Hello...new here with a question

[soni63]

Hi...I'm 50 and nearly 1 year post-meno (last period was 7/14/11). Peri was awful...in June 2011 I got hit with a bunch of symptoms at once: palpitations, brain fog, fatigue, balance issues, tingling in the extremities, mood swings, night sweats. The worst was the raging anxiety, which turned into full-blown hypochondria. I also had odd floating abdominal pain and started losing weight rapidly. After being told by various doctors that it was IBS or "bad menopause" I was finally diagnosed with celiac disease in October 2012 and had to go gluten-free by medical neccesity. Celiac symptoms mirror many peri symptoms, and about three months after going gf most of my symptoms went away. I'm now six months gf and until last week felt great. Still had occasional moments of anxiety but overall was much better.

Then a week ago the old brain fog came back, bringing with it the old balance issues and a new symptom: frequent mild headaches. The health anxiety is back as well. It's entirely possible that I was accidentally glutened and I'm having a reaction but can't trace it to any particular time. In my current anxious state I've halfway convinced myself they're symptoms of another autoimmune disease like MS.

Could the brain fog possibly be hormonal even though my last period was nearly two years ago? The new gyno I saw last week said that hormones continue to fluctuate an average of 5 - 7 years post-meno so it could be hormonal.

Your thoughts?

Thanks!

[gobe]

soni63

I still get days of brain fog and I am now three years post menopause. I have never taken HRT,

[soni63]

Does your brain fog linger for days or is it a 1 or 2-day thing once in a while? I've been like this for over a week.

[gobe]

Usually just a day or two with me but sometime it does last a few more days than that. I suffer from seasonal allergies and that causes me brain fog as well so it is hard for me to be sure if it is lack of hormones or overdose of pollen and allergens. Allergies can become more pronounced after menopause as well, apparently. Isn't this a fun time of life NOT!

[soni63]

Ugh...this is nuts. When does it end? I can't imagine living like this for the rest of my life. I asked my mom what she went through during her changes. She said she had a lot of headaches and night sweats but otherwise no problems. Either she's lying or she doesn't remember. I was a teenager when she went through meno and clearly recall her rages, most of which were directed at me. I asked her when her hormones settled down; she said it took about a year post-meno to finally feel normal. I don't know about that...again I recall her mood swings and rages well into her 60s (she became post at age 48). Today she's a healthy 86 and quite mellow but that could also be due to the Zoloft and Ativan she's been taking for years. Is this what I have to look forward to?

Based on my gastrointestinal difficulties this morning I'm beginning to believe the brain fog is celiac-related. It must be a reaction to accidentally ingesting gluten, which wouldn't surprise me as I grew a little careless about what and where I ate last week. A friend who is also celiac recommended drinking lots of water to flush out my system so that's what I'm doing today as I enjoy a big bowl of quinoa for breakfast. I'm NOT eating out at all this week.

[gobe]

Well to give you hope I am feeling lots better than I felt during my first post meno year. I still have some up and down moods but the sweats have stopped. Apart from some body changes I feel ok(ish) but then I think I have had quite a mild meno compared to some of the women on here. We all seem to have our own unique meno journey. It feels like a cruel rite of passage to me in some ways and then when you come out the other end you think thank God I made it !

[soni63]

Amen to that. Thanks for the encouragement.