The Menopausal Mama is a group for women of a certain age and the people who love them! Some are Mama’s; some are Gigi’s or Mimi’s; some could never have children; and others just love us! But one thing is certain; everyone here is FABULOUS and could use a good laugh!
To put this in perspective, I experienced symptoms for well over a year before my Mom mentioned that I might be menopausal. It took two additional months before it was confirmed. One because I was blindsided. Another because I had to get off the pill for one month prior to testing.
If I invited you to join The Menopausal Mama, I did it from a place of love and expectation that you will be around for another 49 or 50 years!
I get it. Some of you aren’t here yet or don’t want to talk about it. And you don’t have to! But we’ll be here when you are ready.
Perimenopause starts out subtly. Sometimes it hits you upside the head before you even realize what happened!
A few years ago, I started experiencing severe headaches. I thought I was just stressed out. Four years ago, I started having a quick and urgent need to pee—all the time! About 18 months ago, I started to get irritable and moody. From there it was like an avalanche. I had:
- Anxiety
- Mood swings
- Hot flashes
- Fatigue
- Dry skin
- Dry hair
- Irritable
- Vaginal dryness
- Low libido
- Sweating
- Depression
- Chills
- Sleep problems
- Difficulty concentrating
- Memory problems
- Breast soreness
- Gastrointestinal issues
- Muscle tension
- Headaches
I’m not helpless! I went to the doctor—I went to several specialist; but nobody ever mentioned that I might be perimenopausal! Furthermore, the symptoms were getting worse because the doctors were treating individual symptoms, not the root cause. I really felt like I was going crazy!
Back in September, I went to my gynecologist and asked him to test my hormones. He said that I needed to get off the pill for one month before he could test me. But he also heavily cautioned me about using alternative birth control methods because women can get pregnant during perimenopause.
What I didn’t know was that he only tested my estrogen level. He called and told me that I was perimenopausal and put me on a low dose of estrogen and progesterone. I thought I was set, but that was not the case.
My symptoms were getting worse, so I went to my urologist. She ran a test on ALL my hormones (estrogen, progesterone and testosterone). Everything was extremely low. Therefore, she prescribed bioidentical hormones and inserted testosterone pellets in my hip. I thought that was the end, but it wasn’t. My mojo lasted two weeks before it disappeared.
I hadn’t really processed the fact that I was going through perimenopause.
I went on with life. I was a wife, mother, daughter, sister, writer, volunteer, etc. and time marches on. Besides, the holidays were right around the corner and I have a husband and six-year-old to think about.
We had too many major things going on simultaneously! I rarely discussed them with friends. I couldn’t sleep. I felt like crap. I was so tired that I didn’t want to drive, yet I was all over the place. I stopped wanting to be around anyone. I was extremely anxious! I stopped doing nice things for myself. I shut down…
My breaking point was over something ridiculous.
We were having a Christmas Eve gathering for some family and I was dead set on using the Christmas dishes. However, everything was incredibly hectic and the dishes were packed away in storage. My husband suggested that we use paper plates. I got pissed-off! So, we had an argument about dishes.
On Christmas Day, my husband and I had a long talk. He said that he had never see me like this. Two days later I went to my internist and told him ALL the symptoms simultaneously. He told me two things: first, that I was experiencing high-functioning anxiety and two, that I needed to address all my menopause symptoms with someone who specialized in hormones.
My internist did several things. He prescribed an anxiety medication; suggested that I speak bluntly to my husband about everything I was experiencing; talk to a therapist; workout; and start enjoying life again!
While my hormones were not an overnight fix, they are much improved. The anxiety is also better. Furthermore, I am writing again and expressing how I feel about—well just about everything!
Here’s the bottom line:
YOU HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE!
Are you going to live a good life or curl-up in a ball and let life pass you by? I made my choice to work on myself and enjoy a very blessed life!
So why this? Why now? Why would I put myself out there for this blog?
- It’s taboo!
- There is so much negativity associated with menopause; especially on the internet!
- All women will experience menopause at some point.
- Someone needs to open the door for this conversation.
Why the hell not me!!!
The Menopausal Mama 