Welcome Back. 2020 in with a roar!
I am still smiling through it all!
Ok so i have been MEGA off the radar for a while now. Have I just been lazy? uninspired? tired? losing my mind? growing a beard? all of the above??? Well the answer is yes.
So i might not have areal beard (I will leave this to the husband) but as a result of 6 months of thinking I am not myself and I am losing my mind, I have found out that I am in fact not losing my mind, I am however Peri Menopausal. The joys of bring a woman just keep surprising me!
It started with a total lack of sleep, I thought I was not quite my bubbly self, I was crying at the John Lewis ad this holiday season with the little dragon, just to name a few things. Between the tears and the sleepless nights I thought that this is SO not me and something is up.
I started to look at hormones as I am nearly 48 and it made sense. I am a very open person and those of you who know me well, know I suffered with really horrid periods and pain for 4 years until I managed to get it under control with taking the pill with no break. This is all i have taken in regards to hormones and it is basic. I had a feeling as I am nearing 50 it could be the next change in life, Menopause. I really didn’t know about Peri Menopause until I started to research my symptoms. So here I am, very Peri and not the Nandos kind.
The first symptom I had was a rash that would appear when I was hot, walking, running, the gym and even a shower would set it off. I looked like a giant hive and it was SO uncomfortable, itchy and all over my neck, chest head. It would last for up to 30 mins and then go away as if it had never happened. Then the sleep and sweats. I was looking like Britney Spears in the slave for you video but not as thin or in a bikini. I was waking up at 4am sweating and I couldn’t get back to sleep, no matter how much melatonin or lavender I used, 4am like clockwork, wide awake and sweaty. Then there was the memory loss. I had the attention span of a 3 year old and couldn’t focus. Really great to try and function at work with no sleep and a brain like porridge. My team at work have been super supportive and I just don’t think that I could have made it this far without their compassion and jokes, after all if I can’t laugh I would cry, loll! Yay hormones!
Other symptoms are I am growing whiskers, like hard to tweeze and I hope to god I haven’t missed one or you would think I am going to enter a beard growing competition variety. Next, no matter how much I am exercising I feel like I am puffy, like a Pokemon jigglypuff. Have I mentioned that I also have low energy, like the kind that I just can’t get out of bed. Even when I have fun things to do I am feeling so low that I want to ever leave the house, I feel depressed when I know I should feel happy.
Staying under the duvet is not an option so started to research. I started to speak to friends and sometimes even strangers about it! Why did I not even know that this could happen typically between 45-50??? So I now take my role as a sister from another mister seriously. I love to share and nothing is TMI. So here I am, night sweats and all to let you know that you are not alone. That you are not losing your sanity, that there is light ahead and you can take some control to help yourself and your symptoms.
I am not in any way a medical professional so all that I am sharing is personal. I DO NOT suggest that you take or try any of this without a doctors permission. I will share with you what I have done so far. I take supplements on the advice of a good friend, they help massively, B complex, magnesium, ginkobiloba, I also take algae for my skin. I know that the birth control pill also is helping me (i take it with no break) and some of my friends have an IUD (your periods also can get horribly bad so it helps with that too). Your body is slowing the production of hormones, estrogen in particular. Women approaching Menopause will most likely experience low estrogen and the symptoms can vary. I suggest you have a read on some of the sights on line or instagram I follow some great doctors, one I really found helpful is instagram handle: menopause_doctor, Dr Louise Newson. She had a podcast with guests she makes it easy to understand and you also feel part of a community.
I also regularly exercise, 3 days a week if I can manage. 2 are non negotiable with my PT Sam at CommonPurpose, and I am committed, 2 times a week every week. It is the best thing I have done in my 40’s. Exercise is great for your mind, waistline and bones. Your bones will loose density so this is HUGELY important. Its also good for my jigglypuff and my mind. Running also helps and I am so pleased that after an injury from my half marathon in the fall I am back running again and did a 5k today! This for me is what helps to keep me sane. You don’t have to run, you can do anything, even walking. Just get out and try to clear your head, pop some music on, enjoy the birds and breathe. Just breathe.
That is where I am going to finish today and I want to give a special shout out to my girls who have been so supportive, you know who you are. Until the next post and I promise it will not be so long this time.