pathogen or perimenopause?

[tessalou1]

I too have been suffering with MS like sx and no Doctor has really been able to come up with
a dx except Fibromyalgia. I never have heard that menopause can mimic Ms sx. This is good
news in some ways as I hope this all goes away. I have been tested forheavy medals which
apparently can make  sx with menopause worse. I am high in mercury and lead.
So I have had a few chelaton treatments and my legs are better.
My face and eyes are not better and numbness and a crawling sensation behind my nose is
very distrubing. MRI of brain came back normal as well as most blood work. I have pain in
my face and head mostly and I am exhausted all the time. Some of my sx have improved by
seeing a chiropractor who practices the "Release" technique. I highly recommend it. Cleansing liver
is helping my sx as well. Also infared sauna is a blessing. There is a possibility that there
may be something systemic going on but no Doctor explains what that means and what can
be done to treat it. If it is a underlying infection or pathogen I am thinking of starting a antibiotic
but maybe I should try the HRT first? I also just got my blood work test for Lyme disease. So
hopefully I will find out something soon ...it is the not knowing that makes me so stressed.
Any suggestions from others would be greatly appreciated.

[twitchychick]

My true first symptoms started after the birth of my second son in 2001. They weren't as big as they are now. Just cramping in my hands, drawing in of my arms, fatigue.  Then in March of 2009 I had a large ovarian cyst. I had laparoscopic surgery to remove the ovary and had a tubal ligation then.  That summer was when my symptoms increased. I started the school year in August '09 walking 3 miles several times a week with other moms. I had an endometrial ablation at that time.  By October '09 I was losing weight, had terrible fatigue, tremors, shaking, difficulty breathing, shaking, excessive night sweats, etc.  Then around Dec. my twitches started around my mouth, traveling to every single part of my body. By the time we were on our way to Mayo, I weighed 120 (at 5'8"), was fatigued and having "seizures" that were mainly muscular. They told me my blood work showed I was in full menopause. When I had the ovary removed the other one basically stopped working. The dr said the remaining ovary was probably not working correctly to begin with and when they took the good one out, the other one just stopped.


Cut to now, I had a full abdominal hysterectomy in April of this year. I am on hormone replacement therapy and my symptoms are worse than ever. Except now I am at 168 lbs. So I'm fat and feel like crap. Some days the pain is so bad, I just can't get out of bed. I am on nortriptyline and HRT and vitamins, that is all. I'm hoping to start some sort of membrane stabilizing med when I see the new neuro in November. So even though menopause can be a trigger, the hormone therapy doesn't seem to make much difference in the nerve or muscle stuff. Don't know if this helps anyone, just what I personally have experienced.

Hope you are all finding answers to help you. TC

[carrie235]

Hi Jemm.....I will for sure keep you updated!  I'm praying it makes a difference!!!

[JemmAus]

Golden Years - a phrase coined to fool us into thinking life would get better as we jumped on the downward escalator toward the grave..........YAY!! lol. No doubt a phrase coined by people selling stuff to "older" people.

Yes all my symptoms started as perimenopause started as well.   PLEASE, Carrie, keep up posted on your symptoms and whehter they subside with use of your patch.

I'm on day 31 on this cycle, which is the longest one ever, so wondering if The End has arrived.

[carrie235]

Just curious....are any of you going through Peri taking hormone replacement?  My symptoms started almost exactly the same time my periods started becoming irregular and to hear others reporting the same is interesting.

I just started wearing an Estradioal (sp) .05% patch on Friday.  I change it on Mondays and Fridays.  It will be very interesting to see if anything happens.

Man....this all stinks!!!!!  What happened to the freaking "Golden Years" ?!!!

[JemmAus]

bump

[summerluvr]

if you had heavy metals could if have caused permanant damage?  So even though you've treated it, the nerves have been affected?

I know how hard it is not knowing what is going on, but you know what is normal and what is not.  Don't let doctors chalk it up to perimenopause (sp?) and dismiss you if you feel like crap.  That  is the problem when doctors don't know, or don't have time to know you and are content to explain your symptoms away.  It reminds me of the "stress" and "migraine" diagnosis so many in limbo have been given

[JemmAus]

And check this for the fun times to be had with menopause ( a list of 3 unusual symptoms)

http://www.34-menopause-symptoms.com/

[JemmAus]

Same here......perimenopause saw the beginning of my symptoms. The closer I get to menopause the worse I feel (well that'd presuming I am getting closer......obviously I'm aging not doing a Benjamin Button so one presumes that is the case!)

I only have about 5 days a month now when I feel relatively "normal".

One question: of those in here who have gone through menopause, did your symptoms subside once your periods stopped?

I am REALLY hoping you say yes.......saying they were worse would kind of s*ck the big one.....

[Audrey_M]

The heavy metal poisoning can definitely produce neuro sx especially if you were high enough to require chelation.

Don't know if the doctors recommended it, but you might want to take a good multivitamin. Vitamin C and calcium in the blood leave less room for lead to bind and thus will be more likely to be eliminated from the system through urine. I know less about mercury and would have to research that.

Audrey

[carrie235]

Hi Tessalou1,

Your post definitely caught my attention.  I am currently going through perimenopause and I am also having MS like symptoms and am VERY frustrated and wondering what the heck is going on with my body.  I've been to a neurgologist and my brain MRI shows about 20 lesions but they say the are not typical MS lesions (I guess right area in the brain, etc.).  Also, all my other tests came back negative (SEP, VP, LP, blood work, etc.).

I had a lumbar puncture and I believe they tested for lyme disease which was also negative.  I'm wondering if it is still possible that I might have lyme disease.  Also, I know my mercury levels are higher than normal.  Where do you get chelation therapy done at?  Also, please tell me about your sauna thing and where I could try that.

I'm SOOOO frustrated!

Looking forward to hearing from you.  If you want to email me privately that is okay (not sure they'll let me post my email here).

Thanks.

[jumpinjiminy]

I don't know what I have yet, but the sauna took it from minor paresthesias to the drunken walking, leg weakness to the point of almost collapsing, vertigo and all the other unpleasantness that has been unfolding ever since. That was THE big clue something was really wrong.

Perimenopausal here too and looking for answers. Good luck on your journey and hope to see your around.

[supermum_ms]

HI and welcome,

I'm sorry your have these issues and you still dont have answers, hopefully they will come soon. Some of what you've said makes me think its unlikely to be MS, eg "infared sauna is a blessing" a very common sx of MS is Uhthoff's. Basically heat sensitivity, even an increase of 1d can exaserbate sx, heat is a bit of an enemy to an MSer. I have heard of Fibro, RA, OA etc getting relief using infa red, but it should induce the opposite if it was MS. Someone correct me if i've got that mixed up, oops its 1:30 am, time for bed for me in OZ, hopefully someone else will chime in and try and give you some direction.

CHeers........JJ

[wiggles94]

Hi Tessalou1,
Not knowing is so stressful, but it sounds like you are doing all you can to get to the bottom of it.  Keeping a balance in your life as you are navigating your way through, and knowing that it may take time, may help with the emotions that go along with not knowing what's wrong.  

I am not a medical professional, but I too have been trying to figure out what is going on with my body, so I can relate.  It was also right around perimenopause when my symptoms of possible MS started to kick in and be noticed. My brain MRI is not normal and docs have ruled out mimics of MS.

If you have good medical people who you trust, listen to you and care about you as a person, that helps a lot.  Make sure you have all your symptoms listed and questions ready when you go to see them and don't let them off the hook.  One thing this process has taught me is how to advocate for myself.  I have let some docs go who made me feel lousy and stupid when I questioned things.  There is not place in medicine for arrogance!

Take a deep breath, try not to get too caught up in this to the point where all the good things in your life fade away and best of luck to you.