Menopause…one stage
While this topic has been covered a good deal, here’s something I haven’t seen – going through menopause is a LOT like being pregnant. But guess what…there’s no good gift at the end you don’t really feel like you are doing this for a greater cause. Well, I guess the greater cause is that you are still kicking. Yes, that is a good thing, but some days are not so great.
For the moment I am not going to focus on the overall journey of menopause, but on a “mistake” I made while on the journey.
I am 50 and started perimenopause in my mid 40s. Early, but my mom started at about the same time. At the beginning I had some hot flashes and fatigue, but nothing horrible. As time went on my fatigue increased and so did the hot flashes. The hot flashes I dealt with through some dietary changes (giving up red wine…boo hoo..) and taking an herbal remedy recommended to me by a doctor friend – Black Cohosh. The combination of these two things worked wonders. At some point however, the fatigue got the best of me. I wasn’t quite 50 and could fall asleep at 7:30 pm in a matter of moments!! Insane. My doctor recommended a low dosage of hormone replacement. I tell you all of this for background to what became my HUGE mistake that I had no real warning about.
Due to some other medical changes, my doctor changed my prescription. She also advised me that after having been on the replacement for a year, I might no longer need the replacement. My doctor said I might want to try at some point going off the medicine to see if I still needed the drugs. She felt I might be far enough along in menopause that I might not need the them any longer. Apparently, at some point (roughly after 5-10 years) women’s hormones regulate again and these symptoms stop. Much like our mood changes stopped when we left puberty. Her recommendation was that no one be on hormone replacement for longer than 5 years. I had only been on my for one, but because I was already far into menopause, I just might not need them any longer. She also felt because I was on a low dosage, I really wouldn’t need to taper off them if I decided to try not taking them.
Boy was a lot of that wrong!
Well maybe not wrong – as no one knew how my body would react – but let’s say it wasn’t good. There are so many things that people don’t tell you about menopause. Some of this is due to it effecting each person differently, but there is a lot that can happen! Outside of the things most people talk about – hot flashes, low sex drive, fatigue, mood swings, vaginal dryness and lack of sleep. There is also a myriad of GI issues. These range from bloating to very bad gas! Seems like something someone should have mentioned. And then to top it off, hormone replacement can make GI issues worse. Certain pills can cause same GI issues that the process of menopause does. My stomach was a mess. I went three days on the BRAT (Banana, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) diet after this decision to stop taking the replacement pills to see if I still needed them. While the weight loss was nice, I can think of way better ways to loose it!
And guess what? Still needed them! The process of going back on the pills and finding the right prescription wasn’t a great experience either. After several tries I think I have found the right mix, but I still don’t feel as good as I did before I decided to try without them.
What I learned from this is know what’s coming! And talk to your doctor. Don’t be afraid to call multiple times and try multiple different medicines. While I don’t recommend using “The Google” for medical advice and diagnosis, it can be helpful at times for providing you information you can use for minor illnesses along with your doctor or other medical professional to find a resolution. Here are some sites with information I found helpful.
Sometimes our guts can just get out of sync..menopause can make this more frequent (particularly for those prone to stomach issues). Here are some sites I found helpful.
https://www.everydayhealth.com/digestive-health/tips-for-better-digestive-health/
https://www.verywellhealth.com/stomach-problems-causes-1945283
Here is a good site on on all things menopause related.
http://www.allthingsmenopause.com/expert-voices/
I always find WebMD helpful for reasonable suggestions and information about a variety of health topics.
https://www.webmd.com/menopause/guide/menopause-symptoms-types
Here’s to better info! And the truth…because you can handle it!