irish Rose at 5:49 am on Aug. 4, 2001)

Hi Everyone,I'm at this perimenopausal stage, I think.  I'm about to turn 42 (next week).  About 6 months ago, I started having night sweats.  The whole episode lasted about 3 weeks and no more, at least for now.  My periods began changing about that time and are heavier, with lots of clots.  And now, I am having those wonderful mood swings.  My husband thinks I'm stressed due to moving in June to a new area, but most of that stress is over now.  On that subject, throughout the move--about a 3 month ordeal--I didn't deal with stress well at all.  I've brought all this up to ask this--is it normal to have symptoms come and go?  Will soy products help in such a situation?  Do I need to go into a closet and hide for the next ??years?  :)Suzan

Suzan, Hi!!

No..No...don't hid in the closet....come here:biggrin: Altho' , I must admit.......I did hid for years......I actually RAN from Menopause~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I tried all kinds of HRT to AVOID it......thought I could too!!  Heck, my doctor said....."take HRT and you'll feel young again.....do what the young gals can do!"I believed him!!:o:o *Sheesh*

Anyhoo.......sounds like your peri, my friend!!Stress, is part of it.....and it's unpredictable:( It can hit when there's nothing going on....or if, you're moving to a new house!! ;)Meno symptoms like Dearest says, is inconsistent!!

My suggestion is to try NOT to figure, them out......let your body do that!! Listen to what it's saying....learn all you can, about menopause!! Yes...soy works well with some gals!! However, not with everyone....as everyone is different...with different chemical make-up and needs!!Read the posts...ask questions and you will find all kinds of wonderful gals here more than willing to help you out!!The symptoms you described....certainly sound meno!! May I also suggest....a good place to start....if you haven't yet....is to talk it over with a good doctor...just to make sure there's nothing else going on;)

Anyhow...I welcome you...and, I'm looking forward to getting to know you better in the coming days...weeks!

((((((Hugs from a Canadian Gal))))))))                    Nancy

Hi,

I guess I've been really in denial.  Always blaming any symptoms on anything EXCEPT perimenopause.  My maturity level was younger than my age at the time of my counseling at the age of 39.  Now 47, it's taken this long to catch up.  Some may know what I mean.

Anyway, I am all of the sudden faced with middleage.  Just now realizing I won't ever be 25 again.  I'm accepting it but also in the greiving process.  I've been so vain as far as youth&beauty go.  

Having night sweats I can't explain away.  Also get flushes of warmth that I've probably had for a year or so but wouldn't acknowledge.  Lately it's been more often.  Guess this is it.  Anyone want to tell me it might be something else?  

Do we just get our self esteem from the other good things about ourselves or is there a way to take a positive look at this?

Gratefully,Chris

Hi Chris,

Yeah , it definitely is a rude awakening , but  something that will be easier to take  as you go along. I had and most here have placed more on their looks than maybe we should have.  It's just the culture of the USA I think. Youth rules! Well, I think that's ok but now I am happy that I can just be me . I don't have to be a beauty queen anymore, I can go outside and dig in the dirt planting things and if someone comes to the door that's the breaks. I am so comfortable being me. don't get me wrong , I still want to look as best as I can, but it isn't the MOST important thing in life like it used to be.  I need to lose weight for health reasons first and for liking the way I look second. Priorities are different now. I sure went through a "oh no , no one is flirting with me anymore " stage. And I still miss that at times. But people still like me for who I am , not what I look like. I'm not a slob, but you know what I mean. And they assume I know everything , lol. So age does have it's advantages . You will learn that as you go along. Don't be too hard on yourself. Concentrate on what you know are your good qualities. You have a lot left to enjoy and to offer. You just need to accept the fact like you said that you will never be 20 again. :)Come here and talk about it often. It will make you feel so much better , I promise :)hugs, jeanne

Hi jeanne,

You sound happy!  I'm working on it.  Instead of wearing jeans and T-shirts like the young girls, I have begun a new wardrobe with more nice clothes.  The object is not to look young, but to look nicely dressed.  That has helped alot.  Instead of my usual very light blonde I have also changed that to "not so blonde"  which is reinforcing that I'm not trying to attract attention.  It is making me feel as though I'm growing older gracefully, and that gives me a sence of pride.  I am noticing the women who need attention verses the women who just look very nice.  It's an eye opener.  I don't think I needed the attention as much as I thought I had to compete.  That  can put alot of pressure on a person.  So I'm going to keep thinking this way and already I feel proud of myself.  In time maybe I will notice women who are growing older gracefully, more than the young pretty ones.  Think?  I sure hope so.  It's taking a conscious effort.  Do you think it can become a habit?  I know this is silly,  I have never before felt so insecure.  And I do think it's silly, but the feelings come up anyway.  I think I'm on the right track but if anyone has more positive ways they have dealt with this issue, please tell me.  

Thanks for your post jeanne. It was much appreciated since I read it right before my husband and I were going to Fort Myers, where there are a lot of beautiful young people walking around!!!!

Chris

Hi Everyone!  This is my first time posting to this topic and I have to say I wish I had this 3-to-5 years ago.  I'm 48 now, but back then when I went to my doc complaining of missed periods, spotting--maybe 1 in 4 months, and sweats! :shock:  My doc said I was probably starting menopause but didn't want to hear anymore til my periods stopped completely.  He didn't suggest tests at all.  Then my periods totally stopped and the sweats were worse.  It wasn't til a year ago my new doc (I didn't like the other doc's "uninterested" response to my questions.):smile:  So my new lady doc gave me the form for blood tests--I hadn't had a period for 3 years solid by then--we started on HRT because she was sure that's where I was--she scared me by telling me bone loss was iminent with the natural remedies so HRT was what I started.  I promptly lost the form and never have had any tests concerning the levels of progesterone or estrogen.  I'm not saying I shouldn't have; I just really have trouble with doctors and what they think they know.  Listen to your body ladies! :smile:  It has been your friend of all your lives and will tell you what you need to know!  (For me anyway!)  I just recently (2-week veteran!) found Power-Surge when I was looking for myself for alternatives to HRT and through here I have found soy protein and am in my first week of use, and I have stopped my HRT (because of monthly spotting, which I didn't have when I wasn't taking anything for 3 years) so after my last pill of this cycle I stopped! :shocked:  Anyway, you know how you feel--you never felt this way before and Mother Nature will take care of you if you don't panic.  We really don't need a test/tests to tell us what we already know--that our bodies are going through a wonderful blossoming transformation, and at the end I think there will be a balance in our beings that we haven't ever felt before--a self-esteem that isn't based on what's around us--at least that's what I EXPECT and will find the necessary remedies to achieve that goal!  Remember there are still men and women doctors that tell us it's all in our heads and that more exercise is the answer!  Don't let anyone tell you that you "aren't really feeling what you're feeling!"  Now above all, we need to be the MASTERS of our own well being and actively seek the knowledge and for that I thank Power-Surge and the Message Boards.  God Bless to All and keep reading!

Thanks for listening! :wink:

MarySmo

MarySmo, Hi!!

Thank you for sharing your story:)You said a lot in just one post!!  Listening to your body...took me, from rebelling to my doctors line of thinking to this site...where I learnt and grew to understanding, (without guilt) what my body was telling me;)

You seem to have a very good outlook on where you're going;)Welcome aboard...and again thank you!!  I hope to get to know you better...keep posting...keep sharing!!

Godspeed!!((((((((((Hugs from a Canadian Gal))))))))))                              Nancy

Snowbird, (Nancy) Hi!

I want to get to know you better too!  I apologize for such a large conglomeration of random:confused: thoughts but one seems to lead me to another . . . :wink:  Anyway, my only thought for today is--We all better relish where we're going because the alternative is yuckie:sad:!  Take care and I'll post more soon.  

Hi Chris and EverybodyI 'm 49 and have also had a very hard time with admitting I was going through some changes. Most people tell me I look much younger than my age and for a long time I didn't admit how old I really was to alot of people. I guess because of that, it's been harder to realize that my body is growing older and I really am in perimenepause because I wanted to deny it. I've done everything imaginable to keep my youth, from expensive creams, diets, exercise and was even considering plastic surgery last year - until the anxiety got so bad I wound up in the hospital almost aneroxic. Now, I'm trying to deal with being healthy-(I"ve also developed hypertention -) and focusing on health first . My looks are still important( I always have young guys trying to pick me up) but I've found that I'm much more  aware of inner happiness and trying to focus on spiritural and meaningful relationships with my family and mankind. I like your idea about growing old gracefully and hopefully I can ease into that way of thinking without letting myself become obsessed about my looks and beauty fading as wrinkles and gray hair take over.

Suzie

Hi Suzie and everybody too,

Yeah, focusing on health has actually made me feel more beautiful and sexier.  I used to take diet pills all the time and at one point I was bulimic....All the stuff we women do to ourselves just to look good is sad.  We've spent too much time on it!  

I was so much in denial that looking back, I think I've been perimeno for years and I'm  just now facing it.  But that's o.k. because I just wasn't ready.

Looking forward to the day of no more periods and meanwhile getting real healthy.  I've had fatique for a couple years now and I think it's because I wasn't taking care of myself and always obsessed with losing weight. Starving and binge eating.  

A few months ago I got on a healthy diet .  I feel so much better.  Not depriving myself,  not killing myself with exercise(but making sure I get some every day) just thinking health.  And of course naturally I look better.

But the biggest change for me is learning that I don't have to compete with young women.  Accepting my age and knowing we're so much more than the young ones with what life has taught us so far.  They haven't got a clue.  Guess we should lead the way for the them !!!.

I'm happy to say the change has done me good.

Feeling more relaxed than I ever have in my life.  

You women here have been full of wise words that have helped so much.  Not feeling alone anymore!

Watch that salt, Suzie:) Hugs, Chris

Suzie, Chris....Hi'ya!!

I appreciate you guys sharing your story!!  I never had a problem with overwieght!  I grew up with a Mom who IS both anorexic and bulemic!! I know the destruction of what those diseases can do to a person:(I'm thin, do to genetics....mainly on my Dad's side!!

I may surprise a few here...but...I never really got hung-up on what to eat or not to eat....except that which irritates the gallbladder, that I DON'T have:biggrin: plus my hiatal hernia!! Aaargh!!

I never tried to deny growing old.....(I use to be a Cosmetologist)....so, I know how even an aging woman can grow gracefully and quite beautifuly;)

Although, I do/did have problems with the idea of aging...physically!! What I mean by that is...aches and pains..IOW...health wise!! Not so much the looks!!

**No Matter What The BODY Or FACE Says...Anyone Can Be Attractive**

The tuffy is ACCEPTING that!!  Accepting what is happening....not DENIAL....and one doesn't hafta...stop the cosmetics!! One can change the color...the amount...the style, etc.,etc. to suite the changes happening...or drop them altogether...whatever makes YOU FEEL attractive!!

I don't get hung-up any longer with the body (falling apart)...for lack of a better phrase!!  I look in the mirror...take stock...change what I can...accept what I can't and make the VERY best of it!!

A healthy life style is important...but not (to me) an obsession!!  I had enough of that with alcohol!!

I absolutely refuse to hang on to what WAS....and embrace what IS!! Once a gal can do that...she can go forward!! Do what's best for your well being!!Your right Chris...in that you don't compete with others!! Poor Mom does that to this day:(

I know a woman (82 years old)...grey hair, etc.,etc. She is one of the most beautiful women I know!!  She takes care of her looks...her health...eats what suites her...exercises sensibly and attracts attention...even by the young crowd!! They want to know her secret!!

It's the same everytime....she says, "don't give up on yourself....accept the changes...and beautify them....work on your INNER/SPIRITUAL beauty and get on with life!!:)She had a rough time with menopause, too!!

So gals......The Snowbird's advise for the day:biggrin: Don't dwell on what you lost....but look to what you have now....and make the best of it;)

HAGO((((((((Hugs from Snowy)))))))                  Nancy

How right you are Snowbird (that was too perceptive to call you silly goose :biggrin:)I am really not that obsessed like I was for a while there with how i am looking. Like you ,the things that bother me are the physical. Especially since I got sick last year. I really miss being really active. I can make the rest of the external me look ok , but I sure would love to walk down the block without worrying if my leg will start hurting , or make the bed without becoming dizzy, stuff like that. The main reason I have to watch my weight is to keep off added strain on my heart. Plus it gets expensive getting bigger pants everytime I turn around , heehee.(and I don't turn around much , not my best side ).Somedays I feel like I look rather cute for an older woman . I look around and see some younger women that look older than me. At least I've been told that :)Also , I think I look better when I've had a good nights sleep. That is really hard to come by since meno. I heard the other day on TV that menopause women lose a brain chemical that causes them to sleep bad. And bad sleep leads to bad days after awhile.  So somehow we have to get a good sleep because I doubt the these chemicals come back for us. I will have to read the recommendations page on that again. Well, I'm rambling , but hope any of this made sense. (really poor sleep last night so bear with me )

Kind of fun to ramble and see what you had to say LOL,hugs, you gals, stay happy jeanne

Luv ya, crazy gal!!

I didn't sleep much, (if at all) last night either:(I broke one of my own no's no's....had a bowl of chili, and...yep...my missing gall bladder knew it!! *Sheesh*

Probably why, I did such a loooooong post on, "letting go of what was and embracing the what IS!!"I just came back and read it....even impressed myself:biggrin: Don't worry...I won't let it go to my head:cool::cool::cool::cool: Opppppps...already have:cool:

(((((((((Hugs from a NOT so Silly but TIRED Goose)))))))                        Snowy  WayToo:cool:

Snowbird, jeanne, and the rest of my menobabe sisters,

You two are kooky!

Sorry about your Mom, Snowbird. I'm guessing you had to learn the hard waythat you aren't responsible for her life.Still I know how it feels when you just wantto shake someone you love.

My bulimia ended back in my early 20's. But I continued most of my life with the starving and then when I couldn't take it anymore I'd binge.  It took learning to eat in moderation in stead of the"all or nothing".

Alcohol was also a crutch for 15 years before I got counseling. Been there, done that. Not fun!

I believe exercise is  the key for us menobabes.However much or little. When I first started trying to exercise after a deep depression, Ihad let the weight get up to 235 and I couldn't even walk around my yard withoutgetting out of breath. Had the hiatal herniatoo and had to sleep in a chair. Need I say "miserable"!

Swimming was the first thing that got someweight off without hurting myself. Then Iprogressed to walking until my knee gave out.Now I swim and ride my bike. Not obsessivelythough, since I don't feel like doing it mostdays. Still, I do 20 minutes of somekind of exercise at least every other day.If I slack off, I feel like ****  Aches andpains, stiffness, and my knee starts cracking.

I've come a long way since that first day of walking around the yard.  I've lost 70 pounds.

But I won't let that go to my head!!  :cool::cool::cool:

Well, maybe a little:cool:

My advice for the day menobabes, is to takecare of ourselves, even if it means other thingswill have to wait. My health is my top priority along with spiritual growth. Doing something fun and some laughter doesn't hurt either.

Going fishing is what my man and I call fun:biggrin:

Hmm...I won't mention the other thing we do for fun.

Hanging in there, thanks & hugs,

Chris

Chris!! My Texan-bud!!

**I'm VERY Impressed**

You've really had a time of it, Girl!!You're one heck of a TROOPER...that's fer sure!!!

You're right, about me wanting to shake my Mom!!  It's only been the last year or so...that I finally realized, I wasn't to blame or responsible for her eating disorders:( Life MUST go on;)

WOW!! **Loosing 70 pounds** You've earned a little head-trip, Kiddo!! :biggrin::cool:

You really seem to have a FANTASTIC handle on what's BEST for you!! I know it MUST be hard...doing it, a "day at a time"...sometimes, I'm sure, "In Moments"?!?!

You're wise not to let me know what else you and your man do for fun;) I have quite a vivid imagination...we'll let it go at that:cheesy::biggrin::cool: Yeehaah!!

Take care my friend!! One thing I really love about this site....I meet TROOPERS like YOU!!

Godspeed and HAGO!!

((((((((((Hugs from Snowy-Gal)))))))))                      Nancy :cool:

Hi Snowbird, Chris, Jeanne and Everyone!

THanks so much for your support! Yeah, it sure is tough sometimes. Getting old 's a b----. Ha ha. I was going to spell it out, but thought better of it!  Actually I always say you're as old as you feel!  Most of the time I don't feel old. I agree with you gals that we are superior to the younger girls in that we're wiser and have developed character! Ha ha!It's great to visit with all of  you ! We're all in this together!Suzie

Hi Chris,Yes, I'd say an ego trip is definitely in order after all you have conquered. I'd give it a BIG WOOOOHOOO , too :)Geez sometimes the gals here blow me away with all they have been through and how they get better and better. :cheesy: I remember in my 20's feeling like everyone else was responsible for my happiness. Took a long time to get over that notion. I was about 35 when it finally occured to me that I was. Guess it takes some of us longer than others to realize we aren't the center of the universe. I had to get over that before I started being really happy and those around me started being happier too. Funny how that works :)Never had an eating problem till now. I am finally starting to feel like I don't NEED sweets. I still have some now and then , but It is slowly getting less and less. I think it is harder for me to give up sweets than cigarettes. But it's starting to work . YIPPEE!I guess that is my "alcohol" type of addiction. I have been known to get up at 2 in the morning and bake a chocolate cake just to have something sweet ,lol Seems we all have some kind of addiction whether it be physical or emotional or both. Always room to grow and improve who we are.  And all the ladies at Power-Surge seem to be doing just that.

And as for being kooky , I resemble that remark ! It's Silly Gooses fault though.  Just so you know . :biggrin:

Big hugs and big congrats to all you have overcome Chris, jeanne

Yeah...Yeah...Yeah!! Blame me...for your kookiness!! HeHe!!You luv it..."admit it"...being crazy 'n kooky, too!! Looks good on ya!!:biggrin:I couldn't handle being the only one who's Silly:cheesy::biggrin:Kinda Keeps Me Sane..................................................

((((((((Hugs to crazy jeanne from Silly Goose)))))))                        (A Pair Of Kooks)                                  Nancy

Suzie,  bless your heart!!

We're all in the same boat!! It's really...really hard to accept that the clock is tickin down!! Heck...when I was 20 something...I'd look at the 40ishers...and think, "Good Grief! I'll never get that....errr..old!!"

WHAT WAS I THINKING!!! Not much REALITY in my life back then!!

Now...like I said before...take what you have and go from there!!Life goes on!! We mature...get better..grow wiser and in character...like ya said!! Thanks hon!!

(((((((((Hugs from Snowy))))))))                   Nancy

I still think it's all backwards though and we should start out really old and dumb and gradually grow younger and prettier and wiser and then gradually end up in the womb and poof back to the creator.

Think if we got a petition.............nah, probably wouldn't work . hugs, jeanne

Now I KNOW you're the KOOK one!! :biggrin:LMBO!!(((((Huggers from the Silly-One))))                    Snowy :cool:

Yay Jeanne!What a great idea!!!  Why doesn't it work that way? imagine what a trip that would be!  Ha ha!

Suzie  p.s. You guys are great!

Hey, Ladies....remember the TV show, "Mork and Mindy???"Mork...grew backwards in age!!  He was born...or was it hatched??....(don't remember)....OLD!! Then as time passed he would get younger and younger!! Problem is, ya hafta be from another Planet!! An Alien!! :biggrin:

(((((((Huggers to ya)))))))            Snowy

I think I know a few people from outer space :shocked:I call them space cadets cause they are waaaaay out there.

And yes I remember "Mork&Mindy " , My favorite guy Robin Williams

hugs, (possible alien) jeanne

[quote]Quote: from jeanne on 10:23 am on Aug. 16, 2001[br]Never had an eating problem till now. I am finally starting to feel like I don't NEED sweets. I still have some now and then , but It is slowly getting less and less. I think it is harder for me to give up sweets than cigarettes. But it's starting to work . YIPPEE!I guess that is my "alcohol" type of addiction. I have been known to get up at 2 in the morning and bake a chocolate cake just to have something sweet , lol  /quote]--------

Okay Jeanne, did you have to say you baked a "chocolate cake"? Now I will not rest until I do the same--ha!  I have the same problem as you--sweets (rather, fatty sweets). Especially chocolate. It's become an obsession, really, and I don't seem to be able to deal with it. They say to wait 15 minutes and a craving will pass, but mine never do. I will think about chocolate cake now until late tonight. I'm doomed!

P.S. So glad to read about your good cholesterol results.

(Edited by Wordgirl at 4:22 pm on Aug. 16, 2001)

Oh Dear Wordgirl , What have I done? Bad, bad Jeanne. Think of it with chili on top of the cake , maybe that will make it sound yucky

I'll never mention it again , I promise:biggrin:hugs , frozen yogurt jeanne

Hi Y'all!

Thanks for the pat on the back!  Hope everyone made it through the night without totally pigging out :0

Back to insecure feelings and perimenopause...watch out for those sneak attacks!  We really have tokeep that positive self talk constantly going.  I could kick myself sometimes, nah, I won't do that

Poor Dave, I had a little flare-up about a hussy he couldn't care less about.  Could hear myself and told him I knew I was being rediculous. Came to my senses quickly.  :cool:

My hormones go up and down, so I guess my self confidence might too.  I can either buy in to it or I can look at it as an annoying little ache that will pass. And also, that annoying little ache used to be full blown pain, so I must be healing.

Suzie, glad to see your post along with the others:)

Hanging in there,Hugs, Chris