Wellness

[Spacrazy]

@Natureluvr  I just drank, smoked and cursed a lot - kidding. All the women in our family have difficulty in the “change.,.”. If I recall I was so depleted i had to go for a series of iinjections (instant relief with those.) until I was balanced enough to go on the patch - great results with that as well. Good luck. This too shall pass.

[Desertdi]

None (thankfully)

[Pook]

@Natureluvr   My mother had no symptons - just stopped at around 42 but she had estrogen based breast cancer and was told too much estrogen was why she had no menopause symptons so was told to never take estrogen.   I started into it around 40 and it lasted about 8 years.  Every time I would get to 11 mon without a period - it started again!!  The hot flashes were horrible even having to leave a restuarant they were so bad!  I never had sleep issues but would wake up soaked every hour most nights but did fall asleep quickly.  I was never impatient but started to want to thwack people for little things and I cried for no reason a lot!  My GYN suggested that I eat one yam (not sweet potato) daily and it worked as long as I did that faithfully!  They are also rather good eaten raw I found out.  Unless you do complete hormone balancing and compounding of all hormones, hormones can cause other issues and very few doctors do this.

[CalminHeart]

I did it without hormones and am glad I did.  Yes, I had night sweats, hot flashes, etc. It was what it was and I survived just fine. 

We installed a ceiling fan in the bedroom.

I took an ice pack to work each day. It was wonderful to rub it on my forehead or back of my neck. 

I also stopped at the restroom on the way to my office each morning and got a few cold, very wet, papertowels.  

I also kept a fan in my office and it ran winter, summer, fall, spring.  

[Roscoe the Rascal]

For me menopause was a blessing because I had awful PMS.  Those months and years were difficult for me.  My poor hubby is all I can say.  He didn't know if I was coming or going.  Neither did I.  

I never really had all those menopause symptoms.  I think I had a real hot flash once.  

No hormones here and mom and sister both had cancer. I do take a 10 mg pill for anxiety daily and always have and I think that helped me out big time.

We as women sure get hit don't we when it comes to all this stuff.

I have more issue with other menopause curses  like weight in the middle and have to work hard to keep that off.  Pre osteoporosis so have to do weight bearing exercise and walking is not enough.  Watch cholesterol more and stuff like that.  

The older we get the more we get.  Sucks but I am pretty healthy so worth the extra I do for me.  

[violann]

I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism at about that time of my life, had ONE flash, at work and NOTHING ELSE , EVER.

I was almost always cold my whole life, and had also enjoyed hypER thyroidism, what with its warm feet and hands, increased energy, and clearer brain functioning, but since the flip side was skyrocketing BP, I accepted care and became hypothyroid as my new life style.

Thyroid disease IS a major nuisance but I'll always assume that it spared me the woes of menopause.

[teganslaw]

I had occasional hot flashes but that was all. I didn't have hormone replacement therapy because I could handle the flashes. No other symptoms, the menopause experience went OK. It was actually a relief for me. 

[jlkz]

@Natureluvr 

One of the best things for me was finding a gel-filled, ribbed, flat pad that I could sleep on.  When one side got too warm, I simply turned it over.  Getting asleep and staying asleep was very important to me once I stopped taking hormones.

I had two of these pads ( think I got them from QVC almost 30 years ago ) and then passed them on to two of my younger friends.  By now, there must be something better out there....so Google may help you find them.

I can remember describing what turned out to be my first hot flash to the young doctor my PCP had brought into her practice.  He went through all these questions, thinking it might be some problem with brain function or artery condition !

At some point after menopause, expect body changes: bra size increase, extra padding in places where you don't want it; weight gain that insists on staying around, etc.  You may have to camouflage some of the changes with different style clothing.  The " new normal "......

[Ainhisg]

I went on HRT at 49 (am 59 now) and never looked back.  My doctor says I can stay on it as long as I want, and for me and my situation, the benefits outweigh the risks.  New research says that the sooner you start it, the better off you are.  It helps bone mass, your skin, heart health, and brain health.  I had to go off of it at 54 to have a certain test run, and my symptoms were worse than ever.  I was never so glad to go back on HRT in my life!  In addition, I use Estradiol cream topically as I have severe issues in that region.   Make sure you go to a gynecologist who is up on all the latest research.  In addition, yes, the body's metabolism slows down, but exercise and follow a sensible eating plan.  I count calories, walk three days a week, and lift weights two days a week, but that is just what works for me.  

[AngelPuppy1]

No hormones for me!  I had a hard time and it took me a long time to get through it but I did finally!  Yes, I would feel like I was burning up from the inside out.  My face would get beet red and I would perspire underneath my hairline.  Very uncommfortable!  Drinking lots of cold water and having ice chips handy helped a lot.  I would often take a cold cloth and apply it to my wrists.  I also learned that I needed to dress in layers so that when one of my heat spells came on I could take one of them off!  Also, wearing natural fibers helped, too -- such as cotton.  I tried to stay as cool as possible.  Take deep, slow breaths and practice some yoga!  It may seem like it will never end, but it does!