Okay, ladies...
Since I developed a health problem in August (2012), I've been working through theories about the cause.
What began it all was, three months ago, while super-relaxed, sitting my couch, I suddenly felt as though I was losing consciousness, my heart started pounding (but not racing), my vision went blurry, I felt like I wasn't getting enough oxygen (but not shortness of breath), muscle trembling, chills followed by whole body shivering, nausea, and diarrhea.
It lasted just a few minutes. The longest episode lasted 10 minutes.
I only had these full-blown episodes for the first 2 weeks, but have had daily symptoms since then. Other symptoms include difficulty focusing, headache, urgent need for a bowel movement after severe symptoms (typically diarrhea or loose stool), suddenly cold hands/feet, chest or abdominal pain, "fuzzy" brain, pressure in head/neck, and tingly/numb scalp. Although I can feel generally "off" all day, most symptoms are transient in nature, lasting only a few minutes to a few hours.
HISTORY: I've been in excellent health my whole life. I do have (seemingly) symptom-free PCOS, however. I am a happy, relaxed person, by nature. Because of this issue, I've had many tests, to date. (CBC, EKG, blood cultures, 24 Holter monitor, 2-week loop monitor, thyroid, stool analysis, & echocardiogram.) All (incl. numerous checks of temp., HR & BP) have come back normal.
The current theory is perimenopause-related hormone imbalance.
I'm skeptical. Sure, I'm almost 50. But I've never had the more common symptoms of perimenopause, such as hot flashes or night sweats, and my periods are as regular as clockwork.
I'm curious if anyone has experience with hormone imbalance (HI) related to perimenopause, and if the sometimes erratic symptoms of HI could include the symptoms I've described?
Thanks!