u/Away_Source5440

I’ve been type 1 for 42 years. Been in tight predictable control up until menopause. After that, resistance has increased slowly and made things difficult. After starting BHRT it’s become worse. I can’t put even one peanut in my mouth OR no carb meat and it rises my sugar amenities even a rice cake I am taking almost four times the insulin than I used to. Is this normal? I thought that estrogen was supposed to help decrease resistance or does that only apply to type 2?

With every other symptom I’ve experienced, this has become unbearable. Please, I know you’re out there. I know someone somewhere has gone thru it with other severe symptoms. Please tell me I am not dying and that I can fix this. My biggest fear is lows in the nite. I’ve had terrible insomnia which is new for me and I no longer trust my cgm due to health anxiety and irrational fears. Im scared that the insulin will ‘kick in’ and cause me to crash. I also don’t want lows over nite as I am suffering insomnia and won’t be able to go back to sleep if I happen to fall asleep OR not hear my alarms. Exhausted and this part is complicating everything 🥺🥲

I went to the ED today for four days of air hunger at bed time while laying down. I have not slept since yesterday at 0430 (can’t nap in day time anymore since experiencing menopause in January 😢, so I am awake until bed time).

My ferritin 2 weeks ago was 21. The ED doc was kind enuff to order it again today, and it’s risen to 25. I’ve been taking iron bisglycinate and was so worried (panicking) that my effort would be for nothing. I’m might be small but it’s going in the right direction and made me much more relaxed. I would like to get it where I am no longer having symptoms, because they share with menopause, I want them all to go away Dominican love comfortably 🙂

My meno journey hit me out of the blue and abruptly in January. I have been suffering insomnia ever since. My symptoms were quite severe at first and for a while, but as I adjusted to BHRT, I would have some improvements.

I have been very VERY patient which is not easy to do.

I had one increase estradiol (to 0.075) at week 4. It helped and I was seeing small incremental changes. I had been out on combipatch befor that because inwas afraid to try the micronized progesterone. I finally tried that four weeks ago and had tried twice to increase it to 200mg but I believe my estradiol wasn’t up to par yet and it messed with my mind but seems to help with insomnia a little bit.

Fast forward to this past week. I decided after having had two weeks of sleep, albeit fragmented, I likely needed more estradiol so I increased it to 0.1. I was having increased symptoms again. So then decided after much research to try increasing progesterone again to 200 mg (my gyn told me I needed to be at this dose. So I tried 100 oral and 100 vaginal. First nite I slept. Second note, awake all nite. So nite before last nite I decided to try both orally. I slept 7 hours but was up at 0430. Tried the same last nite and have not slept at all AGAIN.

I used to be a solidly sound sleeper. I could nap any time during the day for hours. Now I cannot. My body will not let me. I cannot take much more of these sleepless nites having to wait until bed time the next nite to see if I’m going to sleep or not. It’s wearing me down and making the brain fog much worse. I have lost hope. I am not working and relying on my husband for support and that is hurting me ☹️ I have no interests anymore, no joy. No one talks to me. I am all alone.i never thought in a million years that meno would destroy me.

What I am sick of the most is not having anyone to ask. Oil have an appt with gyn Thursday, but it’s a phone call and it will literally be 15 min of her asking standard questions. My first appt I never got to tell my story. I answered questions an walked out w a rx. I’m sick and tired of the painstakingly slow adjustments only to be disappointed and confused. I don’t understand why P is not letting me sleep. I have been incessantly researching and what I find badly says it should be helping. I do have histamine intolerance and perhaps mistakenly ate a high histamine food today. I also have ongoing thyroid issues requiring adjustments and super low ferritin which as I understand it has all the same symptoms.

I am going out of my mind. I lost 40 lbs and have lost my appetite. I do eat but not much as I can’t. This isn’t psychological, that I know. I am SO DESPERATE. I want to sleep: o want me back so badly I can’t stand it. Why does this happen to us? It’s absolute torture!

I don’t want to experiment anymore and keep going thru this. I feel like if it’s going to work, it will work work band not have these ups and downs. Because I’m already 7 months without a period. I am exhausted. And the brain fog will get better for half a day and go back to uncomfortable. I’m feeling like it’s not worth it anymore 😢

I see alot of women here posting good things and bad things. I look for the good with hope. I worry when I see the bad. But I can’t sit here day after day and hope for nothing. And lounge around is literally all I do. I have zero stamina and can’t sit or stand for longer than 5 min. I lay down with my legs on the wall most of the time as it calms me.
I just don’t see how this is sustainable. I do have an appt with a menopause specialist, but what good will that do? I don’t really think any of them know— it’s just trial and error.

I have a certain level of 21. Back in January I went to the ED for chest pain. This was following some pretty strange symptoms that I could not make sense of- sudden heaviness in stomach and legs, weakness, new onset phobias (like taking a shower or ocd type fears, adrenaline rushes, brain fog, terrible insomnia and not sleeping for 3’dsys at a time, panic, jittery inability to sit still, going out of my mind, and air hunger, constant impending doom, feeling like I want to pass out for hours, very low heart rate at times but then POUNDING heart, dizziness, tunnel vision). When I was at the ED, I had low hemoglobin and hematocrit and low RBCs- ferritin was 47. I was admitted over nite for cardiac testing but didn’t sleep then either and was having what I know to be constant panic. They ordered a transfusion but I didn’t meet criteria the next day (normalized but barely). They didn’t realize that it was likely dehydration due to being nothing by mouth. Anyway I went back to the ED 2 more times and was still having adrenaline rushes but I didn’t really know that’s what it was.

Two weeks later, anemia resolved but ferritin tanked to 23. Doc didn’t seem concerned but bones still having constant adrenaline rushes, insomnia, all of the above symptoms. I subsequently saw my endo who determined I was in estrogen withdrawal and had reached menopause. So I started BHRT. I’ve had incremental improvements but am still it back to me yet. Also have been over medicated twice on levothyroxine. Last week my ferritin was 21. I’ve had to make a couple of adjustments with BHRT and sometimes become symptomatic again. I have experienced increased insomnia in the last eeek, and air hunger. Today is day 9 of consistent supplementation with iron bisglycinate. I am noticing SOME small spurts but nothing major yet.

Has anyone else experienced any of those strange symptoms? I research it all of the time because I can’t believe it can make you feel that horrible. I was offered an iron infusion but scared to do it- I have seen a few people here report some disturbing symptoms from it. Also, o developed angular chelitis about 2 weeks ago. My lips are also very chapped and have a slight burning sensation. Is this part of the low ferritin? I know the chelitis is- what about the lips?

Does the brain fog get better? How long do I have to wait? BHRT almost week 12. Very low ferritin currently and trying to replete as well as a few months of thyroid stuff and trying to stabilize. I can’t stand this surreal feeling. I feel like it’s never going to get better even tho AI says it will (and im cautious with AI or google). I’d rather ask real women who’ve gone thru it ♥️

I’m not sure if anyone else here just feels like giving up? My symptoms have been horrendous/horrifying at times. I’ve essentially been at it for 3 months holding onto hope that BHRT is going to magically ‘kick in’ one day. Maybe I’m looking at it wrong?

I’m in week 11. I’ve had many improvements, which I am grateful for. I’ve had issues with my thyroid and being over medicated twice. I don’t get that either because I thought it goes in the other direction. Not for me. So I’ve had symptom overlap with that. I knew in February I had low ferritin and I’d tried string on top of iron every day but failed (there are reasons). I had it rechecked on Sunday and it went a couple points lower so now it’s 21. I’ve been doing alot of reading about it and it seems there’s alot of symptom overlap with that and meno also.

I had two weeks where sleep was going better. Then I had a couple days of no sleep. Day before yesterday, I slept all nite bundle w couple of times. I was able to nap for 1.5 hours earlier that day, oddly. Since my meno journey began, I’ve developed an inability to nap during the day whereas the old me could sleep at the drop of a hat. Last nite I didn’t sleep. Again. So I have to wait until bed time tonite to see if I’m going to be able to sleep. This has been an ongoing issue sometimes not sleeping for 3 days at a time. Terrible adrenaline rushes, etc.

I have terrible brain fog which is worse when I get no sleep. I’m def not myself. I cry all the time. I have no energy and can really only sit or stand for about 5 min at a time. It’s ridiculous.

I don’t know what else to do. I feel like giving up. I also have type 1 diabetes and yesterday my sugars decided to spike and I’ve not been able to get them under 200 at all. I’ve been very nervous since this journey began as I’m scared I’ll have hypoglycemia. I was in great control before this. And now because of the irrational fears I’ve developed, I’m always afraid of adjusting my insulin regimen as I think somehow the requirements will abruptly go down and I’ll crash. I feel like my life is over. I saw my doc yesterday and asked about disability and he said he saw nothing in my chart indicating I couldn’t work. Every other doc olive ever seen has asked me why I’m still working. I honestly do not see any reason to go on and I’m sure that’s due to the anhedonia I didn’t ask for. I just want me back.

Part of why I have trouble sleeping is because I have one long hot flash all nite long so it’s like my body doesn’t want me to sleep. I get super chilled first and then it happens. I did have some progress where they weren’t as intense, but that fluctuates. I’m just so sad and alone. I want to love and feel better but I truly feel like I can’t do all of it anymore 🥺