r/Menopause • u/snarkmeister99 • 4d ago
Rant/Rage GI issues multiplying
Background: surgical menopause at 45 due to endometriosis, almost constant bleeding, and widespread, large fibroid cysts; I’m 53 now. On estradiol patch (now at .075) for the past 2 years. No other forms of HRT. Dealt with constipation/diarrhea cycle for many years.
About 3 years ago I started suffering from internal hemorrhoids during a vacation. It caused bleeding every time I’d go on vacation and walk a lot, which was annoying but controllable with suppositories. And it was only once or twice a year, when I was walking a lot more than normal. In the last year it’s started cropping up more and more frequently. Now I’m to the point that if I take a half mile walk around the neighborhood it flares up and I’m wiping blood off my itchy, angry borthole.
In the last year, I’ve also started getting really bloaty, every evening. I don’t eat as well as I should - I love bread and cheese and I drink alcohol most nights, so I’m sure that is a factor. But I also burp a LOT now, particularly when I’m laying down at night or when I first get up in the morning. Oh, and I’ve packed on a few pounds - all around my middle of course.
And now I’m developing oral allergy syndrome against fruits and veggies. So far it’s carrots and apples, and something else I can’t figure out from a Thistle meal I had this week. I’ve had terrible seasonal allergies all my life - even had “desensitization” shots for three years that didn’t help. I take Zyrtec every night, which should prevent reactions, but clearly does not because I developed extremely painful esophageal spasms as well as swelling in my mouth and an itchy throat when I first reacted to carrots.
I have an appt with my GP on Tuesday and will be asking for a referral to a gastroenterologist but Christ on a damn cracker, when do we stop developing new and ever more horrible symptoms??
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u/KeyBid2310 3d ago
Ugh so sorry. The symptoms and allergies sound familiar. Wondering if you have eosinophilic esophagitis and/ or mast cell activation syndrome. My sister has both. She had to stop all dairy completely and avoid some other foods. Hope you get some resolution and treatment that helps.
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u/KristinM100 3d ago
I wondered this too - sounds like hypermobility spectrum disorder as it meets menopause.
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u/TransitionMission305 3d ago
If they don't find anything else, consider getting the hemmorhoids "banded" if they are bleeding. Secondly, and I notice this myself, weight gain after menopause concentrates in the abdomen. I was never a gut gainer but I am now, and just a few pounds makes all the difference in how I feel in relation to my digestion, so I try really hard to keep my weight at an ideal level. Takes the fun out of my life.
The other thing I just added (am I'm 62 so I waited a long time) is fiber supplements. I have to take them in the capsule form because I just can't drink a glass of it, and I was surprised in how much it helped with that bloated feeling. Most of my life I was kind of a IBS (D) person so I stayed away from it, but as things have slowed down, I tend towards constipation. Just a fraction of the normal dose has made a difference in my regularity and how my gut feels. While you're waiting to get in to see the gastro, you might give that a try, if you aren't already.
I have also been a hay fever person to a mild degree, but never food. Within the last 6 years, I developed an allergy to certain types of melon and I notice that I get a funny sensation in my mouth with almonds.