I am not insane, Doc... I really do get sinus infections w/ PMS.

[politicat]

Every 55 days or so. My sinuses get really dry and irritated, to be followed by goopy, my head swells to twice its normal size as PMS sets in. Unfortunately, the docs think I'm bonkers.

What weird symptoms of the impending Cardinal's Visit do you get?

[Pool Hall Ace]

1. Oh you poor thing. I've only had one sinus infection in my life.

It was in 1996. But it was the worst pain and misery I have ever experienced.

I guess I'm fortunate that PMS only brings me some bloating and slightly wonky emotions.

[politicat]

5. oh, the full list is quite charming....

bloody noses, sinus infections, insomnia and excessive tiredness, water retention, frequent urination, urinary tract infections (the latter two are not supposed to go together), full change in bra size, touch-me-not boobs, dry skin, oily hair, cleavage zits (not facial, usually), moodiness (related to sleep disturbance)...

And we're surprised that I'm not complaining much about the lengthening cycles?? I like the 55 day thing... I just hate the osteoporosis that's going along with it...

(Don't mind me; no one likes perimenopause at 29....)

[NashVegas]

2. I Just Get Plain Old Zits & Emotional

Zits, I try to ignore. As for the other, I just try to ride through it. Sometimes it can be fun :)

[Maine-ah]

3. male or female doc?

A friend of mine had all sorts of problems, (male doc), kept telling her she was "bonkers". She switched doc's went to a female, and come to find out, she really wasn't "bonkers".

I refuse to go to male gyn's, I don't think they can fully understand how a woman feels, and they reduce it to you're "bonkers".

My friend was having alot of abdominal pain between periods, and when she did have them she would literally explode. Waking up drenched in blood, scared the hell out of her boyfriend. Endometriosis (sp?) and other problems as well.

(on edit) For myself, my cramps are unbearable. Last month, I spent the whole night awake I was in so much pain and I could find nothing to alieve it.

[politicat]

4. Female doc... new in practice, though.

She's only been out of med school 5 years. Since this has never been documented in the literature (which can basically apply to my life!) she doesn't believe it happens.

She's great when it comes to me researching something and bringing her documentation and saying "Here, we need to look into this, set me up with X specialist", but not so good when there's nothing in the literature.

I know that in private practice it is hard to keep up with the lit, especially when you're seeing everyone from 22 year olds to 92 year olds, but come on.....

I've had far better luck as it happens with male gyns/GPs; the ones I've seen - and the one I mostly grew up with - have been far more willing to say, "you live in the body, you're more likely than I am to know what's going on in there." Female docs tend to disbelieve me.

EEK for your friend!! And for you!!! All of the other females in my family have endometriosis (which is why I don't want kids; having children exacerbates it or so I've been told) and nasty cramps and such. I'm just getting a really premature menopause, so it's not so bad... :sarcasm:

[lukasahero]

6. Menopause also shortens a woman's lifespan

by making us more susceptible to other ailments that come along with it. (Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension and, as you mentioned, osteoporosis.)

Are you taking anything to delay or deter it?

I am 42 and in late stage perimenopause. My doctor has me on an herbal supplement in an attempt to regulate my estrogen balance. It's working - my periods are getting more regular, my libido is back (yay!), I have more energy and all the other symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats) have all but disappeared. The only problem I am having now, and this is getting better, is that when I first started on it I would get migraines with my period.

Just thought I'd pipe up and suggest that there are reasons to avoid early menopause and there are natural means that can help you do so. Good luck.

[politicat]

7. They've just about diagnosed it.....

But are still scratching their heads and saying, "but you can't be in menopause, you're only 29...."

To which I respond, "If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck and makes duck-like messes, it's a DUCK!" (Keeping the clue stick in my purse has not been easy....)

Doctors have blind spots, I've noticed.

What's the supplement?

[lukasahero]

8. I'll have to get it for you tonight

it's at home.

Have they given you an estrogen test? I can't see why it would be so difficult to diagnose? If one level (I'm not a doc so I can't off the top of my head say which one) is up and the other is down, you're heading into menopause.

I can relate to blind spots (which is how I got to this doc). I broke 2 ribs this winter and the first guy I saw said "it's probably just a pulled muscle. Sometimes big guys can break a rib from coughing but you're not big enough to do that." (And yes, that's a real quote.) A week later at the emergency room the x-rays showed 2 broken ribs. It never occured to him that maybe I had broken my ribs and that might be an indication of osteoporosis - just like you, I'm "too young for that". :eyes:

Have you considered seeing another doc? You are way too young to be going into menopause but treating that is just one part of the problem - you also need to determine why you're there and treat that as well.

I'll follow up with the name of the herb tomorrow. Good luck.

[Maine-ah]

9. HA!

"Sometimes big guys can break a rib from coughing but you're not big enough to do that."

HA! My father was 5" 3" tall and (if he was lucky) weighed 150 lbs tops. He used to break ribs from coughing all the time (asthma).

[lukasahero]

10. Yeah - you have no idea

how pissed off I was (and really still am) about that comment. He might as well as just came out and said "but you're just a girl". :grr:

[lukasahero]

11. Got it

It's EstroFactors by a company called Metagenics. It's all natural and is mostly herbs. I also use their meal replacement powder called Ultra Meal.

The supplement I get through my doctor and I would recommend talking to them about it before starting it but you can get it from this web pharmacy http://www.organic-pharmacy.com/Metagenics/EstroFactors.htm
You can get the powder there too. http://www.organic-pharmacy.com/Metagenics.UltraMeal.htm (These are really good compared to some of the meal replacement products I've tried.)

Disclaimer: - I don't work for either company and I am not a doctor. "Statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat and cure or prevent disease. Always consult with your professional health care provider before changing any medication." ;-)

[politicat]

12. I'm not starting anything until we get out of this diagnosis stage.

I'm barely taking the pain meds for my effed up knees.

The problem, apparently with taking an estrogen test is that we have to do it on certain days of the cycle, at certain times.... and the cycle is about 30 days into its 55 day span, and so we're waiting a minimum of another 3 weeks before the blood test would read anything significant (so they're telling me....)

Thanks for the info!

[DemBones DemBones]

15. I went to a female gynecologist once (OK, two or three times)

but I really didn't like her. She was cold and she acted like I was paranoid because I wanted a Pap smear every six months and a colposcopy once a year, which was what was then being recommended for DES daughters like me. She actually told me "ALL the DES daughters who've had any problems had them when they were very young and you're too old to be so concerned about it." I was, maybe, 35 at the time, if not younger and, as she should have known, I'm one of the older of the DES-exposed babies, and no one knew what would happen to us as we hit menopause; they only knew about the rare cancer some had soon after menarche. Besides which, I never was particularly worried about it, just taking precautions since I also have a family history of cervical cancer (my mother) and uterine cancer (my grandmother.)

I ditched Dr. Ice and started going to a MALE gynecological oncologist who was far more knowledgeable about in utero DES exposure and who did NOT think I was paranoid to get Pap smears every six months and a colposcopy once a year.

[u4ic]

13. I get the sinus thingE too

I have to steam myself a lot during that time, or I'll come down with sinusitis. I've got one of those little portable steamers, and it's the best $20 I've spent. It's reduced my sinus problems a lot.

I take Evening Primrose Oil, and it's eliminated a lot of the other unpleasant symptoms I used to get, like depression, very bad nausea and horrid cramps.

[DemBones DemBones]

14. I just read an article about sinusitis by a doctor that

included a diet -- you have to give up a lot of foods but it could be worth it, especially if you can predict when you need to be on the diet and when you can eat what you please. (There's the silver lining to your sinus infection/PMS cloud, perhaps?)

But he also recommended regular use of a Neti pot to wash out your sinuses, which ie even easier and something I keep thinking I should do. I remember than XanaDUer has extolled Neti pots in the Lounge before, but it was long ago. You can Google and find out where to get them (they're pretty cheap) and how to use them, though, if she doesn't weigh in on this.

Paging Xana. . .

[politicat]

16. DBDB, I am already on the diet from hell.

I can't imagine giving up more; if I did, I'd live on lettuce, english cucumbers, apple cider vinegar, skim milk and apples. I can't have white sugar, brown sugar, HFCS, honey, fructose, white flour, half a dozen oils, most beef, too much soy, too many eggs....

Quite seriously, I can't imagine cutting anything further out of my diet; it's a really difficult balance now to keep it under the caloric limits and still balanced (and me reasonably happy.)

As far as the neti pots go..... well.... I'll think about it.

[eleny]

17. Okay - how about dealing with the symptoms until you find better measures

For what it's worth, here's what we do-

I make a saline solution for hubby and I because Colorado is always a hotbed for sinus infections, as you know, even without PMS adding to it. Boil a cup of water with a tsp of salt. When it boils, shut the flame, add a pinch of baking soda. Cool it down to room temp. Get a baby ear syringe. I found a blue bubble all in one piece kind. Gently, very carefully, spritz some up your nasal passages every day when you know the air is very dry or your days are upon you. Do this over the sink. It will keep your nasal passages moist for most of the day.

Keeping your nasal passages moist can help a lot. Bronchitis and pneumonia can follow a sinus infection in the worst case scenario. I've had that happen once about 10 years ago. So that's what motivated me to post my personal solution. I hope you find good advice and help for your problem.

The baby ear syringes we use look like this one.

[u4ic]

18. Many people, including myself, have problems with dairy

It can be something that triggers sinusitis in some people. I haven't had any dairy for about 3 years. Switched to soy milk, then found some great goat products at my local health food store (milk, yogurt, cheese - mozza and cheddar, not just chevre). It's cut my sinus problems down tremendously.

An elimination diet would only be for a week or so, and could determine if milk could be a contributing factor. I never had the stomach problems with dairy, only the sinus/thick mucousy thingE.

[politicat]

19. Milk is not a contributing factor.

I tried that years ago - my sister developed a serious milk allergy and we all did the soy thing - and it did not help. Still got them. I like milk, and when I moved out, I went back to it.

Soy is something I have to be very careful with anyway, since soy isoflavones (sp and too lazy to look it up) are thyroid hormone mimics, and since my thyroid is very delicate anyway, I try to avoid excess soy. I also noticed that since soy is also an estrogen mimic, that I got cramps and various other non-standard reactions (for me) that cleared up when I moved out of home and went back to milk. For me, Soy is not a wonderfood; my disgustingly Northern European ancestry did not give me the genetics for dealing with hormonal mimics.

So... if I want my tofu teriyaki....

Don't mind me - I just have all effed up body chemistry....

[u4ic]

20. I just googled menstrual cycle + sinuses

and got 50,000 hits.

from http://www.vnh.org/OBGYN/Menses.htm : Sinus headaches may be more pronounced during the days leading up to the menstrual cycle, due to changes in hormone levels and their impact on sinus mucosa and fluid retention . These headaches have their focus of pain in the paranasal sinuses which become sensitive to direct digital pressure, and also by the indirect pressure of putting the head down between the knees. In addition to the usual methods of treating sinus headaches (analgesics, decongestants, antihistamines, antibiotics, as appropriate), cyclic symptoms can often be controlled by BCP suppression of ovulation.

[politicat]

21. Thank you!

That's something I can take in and get her to read the article.

Of course, it means going back on the pill, which is not something I look forward to, even here in Liberal Boulder County....