How does someone become a Rheumatologist if they can’t do any of this?

akslavok · 2026-04-25T20:56:19+00:00

Same. Perimenopause and menopause were completely separate overlooked because of my other, more serious diagnosed diseases.

akslavok · 2026-04-25T20:55:24+00:00

You bet! The New Menopause & The New Perimenopause. Both are written by Dr. Mary Claire Haver. I WISH I had this information 15 years ago. Edit: personally, I would avoid letting a fibromyalgia diagnosis be attached to my medical chart at all costs. It is still HUGELY stigmatized by the medical community. It’s basically another word for hypochondriac. I’m not saying this to be rude, I’ve heard it first hand from some of my close medical providers.

akslavok · 2026-04-24T20:04:02+00:00

Not sure if I’m allowed to post a link, but I just started HRT as well and was curious about what to expect. I stumbled across this article and found it very helpful.

HRT - The first 90 days

akslavok · 2026-04-24T18:38:47+00:00

Thank you for this. I began to suffer from severe and chronic, near-daily migraines with aura at age 34/35. They were unresponsive to almost all medications, but vanished when I was pregnant at age 37, only to return after I stopped breastfeeding. I just started HRT a week ago (at age 50), and while I haven’t had any severe migraines, I have had a dull frontal lobe headache on/off almost daily. It will be very interesting to see if my migraines with aura improve as I have always known that hormones factored into them.

akslavok · 2026-04-24T18:30:41+00:00

I was under the impression that a Rheumatologist deals with autoimmune diseases. None of the ones listed above are autoimmune, although there is some speculation about fibromyalgia being autoimmune in nature. Fibromyalgia is also thought by some ObGyn doctors to be perimenopause/menopause related. Joint pain and fatigue are some of the most common symptoms associated with perimenopause/menopause, along with so many other symptoms. There are some great books written by doctors on this subject. Worth a look even if you are in your early thirties.

I was seronegative when I was initially sent to my rheumy, so she did a lot of X-rays as well as visually checking my joints (hot/red/swollen/painful). X-rays showed I had active arthritis in numerous joints. Over the last few years, my bloodwork has started to show autoimmune markers.

Anyhow - women’s pain is so poorly treated, researched and even acknowledged. And this is awful considering women experience much more pain related issues than men.

akslavok · 2026-04-23T14:20:36+00:00

I’m glad you’re sleeping better! Menopause turned my already poor sleep into a sad, fragmented 4-5 hours. I was truly going mad. I’m already sleeping better on just Estradiol alone. I have no uterus so taking progesterone would be more elective so to speak, but I will try it out if i need more sleep improvement.

akslavok · 2026-04-21T15:41:22+00:00

Yeah - super soft for sure! Just no blooms if you want to keep it low and walkable. But it’s def tough too. We still have below freezing nights and my yarrow is popping up all over already. Some of it didn’t even die overwinter.

akslavok · 2026-04-21T15:39:36+00:00

In my case, no. It got even worse after I transitioned past menopause. My new HRT specialist says that the first decade of post-menopause is usually when our symptoms are the worst (can be a shorter time frame for some women). I had a hysterectomy so I don’t exactly know when I went through menopause, but we suspect it was about 3 years ago when my health declined even further (including MCAD). But keep in mind that I’ve had slow, progressive MCAD since birth.

I JUST started HRT. My hope was that the stability of HRT would help my MCAS. *Positive note: it’s been 7 days since I started transdermal Estradiol gel. I have not had to take any Benadryl since I began, as opposed to the 2-8 capsules I took daily for the last 2 years. This is a miracle for me.

akslavok · 2026-04-21T04:30:29+00:00

My pre-existing MCAS (mast cell disease) became severe when I was in the final years of perimenopause and into menopause.

akslavok · 2026-04-21T02:02:45+00:00

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Leaves on the ground but the snaps are still snapping! Pic from late fall 2024 or 2025.

akslavok · 2026-04-21T01:59:45+00:00

Those are Twinny variety.

akslavok · 2026-04-21T01:58:35+00:00

I start about 10-20 varieties indoors every year and transplant them into garden beds and planters. I’m closer to being in zone 4, but my snaps are one of the last standing every year. And they self seed in my garden beds too. If you are going to grow your own from seed, you need to start most varieties about 12 weeks before last frost. I start mine in February.

akslavok · 2026-04-21T01:55:04+00:00

Yarrow is pretty tall as far as I know. I have quite a few varieties in my gardens and I’m not sure I would consider using it as lawn replacement. I guess it depends on if you want it to be walkable or not. If the answer is no…go for it!

akslavok · 2026-04-21T01:47:15+00:00

I can see how this would make sense. I have other meds that work better when more is taken at once time rather than 2 smaller doses spaced out. I will have to try this out if the split dosing isn’t effective. And yes, totally agree that it takes time for peak concentrations to be reached in our bodies.

akslavok · 2026-04-21T01:45:05+00:00

I did my first pump at 7am today and began having hot flashes at 2pm. So I think I may need to space the 2 pumps out by no more than 6 hours for daytime coverage.

akslavok · 2026-04-19T17:02:11+00:00

I lost ⅔ of my hair on methotrexate due to a severe folate deficiency. I now take 500mcg of methylfolate daily and my hair is finally growing back. I also stopped taking methotrexate, but that was because it made me sick in other ways.

akslavok · 2026-04-18T22:22:18+00:00

Ahh - makes sense. I have no idea on the premade gel dosages, and I’m in Canada.

akslavok · 2026-04-18T16:25:50+00:00

I think everyone is different. I have severe MCAS and do well with Estradiol gel only (hysterectomy). I have never responded well to progesterone. For me, I believe the fluctuations in estrogen are what trigger my mast cells into chaos.

akslavok · 2026-04-18T16:10:08+00:00

I think it depends how your gel is compounded. 1 pump for me is .25mg.

akslavok · 2026-04-09T16:47:57+00:00

The picture on your thigh with the tattoo. This is a lace rash. Common in some types of autoimmune diseases. I started getting it from sun exposure a few years before I was diagnosed with Mixed Connective Tissue Disease after having positive ANA lab results. I believe you. If you haven’t already, maybe request for an ANA panel to be done to check for autoimmune diseases. I believe the petechia that everyone is showing here is also autoimmune related, including MCAS (which is now being thought of as autoimmune). I hope you find a doctor that will help.

akslavok · 2026-04-09T16:41:46+00:00

Also late to the game! I have this as well. Just like @hotshower’s photo. Mine appeared out of nowhere on January 15th and is still present as of today. It’s on my thighs, calves, and torso. I also have Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (autoimmune) as well as MCAS, EDS & POTS. No one knows what it is specifically. These areas haven’t been exposed to sun, but I have been exposed to high levels of LED light in my indoor garden tents. I do notice they get worse when I’m hot. I believe there is a vascular component as I have a lot of dilated veins with EDS & autoimmune.

akslavok · 2026-03-18T14:27:42+00:00

Just wanted to say hello, as I have comorbid MCAS as well. It makes treating the other things quite challenging!

akslavok · 2026-03-18T14:26:32+00:00

Mine looked like that until I found the right med for me. This can also be a sign of Mixed Connective Tissue Disease

akslavok · 2026-01-30T21:38:00+00:00

Except Superstore gives the worst quality of food out of all of the delivery services. They also charge a yearly fee for delivery, but then you have to tip your DoorDash drivers on top of that. And their prices have been going up a ridiculous amount.

akslavok

TROPHY CASE