New to the Forums & HELP needed please?

[SmileyB4]

Hi All,

So lovely to find this forum...

About me? I've had type 1 diabetes for 30 years and been on an insulin pump for the last 6 years.

I need some advice please? I'm 38 and suspect I'm going through an early menopause? I saw my GP a few months ago about it and he just basically told me 'to get on with it'! Apparently at 38 it isn't an early menopause and it's just a change of life....

The problem is that I am seriously struggling! My blood sugars are chaotic, I am ALWAYS tired and very irritable because of it. Yesterday I woke up with a BS of 18.9 and this morning I woke up with a BS of 2.7. It's impossible to predict! :thumbdown:

Please can any other girls help me out here please??? I have organized to see the diabetic clinic next week... but I am so worried they are going to say the same thing my GP did. Apparently I can be like this for 10 years plus!!!! NO NO NO!!!!

Thanks so much...
Sx

 

[noblehead]

Hold tight Smiley and someone will be along soon to offer you some advice.

 

[weeezer]

aww smiley big hugs!

i'm 38 in may (omg, looks too real when i type it! still 30 in my head!!!!) and think i am in same boat. it IS young to be starting this process, silly doc :thumbdown: i have read that it can arrive earlier for t1s. i've been diabetic for 12 years, my mum (also T1 37yrs, she's 62) had a 'sterilisation' when she was 30 and never had another period so doesn't know when menopause was!

after trouble conceiving my 2nd child, i had fertility tests and found my FSH levels (follicle stimulating hormone) was high (about 4 yrs ago now) which indicated my ovarian reserve was dwindling, and i should 'expect' to go thru early menopause. late last year my always regular periods started to change slightly, went a bit late and a bit early etc. and i started experiencing TERRIBLE PMS. i'm ashamed to admit that i thought it was alot of bother over nothing until i actually experienced it! just before my period i was ready to strangle people! and then i started to get the typical symptoms of menopause, mood swings/irritable/skin felt drier/hair felt brittle/knackered (wots new!)and...HOT FLUSHES! it was all very strange & i hated it. and my heart started to race & skip beats (more than it already occassionally did)

but it only lasted a few cycles, then eased off. strange. i think i'm in 'peri-menopause' which you may also be in: the run up before menopause. i went to docs, thinking i'd like some clarity on whether or not it was happening. he was v dismissive. i explained i might like another child so i needed to know, so he rolled his eyes and ran some tests (i also was feeling 'off' and thought this may explain it). apparently they're all 'normal' levels (but he told me to have test mid-cycle, which doesn't tell you much i have since learned).

cycles normal last couple of months, but i'm waiting for it to go squiffy again. it was good ol oprah winfry who made me question whether i was pre-menopausal as she was talking about her heart going dolally - she had lots of checks and all was ok, but turned out to be menopause causing all the trouble! i'm currently taking beta blockers for racing/skipping heart, doc not sure if i'm just anxious/panicky (which i am to be fair) but i personally think menopause may be causing.

i did go crazy on supplements for a while, whilst the symptoms were hard to bear, and i dunno if they actually helped but things did ease off. (but they prob would've anyway). will go take a look at what they all were - may be worth a try, i've got em ready for the next onslaught!

my levels sometimes experience random spikes, and i think the hormonal element of pre-menopause really has a knock on effect. ha, if we thought diabetes wasn't unpredictable enough! :crazy:

you are certainly not alone!