Mom Seeking Advice for Herself

I wouldn't panic, but I would get in to see that doc asap. They will do blood work to check your thyroid, a metabolic panel, your RBC,WBC, and neuts will be on there and that will tell you if you have an infection and can be a direct indicator of cancer. They will check you hormone levels too. Once they've cleared the bloodwork, which can usually tell you a lot, if there is nothing wrong with that, then worry about oddities such as parasites. It's amazing what they can tell from taking enough blood and more than likely (hopefully) it's the hormones and they can switch you to something that agrees more with your body. I have to get bloodwork done each month due to meds to check my organs and just about anything seems to show up in your blood one way or another. If that doctor is not thourough, please see another doctor for a second opionion because either way, what you are experienceing is not normal or comfortable for you and needs to be fixed. You deserve to feel healthy.

You'll get the thyroid and other common ones here no problem, so since I'm in an interesting mood...here are some less frequently thought of, but that also have the same symtoms:

Been around any thallium lately? (Found nowadays mostly in electronics...but in older or commercial ant & rat poisons).

Or have any pets? Or go to any public parks? Nearly every park tests positive for parasites (mostly from dogs -roundworms, pinworms, etc.) As kids we used to be wormed prophylacticly twice a year...but BOY did I run into some flak from the pediatricians. Hello??? We've got boys and dogs, and friends with boys & dogs. And the raccoons carry the same parasites even if we didn't have dogs, and people take their dogs to the park. Doesn't matter if they clean up after them, eggs are tiny. Why do they think we have to worm our dogs once a month anyway? I actually had one nurse tell me people can't get the kinds of worms dogs get. Or another that as long as we took "basic handwashing" measures it wouldn't be a concern. Hello??? Has the woman never seen kids playing? We could BATHE in sanitizer 10 times a day...and it wouldn't be enough. Uh-huh...then why does public health say there's over 20,000 cases of parasites a year in Seattle alone? I swear, I think some people live under rocks.

<Laughing> oops...did it again. Down, girl!

Have you traveled lately? That would be important to TELL your Doc....& by lately I mean in the past year. Some infections are creepers.

Hmmmm....Lets see here....Poisons, Parasites, Cancers, Stress, Allergies, Hormonal Imbalance, Infections of "Pick an organ"....gee I'm glad some people go to medical school/training for 12 years. :)

Good Luck!!
& Update us!

A lot of your symptoms sound like thryoid problems too. Have your doctor check your T3, T4, and TSH...NOT just your TSH, important!

Get to the doctor right now. Today. Not in two weeks, go as soon as possible. Your symptoms need immediate attention.

Hang in there!

Could be thyroid but talk to your doctor about prempro and possible side effects. This is what I pulled off the web: "A long term clinical study of oral conjugated equine estrogens in postmenopausal women reported increased risks of cardiovascular events including, heart attack and stroke, as well as blood clots and increased risk of breast cancer at certain doses. Additionally, some other possible side effects of PremPro include headache, breast pain, irregular vaginal bleeding or spotting, stomach/abdominal cramps and bloating, nausea and vomiting, or hair loss."
If you want to be on hormone replacement, have you looked into bio-identical hrt? Prempro is made from non-human sources (horses to be exact) and is not bio-identical for our bodies. A good naturopath can give you a prescription with a compounding pharmacy and will most likely include small amounts of other hormones such as testosterone which which more accurately reflects what your body is lacking as a result of early menopause/hysterectomy. I have loads of information on nutritional support for menopausal women - if you're interested, contact me directly. But my first guess is it's the Prempro. Good luck

Hi J.,

I immediately suspected the PremPro, so I looked up side-effects on the internet and found "possible side effects of PremPro include headache, breast pain, irregular vaginal bleeding or spotting, stomach/abdominal cramps and bloating, nausea and vomiting, or hair loss". Doesn't sound fun! The only way to go as far as HRT is natural, bio-identical hormones, not synthetic ones such as PremPro. I agree that it would be great for you to see a Naturopath to switch from synthetic to bio-identical hormones; you will likely see a world of difference. I've been on bio-identical for maybe 7 years now, not a single side-effect, but menopause symptoms went away :-) I wish you all the best! V.

I think you've got your bases covered from other posters. My first thought was thyroid storm and my second was side effects of your medication.

There are so many risks to HRT which I'm sure you're aware of but I concur with the other poster to check out a good ND or herbalist to help you use more natural hormone replacement. There's a gal (ND) on the east side that advertises in Seattle Woman (I think) magazine. I believe her specialty is natural hormone replacement. Hope that helps!

C.-WAHM of ~5 y/o virtual twins
Owner: http://www.BeHappierAtHome.com
Naturopathic patient w/PCOS, IR, hypothyroidism for 12 years.

It really sounds like what you are experiencing is greatly affecting your functioning on a daily basis-because of that, I think it's important for you to visit a doctor. Anyway... I have a hypothyroid and some of your symptoms sound like thyroid issues. I urge you to address it now so you start feeling better! Good luck.

I wish that i could help you but i am sure someone will have an idea or have experienced this. I was reading your post and you have two sets of twins 3 & 5...isn't that enough to make your hair fall out? LOL Hugs to you....I am in menopause and had a hysterectomy when I was 25...my hair falls out terrible. Are you on any kind of medication? Such as anti-depressants? They can really make you lose alot of hair. L.

It sounds like thyroid to me. You need to have it checked without delay. It sounds very out of whack and you'll feel back to normal with the meds they give to regulate it. Go today to see your doc! There was another posting like this a few weeks ago too.

Hi J.,

It sounds like menopausal symptoms to me. What kind of a doctor are you seeing. I would strongly suggest that you see an endocrinologist and have testing done. Your endocrine system controls all of your homones and it sounds like to me that you could use a whole work up to determine exactly what levels your hormones are at. Just taking Prempro is probably not working for you. See a specialist who can get to the root of the matter. You are too young to be experiencing these drastic symptoms!

I am a big proponent of natural medicine and feel that a naturopath will ultimately be your best bet. It doesn't hurt to get the endocrinologist's report so that you know where to go from there. The ND will take you down a natural path with herbs, homeopathy, and nutrition to restore you to better health.

Good luck!

B. W

Hi J., I'm new to this and I was reading your ? and had to respond.Have you had your thyroid checked?I'm 33 and was told 3 years ago I was Hypothyroid after going to the Doc for almost all the same symptoms as you.I have a type called Hashimoto's Disease.You should talk to your doc and find out what your ctc levels are.It's a simple blood test.Good Luck.

Sounds thyroid related to me. Get it tested, it's just a blood draw and is so worth it. Thyroid problems can cause all of the symptoms you are describing. The other thing that can cause hair loss is low iron (sounds like you are already aware of that though). I have had thyroid disease, and recently started experiencing symptoms similar to yours. The first thing they tested was my thyroid, the other thing they tested was my adrenals (another area that can cause these kinds of symptoms). Finally, they chalked it up to anxiety and put me on Paxil. I am feeling soooo much better. I am still losing hair, but I have found that usually my episodes of hair loss last at least 3 usually more like 4 months. Good luck to you! And go to the doctor, no one should have to feel that miserable!

My Grandma has similar symptoms which turned out to be Colon Cancer.... GO SEE YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY! I'm not trying to scare you, I hope nothing's wrong, but it's better to find out sooner than later if there is anything wrong. My Grandma found out too late and one month later she passed away.