Peggy, I just got off the phone with a physicians referral service in Vero Beach and they gave me some leads to check out. If you so not mind sharing the name of your current cardiologist and your curren family doctor, i will check into the ones I was told were personally known and check them out. I also am awaiting a return call from our cardiologist here in Orlando to see if he knows of anyone in your area. I am working on this and glad you have an appointment for a second opinion on the meds. I am very happy that you are crying. It is a good sign and it is something you have needed to do for a long time. I am sorry that I do not know the circumstances surrounding the loss of your daughter, but I do know that God never gives us more than we can handle though we do not always believe it. God has the ability to instantly perform a miracle as he has done for me with an ovarian turmor that he caused to disappear, but a lot of time it is how we handle the adverse things that come our way that he uses for his glory and he rewards us for our faith. Journal writing is one of the most emotional and relaxing and inexpensive therapys around. I am serious about sitting down and writing a letter to your daughter to tell her how much you miss her, how much you love her, what you miss about her nothing being around, talk about some of the wonderful memories you have and tell her how you feel. Write a letter to your living daughter and express your disappointment, anger, frustration, love, everything. Write a letter to God telling him about your anger that he did not save your daughter. It is okay to tell God you are angry. In the beginning those writings will be angry and full of bad words, etc but as the emotions begin to lessen as tears fall and fall and fall you will begin to write calmer and as you continue to write you will begin to learn about yourself and the depth of your faith in God. I have had to do that numerous times and have volumes of journals. I am not proud of some of the things I have written but they were necessary for my healing and they helped me heal. They helped me learn about myself, and they brought me oh so much closer to God. When I feel my blood pressure going up I begin writing and in the end I am emotionally drained, exhausted and sleep the best I have ever slept because everything I had been mulling over in my mind and holding inside had been let out. You do need your meds regulated and if they suggest placing you in the hospital for a few days to wean you off meds and begin new ones then please do it. Meds can screw up your life as my husband is discovering and as I discovered years ago. I no longer blindly take meds without knowing everything about them and I discuss each one, side effects, etc with my doctor before leaving the office and then discuss any concerns with the pharmacist. I am here. I will send you my home number via email in case you need or want to call me sometimes. I have unlimited long distance so I can always call you right back if you say this is Peggy and I have a wrong number. My heart and prayers are with you, my friend. Hang in there and that is an order. Linda

Hi hun 49 hows u ? I never did try that cream i feel like everything i try i get a kind of honeymoon period with it ive had a terrible time with the sweats lately they seem to come back with a vengence very uncomfortable being soooo hot all day and night it brings me to tears sometimes im sick of showering 3 times a day ive ended up back on the hrt but even stronger than the last lot ,my duvet is on and off all night every night ive bin in this world now for 3 yrs and its driving me crazy im on blood pressure pills hrt inhalers i think im keeping the chemist in business anyway im off to turkey in 3 weeks ill be having me 48th birthday there i always go for my birthday they dont half make a fuss of me its great they get me a cake and balloons and all its great fun the thaught of that cheers me up for once i cannot wait to hit the airport im very excited already i have had such a rough year already my son and his girlfriend are coming with us this time and he is going to propose to her aww and my daughter katie is expecting her first baby girl in august so im chuffed about that its about time shes 28 ha ha anyway take care keep your chin up and come on for a chat i love to hear from you xxxs shelly.

I am so glad this discussion is on here! I am 52, and was just told to go off the combo pill in August, after being on it nearly continuously since 17 when I picked it up in college. My blood pressure had started to go up last year, so we figured this was the cause. I had never had high blood pressure before - usually the opposite. I tried reducing salt and increasing exercise for a bit, but it had little impact. So, I was recommended going off or switching to the mini-pill progesterone-only. The first two weeks were fine, then I had a couple of weeks of constant overheating(no 'flashes', just constant hot). I read about how sometimes when you go off the combo pill, your insulin levels can be weird as your other systems take over estrogen and general thermostat regulation, so I cut out all the high spiky insulin foods(think sugar and white rice along with the rest of the online lists of foods to avoid) and reduced some caffeine, and the heat problem turned off completely. Now it has been three months of progesterone only, and I can see my skin aging, and hair growth slowing. I had been having a lot of brain-fog issues the past few years, and those have not changed, sadly. It's very annoying, and I hope that part at least sorts itself out by 60. Bonus and unexpected - my internal base stress level has gone down. It's just easier to cope. I have added rice and sugar back with no problems, and overheating is completely gone. I am sleeping better, although now I have weird little dreams, when I have never been one to remember dreams much at all. I do not have more energy, and some of my hand strength is just gone. Also, mentally, I find I am more detached from things and people, but not in a depressed or destructive way. More the feeling of having a choice about being involved or not, rather than having an immediate reaction (like wanting to scream at the grocery clerk that eye-rolled when asking a valid question). Hoping I am just done, but it's too soon to tell. I get mild cramping with no period, and some spotting during the week I would have normally had one in the '4th week off' time. But it's too soon to write off periods altogether. I am hoping most of the worst of it was masked during the past 5 years. But...I do have female relatives that didn't hit menopause until 56-65. One would have thought with half the planet going through this in their lives that there would be more medical study and progress on this in the last 50 years, but apparently no. lol I think starting a better workout routine and nutrition plan is next on the agenda. Wondering how much of my personality and priority-setting is hormone related. Will be interesting to see who I become now. Maybe my ten year old self has a chance again. :) She was fun.

I take Relpax and 2 nuproxin at the onset of a migraine on the recomendtion of my neurologst a headache specialist. Yes I went through much testing and it was well worth it. I had migraines that would last up to 6 weeks. I also take a daily preventative..Topamax, and 1000 mgs of magnesium (OTC, and an antidepressant Vivactil. E-mail me if you'd like I can send you the info he gave me. Some things that helped....Like Sandy said, I now never take anything for more than 3 days. Found I was rebounding rather than the original Migraine. I take the meds faster, many migrainers "Hord" meds, but the sooner you take them, the faster they work. If the meds you're taking don't seem to be working, then they're not, and you need something else. I've tried all the above mentioned plus more to find what would work for me. When the relpax stops working my next step is toradol injections, and not by the nice pen, but actual shots, and I don't know if I can do that. But if I have to I will. Also realize not all neurologist are good with migraines. I was seeing a nerologist and things just didn't "seem right" with what he was doing. He had me taking fiorinal daily. (remember the 3 day rule..yup, rebound headaches from the fiorinal were happening)..so I researched on my own, found this doctor that specialized in migraines, and what a difference. He right out said that the neurologist I was seeing was completely wrong in much of what he was doing, he removed me from all his meds, and we started a new regime. I had to see a occupational therapist, learn how to relax, I should see a speicalist in bio=feedback, but none are close to me. I had to see a psychologist just to make sure I didn't need more help there. Initially they were so bad he wanted to do botox, but after 3 months on the new regime, the botox was found not to be needed. The change in my life was amazing. I am getting them more freequently again (2-3 times a week and I don't know why) but they only last a few hours instead of days. I wish I was a person who a couple of advil and coke worked, but I'm not. I haven't had to go to the ER for over a year, so that is nice.\ Vickey-MN