leg weekness, wobbly head and eyes

The last 6 months have been challenging to say the least.  Every test in the book I have been given.  The last is a spinal tap for ms.  I am really scared.  My legs are week and feel disconnected to my body at times.  I also have anxiety attacks even with enjoyable situations.  I walk my dogs in the morning thinking this will help relieve the stress but come back exhausted, weak legs, wobbly head and with little will to continue the day.  The smallest thing can turn me upside down.  This started about two months ago.  My legs started feeling heavy then weak.  Hot flashes, anxiety attacks are more evident at night.  I sometimes can't even see straight and feel nautious.  Now I am at the point were I dread starting the day knowing a long day is ahead of me with little activity I feel comfortable doing.  I love to garden, paint etc....My head gets heavy, legs  weak, eyes don't seem to want to focus right and I end up on the couch or bed.  Yuk!!!  Is this menopause?  Does anybody else have these symptoms and what do you do?  Why do perfectly once enjoyable tasks seem a hardship???  

[snowflake1958]

I,m feeling the same way as you.Its hard to get through the day..your not alone.
Check out www.powersurge.com
Theres tons of info on there about Meno symptoms..alot of them you wont hear from a Doctor.
Melanie

[Anne56]

Thanks for the reply.  Knowing someone is having the same symptoms relieves some of the stress.  I keep going to the ms web page in hope that there will be a sign that says "you do not have ms".  The symptoms are so much the same.  Doctors are not helping or comforting and I am tired of having test done.  I just want to wake up the next morning with my head clear and enjoy the day as once before.  Patience is a virtue.
Thanks again for the comments.  I will check out the web  for powersurge.
Anne

[snowflake1958]

Please check out the website.Ive found it the best one so far..Woman going through everything you are going through. Your not alone i asure you.It doesnt make it any easier but at least you know that whever your feeling they have felt to.Most of us have had tons of tests because of course we think something terrible must be wrong..How can this be Menopause.For most of us the answers are always the same...NOTHING WRONG.Ive had so many tests done its unreal.FROM HEAD TO TOE.The only one that came back positive was Menopause. I havnt had a period in 6 months so essentially i,m considered Peri Menopausal..but my Doc told me looking at my numbers i,m definately Menopausal..ive gone past Peri. shame because i didnt get not one symptom  in Peri
Melanie

[sick and tired 47]

Yes, I have similar symptoms which have been helped  somehwhat by bioidentical hormones. Still have some anxiety, hot flushes, and any very hot temps outside/inside make me feel horrible.
I too have had every test and all negative except for hypothryoid.
I am only in perimenopause ( oh help me get thru the menopause part). I have a sister who has MS,  a mother who has early onset alzheimers- All  scarey for me.
Some days are great, others are pure heck. Wish I could figure out how to get all good days... DARN those hormones!!

[Anne56]

Hi Melanie,
We will get thru this together.  I haven't had my blood tests taken for where I am at in the menopause thing but should find out.  I don't want it to come back that it is just the beginning.  Keeping an upbeat attitude is sometimes really difficult when the ole body is shaking and rattling.
Tell me about your day and how you get thru it.  If you are more active are your symptoms worse?  Last night I woke up in the middle of the night with a noise in my head, axiety attack and my body gave a big jerk.  It almost....almost doesn't scare me anymore because so many weird sensations have taken place the last month.  What next?
Are you working?  Staying at home?  It would be helpful to know what you do during the day for me to gage what I am doing.  Your symptoms and length of time not having a period is very similiar to mine.  Talking with friends who are feeling pretty normal is very hard on me.  I am glad for them but it would help talking to someone who is just getting thru the day too.  
Take care
Anne 56

[snowflake1958]

Hi Anne
Well i work from home as a groomer but i,m still finding it very hard to cope and have told lots of my clients that i,m no longer grooming.I seem to be only able to do one or two dogs and only when i realy feel up to it. I seem to spend most of my time trying to get it together.I feel like the longer i stay in bed in the mornings the worse i feel.I feel somewhat better if i,m moving but find i get exhausted and cant wait for bedtime to roll around.I wake up several times during the night with hot flashes but i did just buy this thing called a cool touch comfort pillow. It has helped keep me cool.I just lay on it..used it for the first time last nigth and didnt wake up quite so much..
I dont know what to tell you about getting through the day.Its hard for me but whats the alternative.  I still have many moments of thinking that this cant be Menopause and theres something seriously wrong.Like you think you have MS. I dont know what i think i have but its very hard to just think Menopause. How can it be so brutal and how can woman cope day in and day out. I really think this brings abut the anxiety because we all tend to focus on it being something else. I never had problems in Peri obviously and was quite shocked when told i was MENO Because as i said its only been 6 months since a period..not a year like they tell you. I go back to have blood drawn the first week of July and then will see my GYN the second week..she wants to compare the two tests as she told me hormones fluctuate greatly.Then hopefully come up with a plan.I,m not expecting any magic pill but if i could feel half way better every day then i can cope.I really feel like right now i,m not coping to well and find myself hardly ever leaving the house and hating it when people come over because i cant find the energy to entertain them.My poor hubby has been a blessing but i feel so bad for him..he's lost his wife really
Please E mail me at my hotmail address is youde like to.Its ***@****
ALSO PLEASE CHECK OUT THAT WEBSITE I POSTED..ITS FULL OF SOME GREAT INFO AND WOMAN TALKING TO WOMAN ABOUT EVERY SYMPTOM YOU COULD THINK OF
Melanie

[Anne56]

Hi Melanie,
Thanks so much for getting back with me.  It really helps to read your daily routine.  I don't want anybody to feel so crummy that they have a hard day but it does help me to feel like I am not alone.  Like you...if I get up in the morning and get going I am much better but I have to take a million breaks and just sit down and regroup.  Sometimes it is back in bed.  I had good intentions this  morning grocery shopping but anxiety took over and I couldn't put one foot in front of the other.  My husband has  been a blessing too.  I feel bad for him and apologize all the time.  I don't want visitors either and sometimes to just talk on the phone is difficult.
I would love to e-mail you but your e-mail address came back as ***@****.  Let me give you mine to see if we can connect.  ***@****
Thanks again for your reply.  Friends who are not feeling these symptoms give me all kind of encouragement like....join a yoga class....get a new hobby....take a trip.  Ugh!!!!  I just want to get thru the day!!!
Anne56

[Anne56]

Hi Melanie,
I just wanted to let you know that I use to  groom dogs also.  I did it in my young twenties and loved it.  I never got back to it because of other life changes but it was fun and very rewarding.  I hope someday you will be able to return to it full time if that is what you choose.  My husband asked me last night what I wanted to do when I feel better.  I said.....everything!!! then started to cry.  I have been waking up in the middle of the night with panic attacks.  Right out of a sound sleep!!!  I too am heading to the docs at the end of this month to see what other options I have.  Like you...I think is there something really wrong?  When am i going to fall to pieces or collapse and then they will discover I have such and such.  
Please hang in there with me.  We will get through this and celebrate when it is done.  It will be done soon too!!!!  I keep telling myself that.  The hard thing is that it is not like a cold and you feel each day you are getting better.  Yesterday I had a somewhat decent day and then boom today I am not good at all.  For me that is what is so not fun.  Do you ever get breaks and feel like your old self? I have had hotflashes for the past two to three years off and on.  Not too bad.  I missed some sleep.  A month ago this hit like overnight and has continued since.  Somedays my spirit is better than others but mostly it is the same each day.  Anxiety, can't see right, weak legs...etc. Tell me more about you if you don't mind.
Anne56

[snowflake1958]

Hi Anne.
I guss it wont let us leave E mail adresses on this board so i sent you a Private message and added you as a friend so you should be able to get it that way.
For me ive been sick since January with a chronic sinus infection and Peri satarted at the same tiem i think so i was never really suer what symptom went with what. I had sinus surgery May 3rd and when i didnt feel better afterwards(or only slightly) i realised all this was hormones. Its gotten worse i feel I dotn have any good days really. If i do its very brief and it can change i a minute. Its very disheartening .It really takes your life away. I to had the hot flahses for several years but nothign to bad and no other symptoms and this hit me like it did you...just all of a sudden..its like every hormone in your body just up and left and your body doeant know how to react.Let me know if you get my message and E mail address

[robinbyrd1963]

I am going through that now. Its been over a year. Drs cant figure it out. I have so many symptoms. I am 47 & my life has stopped. Every minute of every day & night I suffer. No one understands. I cant work or do normal stuff. I just want to lay down & die. I am normally a happy people person,but this takes me away from people. I see my bed more than anything. I just got on here the other day. Wow, so many people going through what I go through. I am not crazy after all. I am going to specialist in two weeks & beg for hormone testing. This is my final straw. Cant hold on anymore. Hope you get the help you need.

[allgirls3]

are you still out there? I just started having these same issues. I need help. Did you make it thru? What helped/ didnt help?  

[Anne56]

Yes I am making it but more than anything try not to be anxious about your symptoms and what is going on...it makes it worse.  The first three months of all this was to say the least, easy but as time goes on and you get closer to your first year of no periods it gets better.  Try not to eat sugar, caffeine or alcohol.  This will make your symptoms much worse.  I had a saliva test and urine test to find out what levels my hormones were.  My estrogen was fine but my progesterone was at the bottom of the scale.  If you can tell yourself that is the reason and not fret it makes it easier.  Also avoid stress at all cost.
It is madening that docs do not know more about this but they do not.

[Anne56]

I wanted to get back to you right away.  You are not alone and this meno has made me feel near death also.  Do not despair, it will get better.  I am coming up on a year of the worst symptoms (docs can't find anything wrong) and I have to say they are subsiding somewhat.  One thing I did do that relieved my fears is I had a saliva test and urine test for my hormone counts.  It showed that my progesterone was extremely low and estrogen is fine.  The normal blood test do not pinpoint exactly what hormones your body is lacking so you might want to give it a try.  If you need help locating a doc that does these tests let me know because the one I found is a gem and she mails them right to your home and you can do a phone conference with her.  She is great and relieved much of my anxiety.
My life stopped too.  It has been frustrating but if you can keep stress, sugar, alcohol and caffeine out of your life you will feel better during this time and not have so many ups and downs.  Snowflake and I have been e-mailing almost everyday since this has started and it has helped relieve some anxiety to talk it out.  (my family has been great but they do not want to hear about it everyday)  Sometimes you just need to tell someone how bad you feel.
Keep your chin up....this does pass.  Write back if you can.

[DJ873]

Hi Anne thank you for sharing, i thought i had lost my mind and the world crashed. I have anxiety and depression going on with this crud. I am 47, almost 8 months since my last period. I am chronically flush faced and shaky. Feel so distatched from others. Good to know I'm not alone

[patsy51]

I too am having someof the same symptoms as you.  I thought I was either going crazy or have MS or maybe a brain tumor.  I suffer from anxiety, I hate leaving the house. cant stand to be around people. My legs get wobbly and weak sometimes.  I use to enjoy walking but I hardly go any more because my legs get weak and my head feels wobbly then I get anxiety and dizziness and cant enjoy my walk.  i have insominia, only sleeping 2-3 hours a night. hotflashes, my head feels heavy and and feel funny, I get tired easy, I have palpatations, panic attacts and I always feel off balanced.  my hair is thinning, my skin is dry and my libido is little to nothing. I feel like I have aged 10 years.  I hate going to work each day because it takes everything I have just to get through it. I just want to stay in bed but the longer I stay in bed the worse I feel. I exercise, take vitamins,  try to eat right and drink plenty of fluids but it doesn't help.  I've been to different doctors had several test done.  they can't find anything so they put me on Xanax and recommends Celexa for depression.  I just can't seem to enjoy life any more I havent felt good in two years. its like this is not me.  what happened to the person I use to be? Each day is such a struggle.  I may feel good for just a few minutes sometimes but not much more then that. I envy women who don't go through this. its really disrupting my life. I just wish I could feel normal again.  It is really ashame that Doctors are not that knowledgeable about this and that modern medicine has not done more to help ease women's suffering in this area.

[Fitzy050]

Not sure if any of you are still out there but I am 50 this year and I feel awful. I have all these symptoms and then I get these BP spikes not all the time but they seem to come around the time I start experiencing symptoms again. I get a couple of good days and start thinking maybe I reached the end and them BAM - back again. Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind. Would it be possible to get your personal e-mail addresses? I have to have a lot of identical symptoms and of course my friends have none or next to no symptoms which makes me  feel even worse. On top of everything else I have recently separated and lost my job.

Linda50

[Anne56]

Fitzy050
Yes I am still here and got this message.  It is a challenging time of life and please do not get discouraged.  I have been talking to several women over the years who have experienced all the same stuff and it is difficult.  We are hear for each other.
You can e-mail me at ***@****

[deegirl100]

Wow, I am 41 and is complaining already. I too had a lot of testing done and all came back negative. I get dizzy if I move my head too quickly; I have a weak right leg, and a weak spot just above my right knee. When the weakness begins in the leg, within a couple of mins, my whole body is weak. I thought I needed iron tablets, but those don't work anymore. Ladies, thanks for your input, it really helped. And yes, I also thought I had MS and I did fit some of the symptoms. Today, I told my husband that I should just walk into the emergency, he was shocked that the weakness and heavy head was that bad. But thanks to you ladies, I will stay home; it only peri-menopause and I hate the way I feel.

[Anne56]

Hi Fitzy,
It will have been three years for me and the symptoms are lessening.  It does get better and more manageable but not quickly.  The first year is the hardest.  You can reach me at ***@**** if you want to.  I would be glad to help you anyway I can.  This is a very difficult time.
Anne

[Anne56]

Hi Deegirl,
This is a strange time and no way was I prepared for what has happened.  The way it has been explained to me is that when our ovaries are shutting down with hormones our other organs and nervous system kicks in (with hormones) but sometimes the transition does not happen smoothly.  That is why we feel awful.  I had the same leg and muscle problem too.  It is one of the first things to go away but I am afraid the weakness in your legs will last awhile.
It will be three years for me.  Much better but it has been a difficult and emotional road.  Do not fret how you feel.  It is all part of it.
Anne56

[karen12346]

Hi you sound excactly like me are you still going through it my doctor has put me on anxiety tablets and i just felt worse so i have stopped taking them.My husband cant leave me in the house on my own or i panic he has just taken my daughter out and my son has had to stop in with me i have good days and bad days really today i am really shaky im 45 and my periods have gone to every 24 days

[nes910]

hello, I have read your comments and chosen to reply because my symptoms are identical to yours. I feel my life is changed completely, I am unable to carry out a normal days activities. weak wobbly tingly legs, heavy head, off balance, light headed, unable to sleep through the night, coldness, hot flushes, numb hands, the list goes on. I dont feel normal, all tests back negative. I just want my life back, and enjoy the simple pleasures that are a struggle for me right now. I sincerely hope you are feeling heaps better

[Anne56]

Hi Nes910,
My name is Anne and my post is Anne56.  Yes this has been a huge challenge and each day is an effort.  I have met 2. women and we text daily just to have someone to talk to and not feel alone. I do not want to discourage you but it has been 3 years for me (each year is getting better) but it is a slow process.  Please contact me as often as you wish.  Somehow a friend of mine figured out how we can exchange e-mails to stay in touch easier.  Please know I feel for you and know how difficult this is.  Are you working? What is your day like.  When this first hit I did absolutely nothing for 3 months. I would like to know how this first appeared.  It is interesting to exchange symptoms and now it started.  Hugs

[nes910]

hello annie, thank you so much for your response. my symptoms started at least 7 years ago affecting my balance and weak tingly legs. I had off days when I felt ready to pass out, I had internal shakes and irregular heartbeat which lasted over six months. I coped because I had many good days and because I still had periods did not put my symptoms down to menopause.
I started to have hot flushes 3 years ago, soon after my last period,my balance has been on and off. In july 2011, I had an episode when I leaned to my left while out walking, and my balance has been off ever since, most days I feel like I am walking in a wobbly line, My head feels very heavy, weak tingly legs, restless sleep, spend much of the night tossing and turning, feel worse when I am on my own,a feeling of panic washes over me.I too started thinking about ms and brain tumours, but an mri scan in feb this year ruled out any serious problem. I have also had to abandon shops and walks because of feelings that I am losing control, waves of panic overtaking me, and the need to be in my home, safe and secure. I feel sad for you and everyone else suffering. Our life is not the same, and I would like to be able to go out alone without feeling so vulnerable because my body feels like shutting down on me. I am 55, dont work, so I have plenty of time to dwell on my symptoms. Doctors dont understand, but I find this site very encouraging. Thankyou  Anne you have been a great help. I hope you are feeling better Hugs back x

[dizzysharon]

Oh my gosh! I have all these symptoms for two years now and am housebound.:(. I also have very heavy arms and legs along with my heavy head. I feel like I am wearing a lead suit all the time! My doc says she thinks I have subclinical hypothyroidism caused by menopause and we are going to try a very low dose of thyroid soon. I want my life back!

[nes910]

Hello Sharon, I am so sorry that you are having all these problems. I cant wait for the day I feel normal again, to be symptom free. I have a few good days then it hits me out of the blue. I have spells when I feel like I will pass out, my doctor thinks I have anxiety, he is right, being off balance, heavy head, tingly legs, numb arms, insomnia, itchy skin, headaches are all causing me to worry. I feel very sad for us all, but its comforting to know that we are not alone. I am so tired of constantly feeling like I have no control, but this site helps push me along each day. I hope you, me and everyone else all feels better soon. I want my life back too, two years is a long time for you, I really feel for you. A big hug x

[dizzysharon]

Thanks Nes, this HAS to end right? I've read about women that transition took 10 years!!!!! I hope we are lucky and it's over soon. Life just is passing me by. I'm not looking forward to the holidays. Christmas will be my anniversary of feeling this way. I'm glad you have a few good days that is a blessing that I look forward to bt hasn't happened yet! :)

[nes910]

hi sharon, 10 years!!! We can only hope that we are luckier than that. When I say I have good days, I mean I can manage to walk three hundred yards to see my friend, who lives very close. Today was a bad one, woke up feeling very heavy headed, nausea, tingly legs, shaky. I agree with you, life is passing us by, I want to be able to go christmas shopping on my own, but I dont feel capable of being alone in crowded places, I spend a lot of my day at home, relying on others to help me. last year I felt dreadful, my balance was very bad, it seems worse when my head is tight and heavy, and yes it feels like you are wearing a lead suit. If only I could sleep through the night, its like I have no need for sleep. Do you have a family and do they understand how you are feeling. keep writing please, its helping us both  nes x

[dizzysharon]

Yes I have a family, a hubby and three teenage girls who help a lot! They are my taxi now. My husband is tired of me being sick just as much as I am. He worries about me all the time. I don't understand how some of us get all these debilitating symptoms and most women only get hot flashes?! We are never told about all 35 symtoms (symptoms) only two hot flases and mood swings. I wish that's all I had! My dizziness is worse with a tight head too. My neck and shoulders are soooo tight all the time too.

[nes910]

hi sharon, It sounds like you have good support from your family, I have a hubby and a son and daughter in their twenties. They all help as much as they can, particularly with shopping, something I really miss being able to do on my own. I feel useless at times, and started to think it was all in my head, especially when doctors ask what you mean by light headedness, asking me to explain how my head feels, then telling me to relax more. Its frustrating when the medical proffession are no help. I convinced myself I had ms, but having found this site, its encouraging to know its menopause. But why me, why you, and the many others suffering in this way. I could cope with hot flushes on their own, its this head and balance that are hard for me. someone must be able to help us all. x

[wobblydawn]

Anybody still on here.I am new to this

[Anne56]

Hi Wobblydawn...Yes I am still here.  How are you doing?  Please feel free to reply to Anne 56.  This is such a difficult time and we need all the help and support we can get.
Anne56

[KenaPet]

So good to find a group that is going through similar experiences!   My name is Kena, I am 44, about to turn 45 and I started to experience peri symptoms about 3 yrs ago, but didn't know it.   I had a child at 42, breastfed for 9 months, didn't sleep 8 continuous hours for over 2 yrs and about one year ago I had a terrifying experience.  I was driving around a bend, and my head all of a sudden felt like it weighed 500 lbs. I had a rushlike feeling emerging from the back of my neck and then felt as if someone had put their hand on my head and was pushing it down it was so heavy.  I had to lean down, felt as if I was fainting but wasn't losing consciousness at all, just could not keep my head up and focus on the road.  I waited a while, drove back home, luckily I was only about 3 minutes away when this off balance feeling occurred.  I had never experienced anything like this and it didn't happen again for a month.  After that, it begun to occur every couple of weeks while I drove only.  In the interim, I was experiencing extreme crashing fatigue, which I attributed to caring for a 2 yr old and sleeping poorly.  I was also a witch, moody as could be, anxious, depressed and simply feeling like a basket case.  I had a lot of stress taking place personally.  Every test that was done showed no indication of any health problem, save for hormonal level decline, clearly indicating I am perimenopausal.  However, every time I would point out my off balance episodes the doctors would say that it is unrelated to hormonal fluctuation.   I don't understand, I feel like I am losing my mind and freedom to go with it.  Anyone else have these fleeting but severe off-balance issues?   Any feedback is welcome.  I am also thinking of progesterone replacement therapy, a capsule daily.  My doctor isn't too keen on it though, saying he doesn't think it adds much value to relief of perimenopausal symptoms.  Rather he would prescribe estrogen supplement instead.  I'm confused, i thought low progesterone is what causes most of these symptoms in addition to declining estrogen.   Any feedback is welcome, thank you!

[Anne56]

Hi Kena
Take heart.  Some of us are having a difficult time and you are not alone.  Another friend of mine started hers at 45 also.  It is difficult but try not to get overly anxious about it.  I want to write you a longer note telling you how a good doc explained this to me but I have done this before on this blog and not received any comments back so write back more of your symptoms so I know you received this then a lengthy explanation will be sent back.  
Hugs,  Anne

[metoo2012]

I was so glad to find this site, I have been going thru the same things since early 2012, reading this I felt like I was looking in the mirror.  It is so hard to described to people what you are feeling, yet when I read the posts above I could totally relate.  In the post to Kena you mentioned a lengthy explanation, could you post it I would be very interested in reading it.  I look for anything and everything that could possibly ease the symptons and give me my life back. I have had and have almost all of the symptons, current ones are weak legs, shakiness, panic attacks, loss of balance and woosey head.  I also recently had a major jolt in my chest with a sudden rush that then brought on a panic attack.  All test come back fine. Very frustrating. Any input is appreciated.