PERIMENOPAUSE AND DIGESTIVE DISCOMFORT

I'm a 49 yr old female and have had constant indigestion and gas for 7 months. ultra sound showed no problem with gall bladder,kidneys, etc. blood work shows up normal. edg shows no ulcer and slight gastritis. taking prevacid twice a day with no relief. dr. added bentyl before meals and still no relief. im getting nervous that it could be something more serious such as ovarian cancer, etc. evaluation scheduled at the mayo clinic after xmas. i hope its only old age

I am 35 years old, I had a hysterectomy at age 32. I have been having constant digestive problems since May. It rotates between constipation and diahrrea. I have terrible bloating that is painful and it makes me look 6months pregnant everyday. I have had several tests done and they are all normal. My doctor suggests I see my GYN. I have recently been having a terrible time sleeping and have been exrtremely tired because of it. I have terrible night sweats and hot flashes throughout the day. Is it possible at my age to be going through perimenopause. I have read that it could begin early for me due to my hysty but I didn't expect it this early. I would really like to be able to enjoy a meal again and have a normal looking abdomen. I have already had my gallbladder removed a year and a half ago and felt wonderful afterwards. I have tried changing my diet and it does not help. I have tried several OTC meds as well as prescribed meds. None of them work. Any thoughts would be great. I do still have one ovary, could something be wrong with it that could cause the problem?

All, I have noted that the onset of my perimenopause about 6 months ago was setting off my gastritis that had been dormant for years. It has been absolutely miserable: nasty abdominal pain, huge bloating, and off the scale tummy tenderness. In my research of perimenopause, I learned that falling estrogen levels affect your Gastro-Intestintal (GI) tract in not-so-good ways, see this link: In short, cortisol rises (bad for your tummy) and estrogen falls (again, bad for your tummy). Also, anytime I have a really bad hot flash (20+ minutes long), my stomach will tie itself into a knot that takes hours to undo. I have not had a chance to visit my doctor, but I've found some very good home rememdies to get you through the misery. First , brew some Ginger Tea, add a dollop of honey and a few drops of real lemon juice and drink at least 8 ounces. I make two quarts at a time and chill it in the fridge because ice cold ginger tea puts out the fire of hot flashes. Stash Premium makes a very tasty lemon-ginger tea. Stay away from the Yogi and Natural Medicinals brands because they taste awful. They will still work, and relieve your stomach ills, but I promise that you won't like drinking them. Lipton flavored green teas (brewed, decaffeinated, and not canned) also work well. Second, the following foods ease most gastritis/sick GI track symptoms: Unsweetened applesauce, plain Princella canned sweet potatoes (yes, the ones served at Thanksgiving), real lemon juice added to water, real lime juice added to water, watermelon, raspberries, and pineapple. These foods are alkalizing, and help balance out an over-acidified GI tract. The lemon and lime juices seem counter-intuitive because they're acids, but once they hit your stomach, they turn into their opposites - alkalines. Weird, I know, but it works. Third, this also means that you need to AVOID ALL acidic food and drink: anything caffeinated, anything carbonated, anything with lots of sugar, salsas, curries, red meat, etc. etc. See this book for more information about acid and alkaline food: The Acid and Akaline Food Guide by Susan E. Brown. Please note, that I do not follow "everything" this book says to do, but it's made an huge difference in what I eat in order to cope with gastritis and perimenopause: more fruits and vegetables, less junk. I know this is a lot to take in, but start with the ginger tea and the foods I've mentioned. You will feel like you're being forced to become a temporary vegetarian, but your gut will feel SO much better. Then bring back your favorite foods, one at a time, to see what your GI tract will tolerate. I do this on the weekends, so I'm not GI sick for work on the weekdays. And if you really need to cheat and have pizza or whatever you're missing the most food-wise, again, do it on the weekends. But be prepared to pay a price. Lastly, 4 Tums tablets and 2 Tylenols together will usually knock out the gastritis pain. No matter what, do not use ibuprofen! I hope this is helpful. Good luck.

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DesertLight, thank you for your very informative post. I have suffered from GI issues for a while now. I'm 39, had my gallbladder out last spring, had a case of H Pylori infection this past fall, and i'm still getting bouts of gastritis, some times worse than others. I've lately been tracking my cycle as well as my symptoms in order to see if there is any correlation and that it could all be hormone-related. I'm pretty much convinced that I am in perimenopause (although I have not gone to the Gyn to actually get tested in any way yet) so what you are saying makes sense. I'm goign to try the ginger tea plus honey and lemon. I do sometimes find hot water and lemon to be very soothing. I will also try to eliminate some of the "bad" foods from my diet (red meat, lots of chocolate, too much junkfood) and hopefully my system will start to heal and feel better. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you because I am glad to see I'm not alone in my symptoms and you have offered some very helpful and practical advice that seems somewhat easy enough to follow.

Thanks so much for the information in your post. I am (just turned) 48 and my Acid Reflux and Gerd and whatever else passes through the Digestive track have been giving me the blues almost two years now. I have bouts that last for days or week. This last episode started on January 2 and I feel as though I'm reaching the end. I stopped my acid reflux medication (aciphex at the time) and took up taking Accidofilis from GNC which worked fine. However, stress reactivated it when my Dad had a heartattack and was blessed to survive and have a Quardruple Bypass thereafter. So I recently started takeing Prevacid and I realize that I need to be consistent about taking the medication or I this bout will be a long one. I now know that all this digestive craziness is directly related to me entering the Perimenopausal stage. It is refreshing at best to hear of other women with similar issues. It let's me know that I haven't lost my mind (LOL) My new sympton is needing a nap in the middle of the day, which is so not me. I don't nap. But know feel like I can't do without it. As I approach this new era of my life I will thank God for allowing me to enter the gate of perimenopause as one of my best girls wasn't so lucky and lost her life to Ovarian Cancer last year. I'm not crazy about all of this c**p going on with my body, but I must say I prefer growing old to the alternative. Thanks again ladies for your post. Please continue to enlighten us if you come up with solutions to our problems. [/color

For the first time in a month, I am feeling less anxious about my newest symptoms. I am 49 years old and for the last 3 years, my period has been very irregular. The last month, I have had a change in bowel habits (floating stools occasionally, pale color, sometimes normal), upper back pain and sometimes pain below my left lower rib cage. Even tho many doctors have told me that it is not pancreatic cancer, it has become my phobia. I have had an abdominal barium cat scan, chest cat scan, abdominal ultrasound, blood work, colonoscopy and endoscopy. The only significant thing that surfaced was a slight hiatal hernia and the dr. did a biopsy for celiac disease (results not back yet).

I stumbled upon these posts and have my first light of hope that it is not something serious. I would love any comments from anyone that this unfortunately sounds familiar to. Thanks to all

I had to take an antibiotic a couple of years ago and the same thing happened to me. The result was that the antibiotic killed too much of my "good" bacteria and threw off the balance in my digestive system. It eventually became C-Diff. If I could give you advice on what to do, I would have the doctor check for this. It's just a simple stool test. Because of my experience, I have made a good probiotic capsule and yogurt a daily part of my life. A good idea for anyone.

omg,,,,,yes i am 51 and have all the same problems...i am concerned but i am going to get a colonoscopy soon. i will update you soon.

d

I'm going through the same thing. Only difference is stool is fine. I am sure I am in the throes of peri. Have you had any diagnosis as of yet? I know it's been a year since your post. I'm just hoping to hear from you.

May be this helps people that are searching for answers like I do. Yes between the age of 47 to the age of 48 and a half my life changed. I become paranoid that I have certain diseases, I got shortness of breath which went away after 6 months. I did had light stools, pale stools, pain in the right, pain in the upper abdomen. Did a echogram and nothing showed wrong, but also I am convinced that the doctors these days don't know anything- just look at tests and say is nothing but there might be something that hiding. I recently started hot flashes not so bad but they are there. One month I skipped my period and felt excellent. Do not get scared. I am dry- I sometimes felt like paper cuts on my genitalia, I used A&D to cope with it. I also have Burning Mouth Syndrome. Not everyone is having a hard time in perimenopause, Mine are minor inconveniences, but since I become hypochondriac (in the last year) they seem big to me. I believe our bodies are repairing themselves, especially if not abused. My mom refused any hormone therapy, she was never on to healthy living- she is 82 years old, with salt and pepper hair, great appetite and regular bm. She went through what we are going through and she accepted her changes like a stoic.

Oh wow thank to everyone  i am 44 and i am having this stomach issue for almost ayear  i had change my diet thinking i have... GERD..also lost weight my weight keeps going up and down it is so fraustrating gosh i also did a barium meal test came back negative  iam about to do a blood test and a stool test to see what is going on  i am thinking  it might be premenapause  not something serious i have been doing alot of reading online to see what my situation is   i am going to try the ginger tea as mention early in the conversation .

Hi I have had chronic diorreah for 3weeks now pain in my left side where my ovary is, I had a normal period last month which lasted just three days as normal but I haven't come on yet, its been 5 weeks now,I have seen 4 doctors 3 stool tests & bloods taken that all came back normal, my stomach gurggles all the time, I have a lot of acid & its in my esophagus, I've taken imodium which calms it down but if I stop taking it then its back,I've lost over a stone & I feel so weak,just feel so alone.

hello, i have same even more severe, after meal im dizzy, i cant eat anything, i lost 9 kg during one month. i cant take any medicine because raise blood pressure and palpitation.i become irritated, panic attack, heart problems. i dont know what to do!

it absolutely could be perimenopause ive been aregistered nurse for many years go to your gyno so she can confirm it with bloodwork good luck hope u feel better