does anyone have joint and muscle pains

My problem has been with my back and legs. I can't sit for too long without having to get up and walk around to loosen everything up. Don't know if it's menopause-related, or arthritis, or age (I'm only 51).

Right before I developed fibromyalgia, I started getting very stiff after I would work. Eventually, it got so that no matter how long or short I had sat down in a chair, I could hardly get up, without incredible amounts of pain and stiffness. It sort of comes and goes, but mostly stays around. Mine started in my late 40's. I've noticed that my stiffness is much worse when I eat sweets/carbs and alot of salt. Also, I found out my kneecaps are off center, which I guess can cause alot of problems in that entire area. But yes, stiffness seems to be part of losing our hormones......but maybe just for some of us.
I swear, I get rigor mortis when I sit down! At it's worst, I kept a cane close by, to help me up. Bummer!

Well, estrogen makes our ligaments loose... which is why we are usually more flexible than men....
I get these wierd muscle cramps... it's not from lack of water or potassium, the doctor can't figger it out. It's painful.

I too, am having joint and muscle pain. I am keeping active but it doesn't seem to help although I suppose it could be worse. I also have itchy skin - and intolerance to hot sun. All these symptons seem to dominant my life and make it quite hard to get on with other things. Does anyone else feel overwhelmed?

I thought I was losing my mind!! I stopped taking BC pill six months ago and menopause has hit me "like a ton of bricks"!! I have muscle aches and bone and joint pain. I wake up in the night with an ache in my hips so bad I can barely move. My neck is also stiff when I wake up. During the day when I sit for a period of time, getting myself moving is a task in itself. It's like I've petrified!

I have been going to a massage therapist for deep tissue massage which helps for a couple of days, but after that, it's back to the same pain. I cannot afford to do this regularly. I have been taking fibroplex, but this does not seem to help.

My elbows, knees, hip, neck and feet are always in terrible pain. My body feels like I am an old woman (only 45). It concerns me that I will be unable to get around in a few years.

I have not been to a doctor yet, thinking it has to do with menopause, but I guess it could be fibromyalgia.

If anyone knows of any help for this, I would love to hear it!! I am tired of being in constant pain.

ditto to all the ailments mentioned..its so frustrating to feel so bad so often.. My joints do not begin to loosen any until 10:00am each morning and thats on good days..lol.. I take Advil ALOT, which can't be good, but its better than constant pain..it seems when one thing subsides another is aching to take its place! I get some real bad foot cramps and even the toes start twisting..you know how they just jam up and go in different directions and get paralyzed? of course you do..so when the foot cramps hit, I have to stand up and get them worked out, knowing that the hips dont even want to stand up, much less the lower back...and omg, rainy,damp, days are killers..so yea, I can sympathize with you all.. I know everything got worse when I entered menopause and I have been into it for 7 years now! The aches and pains are bad enough without even going into the other symptoms..no wonder they locked women up 100 years ago..they not only thought they had went nuts but so did the people around them... just remember you are not crazy and your ailments are real.

Read my post above titled "No more hot flashes". I had those aches and now they are gone. Too much to type again so just scroll to that post.

I did read it and I also believe what works for one person does not work for another during this stage of change. I am glad you found improvement. In order for any diet to work, it takes a total life style change and total commitment on the part of the dieter..Some people cannot adjust to the menus, etc. for various reasons... I applaud your determination and the results you have found.

I had the problems that some of you did. I was only 46 and could not walk without pain. The pain woke me up at night. I felt locked up when I sat for awhile. I finally found out I had a Vitamin D deficiency. I had never heard of it before, but the doctor started me on supplements, and I got better. It's taken a couple years to fully recover, but it was such an awful time that when I saw your posts, I thought I'd just let you all know that you should ask your doctor to test your Vitamin D level. I hope everyone feels better soon! It doesn't have to be this way!

I'm the same way with most the above symptoms and approaching 50.

The main problem I have is the bottom/bones of my feet hurt so much when I stand and walk. I also wake in the night with sharp pain in my feet. I am going to ask my physician about Vitamin D!

I have also been having trouble with migraines that last on and off for about a month - twice a year for the last three. I had never had so much as a headache before hitting menopause. These migraines not only cause head pain (mostly the left eye area), but I have sharp pains that seem to circle my head. The worse part is the numbness and tingling I get in my face, hands, leg and feet.

Menopause is not fun, and I would give anything to have a period every month again!

Oh my gosh! I just found this forum and you girls are describing so many of my symptoms. People look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them that my feet/heels hurt so bad in the morning. If I sit more than 30 minutes, I am stiff. My fingers have been getting numb and sometimes they tingle. Every joint in my body is sore most of the time.

Anyway, thanks to all of you for helping me to not feel so stupid and neurotic.

I am a breast cancer survivor so I am on Tamoxifen to block estrogen. On top of that, I had a hysterectomy, so there is very little estrogen in my body and I think I'm feeling the effects. The thing is...no one told me I would have all of those symptoms--no one. Yes, I was told about the hot flashes I'd have with chemo but none of the other stuff.

I diet constantly and work out for 1 - 1 1/2 hours nearly every day and cannot lose weight. My gyn just told me "It gets harder". I don't think my body can take any more than I'm giving it now.

It is scary. I feel the same way. I even went to a rheumatologist to make sure I didn't have rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia or anything else! He said it's osteoarthritis in my knee and foot. But my hands hurt, my feet hurt, my elbows hurt! My skin is hot and sensitive. I don't want to be a hypochodriac! The doc did say I was low on Vitamin D too. Maybe we have found a thread of hope here!

check the drug Mobic out.....it is an anti-inflamatory. My DH and I both take the 15MG tablets. wonderful drug.

Tell your physician you would like to try it.......

Rosie

I am experiencing the same things as noted above, the achey body,the sore joints and the sore feet. I have gained at least 45 pounds in 9 months and I am tired all the time. I had a hysterectomy almost 5 years ago, and I am no longer on HRT due to pain from endometriosis tissue that is attached to stomache and bowel area. I have had all sorts of test, and had been to the Endocrinologist to check for hypothroidism and my coritsol levvel is currently being checked. I am at my wits end also. I don't feel as if my husband understands, unless it has a name to it. I have no energy to do anything. I need help or resources so please, let me know if anyone has any advice or help. I would love support just as well. It does help to talk to others so you don't feel alone.

I am 49. I used to walk every day at lunchtime to keep my weight down and stay fit. About 2-3 years ago, I started having pain in my feet - the entire bottom surface hurts when I walk, and sometimes the toes tingle. I have spent a small fortune on inserts and new shoes, thinking that was the problem, and nothing helps. Upon awakening, those first steps are really painful. So, I gained weight, because I can't walk, which leads to depression, more weight gain. Damn. Currently, my back is also giving me real problems. I have had my first blood tests recently and am awaiting the results and consultation with doctor. Curiously, I go through weeks where I have pain, for example, in my hip, then it goes away, as suddenly as it came. Then, I have pain in my arm, for weeks then goes away. I read somewhere that this is known as "travelling arthritis". Has anyone else heard of it? I haven't had a period since last December - so I am counting the days now until it's a year. On and off, I feel like maybe I am ovulating, but nothing happens - just like another person mentioned here.

This forum is great, if only to know that we are not alone with these strange symptoms.

Anna

All of this sounds like my life(feet,back,knees,neck,fingers like every joint in your body that can hurt: does.My other problem is I have to take coumadin every day because of a artificial heart valve so that knocks out some of the meds on the market,does anybody else have this problem.Sometimes I just want to give up because it hurts so bad,I hope all you guys still check this post.I came across it looking for muscle relief....I'm 59 yrs old and been going through this for 6 yrs.
Linda

I just found this page and hope it's not a dead site - so Hi to cammasue in case you check back here. This is my life also - started 2 years ago, I'm 49 now, with the bottoms of my feet in pain like a few of the other women here. It progressed to joint/muscle pain - stabbing pains out of nowhere and aching joints from my fingers to hips. So far I've found what helps is to take a scrip strength ibuprofen every other day, 800mg. I saw a podiatrist months ago when I couldn't stand the foot pain anymore. I went to physical therapy as recommended- which helped a great deal. I only went about 6-7 times as the co-pay was getting expensive, but that was enough to make a big difference in the pain. I just started getting gentle massages & the 1st one seems to have helped as the muscle pain was a lot less for several days after. (Lucky to have a massage therapist in the family). Heat also helps & sometimes I'll take the hot water bottle into bed with me. It's such a struggle to accept this huge shift from pain free (relatively) to (almost) constant pain. I see my Dr pretty regularly and went to a rheumatologist a few years ago, and I do have arthritis but they've not found anything else wrong so this seems to be from the changing hormonal levels. Crazy. I found some guided imagery tapes and I'm optimistic about some relief after using them for a while also.

Three months after by periods stopped, my feet started to hurt so much in the evening I would limp, my legs also lost strength. I have been to a regular doctor, pain management doctor, chiropractor, and a foot surgeon. I have had a MRI and X-rays on my feet. I have also been to a neurosurgeon and he did a nerve test with negative results. They found nothing wrong. I have had this for 15 months now. I bought shoe inserts ($200) and expensive tennis shoes. I am now going to a therapist and he suggested that my hormones or lack of hormones have attacked by muscles and tendons of my feet and legs and he is now trying to stretch my muscles and do therapy on them three times a week. They are starting to feel better. He also has me on a non steroid anti inflammatory pill. After reading everyones comments I feel he has found my problem that no one else has been able to find. It is so disheartening to go to one doctor after another and they all think you are crazy. Hope this at least helps one person out there!

Thank you Suerauch as this helps to confirm what my thoughts have been, but haven't had a Dr.tell me either. As I mentioned in my post - I went to foot therapy also and they did deep stretchingg (it hurt!) but it really helped the pain to subside. Best wishes to everyone dealing with these various pain issues and hang in there while you seek a treatment that works.

OMG! I am so glad to find this forum. I have been having foot pain and it is hard for me to walk at first after sitting. I have to limp around until my feet get used to walking. My foot pain is at the back of the arch right before the front of the heel on the inside of both feet. They are even tender if I massage them. I also have pain in my hips and once I stand up, I have to get the hips back in line, I am 52. I have been going through menopause for a couple of years, so maybe it is hormone or lack of hormone related. Look forward to reading any advise you all can provide. Thanks!

Hi,
Don't know if we can name products here but here's what gave me relief. For my hot achy feet I used Dermal therapy Heel Care cream.I just used it like hand cream on my feet. At first every evening. Now a couple times a week. I got mine in the pharmacy section at Wal-Mart.I did the orthicas(sp) (cost a fortune) only got a little relief. I also take a magnesium tablet each evening, not calcium/mag.

Well, I also have been dealing with these issues for 3 years. No MD knows what I am talking about. I believe it is all caused by menopause, and I have found a few remedies.
I think the foot issues are called "plantar fascitis". Look it up. I found that ice helped the best, along with good support comfortable shoes. That eventually subsided, then on to the muscle spasms... I found Magnesium Glycinate to help that, along with some calcium and make sure I am getting adequate potassium in my food. These all affect muscles and seem to help me, though if I miss a day of magnesium, the cramps return. I have heard previous generations of women speak of drinking Quinine water (tonic water).
I am still dealing with the muscle stiffness, especially upon initiating movement from sitting. I have found a physical therapist who is successfully addressing the symptoms with systematic gentle stretching exercises, and it is taking awhile, but making a huge difference.

It is great to hear of others with my same problems. I knew I wasn't the only one, but when the doctor just looks at you, one wonders!

I have the same problems you all are talking about. The pain on the bottom of my feet (plantar fasciitis) is so bad, at times, I can barely walk. No strength. Muscles sore. And more. I can go on and on. It all got worse at the onset of perimenopause (everything came to a head then because of all the hormone craziness, I believe); and all these symptoms finally made me get a full thyroid panel.

Now every time I hear about symptoms like mine, I think 'thyroid'. If you get your thyroid checked, get more than just TSH - get Free T3, Free T4 and antibodies checked. And yes, Vit D (I was low, and brought mine up with supplements); and ferritin, and B12 (both of mine were/are low). Just to be on the safe side. Oh, one big clue that I have thyroid problems (Hashimoto's) was that I have a low body temperature. Hope this helps someone.

I'm 52, not sure if I've yet gone through menopause (has not been a year), and I'm having exactly the symptoms described here. I have long suspected low/changing hormone levels, but this is the first place I've seen this discussed. A few things that have helped me: yoga four times a week, good orthodics in my hiking boots, and Trameel Ointment (a homeopathic anti-inflamatory and analgesic). Thanks for the hints. I'm going to get my Vit D and thyroid checked.

It is so great to read all these posts - not to think other people are suffering - but to realise there are some common symptoms to this transition - menopause. I am about 18 months into it, not having had a period for 12 months. However, it was very sporadic for the few years before. My main symptoms are the muscle and joint aches and stiffness and the breast swelling. I have tried Wild Yam cream and it helps at times if I use much more than the recommended amount. It supposedly brings the progesterone up but my doctor says there is no evidence of this. Also the evening primrose oil and fish oil combination does seem to make a difference - I guess the hardest thing is just not having the energy levels I had two years ago. I want to do all these things but have no ummfph! And my interest in sex has gone out the window. My doc says all this is natural but how does that actually help. They don't seem to be able to say - it is the low eostrogen that causes one thing and the progesterone another or the calcium or Vit. D. etc. so that you can systematically address it. I am finding it really confusing and frustrating.

I have nasty shoulder pain in both shoulders to the point that when I go to bed at night, I'm dreading getting up in the morning because I know it will hurt- some mornings not so bad, other mornings to the point that it literally wakes me up- elbow pain, pain in the tops of my hands, it just sucks and makes me feel old, and like my warranty is up and things are falling apart, lol- I suspect arthritis, as my mom had lupus and I know that if you are related to someone who has it, your chances of arthritis are higher...lovely!

Friends, I thought that I was dying. I turned 54 this month (Dec 2008) and have been literally knocked off my feet with all of the symptoms you describe. I take Omega 3, CaltraCal with Vit D, Liquid Multi-Vits, Glucosamine and Chondroitin. Some days are good, but mostly plagued with stiffness and pain. I've talked to a number of family and friends who have gone through menopause but not had the symptoms I'm experiencing, so it's been a godsend to happen upon this site.

Just wanted to chime in. I am peri-menopausal...turned 50 in June. I have been having joint pains for two years - shoulder and knee. In April my doc said my Vitamin D was way low, so she ordered me to take 1000 IU each day. In September I started low-impact aerobics, which hurt my knee, so I started taking Glucosamin/Chondroitin and I also started swimming, which in the beginning hurt my shoulder. Now the shoulder pain is diminished and I think swimming is the cure. My range of motion is greatly improved. I have not noticed knee pain lately. Just FYI.

I have terrible joint and muscle pain, as well. I have to say, first off, that I am un-insured and haaven't been to a Dr. in a long time, like 2 years, so I have been going through all this, the pain, the flashes, the reduced libido, on my own. My husband used to be a nurse so he understands. But I hurt so much all of the time that I think he believes I am an hypochondriac. Just reading all of your posts has made me feel so much better because I know now that I am not alone. I cried real tears of relief and I am not a crybaby by nature. Thanks to one and all! And Happy Holidays!

Hi, I am also looking for answers. I am 52. I have lead a pretty active life and in my mid 40s, I got into road biking and snowboarding. I was riding around 40 miles a ride ..100 miles a week. Eighteen months ago I was taken off My birth control pill Mirocette(which I was on for about 7 years) and was thrown into menopause. For the first month, my hormones went into a rage, My moods went to extremes ..My body was always jittery. Terrible Hot flashes. I never had trouble sleeping until then. I just could not stay asleep at nite. I would lay there watching the clock and waiting to fall asleep. I would finally doze off and immediately jump awake and be wide awake watching the clock..this went on for at least a month..I got NO sleep. The problem compounded because I just dreaded bedtime. I anticipated Not being able to sleep. This started to ease up after a month but then I started having wild dreams all nite long. Besides these problems I started having the same symptoms that I have been reading about here..The horrible muscle aches. It all hit me that month and 18 months later, I'm still waiting and hoping it will go away. My arm and leg muscles just ache all the time.My fingers and toes feel swelled and always have burning tingling sensations. I have no strength like I used to. I feel like I have aged 30 years in just a month. My arm muscles hurt just to lift my arms. It hurts just to carry my bags to the car from WalMart. That just shouldn't be. My muscles feel like I just decided to go do a two hour workout after never working out before..that kind of pain....I've had all kinds of bloodwork done..twice..everything comes back normal..thyroid, diabetes, hormones, Vit B..even Lymes Disease, etc. I'm really getting to my wits end..I load up on Advil and I still can take 2 hour hikes thru the mountain and ride my bike about 25 miles a day but when I stop ...and start again..I can hardly move. I've also been to a rheumatologist..no arthritis...My family doctor just doesn't have a clue. I sure wish someone out there did. I am 5'7...before this happened just 18 months ago I stayed around 140# ..Now I'm up to 155# and that's getting hard to keep..I know that is has to be hormone related. I suffered 25 years from horrible debilitating migranes (sometimes having them for 2 1/2 weeks a month).I have not had ONE migraine since going into menopause..not one..So I know that this hormone thing is powerful. Thanks for letting me vent. I hope someone comes up with a solution. Happy New Year.

Hi! I am 51 and looking for relief too. I was scanning the posts and wanted to maybe give some of you alittle hope. Not that I am a doctor because I am not. I am telling you what have done to help me, some good, some not so good. I have been post menopausal since 2005 and still suffer the aches, dizzys and hot flashes. sometimes my back and legs hurt terribly and it drives me completely insane. I have ALWAYS been a very active person and the menopause has literaly kicked my butt. In the years of peri-menopause, i did the progesterone cream( which helped alot) and the soy after that. Seemed like nothing relieved it for a long time. I still continued to hold down a job (recently divorced w/ teenager at home)and struggled daily. After menopause the symptoms really kicked in. I don't want to use HRT so I have always tried the natural approach. I started using black cohosh (which has helped alot), but not complete relief. I found an herbal supplement that was a combination of black cohosh and chaste berry. It helped alot too but i guess the chaste berry (has a progesterone effect)was too much for me. I was moody and sad all the time. The black cohosh-chaste berry combo would probably work for someone who is in peri-menopause and has up and down hormones. So back to the black cohosh again. Looking online i found a herbal formula that is made from the the maca plant (lepidium meyenii) and it sounds like a cure all. Geeze wouldn't that be wonderful? Supposed to balance hormones from within your body. It stimulates your endocrine system to balance ALL your hormones naturally. Google it and see. I ordered a month's supply and will post the results. At this point i will try anything and hoping this time i found an answer. Good Luck!

Just wanted to let everyone know the maca is working fantastic. My hot flashes are completely gone, and the joint pain is on its way out. I am in a completely different mood, no fuzzy thinking ( i can actually form a sentence..lol)The libido is alot better too. I have energy and just feel good. Its worth a try. I'm sold on it! I will take this for a long long time.

I just joined this forum to tell all of you I've been having the same problems...sore achy muscles, a feeling of fusing throughout my body...swollen hands at night..all of it! You know what my problem was?? MEMORY FOAM MATTRESS PAD!! Please, if you're sleeping on one, investigate what type of chemicals it's made with...google it! It may be comfortable to sleep on, but it's basically a chemical stew
which is seeping into your body. I finally made the connection and I'm back to my normal healthy self again...only a few little hot flashes once in a while remain which is quite natural.

Having all the same symptoms, never once considered it was due to menopause-other than the hot flashes. My knees are so bad I have a terrible time getting up off the toilet! I'm thinking of having grabbars intalled. My question is, does this eventually go away or is this it for me? The hot flashes are getting farther apart and I'm told they will eventually go away, but does all this joint pain go away with it? How do you know how much of it is menopause related and how much is osteoarthritis? And no, I'm not sleeping on any type of memory foam pad.

txcowgirl57

Thanks for posting your results is it possible for you to share the link where you purchased from? I'd do anything to get rid of my joint pain and boost my energy.

I have read about the muscle aches and pains on this site. I am experiencing the same thing. I am 50 and in perimenopause. My gynocologist wants me start low dose HRT. Has anyone had success with the HRT and has it helped with the aches, pains, night sweating, mood swings and sleep lose?

I don't know how much of my muscle ache problems are due to or influenced by menopause, seems like I have suffered for a long time. I found a book called "Trigger Point Therapy Workbook" which has been helpful and bought a theracane to get at the deep knots I get in my muscles particularly in the shoulder area. the interesting thing is that knots can be located in a different spot from where the pain is felt. It is a constant battle. knots in the periformis sp? muscle in the butt for example, can cause pain in the lower legs. I was having pain in both hips and down both shins from too much sitting. Doing stretches seems to help a little too.
Night sweats with me seem to come and go. I looked up foods with phytoestrogens and it does seem that a change in diet helps. chocolate brings on hot flashes, I noticed.

My joint pains coincided soon after starting estrogen recently. I'm active and fit, 47, but now with knees especially I just can't move them for some time after waking because of the pain. Joint pain and stiffness all over after sleep, but inner knees the worst. I was thinking of course that it was a side effect of the estrogen pills, but see that others not on any type of HRT are also in pain. I wonder how many posters, like tjtweety, have been checked for arthritis. What do your doctors say could be the cause, and what do they treat the pain with? Due to see my doc in a couple of weeks. Thanks.

I have been reading alot about estorgen and the GABA relationship in the brain. GABA is effected greatly by our estrogen levels and as such once our hormones start to receed we have problems with our GABA uptake ,, these can result in symptoms like,, boday aches and muscle stifness,, internal shaking, headaches etc. I am experimenting with Chamomile tea and there is another herb called valerian which might help .. good luck ,, do your hormine brain chemistry homework !

Hello!
I just found this forum and I want to say "thank god, I am not crazy!" lol
I have a lot of joint pain in my elbows. My brain feels fuzzy at times (which frustrates me to no end) I need to start reading up on what can be done. I was peri for several years, I think I've finally hit the big M and I just turned 48!

Hello! I wake up in the night with soreness in my hips and shoulders so bad I can't even roll over. My upper legs and hips are tight all the time. During the day when I sit for a period of time, getting myself straightened up and moving is task in itself. I have been to a rheumatologist an had every test they say everything looks fine, healthy as a horse, my husband always called me his clydesdale. I am not a sitter. They say its not fibromylgia but that my muscles are constricted. I too have been going to a massage therapist for deep tissue massage which helps for a couple of days, but after that, it's back to the same pain. I do not want to deal with this on a day to day routine. I have been taking flexeril (mild muscle relaxer) 2 times a day, but this does not seem to help with all of the symptoms. They also put me on Magnesium and Potassium

My hands, inside elbows, knees, hip, shoulders and buttocks are always in terrible pain. I feel like a 47 year old trapped in a 80 year old body. I'm scared that this won't pass with the Menopause.
I'm so glad I found this forum I thought I was losing my mind and nobody believed me. This sucks !!

Saigo
Sorry if i didnt get back on this message board sooner. I purchased Maca through iherb.com or you could go to any reputable vitamin store. Be sure to get at least 500 mg and take three times a day. I still am taking daily and when i forget, the symptoms sure do come back, especially the achy joints. Anyway its worth a try.

I can't believe the stories I am reading- I feel like it's me talking!! I have had muscle and joint pain for 16 months and I can echo many of the same statements I've just read; feeling like I've aged 30 years overnight, stiffness, painful muscles and loss of flexibility. I am 51, and have been in menopause for 14 months. It can't be a coincidence!!
I've see various doctors and have had lots of tests done. It is important to rule out all the autoimmune diseases, and of course Lyme.
Thank you all- I no longer feel alone!
I am going to try the Maca Root- I feel hopeful!

Hi. I was wondering if anyone here -- with the symptoms being described -- been tested for adult Parvovirus B19, aka 'Fifth Disease.' It's known mainly as a kid's disease, but doctors now think about 40% of the adult population never got it, and so never developed an immunity.

Basic description:
'An adult who has not previously been infected with parvovirus B19 can be infected and become ill. Unlike a child's fifth disease symptoms, adults can develop arthritis symptoms that include joint pain, swelling, or both. Usually, joints on both sides of the body are affected. The joints most frequently affected are the hands, wrists, and knees. The joint pain and swelling usually go away in a week or two, but can last for several months. It is often mistaken for rheumatoid arthritis.'

P.S. There is a specific lab test for diagnosing it.

Yes- I was tested for the Parvo Virus, and it was negative.

Thanks so much for this forum. I have had excruciating pain in my hips and legs for this past year. Weakness now in the tops of my legs and feet problems going back 5 years. About the time I started menopause. This year is the worst. I don't know if my legs will support me some days. Really scary. I have always been active and care for 4 acres by myself. Horseback riding and walking. This year has been a real struggle. I am 61 now and have been in menopaulse for over 6 years. I will try the vitamin D and maca and let you know. I know diet helps and I do trigger point and piriformis muscle stretches. If I don't do these every day, I literally can't move. I do sit for 8 hours a day for my job, so that is a problem. Have to stretch constantly and get up to move around. I eat well. No processed foods for years. Grow most of my own food in the summer.
Just wish someone would find a cure for this constant pain. Nobody seems to know what I'm talking about. So appreciative of this forum. Thanks a bunch!!

Hi all, glad I found this forum. Seems I must have been going through perimenopause for a few years now, and just didn't know it! I am nearly 45.
I have suffered from depression, anxiety, lower back ache, stiffness, esp. getting up in the morning and after sitting for an hour in the evening. Also fuzzy thinking, less articulate, some forgetfulness. Lately weight gain around my middle and bum (new area for me) and incontinence. I am NOT happy about that! I have to wear light pads daily now, and am cautious even lying on my stomach at night.
Oh, about a couple of months ago, I had a week where I was literally bouncing off the walls of my mind. It was real roller coaster ride in there. I've had mood swings, a very short temper, and no tolerance for stress, even TV shows - I can't handle anything stressful on TV. My anxiety level just climbs. I was having trouble making up my mind on anything - even ordering breakfast took me 15 minutes to decide, and even then I just ordered because of the time.
And these past few months, I've had to get up in the night at least once, sometimes twice, to go to the bathroom. I never used to do that.
Finally, I just missed my first period. It's been about 2 weeks late now (no, not pg) and my mood has stabilized quite a bit! Yay! But I know it must not be over yet, right? I tell myself not to get my hopes up...
Oh yes, I've had hot flashes since my late 20s. Most anything makes me sweat. Cooking dinner, any amount of exercise, and the last few years, sometimes just talking to people can make me sweat bullets running down my face, I can feel my face flush, and I know I'm not nervous (most of the time). It was hard working, greeting and helping customers, sweating and pretending I didn't notice or it was normal. Lovely.
I take multi vit, calcium with vit d, omega 3, vit c, acidophilus (girls, if you have yeast infection problems, let me tell you, go buy some good acidophilus. I had MONTHLY yeast infections for many YEARS! I haven't had one in probably 2 or 3 years now- YAY!) I use the CVS brand Extra Strength, in a box, and it's the kind that needs no refrigeration. It's triple layered, so it doesn't dissolve until it gets to your intestinal tract. It's about $10 for 30 tabs, but it's the best money I ever spent.
I also took Ginkgo Biloba for awhile because I was afraid I was getting depressed again. (I was treated for depression a few years ago - many negative life issues at the time finally bowled me over.) GB does help the mood and gave me more energy, but I did have some anxiety, not sure it's connected to that or to the perimenopause.
I also started drinking 1/2 decaf coffee (love Peets!)a few years ago. I found during my antidepressant days, it just made me too jittery. Turned out to be a good decision on my part. I find a week back on regular coffee makes me more tired and foggy than while on the 1/2 decaf! Go figure. I don't really have the foggies anymore, (yay!) and I suffered for years with them. Never thought I could give up some caffeine, but it really does help.
Coffee, sugar, chocolate, hot drinks, anything sweet - will make me sweat. So I have learned to limit these things. Also, fat and sugar will depress you and make you irritable and tired. I am working on limiting these things, and I really do feel better for it. I have upped my veggies and fruit, fiber, and eat less protein than I used to. Perhaps one should look into the flora/fatigue connection. I've read somewhere that poor intestinal health can cause many of these symptoms. Anything is worth a try, right? Do what you can. Get as healthy as you can. Every little bit helps.
Lastly, I now try to tell myself - no, you are not turning into a crazy vegetable, you are just going through a phase in your life called perimenopause! And for me, it's better than the last 5 or 10 years. I just hope it doesn't get worse again. And as my mother always said -this too shall pass.
(and if I feel as bad as some of you are saying, or as bad as I did a few years ago when I suffered from depression, I would definitely check out antidepressants again - it so helped me when I really needed it. I fought the good fight, but was losing the battle, so I finally admitted I needed help - was the best thing I've done for myself, so don't rule it out completely) (oh yes, one more thing: the antidepressants took away my aches and pain, cleared my fuzzy thinking, calmed down my mood swings, and I lost 30 lbs! So it's not all bad.)
Can some one please just confirm if you think I've been having peri M. symptoms for a few years now? I'd love your input. I thought I was too young, but maybe not...
If you have any questions, please let me know. And thanks for listening.

Just checking in, still have the muscle pain. Tests are all normal etc.... Seems alittle better in hips and buttocks, I changed chairs at work (to a harder one) seems like soft stuff makes it worse, that seemed to help alittle. It's worse in my upper arms and hands and elbows
use alot of Bio Freeze on them. Scared to go off the Flexril (muscle relaxer) scared I'll become totally stiff again.I have found and this is from a person who never takes naps that if I get at least 11 hours of sleep my muscles aren't as sore. Trying to decide if I should go to Chicago but if all the tests say I'm fine what do you tell them. I am not a hypochondriac. All of you are proff of that.

I have started having muscle pain in both thighs. Feels like its deep inside the muscle and its not just a stiffness its definately a sharp pain. I actually thought that I had a dvt or something. This has only started since taking MACA. I also have a really strange twitching sort of feeling under my scalp. Difficult to describe but feels as if something is tapping on my skull? How weird is that! Thought I might stop the MACA and see what happens. I don't know how much more of this I can take, this has been going on for years now with never ending symptoms. I really want to go to the middle of nowhere and scream as loud as I can right now. I am sick of all of this. I think I will go and have a complete health check no matter what the cost. Thanks for listening.

Hello all,
Went to my GP today about an excema problem and thought I'd tell her about the symptoms I described in my last post. The weird feeling under my scalp she said was nothing to worry about, lots of people get this?? The muscle pain in my thighs is coming from my back though she didn't ask if I had had any back pain recently. Told her about the itchy skin and she tested me for diabetes-nothing wrong with my blood sugar. I asked her if she thought these symptoms were menopause related she said maybe. Nice enough woman who I haven't seen before but got the feeling she wasn't particularly interested. She was definately not of menopause age but I am wishing her an awful time when it comes to her!!! Seems to me that whether you see a male or female GP they all have the same attitude to menopausal women - not interested. If I was a man with erectile dysfunction or some other penis related problem I would be sent to some specialist bloody sharpish!! This life really pee's me off. Take care all.

Hello Everyone
I loved reading your posts. Thank you for that. You all sound like a great bunch of women, despite your sufferings. I'd love it if what I take helps some of you. Macafem (4-6 pills a day) and three tablespoons full of ground flax seed (first thing in the morning with water) really seems to help my mood, libido, and pains (esp. swelling in my hands.......and maybe elsewhere too...... ) when I remember or have the motivation to take them. I try not to take the flax seed all the time because I've heard it has some estrogenic effects that have the potential to increase the growth of any cancers we might have. But it doesn't start cancer..........just speeds up its growth. Besides, probably the moods have the power to kill us more than anything. If you do decide to take the flax please buy it in seed form and freeze it. That will keep it fresher..............you definitely should not eat old seeds or nuts of any kind. I've read in several places that rancidity does make both our nus and seeds ......and oils carcinogenic.
With the Macafem I have had no side effects but I think it doesn't interact well with alchohol. So if you know you are going to drink don't take it that day. However, obviously since alcohol is a depressant if we want to help our moods we're probably doing ourselves a disservice taking it at this particular phase of our lives.
My pains are in mostly in one shoulder and the back of one of my legs. I wonder does anyone out there have such specific pains and how they have addressed them? I stretch for the leg pain and it helps sometimes as does staying active but not always. The shoulder pain is in the joint and around it and nothing seems to help.
Having come back to this site I am bolstered to start an exercise program to see if regularity will make any difference. Anyone out there want to join me? We have to report on a half hour to one hour everyday on some form of exertion that has a pattern .........besides sitting and compaining. It can be walking, biking, slow jogging, yoga stretches and abominal strengthener exercises.....whatever. We just have to promise to move and check in what we did. And after one months report our well being.....or lack thereof. C'mon someone. Lets give this a shot. I'm 53 by the way and am in menopause for the last year.
Blathana

hi blathana,
I also take ground flaxseed and flax oil. I take maca too but I don't know if its the same as Macafem. I haven't had any leg pains for about a week now but I have had the weird head feeling in its place. However, today it seems to have subsided. I haven't had any hot flashes for a while but I think I would rather have them than all the other crazy symptoms. I'm all for the exercise thing so count me in. I've just had my 50th and been perimenopausal for a few years. I just want this whole menopause stuff over and done. S

Every woman I meet that is around my age (57) has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
My sister and even my mother. Do you think it is a disease caused by menopause, or it flares up because of menopause, or are all aches and pains now being called that?
I am OK when I wake up but I get severe pain after sitting. Last week it was so bad in my hip and back that I was ready to take meds.
Yesterday and today I am feeling great!
I know the doc will say it is fibromyalgia and place me on antidepressants, I don't think I have it. I have heard that the antidepressants do relieve the stiffness though.
I didn't find the hot flashes too bad and the night sweats didn't last too long. I started having light hot flashes again 2 months ago. BUMMER!!!!
My prob has been the stress. Everything stresses me! Chamomile tea and a bubble bath will help some.
I like to garden but I can't go outside without the neighbors joining me, or looking for a babysitter. I can't deal with children right now, or most adults either for that matter LOL.
I have a lot of hobbies and interest so that does help A LOT.
My symptoms started when I was laid off so I didn't have to deal with a stressful job and menopause. Bless all of you who are.
I am a strong believer in walking to help with the probs. I have used the treadmill or walked for the last 10+ years. Last year I started using the weights at the gym for 30 minutes a day. It does work!!!!!
I have been in this for 5 to 7 years and I am so ready for it to be over.
Rosa

Hi rosajoe, I have to agree with you about the fibromyalgia. I have yet to meet a man who has it. I was diagnosed with it about 7 years ago, but I haven't had any of the symptoms I had at the time for years. They all just suddenly disappeared. About 2 years ago all the other strange menopause symptoms started for me. I think there are a lot of doctors out there who are completely ignorant of menopause and use fibromyalgia as an answer for any problem. I too have had enough of all of this and just want to be the person I was before this menopause crap started.

I am 41 years old and had a full historectomy (sp). I am in terrible joint pain, hot flashes are overwhelming, and my upper back feels like it will break in two each morning when I get out of bed. I have gained 20lbs as well. I have started on Oscal ultra, take a mild hormone, a multi vitamin, get some sun and speed walk 2.5 miles each day. I also cut back on sugar and fat. I feel much better than even 1 week ago and I hope this help any of you out there that are going thru what I have been. I felt like I was an old lady and did not know why! I'm only 41!

Well, now I know I'm not the only woman to suffer these symptoms or to find that doctors know very little and can give me no answers.

This has been like reading about myself, yet I've never heard any other woman who has a menopause like this; 'till now.

The big question is do we come out the other side? I've been told that menopause symptoms go after an unspecified period. Has any one got better?

Has anyone spoken to a doctor who knows what the future's like?

Noone seems to be able to answer this question.

I've suspected that what I've been experiencing is because of perimenopause, but this is the first time I've ever heard anyone else talk about the same symptoms. I've been in so much pain, much more than the slight arthritis in my hips and back warrant, and I've gained 25 pounds in 2 years. I eat right, do Pilates and Yoga, and try to walk, but have been in too much pain lately to do much. I'm going to try Maca, as someone suggested. I'll post results. How long does this last? Please, someone, say we come out the other side.

I have just found this web page and I too feel like my body is in constant pain somewhere all the time. As I type this right now my left wrist is stiff and sore, and I do not know why. It also is in my legs, feet, hips,sometimes. I can sit in a position to one side or leaning on a arm and when I get up i hurt, its dumb! I turn 50 next week an wonder what is going on. I have no major helath issues other than I take Thyroid, just started about 4 months ago. Haven't gone through menopause yet so what gives, maybe I am starting to, I just hate feeling older than I really am because of the aches and pains.

I am 45 and live in London. The weather here is terrible and my stiffness and pain is worse i'm sure due to the rain and dampness.I visit Florida 3 times yearly on average and I feel so much better there (dosen't everyone!). I have terrible pain in my hips at night, sometimes it feels as if they have locked and I cant even turn over in bed.Would any one recommend taking a vitamin D supplement? the doctors here are hopeless an would just stare at you if you suggested having your vitamin D levels tested.

Have you ever used magnets; not the thin things, but the
1" x1/8" thick, shiny ones. You need to have them marked so that the proper side is towards you, because only one side is good for long term use, write me, can give you more info, but will not be able to read my emails before 10th of November, relocating from here
Norm cyrilnoku2004@yahoo.ca

Wow, I thought I was alone, is this the worst ever or what??? I have been taking Omega 3's 1000 mg. night with dinner, Vitamin D3 1000 mg. Woman's 50+ Multi's and High potency Calcium 600 and vitamin C 1000 mg. Been doing this for about a year regularly. I'm going to the Dr. and find out what else I can do. I had my previous Dr. put me on Paixil 20 mg. thinking , that would help with my anger outbursts, WRONG, made them worse. Now, I'm trying to wean myself off of them and it's no picnic. After I'm off of these horrible drugs, I'm going to start taking 5-HTP. Which is a natural supplement, Drug-Free, Helps with regulating Moods, weight gain and also keeps you from losing sleep. It is made with tryptophan, which is found in Turkey and Milk.I've read nothing but good reviews.The only downfall is, it causes nausea, but if that's all I have to deal with versus the prior crap, then I'm all for it.

Good Luck to all of us surviors, LOL!!!

VITAMIN D 50,000 units 3 times a week. It will change your life. This does has to be ordered on the interenet if you do not have a prescription. It got rid of my aches totally.

My cardiologist discovered I was low on Vit D -- prescribed OTC 1,000 mg twice a day. I add this to the 1,200 mg of calcium the endocrin has me take since my thyroid was removed 10 years ago. The combination has made a miraculous improvement in the tingling and joint pain I was experiencing. Also, I cut back to less than 1,500 mg sodium a day (AHA recomm to help high BP). That really helped the numbness and swelling fingers and feet. Overall, much less stiff now. BTW gals, get your thyroid checked -- melting or numb face and hair loss is a sign of hypothyroidism... untreated it promotes thyroid cancer and diabetes.

I also had joint pain while going through menopause. I did some research and found out lack of progesterone can cause this, so I started using a bioidentical progesterone cream.I feel so much better, not only my joints but I sleep better and my mood has improved. Dr.John Lee has written books on this subject, their a must for all women.

wow...this sounds so confusing. I was just diagnoised with fibromyalgia same symptoms as some of you. All of it just started about a year ago and I have been in menapause for about 8 years. The achiness in the morning can't hardly move or when I sit for too long, my shoulders and back hurt to the point that I can't lay on my side or back to sleep. My hands are swollen and tingling. I have an orthopedic dr. saying I have carpal tunnel syndrone coming back in right hand....a arthritis doctor telling me I have fibromyalgia and putting me on lyrica and a neurosurgeon telling me I need surgery on my neck to fuse a disc or two. I am 58 play tennis, garden, hike, bike ride, etc and all of it is becoming increasingly harder to do. I do have a memory foam mattress but I usually end up on the sofa or recliner to sleep because my hand is tingling and burning all night long. I am taking lyrica, precocet and baclofen....give me a break still in pain still not better and still confuse as what I do have ????? Even my gyn won't commit.....what do you do???????

hi, I have posted a few times on this site but had to write again after reading this last post. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about 8 years ago but the symptoms sort of come and go and I can go for months without feeling unwell. However.....I have had serious menopause symptoms for about 3 years and to be honest I sometimes find menopause and fibromyalgia symptoms difficult to tell apart. I wake during the night with aching on my right side in my hip which radiates down into my leg. Last week my whole shoulder, right arm, right side of my ribcage and hip was aching when I woke up. I also have muscle twitches and weakness. All these symptoms are common with menopause and fibromyalgia. I'm as confused as you. I've asked my GP time and time again but I get nothing from him. Sometimes it all gets to me and I just feel like screaming. I'm sorry I can't give you an answer but I do know exactly how you feel. I wish I knew when/if this will go away. Take care.

First and most importantly, I wanted to thank you all for sharing your stories. They truly helped me so much! I too felt like no one understood me. Certainly not my doctor, my family or friends (though they tried to help) not even myself! I was starting to wonder about my sanity...if I had become some kind of hypochondriac...I knew I was in peri-menopause with it's charming symptoms like extremely heavy periods (which are GONE thanks to an ablation. Hooray!!!), fatigue, fuzzy and zappy brain, weight gain without diet change, headache etc. But then, the joint aches. Oh dear God, they had gotten so bad that I would often cry because of the pain and frustration. I have a very high pain tolerance and have never had any physical issues that I couldn't deal with before. It was a foolish source of silly pride for me, I even "went natural" during childbirth! Well! THAT'S OVER! Give me anything to relieve the deep hip pain!!! I thought about being tested for arthritis and fibromyalgia until I read your posts. Also, I started charting symptoms and noticed headache and joint pain were always the week before my period and then also during ovulation. Not sure what that means but it was definately cyclical. Anyway, I tried HTR, magnesium, vitamin D, riboflavin, 5-htp, glucosamine, women's daily, fish oil and of course all the OTC pain meds, even Oxycodone! Didn't really seem like anything worked until...TA DA!!: Sam-e. It's an OTC supplement of S-Adenosyl Methionine, a natural amino acid important in biochemical reactions of the liver, joints and brain and required for the biosynthesis of critical neurotransmitters and hormones. I started with 400mg/day then upped it to 800mg/day. I'm not "cured" but WOW! I feel 100 times better! Just had to share...I dearly hope this helps you too!

Oh yes this is worse than having ones monthly, which was nothing like this. I am a candidate for total knee replacement and at the beginning of it all I thought it was because of my lop-sidedness /walk. But NO way can a "knee" because the full culpit of this PAIN.
My muscles and joints thromb 24/7, and I am taking alternating inflamatory over the counter to help.
I do worry though about these, because of effects on Liver. going to start really trying some alternative ingredients, can't hurt as look what time they tell us to take Estrogen, years later "WARNING ! It may give us Cancer. So other suggestions like teas can't do any worse.

SO glad to read/ find others suffering/coping. It's amazing what our delicate female bodies endure "PRE-mentral, Mentral, Pregnancy/Childbirth (ones who), " PERImenopause, " MENOpause and OLD AGE !

I just had another incident and decided to try to research if these sudden flarees of pain had something to do with being post menopausal. Glad to find you! I know that my older sister, a friend, and I have experienced sudden debilitating pain in the muscles around various joints. For me it has been shoulders and wrists. With ice, vicadin, and isolation of the joint (such as a sling) these pains all disappear after a few days.

I was told a couple of years ago that a calcium supplement would help, not because of osteoporosis, which is not an issue in my family, but something to do with muscles. It did. I have had no flare ups for 2 years. Recently, however, I have.

Does anyone else experience these episodic flares? That come inexplicably and leave just as inexplicably?

Thank you all for letting me know that I am not a hypochondriac and that I am not losing my mind!
Like many of you said, it sounds like I wrote most of these posts. I am 53 and have been in excruciating pain for about 2 years now. The worst is when I am playing the piano. The sharp pains in my elbow are unbelievable!
I have two poodles. They are a lot of work. I have to groom them and that just about does me in. I used to be able to take one day and do them both, now it takes me 2-3 days to get them looking pretty.
This getting old business is for the birds.
But at least I know that I am not alone.
Somehow it makes it seem "better"
God bless you all, ladies.

Hi Ladies
Thank God I found this site! and totally by luck - new technology not my strongest point. I feel so relieved and empowered now that I know it's not just me, not all in my head and not a terrible illness creeping up on me! I came off my BC pill last October (I actually lost the pills and was waiting for a period to start again) When nothing happened my doc gave me a blood test and found my levels so low that I was post menopausal. It had all been happening when I was supplementing my hormones with my pill and I hadn't even noticed (good thing). However, this meant going totally cold turkey on the hormones (very bad thing) and I was hit by a truck! Hot flushes started first - still having them but settled into a routine, then just knackered all the time (Christmas a struggle first time ever!) and the biggie - joint/muscle/everything pain! Started in my feet, progressed to hips, shoulders and knees - and recently my hands are just mental. Doc first told me to knock off the gym - 5 times a week too much but desperate to lose weight (oh yes another menopausal joy around your belly) but took a five week break. Made no difference, took anti-inflams for ten days (neproxine) to little effect but who wants to take them for ever anyway! Back to the gym as it made no difference to the pain and think it's probably more a benefit than not. No anti-inflams or pain killers but pain definitley getting worse. So, after reading all of your postings I'm off to the doctors tomorrow at least armed with some information and ideas. They really have no idea about this - only the obvious things like hot flushes (can live with), mood swings. libido and vaginal dryness (ok up to now) and just want you to take the antidepressants - the new cure all for the menopause! I'll be requesting a Vitamnin D test and a thyroid examination now after reading this. And recommending that she reads this forum! Thank you so so so much! I also started taking supplements last monday - Soy Extract, Glucosomine/Chondroitin formulation, Calcium and EFA (1200mg). I'll be adding Maca Root and Ginko Biloba from next Monday. I'll post and update in a few weeks to let all know if any improvement and test results. Good luck to all of you and hang in there.

Thanks, it's good to know I'm not alone or going crazy. Wish there was an easy fix but apparently there is not. I was taking yaz, thought it was great until I developed a blood clot. So no more hormones! Did shots of lovenox for a week and comadin for six months. Stopped coumadin when I started cataflem(nsaid) for wicked foot pain ?plantar fascitis. Started zoloft for depression? Started simvastatin for high cholesterol. Stopped cataflem and discovered increased foot, hip, back,joint pain and muscle weakness. Stopped simastatin thinking ? side effects. Have an appt with my gyn doc this week. Will see what she has to offer. Tomorrow I am restarting my exercise program and adjusting my diet to try to take care of the cholesterol issue. I'm also seeing some maca and maybe sam-e in my future.

Hi - just a quick up-date on the maca-root supplement. Was going to start this week but couldn't find any locally. Maybe a good thing - ordered on the internet on Saturday night and almost right away came across a forum 'what they don't tell you about maca' - scared the be-jesus out of me! As I have a couple of hols coming up it'll be sods law that any side efects will hit me then, so I'll start taking it at the beginning of June. I still think the benefits may outweigh the side effects and I intend to start slowly on the doses - 500mg every other day I think. Also, went to my GP on Friday and asked for a Vit D test and a thyroid test - was assured I most definitely didn't have a Vit D deficiancy (!) and that looking at a blood test taken last month my thyroid was fine. But still hard pushing the anti-bloody-depressants! I'm researching now to find evidence that anti-depressants work for joint/muscle pains due to menopuasal hormone depletion - I'm sure they'd be worth a try for anxiety, mood swings, depression, etc but I don't have those. Pain in my hands now getting worse! Anyone out there had any pain releif from using them? Meantime may try black cohosh. Started taking vitamin E supplement this week too.

Ditto all of the above!!!!!!! Hey, I am not alone - great to know. I sympathise with everyone affected in this way. My mother had rheumatoid arthritis from her late 20s and also later had osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. I have had a test for rheumatoid arthritis and it is clear. I have had tennis elbow, resulting in scar tissue being removed as my arm was completely stiff in the morning and extra bone removed from my big toe joint two years ago. Neck pain is bad right now and today it is so bad I am going to my GP. Having read all of the above I am asking for a Vit D test. They say my thyroid is ok. I am 54 now and have been suffering for some years now - I am on half a patch of HRT which has helped the hot flushes and I can get up the stair easier now. I thought I would be a new woman when the periods stopped, but that has been replaced by a host of other problems. Does anyone else have bad neck pain - right up high in my hairline where it is impossible to apply ibuprofen gel. I can only take paracetamol due to digestive problems/mild asthma. Heat does help, but I am wondering today if I even have a trapped nerve. Basically, I have joint pain everywhere - I even have a lump on my right shoulder now so cannot cary a shoulder bag there and my arms hurt if I cary too much. I have tried glucosamine but my GP says to concentrate on the calcium intake instead.

Hi Everyone,
I feel for each and everyone of you. I experience pain each and everyday. I use to work out and walk 5 days a week. Four years ago I slipped and fell on my knee and had to have knee surgery, the surgery went well but during physical theraphy the bike I was riding tipped over while I was on the bike and I fell onto my knee that I just had surgery on. I was shocked when the therapist told me not the feel bad that the bike had tipped over on 4 or 5 other people! She acted like it was an everyday occurance. My knee has never been the same. My legs feel like they weigh a ton when I get out of bed and start to walk, my lower back hurts so much that I sleep with a cold pack on it all night. When I walk for a period of time I get to the point of being out of breath but I contribute it to the fact that I am putting so much effort into walking that it makes me winded. I have been told I have fibromyalgia but I'm not going to let it get the best of me. I miss my old way of life and I'm going to beat this. I have put on over 60 pounds and no matter what I do it just does not come off. So today when I got up I decided to try new things, I am going to the store and buying Q10. I have been reading about it and because I take Simvastatin a doctor told me it depletes your body of potassium and Q10. I am going to start to drink more water and hot teas. I am going to find a diet high in protein and some exercises I can do sitting down first and as I begin to loose I will add walking. I will keep you all posted on my progress and if it works for me I will be passing all that I do on to you....Good luck to all of you and God bless....
Yvonne

This obviously is more common than is thought, and requires further study (any menopause researchers out there?) I am 51 and have been in menopause for 4 years. Looking back, I guess I can see symptoms starting about 3 years ago that I overlooked and thought would just go away; the sore feet and ankles, now hobbling out of bed like an 80 year old in the morning, stiff, achy hands, difficult to open up a water bottle. Now, though I still work and function "normally" I am achy all the time, pulling up a pair of pants hurts my hands and sometimes if I forget and pick something up quickly, I cramp up and have to drop it. Elbows especially painful, little muscle twitches in limbs often. Lower back, knee pain not as bad. Neck and shoulders have been an issue for years so I don't even consider it a part of whatever this is. And YES, OMG, how hard it is to stand up after sitting for even 20 minutes! Excruciating and embarrassing. Actually feels more like tendons than my joints and burns after a while if I don't change positions or let up on whatever I am doing. I have no swelling or outer signs of arthritis, but since Advil helps I know this must be some kind of inflammatory process. I hate going to the doctor, but I can't put up with this much longer. I am afraid to try Maca or estrogen/estrogen like supplements because of the side effects. However the symptoms may outweigh the fear soon.

OMG, so glad I'm not losing my mind!!! I underwent CHEMO last year and finished in 10/2010 for breast cancer and I'm hurting more now than during the masectomy and chemo treatments combined. My arms, shoulders, ankles and knees feel like I'm getting a BAD case of the flu and nothing helps and of course MALE doctors just tell me it is a virous and it needs to run its course, meanwhile I'm in agony!!! I want to roll up in a ball and cry, not that it would help but I'm so frustrated...

Hi Ladies! Has anyone tried the chiropractor? I suffered from serious migraines for 10 years....the kind that kept me in bed for 2-3 days. I was on the pill at them, so of course i went off it. That's when the fun started! ha! I became a complete witch every months for at least a week before my period. After about 2 years of this, my gyno put me on bioidentical progesterone (I was 36, now 38 years old). For the first year it was a miracle cream! No more mood swings, super-healthy hair and skin, no more bloating. About a year ago i started getting yeast infections and UTI's regularly, and I started getting cystic acne! That was the WORST part!! So I went to a hormone dr who had me do a saliva test to check all my hormone levels. Not suprisingly, my progesterone was thru the roof, so he prescribed me Bi-est, a bioidentical hormone cream that contains the 2 "good" estrogens. At first i LOVED it! But after 2 months, I started to get headaches again. This whole thing is SOOOOO Frustrating!!! Ive also discovered chiropractic.....a LIFESAVER!!! My problem is that my adjustments NEVER hold. Everyone else I know can go 3-4 times and then be good to go, but not me....I have to go ALL the time or Im in horrible pain. I know all of this is hormone related, but i seriously have no idea what hormone it is.....Do i need more estrogen? or maybe testosterone??? Alot of women SWEAR by testosterone supplementation.....I just seriously cant afford to keep going to the dr. I also know its diet related....sugar does make me feel more pain. If anyone has had any experiences with bio-identical hormones, I'd LOVE to hear them!

So pleased to have found this site. Like alot of you on here i have awful crippling pain in my joints and muscles and my bones ache.
I have been doing research on this for the last year and think i may have found a possible cause.
Recently i have been reading 3 books by SUZANNE SOMERS.
They have been very helpful, and i recommend these books.
I believe my pains are hormone related.
I am 51 and have been suffering for the last 2 years from Menopause.
My muscle aches and pains started slowly 4 years ago. I suspect this was because of my hormone levels being unbalanced due to the onset of menopause and then full menopause.
I felt like i was going crazy, as different blood tests all seemed to come back normal.
I was then told i have fibromyalgia.
Also some arthritis in my shoulder joint. And a condition of arthritis that causes twisting, pain and lumps on my fingers and toes. I also believe this to be hormone related from menopause.
I believe strongly that alot of my symptoms are MENOPAUSE related, as i had always been fairly active and now i feel like my body has aged rapidly. Sometimes i feel like i am 70 years old because my movement is so slowed and joints hurt so bad that they limit me in some day to day activities.
I get alot of muscle, joint, & nerve pain in the tops of my hands, fingers swollen and tops of my feet and toes with swelling and inflamation.
This all happened with Menopause.
I am going to try bio-identical hormones.
I will let you know of my progress.

Trish NZ

hi all, new to the forum. just wanted to update englishmargy on the thyroid (TFT)test. i have graves and of course the thyroid was removed after all of the iodine treatments etc. the TFT test is such a joke (for me it was). your thyroid results will only give YOUR TRUE LEVEL AT THE TIME OF TESTING. meaning, that your level will be different 2 hours from then. your GP should know that LAST MONTHS results are certainly NOT this months. hence, why it's so difficult to pinpoint a thyroid problem. my advice... go see your GP at a time when you feel your worst. you don't need an appointment to go in and request a quick TFT if your GP is willing to work with you. good luck and pray all gets better for you.

Hi, Ive been suffering from menopause for over ten years, ive just been ordered off HRT due to family history of strokes and thrombosis, I also have a blood disorder called Factor five Leiden which is quite commom and a lot of people dont realise they have it, all reasons not to take HRT, now ime getting all of the above aches and pains and anxiety, the HRT was masking my symptons. Next try is Apple cider vinegar, knees and toes crossed.

I am only 47 years old and I too have been suffering with muscle and joint aches for about a year now. I've been to two difference ortheopedic doctors and also had a steroid neck injection hoping that would help neck and shoulder pain. I've had two MRI's of the spine thinking that a ruptured disk was causing the hip and leg pain. Absolutely nothing has worked long term. I get some relief from weekly visits to a physical therapist and various stretching exercises. But the pain in my hips, thighs, shoulders and arms just comes right back. 800 mg of Motrin doesn't help any more. I went to a rheumatologist because the orthopeopedic doctor thought it might be fibromyalgia. Anyway, rheumatologist tested me for all of the auto-immune diseases and the tests came back normal. And he said that I didn't hurt in enough of the common places to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia. It just doesn't make sense that you wake up one day and you hurt all over. I have enjoyed reading all of the posts of the women who have similar symptoms to me. I'm NOT crazy after all but I sure have felt like it the last 12 months. I am taking Vitamin D, Magnesium and Fish Oil supplements at the suggestion of the physical therapist. Currently I'm not under the care of a doctor because I don't know who to go to see who will actually believe what I'm telling them. Makes me wonder if this is peri-menopause.

Hi again. I posted a heartfelt "Me too!" several months ago. At the time, after trying EVERYTHING including HRT, gaba, maca, Vit. D, fish oil, etc., etc...I thought that I had found the answer with sam-E but was wrong...again. A friend recommended Cymbalta. I know it's an anti-depressant but, out of desperation, I tried it. Oh Thank God I did!!! Wow! Within a couple hours the joint pain was GONE. Completely gone, not just a little better but: GONE! It's now been about 3 months taking it and I am still pain free. Even my headaches are gone. I have had zero side effects. I have heard that one must watch one's blood pressure but other than this, nothing negative. I know that it wasn't just coincidence because I forgot to take it one day and by mid-afternoon my knees started aching but it had been a very physically active morning so I thought nothing of it until the hip pain started. It was just like before and I started to freak out until I remembered that I hadn't taken my pill that morning. I did so and the pain was gone within the hour, never to return! I am so, so grateful for this relief that, frankly, my only worry is NOT about drug/antidepressant side effects but rather, God forbid, it should ever stop working! Best of luck to you all! Nancy

I found this page doing a Google search today because I am in such pain and have begun to so overmedicate. My fingers are swollen even tho I have always watched salt intake due to high blood pressure. I drink a ton of water and exercise regularly enough that inactivity can't explain this joint pain. I am 50 years old and while my husband jokes that I've been going through menopause for 15 years, I have just begun to skip periods and have all the classic signs of perimenopause (hot flashes, insomnia, etc). I also went on Cymbalta which helped a tiny bit but I was grateful for that. Now I just medicate with handfuls of advil which I know isn't good. I am making an appt with my GYN this week to talk about other solutions.

I am glad I found this post because I am going to try the vitamin D supplements. I did read somewhere that many people suffer from the D sufficiency because of sunscreen (D is absorbed through natural sunlight) so supplements seem like a really good idea. I know nothing about the bio-identical hormones but I guess I will talk to my Dr about that as well. I was hoping to ride out this menopause thing naturally. I always thought how bad could it be? It can be bad! I am bad with any pain though. I could have handled the hot flashes and insomnia if that was all it was, but the joint and breast pain, forget it.

Hi, I'm glad I found this site and others with the same issues that I have. But I am sorry that all of you are in pain as well. Last year I had a complete robotic hysterectomy when I was 48, everything went well and recovery was quick. Then the hot flashes started along with severe leg pain, especially at night. That lasted for about 4 months then last December I went to my gyn to be put on hormones. I thought that was the answer, but by March my elbow started to hurt. My dr said it was tennis elbow and to take advil and try not to use it. At that point I couldn't lift a gal of milk so I went to an orthopedic dr who said it was a hormone imbalance and I should go back to my gyn. Soon it was both elbows, now all my muscles in both arms hurt all the time. It has been almost 14 months since my surgery and I feel like I am 69 not 49. I am in constant pain in my arms and ankles and now my lower back is too. My gyn has doubled my dose of estrogen, but it has not helped. All the doctors act like it is no big deal. If I would have known this was going to happen I would never have had surgery last year!

Just like all of you prior, all the way back to 2006, glad to read that I am not alone. I am only 47 and feel as if I am 80. Hard to get up after sitting for more than 20 minutes. I currently am on no prescriptions. I have been taking vit d, b12, iron and a multivitamin for prob a year. The stiffness and pain increase have come on in the last two months. I am going to try the estrogen vag cream and see if that helps the pain. That was prescribed for me for incontinence last year, but I never used it. I had a partial hyst several years ago, still have one ovary. Have had chronic breast tenderness for about 2 years. Are there side effects from the MACA?
I walk a mile a day and am not over weight. The worst pain is in my hips, knees, and neck and hands. In the mornings my hands are so swollen and painful, difficult to pick up a pillow.

Like others, I am glad to know that I am not crazy and not dying. I am 57 and not overweight. Before this started I exercised every day and was like an ever-ready bunny. Other than some bouts of back pain every few years, I did great.

I have had the yeast infections followed by "bladder infections" (that might not always have been such), the curling toes, restless legs, dreadful bone and joint pains that will wake me, stiffness, low energy, you name it.

The orthopedic surgeon wanted to operate my back, my GP thought I was depressed (heck, I was in pain all day and I thought I must be dying because that level of pain is not normal), the cardiologist says my heart is better than most women my age. The arthritis doctor says my joints are fine and that it's menopause, not fibromyalgia (apparently a lot of menopausal women are diagnosed with fibromyalgia).

What has helped:
>>unsweetened cranberry juice in my drinking water and/or pills,
>>a daily pro-biotic,
>>washing my genital area only with baby soap,
>>vaginal moisturizers and small amounts of estrace,
>> sitting on an exercise ball all day at work (for my back),
>>2 minutes am and pm on an inversion table (for my back and aches),
>>yoga,
>>stretching, stretching, stretching (see spine universe.com),
>>sublingual vitamin B-12 (the Japanese supplement B-12 levels below 500, so try it even if your doctor says you are not low,
>>a half-dose of an SRI (such as 30 mg. of Cymbalta). Just started taking this. It reduces pain, I sleep great, and I have my old energy level back
>>and, what I CANNOT live without is one 7.5 mg daily pill of meloxicam (mobic), an anti-inflammatory.

Hope this helps. (Have been taking glucosamine chondroitin, but I don't know that if it has helped.)

OMG!!! I have FINALLY found a reason why my arms, legs, ankles and feet hurt SO bad! I thank you for sharing your stories. I had both of my ovaries removed in January, 2010. I went through a complete meltdown in April, 2010 and almost committed suicide because of the dramatic drop in hormone levels. I have been going to doctors for the last year, and was told possible arthritis - no. Then possible fibromyalgia. Took Savella for a few months. It worked for a little while, then didn't. Now, I am taking Cymbalta for arthritis symptoms, even though blood tests came back negative. At first that worked - until I forgot to take it for two days. I started back up, but now it doesn't work. At 42, I feel like a crippled person. I can't sit for long periods of time because my calves and ankles hurt so bad, I can barely walk afterwards. My hips hurt like hell and wake me out of a dead sleep. I cry at night from the pain that I feel all over my body. When I try to explain my pain, I tell the doctors that it is deep bone pain. I can't explain it any other way. It's like arthritis in my hands. I was told that I had such a deficiency in Vitamin D levels, I had to take 2000 mg every day! That level is back up to 28 now. I also have old Parvovirus that showed up in my blood work. I have Degenerative Disk Disease and it is so bad, I can feel my vertebrae rub together because there is no disk space between them in my lower back. Last year, when I had the meltdown, the ER doctor referred me to an OBGYN that dealt with bio-identical hormones. I could only take these hormones because I had had a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in my lung). I used progesterone creams for a few months, but gained weight. They helped me at first, but stopped working. I too am foggy brained, which has affected my job. So, as I have read most of your posts, I will try the Maca. Please send me any ideas that you have tried and have worked. I would really appreciate them! I hope someday, we can all lead more normal lives!

I am also so glad I found this site! I may be perimenosausal as I am only 40 but getting up this morning made me do a search. I couldn't turn off my alarm because I couldn't feel my fingers then I about stumbled out of bed to make sure my daughter was up. I hurt all over. All my joints, the arches of my feet, my neck. I am overweight and have recently cut meat, dairy and sugar out of my diet in an effort to lose weight and decrease inflammatory foods. I will call today to set up an appointment with my nurse practioner. From reading this thread, it sounds like Cymbalta might help. I'm going to ask to have my thyroid checked as well as to check for fibromyalgia and arthritis. I feel like I'm WAY too young to feel this crappy!

I am so thrilled I found this site, everyone's wonderful experiences and ideas to help are heavenly.

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis in the early years of perimenopause. I was prescribed salsalatte at 3000mg daily for the pain, elavil for the night pain and for a good nights rest. It is wonderful! My husband swears by aleve for his arthritis aches. I also have an Rx for the mood swings- lexapro- and it works great. I do yoga and work out as often as I can to help with the pain and stiffness of arthritis. Walking is a gentle workout and effective.
I also have the itchy skin and found olive oil is best. I use a very gentle body soap, though not the baby soaps, their scents make it worse. On warm days I slather it on( including my scalp) and get 30-40 minutes of sunshine, shower it off and feel so much better. For the dry winters I�ve found a eucalyptus and tea tree oil lotion helps when the itchy skin turns into a rash.
Sandi

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia 2 years ago. I am 46 and started menopause 3 years ago (very early) My symptoms seemed to start with menopause, but I also was under a lot of stress and had been in a car accident. I thought my neck pain was from that but after an MRI(negative for damagae) and lots of PT it still didn't go away. The pain gradually spread to my jaw (TMJ) and then the rest of my muscles/joints. I am on Lyrica 100mg 2/day, cymbalta 1/day, 800mg of (a strong anti-inflammatory) that I take when I'm really hurting plus I have a low dose version of Vicadin that I take on the worst days. In addition I was prescribed a muscle relaxer to help me sleep which I take almost every night. Sounds like a lot huh? It is! I am still trying to figure out the best ways to deal with this crazy syndrome. I have asked my Rhuemotologist about diet, exercise, special treatments, etc and he says it doesn't hurt but it won't help -- only the drugs will ease the symptoms.

So, I am learing to live with this. It's very fustrating. I used to ski, snow board, swim, run, etc. Even sex is painful (having to stretch my legs kind of pain :)) Now I just walk. I'm gaining weight, too. However, I refuse to give up the thing I love most (which by the way hurts me the most) I play base in a rock band and I love it. What I'm trying to say is, I have accepted that pain will always be there, but, I am not going to let it stop me from doing what I enjoy.

I'm glad I found this site. I hope you ladies keep it going. I really found peace in knowing how many others are out there with the same experiences. Thanks so much!

I found this page looking for pain in knees back hips and arms and am so glad I did. Lots of great info but is anyone still posting here recently? And if so are there any more like this on the web? Thank you!

Just thought I'd add some of my experiences. I also suffer from a lot of leg/hip/knee pain. It has really limited my physical activity and is definitely associated with menopause as I've had my hormones tested and they are low but within the ranges allowed for in menopause. I'm one year into this. What I've tried: Macafem (Maca Root). I do think this worked for me but I had a lot of side affects: stomach cramps, anxiety mainly. I could not continue with it. Bio-identical hormones. Still working with quantities ...taking E2, E3 and progesterone in a cream. Some days I think it's helping, some days not. What I did notice is that, when I wasn't on it, my cholesterol shot up...so I'm hoping the estrogen helps with it. The quantities I"m taking are small, however. Vitamin D. Everybody needs to get their level checked. Mine is stubbornly low and even after taking 8,000 iu daily for a year, my level only inched up and is still low (27). Now on 50,000 iu 2Xwk through my MD. Noticed an immediate improvement in my hip pain and muscle weakness. It's supposed to take 3 mos to get up to a normal level, so I'm hopeful this will help. Exercise and stretching. Have to do this every day!

I had a hysterectomy in January 2009 and by May I was feeling like I had the worst arthritis in my knees and have felt crippled ever since. I went to dozens of doctors, took blood tests to the point that my arms were bruised all over. I could not function anymore. I ached, I cried, I lost my will to breathe.
One rheumatologist said I have Fibromyalgia, one orthopaedic surgeon said I was over reacting and gave me one after another shot of steroids right into my knees, many other doctors over the years have been all over the place from telling me I'm in need of a psychiatrist to I need my knees replaced. Another orthopaedic surgeon saw my MRI and said I have chondromalacia patella, two of them decided I had Lupus, one other told me I had RA.
Everything I read on this thread seems like my situation, now I KNOW I'm not crazy, I'm a 50 year old in need of hormone replacement. You would think that the 50+ year old FEMALE specialists that I've been going to for 16 months would KNOW something. OMG could it be true that those doctors are that ignorant or do they just not care?

Hi Everyone
I can not tell you how happy I am to have found this site. I don't feel as CRAZy and ALONE as i have over the past while. Not that I am happy that anyone is feeling the same way as me but that I see a small light at the end of the tunnel.
I am 42 years old and honestly feel like my life is over. I have been a very active women all my life always busy busy working out being involved now I am in such pain all the time especilly in the shoulders, elbows and hands it is making me half crazy. I feel like I can not partake in anything anymore due to the constant pain and fatigue. I am allergic to ASA and Tylenol so the pain is even more difficult to deal with. I knew I was heding into menopause as I was having extreme mood swings night sweats and getting out of bed in the morning to go to work was difficult. I figured as the other women in my family dealt with this in stride I could do the same.
When the pain started though I got scared. The mood swings and night sweats were the least of my worries. The joint muscle and bone pain in my shoulders arms hands knees etc has made everyday life hard to deal with. I have become consummed with trying to deal with all of this on my own my husbnd and kids think Iam loosing it and have me almost believing the same. I have an appointment with my doctor at the end of the month that will hopefully give me some sort of conformation on what is happening to me. It just seems that I was fine one day woke up the next to find myself to be less active then my 72yr old Mom. I feared that I had everything under the sun I until I fell apon this forum. It has given me a bit of courage to fight this fight as I have never been one to give up but was ready too...

Has anyone out there had any relief from joint pain and arthritis by using HRT? I am 54 and having the hot flashes, had x-rays for pain in wrists and shoulder and diagnosis is arthritis. The orto said this could be hormone imbalance related considering I'm only 54. My gyno said HRT may relieve the arthritis. I have a perscription for estrace 1 mg and Prometrium 100 mg. I'm alittle nervous about starting HRT. Anyone on HRT and getting good results?
Thanks for any input.

To reggae: just to let you know, I tried HRT and it seemed to make my headaches and joint pain WORSE! I DO think these symptoms are a hormone imbalance, but the only thing that has helped me so far is Cymbalta. Maybe if you just try the smallest dose and watch those symptoms? I think the Vit D deficiency mentioned above is worth a look too. Good luck.

I promise you, this will help and it's FREE!! I became post menapausal this past June and by September I ached all over, all day and night! It was awful!! I decided to go on a diet - thinking the extra weight I was carrying might be a contributing factor. This diet takes you off sugar completely - no fruit, so fructose, no sugar period. Also, you have to drink LOTS of water. I figured out for my weight I should be drinking 9 cups of water a day (that's only 4 1/2 bottles)...by the third day - all the aches and pains had stopped - TOTALLY!! I AM NOT KIDDING. WATER AND NO SUGAR! IT'S TOO SIMPLE.

A couple years ago I was experiencing really bad pain throughout my body, joints, muscles, bottoms of feet, palms of hands. I got on a support site and asked if anyone had experienced it. One woman said it might be a food allergy and to do an elimination diet of the most common allergies, don't eat them and see if the pain goes away. It did. Add each food one at a time and wait 72 hours before adding the next food to see if the pain returns. It did. Tomatoes. I don't eat tomatoes anymore, but as long as I rotate them or eat once and then not again for a while I'm fine.

Then about a year ago I started getting pain in my legs. So bad it was hard to walk and impossible to sleep. I tried the elimination diet but nothing helped. I tried a variety of other theories: dehydration, exercise, vit/min deficiencies, but nothing. Then I went on another diet for a totally different health reason...no grains, sugar, dairy, soy, caffeine,iodine, and avoid chemicals. The pain totally went away. I have no idea what was causing it although prior to this diet I was pretty much cafeine/soy/chemical free almost gluten/dairy/sugar free but not completely. With my other health issue the problem was I needed to be totally free of these things, no cheating every so often. Still not sure what was causing it, but pain is gone.

I don't know if this will help any of you, but it's always good to get ideas.

Only one person has mentioned an elimination diet. With all the focus on what to add don't forget to take (bad) things out so the supplements etc can work.

Detoxification can help a lot of things and can be accomplished by juicing.

An easy basic juice recipe:
1 part cucumber
1 part celery
1 part carrots/beets (less than 30% of total due to sugar)
1 part greens like lettuce or kale
No fruits except Granny Smith apples and kiwi if desired

Be sure to use all organic. Drink first thing in the morning (after a glass of water if desired). Have breakfast 15-30 minutes later.

This will detoxify and alkalize the system. Mild-flu like symptoms (if any) for the first few days are considered to be toxins being released.

Noticeable benefits should be felt as early as two weeks to one month after starting to juice daily.

A great intro to juicing is the DVD 'Fat, Sick and Almost Dead' although I don't recommend the 100% juice approach as in the DVD.

Has anyone who posted about all the joint /muscle pains years ago found an answer???are you still suffering all these years later?
Please, please let us know what you did or did it go away!?

I am in my early 40's. Experiencing joint pain. Wakes me up from profound sleep, even with sleeping aide. Get hot and cold chills, which usually let me know I'm about to get the joint pains and fatigue. Think I may have the beginning stages of menopause, however, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, heart disease, etc, run in my family. So, once I have more information, I will post it here. This post is VERY helpful, as I was not aware of other factors, such a vitamin D deficiency, food allergies, etc., which could be causing the pain. Will post something else when I get more information. So many people in pain. With this economy, I wish we could all get healthcare. I am lucky to work for a wonderful boss and employer. I hope everyone has a better or less painful day.

Hi yall. I felt like printing all these posts out to take to the Dr with me next week! I have been going through this for years and I don't know what I can add to your posts regarding pain and frustration. I did think however that I would add a few things I have found helpful.
Magnesium and Malic acid combo helps with muscle pain and energy.
Avoidance of carbs and sugar, makes a HUGE difference in pain levels...you might want to research Nightshades and their effects on pain in sensitive people. This problem with nightshades might be why low carb-sugar diet is so effective for me.
Cymbalta does work great for me, I am just now going back on all of the above after being an idiot and getting off regimen for holidays.
Tai chi is Proven to help with arthritic pain. I was looking for a class and ended up training to teach it! It is wonderful. I am going to start teaching another class soon just so I will do it regularly. I usually teach it at upscale retirement communities. You can call your local Arthritis Foundation or email them and find a class, once you learn you can do it at home,it is a very short (2 minute) easy exercise program.
Also the Peter Egoscue Pain Free workout video is AMAZING. I am going to get up off this sofa now and go do it. Again, this is a very EASY workout and it absolutley helps realign your body for less pain. You can google it,and read about his work!
Drink lots of water of course, pray and try to think happy thoughts. I work part time at Chico's for the social interaction, the exercise it gives me and the positive support of the girls I work with. It really does help me to be out, even on my painful feet, with my painful body, around other women! At the end of most days I am happy to be me, there are so many people that have worse things in their lives than feeling bad. In fact, I find that if you don't like to journal (I don't) just put a happy, sad or whatever "face" on your calendar each day to see if you can find out what makes some days better than others and try to duplicate it!
Best of luck to all of you! God bless!

Hello,I have read with interest the posts relating to joint and muscle pain. I have been suffering with extreme muscle weakness/pain with exertion, for 6 months. I was becoming so debilitated and incapacitated that the most simple daily activities such as fixing meals, climbing stairs, etc. wore me out and made me fatigued to the point I would have to rest after a minute or two of exertion. Because we have no insurance, I put off a visit to the Dr.(and besides, I know that it is very difficult to find a good diagnostician within the medical community.) But eventually I decided that I MUST find a trustworthy physician and at least get some labwork done. I am very happy I did. My problem turned out to be something extremely treatable: A moderate(but close to severe) Vitamin D deficiency. At 17 ng/mL, it is not surprising that I was experiencing the symptoms I was. I encourage all who are going through bone/muscle pain/weakness, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath on climbing stairs, etc. to get this labwork done. My other symptoms were: loose stools(three plus years), cracked/painful/inflamed cuticles, hives on the back on my neck(one year plus), and unexplained red lesions on face and around hairline. Because I was entering perimenopausal chapter of my life, I had attributed all of these things to menopause. I sincerely hope that this information will help some who are suffering as I did for so long. I am now on the D3 drops at 12 drops/day to rectify the deficiency. I will be retested in about one month to check my level of the vitamin. Good luck to all who are entering the perimenopausal time of their life. Don't give up. There are answers to your health problems. Find a trustworthy wellness physician, keep reading and studying on your own, and practice: good exercise, sunshine, fresh air, clean diet, water drinking, adequate rest, avoidance of any hurtful substances and (most importantly)trust in Divine power. You will overcome this and find abundant health!

I feel like you are all angels that have been sent to prove that I'm not crazy! I have been suffering from aches and pains for the last couple of years of some form or another. My feet, my back, stiffness in my hips. What a comfort it was to read these posts! I am postmenopausal, and just didn't realize how long this misery lasts! I'm in the process now of seeing a doctor, and I will mention hormones to her. Just reading the post here have helped and made me feel better, more human and not crazy! My panic level has dropped considerably, which in fact should help my blood pressure! Thank you, my angels! I will be back to check in and check up!

Thank goodness for this site! I am 50 and stopped using bc about five months ago because I felt it was time to do so. I have hot flashes and my period never came back. I can deal with this. However, about three months ago, I developed chronic joint and muscle pains all over my body, even my fingers. I had all of the tests, blood work, and visited a rhuematologist. Everything was negative, which is a good thing. I take black cohosh and soy which my ob-gyn recommended. She told me if this does not work in about six weeks I can consider the lowest dose birth control pill, Loestrin, for a few months. I have tried so hard to stay natural, but I am ready to try the bc again. Perhaps, I had to wean myself off the estrogen instead of stopping cold turkey. There is research on the relationship between estrogen and joint/muscle tissue health.

Anyone have luck returning to or starting a low dose bcp or HRT to stop the pain?

January Rose: I tried both birth control and HRT and found neither helped my joint pain (hips and knees) even tho the pain is cyclical and hormone related I'm sure. So far, the only thing that has helped (and I've tried ALOT of things over the past 2 years or so) is Cymbalta and taking ibuprofen twice daily. Good luck!

I am 51 years old. I had hot flashes after my second child at the age of 29, and more as I aged. I complained to my doctors, they all said that was impossible at that age. Seven years ago my right form arm started hurting so much. Then 2 years after that my whole right arm started to hurt and six months following that I could not move my arm or orated my shoulder. Four years ago it started to spread to my right leg. My whole right side started to go limping and in constant pain. I had no insurance during those years, but the pain and the stiffness was so much. I had to go to doctors and all kinks of test was done. MRI on my head, blood tests but they all came back negative. Some doctors suggested that I might had Multiple Colosuse. But additional tests came back negative. In the last five years my pain had been intensified and my whole body became so stiff. Every move had been so painful. I felt like a robot had been left out on yard to weather rain and everything. I was in pain 24/7. I tried all kind of pain killer, but nothing was really released my pain and stiffness. I had tried deep tissue massage, chiroprator, accupunture, accupressure and all the alternate medicine and treatment. It was a waste of time, money and hopes.
Last summer, I had insurance. I visited a neutrologist, after listening to my condition for 30 minute, he said I had Atypical Parkinson. Since then three doctors had diagnosed me with Parkinson and I had been on PD medication. People around me could tell a different in my movements. My pains are also more bearable, but my doctor is still not very happy with my condition. My doctor expects my pains and stiffness would be gone with all the medication I am on. I hope my condition would be gone after my menopause. If anyone needed more condition on PD could email or there are tons of web site on PD.
Would luck everyone.

I'm 52 and still have a pretty regular period but am experiencing some menopause symptoms. Right before my period and for the first few days of it, I have night sweats, muscle aches & pain, vivid & weird dreams, sleep interuptions, etc. I've never heard the muscle aches mentioned as a symptom, asked my doctor and her response was, "take a few Ibuprofen before going to bed" and that was it! People not going thru this, just don't get it.

When I wake up, my neck, shoulder, low back and upper thighs ache so bad! Also, experience a lot of stiffness after sitting and sometimes even when I haven't even been sitting that long.

Anyway, what does seem to help me is taking Black Cohash, Vitamin B Complex, Calcium, Magnesium & Zinc supplement, Fish Oil & a multi vitamin. I know it's a lot of vitamins, but they really do help. Cutting back on carbs, drinking tons of water (gallon a day) and exercise helps too.

I also had Plantar Fascitis (heel pain) that was mentioned but overcame it with ice, exercises, never going barefoot and good supportive shoes.

So far I haven't had a hot flash but from what I'm reading, it sounds like it will only get worse once my period stops all together - just great!

I also began arthritis at perimenopause 2 yrs ago. i am 46 years old now. I also began to have many many food allergies. It's all due to chronic inflammation that estrogen used to mask. I found 95% relief on a strict diet avoiding all gluten, diary and any food to which I am allergic. I prepare ALL my food from scratch (lots of veges). Not easy to do but so so worth it. When I cheat, even with just one cookie, I feel pain in my hands, feet elbows etc within 30 minutes. I believe wholeheartedly that all our joint problems are due to our crappy, processed American diet. We can all be healed once we stop making excuses as why it's not our diet, face facts, and do for ourselves what the medical profession cannot. WE CAN BE CURED! Please please try it, ladies!!! It's worth it!!!! Google "anti-inflammation diet" to get started. That's how I began to cure myself. No more taking 4 Advils a day!

tooyoungtobeold!! I believe you...wholeheartedly....I am 49 yrs old and maybe about 6 months ago started to get aches and pains in my hands and elblow joints. I sure its connected to menopause and these are just a few of the symptoms i'm having from peri menopause...the biggest problem I have is heart palpitations...I don't really get hot flashes or night sweats it's just those darn palps and joint pain. Anyway,,,I just ordered Cal/Mag and Aloe Vera Gel Tabs...I just got them today and Im gonna start taking them tonight. But I want to start eating right and healing myself through the foods I eat...I want to start juicing and cutting out all white foods. I truly believe this will help me...I started today...had fruit for breakfast and for lunch had a veggie salad with a little olive oil and vinegar for dressing....and thats it...tonight will be healthy also....so I'll let ya'll know how it goes..=) Be well everyone!

Its also worth speaking to your doctor about polymyalgia, its often mistaken for arthritis and over a period of years can be debilitating. From personal experience it took several years before my doctor diagnosed me after I had xrays of my supposed arthritic joints that showed very little degradation. Ive since responded well to steroids and a healthy diet.

Hello,
I'm 53 old and my menopause started at 46. I do not have uteris, but I still have my ovaries. Everything started with my muscle pains. First my left shoulder with my arm frozened, stop working with limited movements. I wasn't able to take care my self. The pain was 15 in the 10 scale.
Needed 1 year to get better with a lot of exc. and SWIMMING helped me a lot. I researched a lot and the HORMON change in the body can cause this condition. After 2 years my right shoulder and arm started the same condition and that time I didn't do much just exc. and SWIM and I got better after the year. The same thing "frozen shoulder" The pain was so high, sometimes I screamed. Looks like muscle and nerve pains together.
Personly I think, our body telling you, YOU ARE CHANGING! You have to find a way to help yourself. Nothing else will help! Even a cortizone, nothing! Now, I'm taking extra vitamins and I find out really help the AIRBORN immune supplement with extar C vitamin magnesium, calcium d and b vitamins. I still have joint and muscle pains especially in my legs, but not to bad.
Hopefully this information help you.
I'm not belive in Parkinson or Multiple S. your body is changing that's all. Sue

wow, this is an old thread. but i had to chime in since i don't think anyone has mentioned thyroid. a lot of the symptoms i'm reading here are classic for hypothyroidism, or, lack of proper thyroid hormone. it affects mostly women and is extremely common, affecting millions worldwide. most of the population is suffering and remain undiagnosed. and the bad news is: most docs have no idea how to properly treat OR test. the site below is the bible of thyroid disease. and if you do find you are hypothyroid, do not accept synthetic thyroid meds as treatment. there is very little relief in them and in the end can leave you in even worse shape. many know they are hypo or hyperthyroid are already on synthroid/levoxyl and don't associate their symptoms with that of thyroid disease because they assume their condition is being properly managed by their endo. this was me and i was shocked to learn the docs i had trusted were clueless, yet thought they knew better. some symptoms: low vitamin D, plantar fasciitis (aching feet), joint and muscle pain, stiffness (after rising), leg cramping, acne, weight gain or loss, back/shoulder problems ...the list goes on and on. please check your thyroid and if your doc tries to tell you you are not thyroid deficient, find someone else to order the tests. see the sections in the link below for ordering ALL labs needed to detect thyroid disease. TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) alone cannot be used to determine thyroid disease. good luck!

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/long-and-pathetic/

It's been 11 months today since I posted on this site and I just wanted to say that I'm not in that much pain anymore. My fingers ache and some days I don't sleep so well, but most of my pain is gone.
I have been on HRT - Estrace 1mg for 20 months and I take 2500mcg B-12, 2000iu D-3, 8000iu A and 400mg Magnesium. I take other vitamins but these are the main ones. I also drink a glass of water with 1-2 tbs of organic Apple Cider Vinegar most mornings. I'm not sure if it is all the things I am taking or if the pain has just run it's course. I have heard about the connection with the thyroid and I was tested but told it was fine.
I do know that all the pain I was in was definitely from menopause after my hysterectomy. I just couldn't get my doctors to understand or believe me. I think the doctors came up with fybromyalgia because they couldn't explain why so many middle aged women had so much pain. Just saying!!! Maybe they should do more research on hormones and menopause.
Anyway, I just wanted to say I understand how painful it can be, but I think it will eventually get better.

WOW>.. thank you ALL for making me feel better...

I just want to comment to anyone who considers taking birth control pills.... DO NOT!

I took birth control pills when I was 50... (to regulate heavy bleeding). Being healthy and a non smoker, my doctor said I was not in a "high risk group". However, soon after, I almost died with a pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lungs) and ended up on blood thinner for a year. The more I read into this, the more shocked I was at how common a side affect this is to birth control, especially at a later age...

SO PLEASE... deal with the pain...

Hi all

I am new to the forums, and actually found this page a few weeks ago by googling 'perimenopausal joint pain'. I found every post so helpful.

I just had to add my story for any other woman who is going through this hell. I too, was NOT listened to by my doctor and have just had the worst year of my life, which turned me from a happy, relatively healthy 49 year old, into a crippled, neurotic, terrified 50 year old. My GP made me feel like an anxious middle aged fool. I thought I was going mad as I knew the pain was not in my head.

It started last year when I developed a terrible chemical taste in my mouth which would not go away. Not life threatening I know, but it was really awful. I have since discovered that when the ovaries are on the way out, they can sometime have one last frenzied burst of activity and dump too much estrogen into the bloodstream. (I remember when pregnant having an odd taste, so it is not far fetched that hormones can do this.) But this was worse than the metallic taste of pregnancy - it was seriously vile - like poison. Now I know what it was it makes sense to me, but at the time, it was just horrible - like when you swallow an uncoated pill and the taste stays on the back of your tongue. I had it 24 hours a day for weeks. My doctor told me it was not a 'symptom of anything' and told me to go to the dentist. I also had permanently strange tingling skin, almost like cold sunburn.

A few months after that, I developed terrible joint pain. I mean, TERRIBLE pain. It came on so quicly and was so bad, I thought I had Polymyalgia or Fibromyalgia, and sometimes I even thought I had bone cancer.
It started in my left arm and shoulder, moved into to both shoulders and upper back, and was also in my hips and lower back. All of my limbs ached. I had all the FM tender points. I was never sure if it was joint, muscle or tendon. There was no heat, redness or inflammation. Just pain. I always had a low nagging pain in the background, but when I moved in a certain way it was an acute stabbing pain which flared up and made me feel light headed and sick for a moment. I could not do up my bra, get dressed, wrap a towel round me, walk the dog...put on a seatbelt... without this pain. Never once did I suspect that this hell was all to do with hormones. I knew I was perimenopausal, due to missed periods, but I did not have the usual symptoms such as hot flashes or sweats.

I had lots of blood tests and was told I had absolutely no inflammation. My male GP who I have seen for years 'pooh poohed' the idea that my pain was due to menopause when I tentatively brought it up with him. I was at my wits end - I was just in so much pain and it seemed no one was really taking me seriously. I really am quite a 'buck up' sort of person usually, and I thought I had a high pain threshold, but this was in a different league. I was just so weary of it all. I was even considering having my two dental implants taken out, (at huge expense because it is not a simple procedure once they have integrated - not to mention missing front teeth, and the thought of dentures!) as I read on some weird website that titanium allergy can cause the same joint symptoms.

However, after discovering from a practice nurse during my smear three weeks ago that having low to no estrogen CAN cause joint pain, I went to a female doctor to discuss it and had some new blood tests. Again, NO inflammation, no raised CPR or ESR, no rheumatoid signs. My ESR is only 2! However, the FSH showed that I was in peri, and she started me on the HRT Prempac-C immediately. She explained about the last burst of hormones before the ovaries give up, and how I now prpobably had no hormones at all.
I was told it would take from a week, to up to a month to see changes, but I am really not exaggerating when I say that today, three days later - I feel like a different person. I still have some pain - it has not miraculously gone overnight - but it feels like it is on the move. You know that way when you have been terribly ill, and you wake up one morning and you know you are on the mend...the pain changes somehow, it moves, and is not so intense.

I genuinely have never felt anything like the pain I have been having. It was intolerable. Just shows you how these hormones (or lack of them) can affect us ladies. I didn't have a lot of other symptoms of menopause that women mention but I definitely got more than my fair share of the joint issues.

I totally underestimated just how much hormones can affect the body. I was sure I had some systemic disease that would need steroids, I even thought if it continued to progress so quickly that I might end up in a wheelchair. It really was that bad.

Please please, if you are a 'certain age' and are struggling with uinrelenting, worsening pain in your joints, muscles or limbs...please have your hormones checked!

I just hope I can stay on HRT for life....;)

Daisypink, thank you so much for your post! I can relate to every word you wrote. I, too, developed terrible joint and muscle point almost overnight it seemed. Stiffness in the morning, sometimes the bottom of my feet would hurt, most always my upper back/shoulders/arms, especially when I slept on my side, which I've always done. I was still doing the same activities, but something inside me had changed. I knew I was in perimenopause, but all these other symptoms, my gosh, no doctor ever warmed me about it and I had no idea what was happening. My primary care doctor, who is female and wonderful, understands my issues are hormonal but has told me she does not think it's a good idea to take hormones. I remember when my Mom took Premarian back in the day, and it make a big difference for her. Oh how I would like to feel like the old me -- who had energy and never had stiffness or these aches. I've often wondered if I have fibromyalgia but even if I did, I don't want to take any more medications. I was wondering -- how long did your doctor say you could stay on HRT, and do you know if it causes weight gain? This has now become a quality of life issue for me -- I'm tired of feeling tired, aching, and old -- I always swore I would never act or feel like that, but as I said, I had no idea what was coming. I wish someone had warned me, so at least mentally I could have been somewhat prepared and understood it. I can almost guarantee that if men went through menopause, there would have been safe and effective treatments developed decades ago to somehow mitigate the symptoms. I'm just sayin'

I'm so glad I found this forum- I wake up stiff, and am so stiff after sitting I'm walking like a 100 yr old not a 55 yr old- I've been menopausal for a number of years- after terrible symptoms went on HRT- YEAH!!! I did have a low vit D for a long time which I blamed for my pain but my last level came back at 130 - the highest ever for me. I was better when I could take mobic but after gastric bypass surgery it isn't an option. I'm back to my GP soon- at least I'm not crazy- or alone- I take fish oil, krill oil, glucosamine etc- useless!!!!! Help and support really appreciated- PS I have a black thumb and have never gardened in my life..

I would like to echo everything I have just read on the forum; I too thought I was experiencing FM or Arthritis as my pain & stiffness continued. After reading this yesterday, I went immediately and purchased, MACA ROOT, 575mg at the local GNC. (I actually purchased the last bottle in the store - so it must be popular). After taking 2 pills yesterday, I could tell a difference in the level of stiffness after sitting for long periods. I wasn't sure how many I should take the first day, so I did not take one before bed; but will tonight as I still experienced the severe joint pain when I got out of bed and put my feet on the floor for the first time. I also purchased a chocolate chew that contains Vit D and Calcium (chewing 2 will give you amt you need each day). I am so tired of feeling 85 in a 50 year old body. I will update after a week of taking the MACA ROOT x3 daily. This forum has given me hope that this pain will impove and that I am not crazy!

Well... I have learned a lot reading this WHOLE thread! Thank you so much to all of you who have posted. My story is pretty much the same as that of most of you so I will spare you the details. But I'm so happy to have read all of you as it has relieved me of so much fear and anxiety that I have been going through, not knowing what was happening to me!

I have chosen to go on a total sugar-free diet, drinking A LOT of water, taking pro-biotics. In others words, I'm changing the way I feed myself... completely! I'm already gluten and lactose intolerant so that part of the diet has already been taken care of. I do have to have my thyroid checked again since I am already on Synthroid. I would probably benefit, now that I am menopausal, from a slightly stronger dosage... But I have certain doubts about the underlying cause of all the health problems I've suffered from, in my lifetime and I will try to fix it now. I will be back later, to let you all know of my personal progress in case it might be of help to others.

Don't despair. We will all find our solutions if we just keep hope and keep trying... Talk to you all, later. : )

This is me too! Very sudden increase in overall aches, but the aching started and continued at a much lower level for a few years. I have noticed that when I lose control with my food choices (like eating too many carbs), the pain increases. But this last month, while I have increased some carb indulgences, I didn't think it was enough to cause this level of discomfort. I am in pain all the time! Thank God for my Pilates class! I do find some relief for an hour or two after clss.

I just made an appointment with a naturopathic doctor for alter this month. Hoping she can help me. My regular endocrinologist seem pretty inept and hearing me. He just tosses pills at me.

I'm 52 and in menopause, and have put on weight steadily to around 45 lbs from just three years ago. Very very depressing as I weight train, do eliptical for 20-30 miles per week and so on. What really worried me more than anything though was my occasionally getting fleeting moments where the muscles in my buttocks and thighs would "turn liquid" when walking for want of a better description. Fortunately it was just fleeting and I sort of blamed it on the weight gain. Similarly if I'd been sitting down and got up, I'd have to hobble for a minute or so before my leg muscles would straighten out. It got severe enough that I was in terror that I wouldn't makeit to 82 because that's 30 years away and most 82 year olds are walking better than I was. I talked to my doc and the culprit was simvastin (zocor). So ladies if you are taking a statin for cholesterol levels then please check it out with your doctor. I joined up to share this info with you as it may help just one of you out there. If you do take zocor or generic and the doc poo poos the idea, just skip two days - your muscles will immediately improve. I understand that won't help a lot of you but it might help one. I was taking simvastin for two years before it really started hitting me hard as described above. Might be worth checking other medicine side effects also - Because all too many times, if you mention menopause in an overworked docs office, it becomes a catch all solution for bad problems that have nothing to do with it. All the best to all of you.

i now have smoothies every day..and it has
1 tble sp golden linseeds
1 dsp sunflower seeds
1 tblesp pumpkin seeds
12 almonds
few walnuts.... soak all the above over night in a cup of water
in morning blend till smooth ..add to this in the jug blender more water, fresh pineapple, 1 apple half a banana blueberries grapes any fruit and a large handfull of spinach...
and yoghurt if u like.
i felt loads better after 3 days..more energy less aches and pains, gone off meat and coffee... this recent weird head attack may be cos id not had the smoothies so regular... so im back on it every day now..
LINSEEDS REDUCE/ BODYTEMPERATURE they are a natural plant eostrogen... so stop hot flashes xxxxx
I also have lost weight rapidly as i eat less rubbish xxx i eat as much as i like inbetween my 2 or 3 glasses of smoothie a day xxx

I'm just loving this forum. Thank you so much, all of you ladies for sharing your experiences and newly found knowledge. I hope we can all help each other out. :)

Janeyjane52, I will get some golden linseed to add to my daily diet. They are plant estrogens just as soy is and are sure to be of benefit to any woman going through menopause.

I hope some of you will keep us all posted on your progress. I know I will.

Take good care, lovelies! x

Hello Ladies,

As I Googled MS, Lyme disease, and Lupus, trying to figure out what was wrong with me . . . I came across this forum.
I have many of the symptoms each of you described. For me, it has only been a month or two. Being a Kindergarten teacher, runner, and athlete . . . joint pain and stiffness is debilitating to my life style. How does everyone deal with this? Yes, menopause could be the cause however I thought I was done with menopause.

I tend to look for homeopathic remedies than going to the doctor. I liked the Smoothie recipes and am on my way out to buy some Linseed. Besides Vitamin D, is there anything anyone else recommends? What about Probiotics?

I am anxious to hear about anything you have done that helps . . . and how long this all will last. (gulp) Scary thought.

Thanks.
Eileen

I've have been to the doctor's since I last posted a reply here. He has found that, contrary to what I was expecting, my thyroid hormonal level was higher than usual and that I needed to reduce the amount of Synthroid that I am using. Well... : / How did that happen after years of steadily increasing the dosage? I thought it would only be getting worse as I got older! So I am waiting to see if 4 to 6 weeks down the line, it'll make any difference in the generalized inflammation in my body that is causing me joint pain... among other things!

IT IS OBVIOUS THAT WE ALL HAVE AT LEAST ONE THING IN COMMON HERE: The loss of female hormones in our bodies increases the all around inflammation we are experiencing, since those hormones are naturally anti-inflammatory. Perhaps, what each of us is now suffering from was there, to begin with, but our hormones kept it from having a noticeable impact on our well-being. I guess what I'm saying is that menopause may very well be a SUDDEN wake-up call for many women to address health issues that had been steadily getting worse over time yet remaining unnoticed, since hormonal factors were keeping the symptoms at their minimum.

As far as my personal issues go, this is what I've found. It might help some of you, if your symptoms are similar to mine. My issues weren't morning stiffness however, but increasing inflammation throughout the day, causing joint pain and sinus headaches. Rest and sleep actually helped decrease the discomfort. The doctor has no clue (That's nothing new! LOL) but I have finally figured out what was the problem with me. My symptoms suddenly started in September and got worse whenever I went outside for a walk. I am experiencing a reaction to MOLD in the environment! Mold spore counts have finally decreased after two months of suffering, so my symptoms are slightly less painful, at this point, and I expect them to go down as the temperature gets colder. Still! I am taking the bull by the horns, putting myself through a major detoxification routine and changing my eating habits! By the time spring gets here, I want to be sure those silly allergies that have been creeping up on me over the years and getting worse (First lactose, then gluten, then possibly soy and now mold! lol), become a thing of the past.

Wish me luck. I hope you all find your unique individual solutions. Thank you to the person who made this post. It has been very informative! I will keep reading the replies... :) It is a very interesting thread, indeed... :)

This is my life as well. I can relate to so many of these womens symptoms. I just turned 49 and I feel like I've aged 30 years in the last year! This site has become my nightly bedtime story. When I'm hurting more that usual I come here and feel better knowing I'm not alone in whatever it is we are going through. I thought it hit me all at once but when I think back it was gradual and I just didn't put it together until lately. About 12 years ago I had an eptopic pregnancy, I had to have emergency surgery. My doctor told my husband that he had to take out my ovary but when I inquired about it(he is my obgyn) he says, "no, I didn't take it out". When I started having this pain I had a ultrasound and the tech couldn't find one of my ovaries so I mentiond this again to my obgyn and he still says he didn't take it out. But now it makes a little more sense if my hormones are a little out of whack. My gyn tells me I'm not old enough to be going through perimenopause (the same one who says he didn't take out my ovary) and my doctor who says my blood work looks fine says the same thing. Men! So I was tested for hormones, vit d, thyroid. Didn't realize there is a home hormone saliva test that seems to be fairly accurate. It all makes sense that it is hormone related. To feel perfectly fine for the most part to feeling defeated to the pain is frightning. I too felt like something was terribly wrong. So it seems we need to do our own investigating if we want solutions. Many women are vit d deficient, as are many people with the scare of skin cancer. I've read that many women with breast cancer are vit d deficient. We need the sun, just in moderation. Uvb and uva rays are highest between 10 and 2. So about 10 minutes daily is a good dose of the good vit d uvb rays. Also I've read here that magnesium helps so I looked into that as well and found info that states there is alot of people deficient there as well. This doesn't necessarily show up on your blood work though so it is often undiagnosed. I read that we not only need calcium but magnesium as well in a 2 to 1 ratio. More mag than calcium. I was eventually convinced that I must have fibromyalgia (aren't all women our age, hmmmm) and looked up natural ways to help with that and on another small forum a few women take malic acid aka magnesium malate which isn't in most magnesium supplements. Anyways, I started taking Vit D3 2000 (2 of em) along with a mag calcium 2 to 1 ratio, malic acid 2 x a day. Its like 1250 mg a pill, black cohosh drops, maca (its good for the marriage) and golden flaxseed meal. I'm a self guinea pig but desperate to feel better. A guy I work with told me about something called protandim so I thought what the heck, I'll try it! I take that seperate with the flaxseed and black cohosh. I work retail so I'm on my feet about 7 hours a day which doesn't help at all!! My feet don't like me much at the end of the day and definately not at all in the morning. I walk very gingerly my first few steps. I too was that active, exercising, bike riding, jogging at the park, playing with the dogs person, now I just wanna lay down with the dogs! Let them rub my tummy for a change or at least my back, oooohhh or my feet! Knowing I'm not alone in this gives me some peace. Sharing is theraputic so keep on sharing ladies! I am thankful this Thanksgiving for this forum.

JustJillen, I started taking magnesium too, a few days ago and have been taking a little more vitamin D than usual.

Let me know if you experience any progress with whatever you're taking...

:) Talk later.

SugarFreeMe

SOOO glad a 53 year old is not crazy ditto to above aches in back of thighs for months, shoulders, elbows, leg cramps. NO period for November( this month) tubal not pregnant. increasing vitamin D decreasing sweets!! ALSO stopped all artificial sweetners my sinuses are 98% better, but stiff in AM been taking ibuprofen

I'm still not sure what the exact cause of my pain really was, in the beginning (Three months ago!) but I had become very sensitive to the outside mouldy environment. I had stopped drinking coffee and things got a bit better, progressively. Then, I thought I was healing well so started drinking it again. My swelling slowly came back and the joint pain that came along with it. So I stopped drinking coffee and felt the difference in the next few days. I'm recovering very slowly from whatever it is that had come over me, in September. But I did put myself through a major diet change and am taking many different good quality food supplements, including spirulina and chlorella capsules (around 10 gr/day to help detoxify my body), hardly any sugar at all... except in fruits, no alcohol, no coffee, hyaluronic joint complex with MSM to feed my joints, vitamin D, B12, C, a multi-vitamin, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron (because I am deficient in it) and pro-biotics at dinner time to help build up my immunity and re-balance the good flora in my intestines. I also take 1000 mg/day of Evening Primrose oil, which adds the necessary unsaturated fatty acids in the form of gamma-linolenic acid, to my daily diet.

What seems to have helped me tremendously is switching from coffee to green tea! Green tea is anti-inflammatory and an anti-oxidant that helps build immunity.

I'm feeling better with each passing day. The recovery is slow but as long as there is constant progress, I'm heading in the right direction!

Good luck to all of you. Keep trying 'til you find what works for you!

:)

SugarFreeMe (Gluten-Free and dairy too!! lol)

Hello, I am new to this but have enjoyed reading all of your different experiences with this. Last year I had a total hysterectomy and have been on estridol for my hormone replacements. It's been awhile now thinking about it but for the last few months I have noticed getting pain especially in my shoulders, shoulder blades like big knots and in my legs. I have forgotten to take my meds due to working so much but didn't put it together, in fact I went a week without taking them and the pain I had from just walking was more than I could have imagained. I am a home care aide and my client after taking her shopping was in better shape than me. I couldn't hardly walk. I too wanted to cry, didn't understand what was going on. Thanks to all of you I believe you have given me the anwser. Also thought it was intersting about sugar and how it plays a part towards the pain. The muscle pain, migraines, hot flashes are what I am experiencing now mostly, during the summer (in western washington) it doesn't get to hot, but for the first time I couldn't take the heat, it was to much. It was quite scarey for me, I love sun in that it usually makes me feel better, instead it drained me, like someone was litereally taking all my energy. I am 48 and feel old. Could this pain also be fibromalgyia? Can menopause lead to firbromalgiya? What other suggestions does anyone have, I don't go to doc again until Jan, when I get insurance. Anything natural I would appreciate.. reciepes too. Is Tofu good for you?
Thank again ALL OF YOU!! hope to hear from you soon.

well i went and got fish oil, vitamin d, garlic, multivitamin. drinking tons of h2o and decreasing sugar plan to stop all sugar except honey. we will see im 53 and a nurse

My husband was a body builder and he is real big on garlic, onion and water. Also Quinoa for protein, a lot of people don't know about it. So SUGAR really plays a big part of causing the pain? Do you feel like you have the flu? What about sleeping, does anyone have trouble sleeping pain in the neck and shoulders? Thank you restorhope, appreciate the feedback.

Anna... I really believe that around our age, when menopause kicks in and hormone levels decline, the health issues that pop up are symptoms of the bad lifestyle or diet we have had over the years. In most cases, it isn't too late to change everything around and feel a huge improvement from it. If you read my comments above, you'll see everything I have personally done to help myself feel better.... and it is working. I've discovered that by quitting coffee, alcohol (even though I drank very little and on occasion only!) and sugar, my inflammation level went down quite a bit and so did the pain.

We should remember that food's main purpose is to give our bodies the nutrients needed! That is now how I go about feeding myself. There are plenty of healthy food supplements out there that you can experiment with as well, to see how they work for you. I am going through a major cleansing process at this point and already starting to feel better for it. Search the web. There is loads of information there.

When a woman gets to be around 50, if she hasn't been treating her body right over the years, it's time for her to change everything around, if she intends to continue enjoying life.
I am doing much better and I will keep working at it 'til I am fully satisfied with the results! When shopping for health supplements, consider those that are anti-inflammatory. There are bunches of them. I started drinking green tea instead of coffee! It's an anti-inflammatory as well and an antioxidant. Try it. You can add just a little honey if you want. It's a really good way to start your day. :)

Good luck. Take good care.

SugarFreeMe

Sugarfreeme, how did you cut out the sugar? I of course will try anthing to feel better. My poor husband, he is so patient with me but is really tired of my feeling so sad and bad. I sometimes wish I got the hot flashes and night sweats instead of this. I sometimes have this wierd internall quivering, could be my heart ready to jump out of my chest due to anxiety. I did read that both of those are menopause related!!!! This is so not fun. My mother died when I was 3,(she was 32) so I don't know what to expect of this time of my life. I hear we often go through this change like our mothers. I am so scared so often that I find it consuming my life. Not good! I read about something called peripheral neuropathy. The sore feet and legs, hands etc. More fear. So I pray and try to put my fears in a box and vow not to take them back, but of course the pain and fear win me over and I take it right back! What a game my mind plays with me. I only started drinking coffee about 3 years ago for some sweetness so I could definately go back to tea with honey. Yum! Overall I feel like crap buy I'm trying to change my thought process. Thats supposed to help too. Mind over matter :) Gonna try valerian for a good night sleep. :zzzzz
Don't get much of that with a snoring husband. Peace and Joy to All

Jillen, you didn't describe your actual symptoms very well...
I personally have been through all sorts of diet changes and added different health supplements to my daily regimen.

Don't spend your energy on fear and reading too much medical disease description Cr*p on the Internet! You can go to the doctor's with this problem, tell them what your symptoms are and see if it rings a bell with them. If they are serious about helping you, they will check for any possible cause through blood work and other means. If all they are interested in is your money and to get you out the door quickly, you might end up with hormonal therapy treatment or anti-depressants! LoL Don't buy into those options unless they are absolutely necessary as a last resort, once you've tried everything else! Blood tests are necessary to rule out possible life-threatening diseases of an urgent nature. But if you've done that much and nothing conclusive came of it, it's up to you to take matters into your own hands and to do all you can to make yourself healthy again!

Our body heals itself naturally, if we give it what it needs to assist in the process and cut out the lifestyle habits that are detrimental to our health. So start with your diet. I am gluten and lactose intolerant so that's two things I don't consume. Recently, I've changed from coffee to green tea and cut the sugars out. I only put a very small amount of raw sugar in my tea but you can also use a little honey. I don't eat sweets. I never was much into those anyway. Green tea is anti-inflammatory while coffee tends to have the opposite effect so when I switched, I saw the difference from one day to the next: the inflammation that was causing me joint pain, went down quite a bit. It wasn't yet completely gone. Now, it's decreasing day by day. The healing process is long but I can see the progressive improvement and I won't stop trying things until I am fully "recovered"! We really are what we eat!! LoL Everything we put into our bodies changes it, for the better or the worse. LoL

So Jillen, search natural solutions on the web. Don't scare yourself with disease descriptions! Concentrate on healing, not on whatever possible "worst case scenario" you might or might not end up with! LoL Feed your body properly, the way nature intended it to be fed... as much as possible. If you think you have nerve issues, then look up what nutrients might help restore them. Take a little time to see if what you've tried works or not. If there is progress, keep doing what you're doing. If not, try something else. Your body will respond to whatever you put into it. Just be careful, when adding natural supplements to your daily diet, to be sure they are taken in the proper manner. Some may have bad interactions with other supplements or whatever medicine you may be taking. All the information you need is on the Internet.

But please, concentrate on improving the state your body is in, not on disease! Keep working at it, until you are happy with the results. And then, keep doing whatever you found, works for you. : ) As long as you are alive and kicking, have the will to live and are an active participant in your body's health, change and improvement will occur and you will benefit from it.

Now... get to work! : )

SugarFreeMe

I recently had a full hysterectomy as a result of ovarian cancer, and I have been noticing exactly what you have described. I'm 37 years old, thrust into early menopause and I'm miserable. Out of desperation, Istarted taking a Menopause supplement 'Estroven' along with a series of vitamins and feel much better. Try that, and see if you get any relief. Glad I found this thread. I feel like a fish out of water. Best of luck to you.

Thanks for the suggestion, BlackWidowRoses. However, we should be careful when taking phyto-estrogens as they are made from soy and some may be allergic to it. Side effects can go from mild to life-threatening if you are allergic. Also, they are estrogens nonetheless, so they might not be suitable for women who have had any kind of issues with breast or ovarian cancer. Consult with your doctor before using them, if this is the case.

For joint pain, I've heard that there is a product which is relatively new, that gives very good results. It is called Baxyl and is, apparently, very popular at the moment. You can get it online and at health food stores.

http://www.baxyl.com/index.php

I am, personally, going to give it a try! :)

I found some info:

You might want to try d-ribose for your fatigue and other "fibro like" symptoms. This can give you energy and help with sleep.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/post708792-40.html

Ribose has shown some promise with Fibromyalgia patients.
In doses below 10 grams a day it has shown no negative effects on blood sugar.

Hi everyone out there was sure glad to read your post as I thought I was going mad.
So here�s my story and hopefully it will help some of you out there.

My problems started in 2007 (I was 45) , I went in to hospital with a knee that locked and had a clean out op (both knees showed mild arthritis). Everything was fine but my hips started to play up first one then the other, on any given day it could change. Stiffness on waking, hurting if I walked, sat or stood for any length of time. I thought it was arthritis as that was the problem with my knees. As time went on it got worse and so I went to the doctors. They prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs, I have never been very good with this kind of medication as it upsets my stomach and therefore I needed more tablets to line my stomach. The tablets worked temporarily however I only took them when I was really bad as they still messed with my stomach. When in 2008-9 I ended up in hospital because I was unable to swallow food, it was found I had a hiatus hernia, and I knew it was the tablets that was causing the problem. So I stopped taking them and the pain and stiffness got worse it had also moved up to my shoulder and at times my neck as well. I was becoming an old lady fast, I�m not over weight and a very active person, I love dance but began to find that was just to hard on my joints and took up Yoga and Pilates (gently forms) however that didn�t help. Over the years I�ve tried on more then one occasion regular massage, trigger point therapy, physiotherapy, acupuncture and a few more obscure treatments. Nothing was working and over the years I had been getting slowly but progressively worse.
I had been back to my doctor and he had ran a number of blood test to check inflammation, thyroid, and immune factors, I was better then perfect HAHA. The doctor mumbled about fibromyalgia. I researched and had a test at work with the works pyso inconclusive, I insisted on going to see a rheumatoid specialist at the hospital. Fibromyalgia symptoms yes but inconclusive he felt it was peri-menopausal, even though I had no other symptoms.
I have done lots of research on the menopause now and read most of the stories here and believe as science is now investigating that there is a real thing called �menopausal arthritis� I am now in the change (51) with periods being erratic however I don�t get much in the way of hot flushes. What I was finding was when I had a period my stiffness and pains where improved perhaps this should have been the clue.

I have always felt that HRT was just putting of the inevitable and do I really want these symptoms when I�m sixty, not to mention what the drug is made from! I have read much on the new Bio friendly HRT and asked my doctor about this. It�s not available on the NHS and there is much talk about the dosage as hormones change within the body daily. So I decided I would use HRT as the last resort and would try a more friendly approach with diet. Phytoetrogens in foods are the closest things to the female hormone in fact this is the base for Bio friendly HRT opposed to Horses urine found in normal HRT. I made changes to my diet which included Soya, Nuts, Seeds (phytoetrogens) and for extra nutrition oily fish. I cut down on fats and sugars and eat more veg and fruit. I eat about every three hours to stop highs and lows in blood sugars and kept up with the exercise 5 times a week. It took 6 - 7 weeks before I noticed a difference. Three months on the stiffness on waking has gone and the pain and stiffness in joints is decreasing I�m able to do more high impact exercise and feeling stronger everyday. There is many books on the subject of menopausal diets I did not change my eating habits over night but introduced things gradually to give my body time to adjust.
I hope this information will help you, please don�t expect miracles overnight, be kind to yourself and listen to your body. If this works for you it has to be better then taking pills. Good luck

I have been reading a book that mentions a bio friendly cream called Progest. Through Amazon, there are quite a few reviews. All I believe to be positive. It mentions something called estrogen dominance in perimenopausal women. The symptoms are many with this. It also mentions eating soy and phyto foods. Our bodies go through such a drastic change and most of us aren't sure where it came from or how to treat it cuz there's not much talk about this kind of pain or hormone imbalances. This forum is such a great help to make us feel not so alone on this road less traveled, a journey into the unknown. Thanks again ladies for all your stories and may God Bless Us All!

Like many who have posted here, I am thrilled to have found this page! The nano-second I went into menopause, my joints started to flare up and for almost a year now I have been practically crippled. Like a lot of you, I also had the MRI, the X-Rays, etc, but the docs didn't know what it was. The good news that I want to share with you all is that I have found something that is safe, natural, and so far, is really working well for me. It's an Ayurvedic herb called Shatavari. It's considered THE healing tonic for women's issues in Ayurvedic medicine. I have to admit that when I was having my period I never felt it do that much for me, but now that I am menopausal it's at the very top of my list of supplements. The first time I took it, my joints felt somehow stronger the same day, though the pain was still there. It's been about three days now that I am taking it (1 teaspoon 3x/day before meals with warm water) and I can walk normally now, with almost NO pain! I still have to be very careful around stairs and the whole standing up/sitting down drama, but let me tell you, I can walk again! And this is after almost a year of such intense suffering. Oh, and the other thing that seems to be helping quite a bit is Fem+ from Dr Schultz. I stared taking that after the Shatavari, but I feel it also helps. You can get Shatavari at most health food stores. If yours doesn't carry it, you can get it online or order it from the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, NM. I sincerely hope this helps others as much as it's helping me. Blessings to all of us who are struggling for answers and relief. The medical community may not be able to help us, but maybe we can help each other to get through and get healed...

So glad to have stumbled onto this site. I am 56 and feel like one of the oldest going through menopause. I began having knee pain and stiffness about 18 months ago out of no where. I had left knee surgery (osteotomies) 7 years ago but had since recovered faily well. Then about 8 months ago, I began having hip pain alternating hips at different times. Then began having what I refer to has muscle pain on both outer thighs deep inside. I have long suspected an association with hormone changes. After reading all of these posts, I am relieved to know I am not crazy or a hypochondriac. I had a FSH test done 6 months ago and it showed that I was still in the early stages of menopause. After reading different trials of supplements, I will research them and try one. I am a nurse so am very adament about not taking hormones of any kind. History of estrogen receptor breast cancer in family. But I also know I can't keep up this constant and annoying and sometimes unbearable pain. I take fish oil, glucosa/chondroitin combo and vitamins with little relief. Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. Will keep all posted.

I get those "quivers" especially and it is very noticeable when you go to lie down and it honestly feels like you won't make it through the night. I had already made huge changes with my diet but didn't consider additives yet. I thought it always something else but sulphites were the ones doing me it so, wine, dried fruit, vinegars, etc. I haven't experience the quivering heart since dropping them. This is my experience though.
I have a few autoimmune conditions, with arthritis being one of them, I totally know the morning stiffness. I would even get it from sitting in one position for half an hour. I couldn't even close my hands two years ago. Look up leaky gut, food intolerances and elimination diets. I consider myself in remission now. When I stray off my strict diet it unfortunately comes back - skin conditions, arthritis, endometriosis, poor circulation. Best part, my chronically inflamed knee (since my late teens) is normal! This all happened while being stressed out of mind over what was happening with my body and reacting to my medications (so had to quit them and move on to the next one (again)) that I found natural alternatives. I didn't start the new meds and did an elimination diet. I got more results in 10 days on it than any medication I have ever taken. Oh, I also take supplements based on inflammation. So being so stressed out my body still healed? I was told stress (which I didn't have before the conditions started) were causing all my health problems.

You're so right Cookie8 -- diet is critical. I'm currently eating only fresh organic veggies and once in a while some lean meat. An apple once in a while. The moment I put any kind of grain in my mouth right now, all of my joints start to hurt again. No allergy there though -- already had it checked in several ways. The good news is that I'd rather walk and be mobile than eat sugar, grain, or anything else that causes my body to hurt. I hope that this changes once I'm past menopause, but who knows? My body definitely demands a lighter, leaner diet right now...

I am 55 years old and right now I feel like i have been going through the hell that perimenopause has become forever. I honestly don't know how those of us unfortunate women who have gone through the whole gamut of symptoms survive. I have gone through almost all of the options my gyn gave me (I'm still holding out on a hysterectomy), I have tried everything known to mankind for some relieve. New and painful symptoms keep popping up and after reading the long list of posts on this website, my heart goes out to all you women going through this. I have an older sister who never even blinked when she went through menopause. When I tell her what I'm going through she looks at me and says full of wonder "wow, that is so strange, I never had any of those symptoms."

I love my sister and that is why she is still alive! But seriously I get so depressed because it seems that everything points to one clear fact; even the doctors can't tell you when its going to end. I have been through the bleeding so heavy you end up in the hospital, your face so hot, everyone asks if you're okay; the joint aches. I seriously have wondered if I'm dying of some rare disease they don't have a name for. Much of what I have been reading on this site pretty much fits what I'm going through and its not that misery loves company but there is a certain relief in knowing that you are not alone.

I have gotten to the point where even if I'm dying from pain or some other discomfort I just don't tell my husband anymore because it scares him. How can it not? Can you imagine trying to understand how all of these problems can be caused by our female organs? Even I have trouble accepting that.

Hang in there, pray, take care of yourself and to this day I haven't heard of a woman dying from menopause (I heard a couple of them killed their husbands but that's another story).

I am 48 years old, perimenopausal and sitting here with a heat on my hip, just took 800 mg of advil, praying for some relief. I have had excruciating hip pain for over a month now, especially after sitting down at NIGHT. Can barely walk when I stand up. Like most here I was beginning to believe that something was horribly wrong and thought I was losing my mind turning into a hypochondriac. I did start stretching throughout the day and have found a little relief but would love more! It seems that the lack of estrogen is the culprit, which is insane. How a hormone can reak this much havoc on body, mind and soul is crazy!! I am going out tomorrow to buy sam-e... Thank you all for your wonderful posts, I have literally been reading for hours... maybe I won't lose sleep tonite thinking I am terminal.

Hi again! Just a follow-up to let everyone know that there is an end to this hell! At least for me. It's been about 3 years since I first posted and the joint pain and headaches have eased immensely! WithOUT giving up my precious coffee I might add! Tho I DID switch the sugar to honey. Anyway, mostly I think, though all these ideas might help a bit, what REALLY makes the pain stop is when menopause is over. I fully realized this when I recently had a period after 7 months of being period free. I thought I'd never have one again (and hope that even more now!). Well, with that period came the return of all my horrific symptoms. It made me aware of how much better I have become, slowly, without fully noticing it. So, be patient, my friends, relief is possible...just a long wait! For me, knowing that I won't go into my golden years a near cripple is great news!

Oh wow -- this is terrific news 47Nancy! I'm glad to hear your experience and I am SOOOOO hoping the rest of us get relief with time too! And to think, you still get to drink your coffee... that's just wonderful. Thanks for posting!

I am 59, probably the oldest poster, here.

I had 2 children in my early 20's, and 2 more in my early 40's. I started peripausal @ 45.

I have never had a weight problem until now and I only eat 1000 cal a day, and still gain weight.

I have allll the sympthoms, I have tried:

bio-hormes for 4 years - helped body aches and more energy but still had migraines, which is my worse symptom - the dr. could never get the dosage right, impossible to do, since the fluxations are all over the place -withdrawl was horrible, pains all returned and worse, I feel like I'm 90

anti-depressiants, tried many - really didn't help much, withdrawls were horrible

Re-Mag liquid magnesium - no noticable change

Chaga Mushroom - love this stuff - just calms you down and it's a natural de-tox - but doesn't releive pains - check it out online - highly advise it

Imitrex/Sumatriptan - I would have committed suicide if it wasn't for this med. Ins. will only give me 9 pills a month, so I have to cut them up in 4's and take everyday to parcial numb the pain to be functionable. Sometimes take whole pill if I want to die.

Excedrin - take every day - up to 2- 6 per day for years! - but every blue moon, I don't have to take it, so I know it's hormal fluctations.

all the herb remedies - never any noticable change

I haven't tried the Vit D thing, so will try that.

I will love to hear from someone who can honestly say:

"Menopause symptoms went away when I was "age" yrs old, there is releif coming"

Never heard that from anyone anywhere.

Yes, I'm miserable but yet CHOOSE to be happy regardless -

Ok. I am just reading all this stuff and I am amazed...I have been tested for Lupus, Multiple Myeloma ($$), etc. from this ridiculous pain. I have all these symptoms - severe body aches, fatigue, weight gain (one day I woke up fat), the lovely hot flashes, etc. I honestly thought I was dying from a bone/blood disease...until a friend who is a couple years older let me know she had the same symptoms, once she found out my blood work came back "normal". Now, would you not think a female GP and a female Rheumatologist would explore that first? Oh, hell no. Let's run a gazillion $$ worth of tests and send you away with nothing. Thanks to my friend, who had the same "broken arm" feeling, same wacked out hip feeling, I am now exploring this. I feel like someone has beaten me while I was sleeping (when I do sleep) and was sure I was gonna die a hideous death from some rare disease. But, no, just the same never-ending repercussions from Eve eating that f*cking apple. I would take my periods back over this. Sweet baby Jesus! When is it enough?

I have a woman doctor that pretty much doesn't believe in menopause symptoms like these, and even infers that I am just fat and lazy, while pointing out her stick-insect physique. She probably has the metabolism of a hummingbird, and could eat 10 cheesecakes a night with no effect. I don't see her very often!

I just bought a new set of sheets for my mom who is going through menopause. I thought she might enjoy a little luxury! She loves them! The set is called "Zero Gravity." Perfect name right? They don't eliminate her night sweats but they definitely help keep her cooler than her last set of stuffy thick sheets. I got them from a company called Perfect Linens.

I am looking for those linens right now !!!

I hope you like what you find!

I am a 55 year female, was on BC until 6 months ago, and haven't had a period since March, a month or so back I started having aching in my legs and hips at night to the point it would wake me up. When I get up in the morning everything hurts terribly. I walk like I am an old woman. This also happens after sitting for while. I thought something was actually wrong with bones or such. I have not had any tests for this but have had bone density tests and regular physicals in the past. I also work out 3-5 times a week but the weight is not changing :( Glad to know I am not the only one with these symptoms. And maybe one day it will go away. LOL Thanks for listening.

Im New to the forum but found it while searching joint pain in menopause. Knowing so many others are suffering brings me relief to know im not going mad! I guess it's been about 7 months since I had a period, im 48 don't drink or smoke but I am overweight which clearly won't be helping but the joints pain has been so bad I've gone through numerous tests all of which are negative... I really thought I had the onset of Rheumatoid arthritis and was amazed to hear that the tests were negative.. I've had a frozen right shoulder for 14 months and only recently was told of the link with frozen shoulder and the menopause..although there has been little research about it it's know that women around menopausal age have an increased chance of suffering a frozen shoulder... Im now having physio on it as it's now affecting the forearm too. Other pains are all over feeling of stiffness, like many others when you've been sitting or first thing in the morning it's worse, my right knee is bad but the worse thing is both my feet.. they've been bad for about 4 years now, across the tops are constantly swollen and the best way to described them is they always feel like I've done a marathon shopping session where you can't wait to get off them!! I've been tested for auto immune problems and other multiple blood tests have turned up nothing. I found Sage was great at alleviating the hot sweats, im fortunate as I only really used to suffer at night with them. After some research I am now talking Agnus Castus Which is a natural herb that has some encouraging reviews on Amazon but since it's only day 3 of taking them so watch this space for results. It apparently helps regulate the hormones which from reading is the reason we are all in so much pain..Vitamin D seems to play a big part too so I'm taking that and also another supplement called Menopace again which is a natural alternative to HRT which for me is not an option with the risk of blood clots because I'm overweight... Im just thankful I've stumbled across this forum which does at least make me feel like I'm not going mad or turning into a 90 year old overnight which is how these joint pains leave me feeling..I can't understand how doctors don't have a better understanding of these symptoms.. let's hope together we can help each other hey..

It's a rebellion is going on inside your body...

All your muscle, bone, blood, glands are screaming "WTF?! where are all the hormones....we were doing just fine! We demand the ovaries and uterus to step up to the plate and do their part in this place!"

Ladies, it's late and I'm tired, but think this subject is too important to pass up. When I read DAISYPINK'S post I couldn't believe the similarities.

I want to include my story so that woman with muscle and ligament pain everywhere can see there light at the end of the tunnel. We are not crazy, it's not in our head, and I am quite frankly tired of paying doctors who know almost nothing about female hormones.

I have always been a supper high energy, go-go-go woman. I owned a cleaning business and was doing three houses a day. I had hot flashes and night sweats only in my 40s. My periods gently went away, my last was at 52 1/2. never had a night sweat or hot flash and thought I got lucky with menopause. But what did happen was pain! It started in my lower back, then down my leg, and frozen shoulder. As it progressed, it became wide spread chronic muscle and ligament pain. And I'll say this loudly, "IT FELT CHEMICAL."

I went to a total of 12 doctors, specialists, chiropractor, physical therapist, had an expensive MRI, went gluten free, dairy free, caffeine free.......all to no avail.

It wasn't until the vaginal atrophy and dryness set in that the doctor FINALLY took notice and prescribed vaginal estrogen (Estrace). So I used the estrogen and guess what happened?

My nails started growing, my hair started growing, I slept really good, my energy came back, I was happy again, and one day I actually had my tight firm and perky breasts back. But the best thing in the world was.....all that chronic muscle and ligament pain went away. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Everything I had gone through and all my body was screaming for was ESTROGEN!!!!!!!!!!!!

So yes, it is amazing what happens to a female body once we lose our estrogen. Please don't stop looking for answers, sharing your stories, and insisting that doctors take these things seriously. While they hadn't be able to diagnose something like arthritis, or fibromyalsia for me, who knows what would have happened if I had continued to be left untreated? That symptom of today, then turns into a syndrome and finally an actual disease. And all of my pain could have been handled long ago, with a simple blood test and some estrogen replacement.

but guess what? sooner or later you stop taking the Estorgen and all those symptoms will come back. I was on bio-identicals for years and was told it was time to be off them as they are NOT good for you in the long run. EVERYTHING came back, but the headaches are the worse, non-stop horrible head pain. I am taking 4 Excedrin a day and peices of Imitrex everyday just to make it tolerable and I am 60 !!! I still was these gray residule periods too, so weird.

I came across this site when googling joint pain during perimenopause. About a month ago, my big toe joint on my left foot started aching. I started to think I had gout, but I don't think my pain was enough and a has no swelling or redness.

That seemed to get better, although it still aches some. But the aching moves to my foot and up the side of my calf. This happened about 5 days before my period. I am on day 2 of my period today, both feet ached all day and tonight.

I am 44 years old and although my periods are still relatively regular, I don't think I am ovulating much anymore because I don't have sharp pains at ovulation anymore (had the my whole life). My periods have gotten some heavier and the cramps have been awful for two days... Even Aleve doesn't help.

I don't know if all these weird aches and pains of my feet and ankles could be related? If they continue, I'm gonna have to go see my Dr. My mom died of multiple myeloma at age 56 but her symptom was sharp rib and back pain. Her ribs were actually fractured. Mine is much more of a deep ache. It makes me nervous nonetheless.

Anyone else here have achey feet, ankles or lower legs??

I too am 51 will ne 52 in june but my pain is becoming unbearable I'm on pain management but that only hel[s a little I was on estrogen until 2 yrs ago. I have ms lupus addisons disease. degenerative disk disease osteoporosis and degenerative osteoarthritis in most of my joints I also have a 23 yr old nonverbal mmr son who is my world to take care of, I dint hurt as bad when I was on estrogen but with a different medicare advantage plan I should be able to get back on premarin soon and that will help with hotflashes and insomnia.i have to work part time because I get no help with copays and disability pays the rent and utilitys only. Tennessee says I'm not eligible for Medicaid because me and husband make too much.i wake up screaming every night and baclofen is about useless now any suggestions I'm open.

Hi, know this is an old site, with women with the same issues and pain for years. i am 52 as well and have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia & Lupus. I have a ridiculus long list of health problems and I also gaind 45 lbs in 9 months. Not one doctor said any word of HRT or that this is menopausal. The feet thing, every flippin' morning they sting, hurt I feel like Im trying to walk on broken legs, IT'S SO STUPID!!! I have been using a foam pillow to stomp on before I get up to walk, it helps, so does applying Nivia cream before bed and wear a pair of socks. my S/O loves me and totally supports me. He actually understands, it does help he's a bit of baby when it comes to pain, so hahaha take that however. I am on a pain management plan which includes Oxy-IR , Relafen, Voltaren, Zanaflex, Lyrica, just for a start. My place seems like a mini pharmacy and I am a retired Pharmacy Tech/Home Health. Had to retire, unable to have full use of my hands. Cannot sit or stand longer than 10 minutes or less at a time. Drives me nuts. But, Im not alone...WHOOHOOO!!!!

Oh my god, hello ladies, ditto, ditto, ditto, I am 55 and at the lowest point in my life, seems extreme I know, but really don't know how much more of the incredible pain I can take. Every one of your stories have touched me deeply, it's so nice to finally realise your not on you own, that your joint pain, "lets face it ladies" is a disability that the professional bodies for the most part make us feel like we have a mental issue, or say "come now it can't be that bad after all test say their is nothing wrong with you", so off you go here are some antidepressants and get on with it.

Does anyone experience crippling stomach pain as an added symptom. I too have put on excessive weight in the last year. Have been in pain for the last 4 years, and so miss being able to do the simple things in life. Like strugglin coming down the stairs and being so afraid your going to fall. And the biggy not being able to get on the floor and play with your grand children.

Would really appreciate any response of hope

Hi all

im exactly the same,started with tennis elbow last Feb got better after a few months,then my big toes would be in agony,as if they needed to crack(I hate anything like that)makes me feel sick!Still not thinking all related,my knees started to ache....I'm a courier,so drive all day 6 days a week and in and out the car around 130 times a day,so just put it down to wear and tear.Thinking back though I had been having dizzy feelings and I'm a panick attack sufferer and periods had been weird for couple of years. A few weeks ago,tennis elbow back worse than ever....knees feet wrists toes EVERYTHING in agony Not had a period in 52 days I'm 47 . Got Dr's on Thursday,and thanks to this site....think I've quite a few things to ask to have checked . Please keep posting,would love to hear how everyone is doing now

Hi all you lovely ladies for sharing your pain symptoms. Helps greatly reading others saying similar things. Do any of you suffer with pain in lower back which moves?? My sacro areas can hurt/tender/sore so e days then other days feels like it's in my spine Had chiro adjustment before Xmas for lower back but seems I'm now suffering with another pain/ache now not sure if he pushed something out but also feel very tight in my hip area too. Many thanks

I just found this forum. I also have been suffering from pain for the last year. It started with Morton's neuroma in my feet, then tendinitis in my wrist. Last summer things calmed down. Then in the fall the legs started getting stiff and painful when I would sit for too long and try to get up. I couldn't walk for a minute util I straighten out. Then my right shoulder, elbow and both thumbs. I am active and don't understand why all of a sudden this is happening. One day I woke up with psoriasis on my leg. I have never had skin issues. I finally put things together, my cycle was off last year. It got normal during the summer when I felt good and then got off last fall again. I've been to my GP, that was pointless. I saw a Rheumatologist who wants to treat me for osteoarthritis in my knee (that's not really hurting) and suggested I might have fibromyligia but don't really have all the trigger points to be that. I finally saw a new Gynecologist and she suggested I go back on the BC pill. She didn't think my pain is associated with peri-menopause but I had enough other symptoms for her to suggest the pill. I will start it today and we will see. Other than all my pain I am very healthy, a little fluffy, but am working on that. I stopped eating grains and sugar and my stomach feels great and I have energy. I just have a hard time moving unless I take a lot of ibuprofen. I want to not have to take that every day!

To "garule" please let us know if vaginal estrogen cream can be used for undetermined period of time or it is as any other hormonal replacement therapy, that has to stop after some years. Thanks.

Girls, we are ALL screwed up !

And Marlene, estrogen creams are ONLY to be used for the shortest time consistant with treatment goals.

There are a host of side effects from them.

I just wish there were a treatment that said "If all you did was swim daily, and ride your bike around the block each day, you would be cured" Wishful thinking. I don't understand how my S/O has been so understanding through all the negativity. I hurt sitting and standing, it's a lose-lose situation. Anyone here on Plaquinil ?

This is depressing, I have been always active, I love the gym and weight training, now I can hardly lift 10 pounds. I have changed to gluten free with no difference. Started Epsom Salt baths and I think I used too much and got muscle and nerves sensitivity/soreness. I am 55, Latina, my weight not my ideal but under control, actually going lower lately maybe muscle loss?! This is horrible, going to work (Doing what I love to do, I am family therapist) has become a challenge too. Just venting, sorry ladies no solved problem, this has been the hardest year for me. I just started mindfulness meditation 10 minutes before bed and it's helping me relax and sleep better, thank goodness!

I'm in bed just now 11.08am unheard of for me,but feel physically drained.I haven't slept well for years,but not at all in past 2 nights.ive been told I'm well on way to menopause and the dr thinks I'm very anaemic (get results for that on Wednesday)my aches and pains have actually calmed down the past week or so,but my anxiety and panick attacks are on the rise again.Im honestly getting to know he end of my tether!Constantly weepy too.Hope once iron kicks in I feel much better than this,as honestly don't think I can cope much longer.So good knowing I'm not alone though.Take care all

YOU MUST READ THIS! I am 59. I started menopause 5 yrs. ago when the dr. took me off estrogen w/birth control pills. I cheated. The birth control pills were for my bones to strengthen.As soon as I was taken off the pills I had menopausal migraines for 4 mos daily! But I pushed on. with Sumatripan which is non drowsy for me to stop the headaches in their track. I thought I had a head tumor. The worse was the muscle joint pain in the upper body.Dr. put me on hormone therapy when I didn't need it. It didn't help the pains, just hot flashes that you can try to deal w/out Hormone therapy.. I ended getting calcium deposits in one breast w/ the hormone therapy.I stopped it. I always did 3x a week workouts at the gym for 13 yrs.w/moderate weights.I still pushed myself. w/the migraines. Soreness did not improve. I STARTED TO TAKE PROTEINS SHAKES 2 YEARS AGO AFTER MY WORKOUTS 3x a week FROM GNC-AMPLIFIED TRIPLE XXX ($48)and the soreness WENT AWAY!This one is a mass gainer since body fat shifted for me during menopause and I lost weight. It has been 2 yrs. of free muscle pain. My gynecologist said we need protein in our bodies during menopause and that she would share this w/other patients. When I don't want to put on weight I take the shake with water after workouts instead of milk and only 2 cups of powder always although it may tell you more on the directions, but we are not men to take large doses.I have increased stamina and energy. If you want to lose weight ask GNC or something with lots of protein (50gm)or something called Lean Shake. I bought My 92 yrs. old aunt 6 lbs of my power ($48)& she started walking better and straighter, had more energy & started doing housework & gained weight. I used to give my 94 yr. old mom my shakes also. It was a waste of money giving her those expensive shakes for elderly to gain weight.I just had cosmetic surgery and could not exercise or take protein shakes or some vitamins for 1 month & I felt my muscles started to ache again slightly. I''m a single mom w/ a business and don't have time to feel sick or bad.

I forgot to mention the protein has given me beautiful nails that don't stop growing & has given my body some definition and I feel more confident. I hope my comment helps somebody out there. Gave up my gym workout to write this for all of you.I also dance salsa every saturday night till 2am! the last 2 yrs. w/ my energy & my daughters make sure I go dressed looking hot! lol.

Hi, girlsrule,

Doesn't those shakes make you gain weight if you don't work out? Most of us are already painfully overweight.....and I HATE THE GYM....it's is like Hell on Earth to me....I do walk, though,

and enjoy that.

I am on chemo for BT trying to figure if I am going through the menopause! Just turned 42, I am suffering with muscle pain in my thigh could this be related?

I cried when I read all these stories. I will be 54 in Septemberand have been suffering with feet so sore that I feel like in walking on broken bones, knee pain in both knees that I pull myself up the stairs using the hand rail. I get wrist pain, elbow pain, hip pain, leg pain, shoulder pain. A few times I have gotten this strange pain under my scalp on the top left side of my head. One minute I'm fine then I get this pain under the scalp that makes me wince and will sometimes continue for a couple hours to a couple of days. It is not constant thank goodness, I would go mad if it was, It's intermittent The entire time. The only thing I find that helps the head pain is sitting up in a comfy chair with the heating pad laying over my head for sometimes hours. I remember a comment that my doctor made "sometimes menopause will make some pains worse". Maybe she was in the right track but after reading all these stories what I think she needed to say was " menopause in some can bring on all kinds of unexplained pain!". Prior to being menopausal, I would complain of achy legs, over the years the aches just started getting worse. Since I began post menopause a few years ago, the achey legs have grown into painful legs. When I sit in a chair for anymore than 5 minutes, I need to push myself out of it, stand, wait for 5-10 seconds before moving my legs and then I begin to shuffle across the floor in pain until everything loosens and I can walk a bit normally. I find myself limping a lot or walking strange due to the sensation of walking on broken bones. I have tried hundreds of dollars worth of orthotics, new shoes and even new sandels as of yesterday, but the pain is set on staying. A lot of the time my feet feel as they don't want to bend as I walk. It makes me feel like I am an 80 year old woman the majority of the time. Nighttime sleep is always disturbed. If I sleep on my side I am always waking up with extreme bad pain on the side I am sleeping on. I roll over to wake up with the same pain. If I sleep on my back I wake up with both hips in so much pain that when I wake up, both butt cheeks are being compressed! Possibly I do this in my sleep without knowing in attempts to deal with the pain. I get cramping in my butt cheeks that will last for days causing a radiated pain down my leg with every step I take. I still work full time and generally 11 hours a day. It's quite embarrassing at work getting out of a chair and moving the way I do. I do have my own office thank goodness but will not get up from my chair if I don't have to if someone is in there. Going to the mall or getting groceries or going into Walmart or any store cause so much discomfort that by the time I get back to my vehicle I partially get into my vehicle and them phi scale have to use my hands to lift in my other leg. It been 30 degrees out and I will still reach down and turn on the heated seat. Over the past year I have gained 45 pounds and find it very difficult to lose. Weather will also effect the pain, generally becoming worse when it arrives. I have had 2 blood clots in the past 5 years and now on blood thinners for the rest of my life. I currently take medication for high colesterol, an anti depressant and Zytram. I have been on Zyram for so long I wonder if I get any benefits from it or if stopped taking it how much more pain would I have? I started with a magnizium supplement yesterday and due to the but cheek cramping Robaxin which comes with out a prescription but is behind the counter. I try as hard as I can to keep grips on the pain, smile instead of cryIng and keep pushing through with my job and home life. I refuse to miss time off work for this because if I sat at home I would think and feel the pain much worse. Being busy helps my mind go other places although at times it is difficult I will admit. Whoever began to column, thank you. I truly now know it's not in my head because that's the way I was feeling. Sometimes I would wonder if the people around me including my husband truly believed my pain. Thank you everyone for sharing this part of your lives.

So sorry to hear all these stories. I shared this on another story but wanted to share again here. Admin please remove if you think inappropriate but having spent so much time trauling the internet think it is important to share. Have a read and see what you think..... hopefully it will provide some relief for some of you.

http://kingbrand.com/kingbrand-Home.php?REF=1094PV128.391

I stumbled on this topic and was so glad to see that I am not the only one who has struggled with this. I have been having issues for the past 3 years. My periods stopped almost exactly 2 years ago. I had gotten so bad in the past 6 months that I could not walk when I got out of bed in the morning and could barely walk after sitting for longer than 10 minutes. I finally found a combination of things that have been working for me. I hope it may help somebody else!

I admit that my diet has been terrible. I've had a bad case of the "busys" and I have relied heavily on the "bag and box" convenience approach. I read that people who eat a lot of fast/convenience food have magnesium and potassium deficiencies--which affect muscles. I began eating a banana--sometimes with peanut butter for breakfast. I eat baked potatoes (with all the good stuff; even then it 's better for me than fast food!). I concentrated on getting food with real nutrients; particularly potassium. You can google and find lots of options. I began taking a magnesium supplement. I only take about 1/2 the therapeutic dose. Do some research and find out which formulations are best absorbed to avoid diarrhea.

I found out that artificial sweeteners can have an affect on nerves over time. (I recalled working with a client in my past job who turned to drinking Listerine as a source of alcohol. It permanently damaged the muscles in his legs.) I have been a HEAVY diet coke drinker for decades. I limit the diet soda to one or two small bottles per week and I began drinking water. Lots of it.

I bought a compact fold-up exercise bike so that I could get in non-weight bearing exercise. The treadmill just seemed to aggravate things, especially my foot that had begun swelling. The bike allows me to work my legs--releasing lactic acid build-up that can lead to tightness--without causing new problems. A rowing machine might work too. I do at least 30 minutes a day, sometimes breaking it up into two or three sessions. I like the bike because it is totally silent and I can stop for brief breaks. I watch TV while riding. (I've read that deep tissue massage is also excellent in releasing lactic acid build-up, but I haven't tried it.)

I began taking vitamin D3 for muscles and bones.

I began taking Krill oil to help with inflammation--and it's just plain good for the human body.

On mornings when I am still feeling pretty tight by 9:00am or so, I take 600mg ibuprofen. Previously, this did nothing to help. Now, it makes all the difference. I can feel it within an hour and one dose is all I need for all day.

It took about 6 weeks, but the difference has been amazing. My stiffness is not totally gone, but it is remarkably lower!!! I can stand up and loosen up in a few seconds.

One of the things I haven't seen mentioned here are statins for cholesterol. This is what I blamed for tendonitis, joint pain.....I got off statins. I had no idea it could be menopause. I moved to more of a Mediterranean diet adding coconut and olive oils to replace depleted oils in my body, vitamins, CoQ10,collagen, and started exercising. I know that stretching, light weight workouts and aerobics are helping me a LOT by strengthening the surrounding muscles. I still get stiff after sitting around at home and still have tendonitis that moves around from joint to joint lasting sometimes months. Dying for someone to find the cure for this. I'm 56 years old.

Statins can lower CoQ10 levels, so you may be on to something. Certain forms of the supplements you mentioned may absorb better than other forms, so you may want to look into that (and of course, check with your doctor). For example, CoQ10 that is water and fat-soluble absorbs better.

I'm thinking of trying CBD oil when it becomes legal here in Canada. Has anyone else tried it? I have Hashimoto's, Celiac and fibromyalgia.

CBD oil i next on my list too - also in Canada

I started CBD oil on the advice of my mother. She is able to get the really "good stuff" in Indianapolis--the spray that people with MS use. She has suffered with severe arthritis for decades. She says that the difference it made in her hands and back has been life changing. I have only been able to find the oil in my area. It has taken about 9 weeks, but I suddenly see a very significant improvement in my leg stiffness. I still experience some stiffness after sitting or sleeping, but I limber up within seconds. I tried a bottle from a company in CA at first, but it was very expensive and I ran thought it too quickly. I found a local company that uses locally grown hemp which they process themselves. It does contain the legal limit of THC--about 3/10 %. Their $100 bottle has lasted me for several months and looks like it will last me at least 3-4 more months. The other product was going to cost about $100/month. I'm buying from Blue Grass Hemp Oil in Lexington, KY and they do ship nation wide.

I have a lot to learn about taking it (CBD oil); but mainly, just how do you take it? Ingest it? Rub it on your skin? lol

Turmeric with forskolin should help. I am no expert but I bought some and gave my friend who happens to suffer from joint pain. The next morning she told me she is doing much better.

I've had muscle pain in my arm for years, but lately it got really bad. I could not even move my arm without pain. Long story short, I found a natural remedy. I slept with the painful arm in a position that allowed circulation. Every time I woke during the night, I made sure this was the case. After just one night there was a definite improvement. And after several nights, the pain is pretty much gone. Evidently, the body tries to heal the pain, but if the arm is slept on, very little circulation occurs. I apologize if this has already been said on this forum, but just may be important enough to be said again.

My grandnani was facing joint pain, since a long times and she was not getting relief from anywhere, but then i searched solution online and by grace of god i got the solution from here: Physiotherapie Berlin