Hi, I am new to the board. I have searching the Internet for some sort of answers to what I have been going through for over 5 months now. This all started in October of 2004 and I find that my symptoms have gotten somewhat better, but also symptoms have changed as time has went by.

It all started with a normal day, that which is normal to me. Work, pick up daughter after work and so on. Went home and called my husband on the phone to see if he would be home soon from work. We were going to go shopping for a costume for my daughter. As I was on the phone, I started to feel strange. Just not normal. My heart was having some irregular heart beats, and my head felt distant. Not really dizzy, but out of sorts. I then hung up the phone. I then noticed that I started having tachacardia. I was very calm, I could breath right, no tingling or any signs that I was panicking. My hear calmed down. A few min later, I had this strange surge through my upper body and my hear took off again. By then the ambulance had came and the paramedics where watching and seeing what was happening. Once again, my heart went to normal. As they took me to the ER, the surge happened again in my body and my heart took off. The paramedic noted to the doctor that I was resting peacefully and no signs of panic on my part.
I felt sooooooooooooooooooo WEAK. After my system was starting to go back to normal, I did have tremors or feeling cold. They covered me with blankets. They really thought I was suffering from Panic and anxiety. I thought how? I was not doing anything. It was a normal day, this just happened, I was calm when it happened. How could it be anxiety, stress, panic?

Well, they sent me home that night. I was fine for 3 weeks. Then one day it all happened again. This time a little different. I felt warm, sorta sick feeling, my head felt funny, felt like I was not connected and out of sorts. I felt weak again, and I could not hardly stand up. again I ended up at the ER. The doctor treated me like I was nuts. He sent me home also. The next day, I still felt terrible. I went to my GP. He noticed that I had lost 12 pounds and that this needed to be looked into. I was submitted into the hospital. They did an echo, ekg, eeg, MRI, CAT SCAN, and an MRA. I had numerous blood test. I had 24 hour unrines done. Everything came back normal except for I was having low potassium levels. The nero Doc wanted to do more testing. I was tested for Lupus and I guess with the MRI and MRA MS was ruled out.

I was released from the hospital, but I was still having real symptoms that was not in my head. My scalp felt like it was moving all the time and sometimes my whole head would clinch up and it felt like my scalp was tightening to no belief. I would have temple pain, palpitations for no reason. I would have head flushes, chest flushes, hot flashes, and it all would make me sick. I need to lay down half the time. Sometimes episodes are short and I feel fine, other times it takes a good couple of hours. Sometimes before anything happens,. I feel a weird strangeness and then I feel something like a hot flush mostly o nthe left side of my body, and it makes me feel weak on the left side. My face then will feel hot on the one side and then it goes to my head and the top of my head feels like it is on fire and I feel prickly needle like pricks all through out my scalp. I have had numbness in the face, I have felt cold sensations through my head and different parts of my body.

The most recent thing my body is doing and only on one side (the left again) my shoulder jerks, I have twitches and sometimes, my leg twitches or jerks also. Sometimes, my left side of my body feels sorta limp, but functions normal. I have been seeing my nero doctor and she is checking me again for Lupus. She wants to do another EEG to rule out partial complex seizures. I am so afraid. I never know when I feel good or bad. This all comes and goes. I have started to isolate myself to being at home, because I never know when I might feel real terrible. Some episodes are worse than others.

I am scared I might have beginning MS or ALS or something horrible. This has taken a toll on my marriage and I just want to feel normal again. I am looking for help, answers, and to hear from anyone that may be able to have some words of wisdom and strength. I have been told that the MRI would have been able to detect MS, but could a few months have changed things? Should they do another MRI? Would blood work show signs of MS or any other disease that may be in an early stage?

Is all this anxiety, stress, could it be hormone problems. By the way I went to a horomone doctor and the blood work came back ok. Then they wanted to do a saliva test, because they told me blood does not always detect hormone surges. I have not had the saliva test done yet. I have had irregular cycles and symptoms of hormone problems. My life feels as though it is in a spiral of confusion, sickness and I am looking for help.. please anyone, can you relate and have I stated anything you might be going through?

with prayers in God, please help ;(

I don't know your age, but I am going to tell you that what you are feeling is quite normal. Your check-ups came back normal and that should help put you at ease. This is just the beginning of a very long trip and if you can get your mindset to believe that there will be lots of ups and downs and just to "ride" with it, staying in the present instead of the "what ifs" - it won't be as bumpy. You will do just fine. I am 59 and so far working on my ninth year.

sybilleruth,

I am only 32 years of age. I have noticed increase in breast pain.. So severe it feels just like when I gave birth and my breast filled with milk. i have had 2 cycles this month. a few days before i started the second cycle, i had very strange head surges, body flushes, heart palpatations, and it felt hard to breath sometimes. My head is always the worst, I feel so out of sorts and makes life sooooo hard to function. I kow ishould try not to have the what if's and to have faith in god that everything will be ok, but sometimes it is so hard. My husband just wants his wife back. I thank you for your kind words and responding. With others help and support and knowing I am not alone, im sure to feel more at ease.

Janice -----

Hi Janice (CocoaPom)

I just read your post and it could be my story. I have been through much of the same thing as you. Only difference is I'm 47. However, just because you are only 32 does not mean you are not experiences hormonal imbalances or in perimenopause. If all the tests have come back as normal this is a good thing. I feared I had MS and ALS for several months as well. It put me into a panic like I've never had before. But after testing and everything was ruled out, my mind was put at ease but the symptoms took several months before they slowly began to calm down.

Right now, it sounds like you are high with anxiety due to your fears. That alone can cause terrible symptoms. When put together with the symptoms of hormonal imbalances your body is probably just trying to survive. Try to put your mind at ease by believing that you have no serious illness because the tests have all come back negative. It may take a couple of months for everything to calm down and I still battle the anxiety when the symptoms stop and start.

Hang in there. There are many of us on PS that have and are experiencing everything you are going through. Even at your young age perimenopause is possible.

Hugs to you,
Maeflower

CocoPalm-

Go and peak at my posts starting last month. It's almost like you copied all of my symptons to a tee. I know how awful it is. I would actually ask people at my work if there was a bug or something in my hair when my scalp started crawling. The left arm and the hot surges up to my head were awful.

You've reminded how far I've come. The only (but awful) symptons I have is uncomfortable free-floating anxiety all day and a bit of insomnia. I've come to realize that yes, my not knowing and fear created alot of those symptons. From what I've learned through this website and all the books I've read (Hope and help for your Nerves by Claire Weeks was very helpful) hormones and panic/anxiety can run your thoughts if you do not stay on top of them.

Do the best you can to read up on it and breath deeply to calm yourself. Patience and healing to you - give it time.

Peace

CocoaPom,

In the past few weeks, there seem to be a quite a few women in their early 30's who have posted about hormonal changes and concerns that they are becoming perimenopausal. It's not unheard of to have an early menopause, or it's possible there's some other hormonal changes. I had panic after my daughter was born 30 years ago; it lasted for a couple years, then it went away.

I agree: the book "Hope and Help for Your Nerves" by Claire Weekes is a wonderful resource, and may help you to remain calm while experiencing these things.

It sounds like you have excellent, patient doctors who are taking your symptoms seriously. That's a VERY good thing! So many women here have docs who completely pooh-pooh them.

Keep working with your doctor, and try to do the very best you can each day. We are here for you. You might do a little looking around thru' the posts, and see if you can find some of the other young women who are going thru' what you are.

Take good care,


Jacquie

CocoaPom,
I'm so sorry you are going through such a stressful time and it doesn't sound like your family or your doctors are giving you much support. That only magnifies the worry and makes you doubt yourself. Keep looking for sympathetic medical people who won't panic (and order all kinds of needless, expensive tests) but who take you seriously.

In the meantime do everything you can to reduce your stress! Exercise is extremely important and if you can combine your exercise with happy social interaction that's even better. Dancing, bike rides, long walks with supportive, happy people in your life, etc. Also meditation, yoga, tai chi, breathing exercises--whatever attracts you and works for you. Take some classes and enjoy these things while they strengthen and relax you!

Bless you and good luck. The people on this forum are awesome and will support you in every way they can!

CocaPom-

Sorry to hear that your are experiencing all these issues. It is great that your medical doctors are checking this out.

When the tests come back normal, find peace in that. I know how hard these symptoms can be. I was taken off the pill in my mid-thirties and had allot of the symptoms you mentioned.

Claire Weeks book "Hope and Help for your Nerves" helped me allot. The doctors never mentioned that going off the pill suddenly would cause havoc to my system but it did.

I am experiencing the same type of symptoms now that I am in peri (free floating anxiety, mood swings, depression)

I awhile back, I did have muscle twitches, eye twitches, burning left arm, foggy thinking.

I hate the anxiety. I don't have it under control yet, but I am working on getting it taken care of.

I am using NHRT and hopfully, at the end of this cycle, I will be feeling better.

It has been 2 1/2 weeks from He**. ( anxiety,crying, low moods, little sleep)

I am there with you. Hope you feel better soon.

Sandy

CocoaPam - Just giving you a shout-out and asking for an update. How are you feeling? I am also 32, have been posting all over the place about my huge list of symptoms, many of which you also have. I get wierd one sided "heaviness", mine is on my right side. It even goes into my face at times. I am currently seeing a neurologist. Hoping he'll do an MRI soon, but so far, just an EEG.

How are you doing??? HP

Hi Cocoa!

I just want to say that in my 30's, I was treated for panic disorder and it also occurred again in my 40's, but I was treated with Limbitrol back in the mid 80's and Xanax in the second occurence. What you describe is a lot of the same feelings that happened to me when all of the panic disorder started. And my first bout came on suddenly also...it was horrible and I won't bore you with all the details.

You might want to discuss panic disorder with your doctor or psychiatrist also!

Hugs!

And don't stop going out! That's another vortex you can get s*cked into!

Well, I have not posted in a LONG TIME! I thought I would give an update! Since the original post, I have not gotten any better. My symptoms vary from time to time. I talked about my family and husband,and well sadly to say my husband left me. He has no realexplaination and even admits he does not understand why. I have lost my health, family, job, house and etc.

I was in the hospital again this October and had blood pressure problems, NOT high but very low.

Um, Most recently about 2 days ago I woke up in the middle of the night. It was about 2 in the morning. My headfelt weird, just funny is all I can describe. the next thing I knew, I felt warm, it moved through my body and my hear rate took off so fast, and I laid calmly and it eventually stopped. then I felt shaky and cold. then I had another weird feeling and it did it all over. It did it two more times, after that but not as severe. I felt tired afterwards. I fell back to sleep. My mother thought I might of been having SPS, simple partial seizures. I dunno, I am just trying to get back into the doctor. I read an article stating the following.

Hot Flushes occur when there is a reduction in central body temperature causing an increase in heart rate and extra blood being sent to the surface of the body. This blood contains heat which is then lost through the skin in an attempt to bring the rest of the body's temperature down to the same level as the core body temperature. The extra blood sent to the skin causes the sensation of heat, flushing, perspiration and redness of the skin.

Signs and symptoms
The most typical description of a hot flush is - a sudden onset of warmth in the chest, spreading upward to involve the neck and face. Hot flushes can last from a few seconds to several minutes, however, the severity of the sensations vary greatly both from time to time in the same woman and from woman to woman. Hot Flushes can occur with dizziness, nausea, headaches, palpitations, profuse sweating and night sweats. How often a woman experiences Hot Flushes also varies, ranging from many times a day to once a week or less. In some women Hot Flushes are provoked by factors such as; hot weather, stress, eating, drinking alcohol etc.

This is what I describe most the time. I do however feel the on set before I get flushed or I have tachacardia. it even states that severity in the woman can vary. So, Life has been hard, life has changed so drastic in the last year, and it is so hard.

I just thought, I would give an update, I wih it was better news, but any advice or comments would be appreciated.

thank you,

Janice

Cocoa,

So sorry to hear that you are going through so much all at once. My life changed drastically about one year ago when my peri symptoms went through the roof (didn't know it was peri at the time) and I lost both of my grandparents (who were like my parents) in the first three months of last year. I must admit that it has been on heck of a ride this year and many times I have felt like I was dying from some dreaded disease and just couldn't take it anymore.

I was on the doctor treadmill for about six months last year and have found the most information and comfort from this website. I have many friends that have supported me from this site along my way.

I still am having symptoms but they are changing and even though I still have the ocassional moments of doubt in my heart I know this is peri.

As for you husband I think I would try to really evaluate if this is the best man for you. Peri is a miserable difficult time for a woman and even if you are not in peri but perhaps having anxiety or whatever the cause your husband should stand beside you. Now is when you need him the most...after all you both committed to for better or for worse.

Try to lean on your friends, rely in your faith, and cut loose any extra stress or problems you can. Maybe your husbands leaving was good in the fact that you might not have to deal with as much stress as you would have if you were still together...but I know it will still hurt.

At the end of the day just knowing that God is in control and His will will be done has pulled me through. I also have children and family that do love me and I'm sure you have family and friends as well. Face just one day at a time and do the best you can...that's all you can do.

I'll be praying for you...

TeeJay