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Here's to Your Health:  "THE CHANGE OF LIFE"  |
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jo Thompson
True Blue Farmgirl
603 Posts
Jo
the mountainside of the Chugach
in Alaska
USA
603 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 29 2007 : 09:48:01 AM
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I made up a new name for menopause "reverse puberty" I think RP will be the new rage, you get thinner, your breasts shrink, all the boys want to date you...... I'm going through RP and the worst symptom I have is my big mouth. I'm working on that......
I've read Christine Northrup, she has alot of great points. It's really all about taking really good care of yourself instead of running around in circles taking care of everyone except you. It helps to have a wonderful understanding husband and family.
So here's to RP, because why does everything have to be about MENopause.... jo
"life is drab without a lab"
http://web.mac.com/thomja/ |
Edited by - jo Thompson on Sep 29 2007 09:49:14 AM |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
Posted - Sep 29 2007 : 10:13:24 AM
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Jo, I've been saying to everyone that Menopause is like going through Puberty backwards. only your knees don't work as well and You've learned a lot more swear words. RP it is!
Annika |
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CountryBorn
True Blue Farmgirl
1545 Posts
Mary Jane
New York
USA
1545 Posts |
Posted - Sep 29 2007 : 7:54:46 PM
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Michele, I am on the other side of menopause also. I have never felt better in my life and I really mean that. I will be 59 in November. I was through menopause at 47. These have been 12 great years. I forsee me having many more! Good for you for listening to your own mind and knowing yourself so well!
Mary Jane
There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do. Freya Stark |
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ponyexpress
True Blue Farmgirl
320 Posts
Sandy
Kirkwood
Missouri
USA
320 Posts |
Posted - Sep 30 2007 : 07:36:09 AM
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Not having heard the context in which you heard your doctor's words, I can't comment on his/her motives. But I can understand what the doctor might be saying. Some of the changes I have been experiencing have been and could continue to be a little frightening. The weakness, or the joint pain, for instance. Do I interpret these as a symptom of impending menopause or something more serious? The crampy feeling and lower abdominal discomfort....is it part of my body changing or is it a symptom of cancer. My mind can go from zero to sixty in a heartbeat - I can either dismiss something as annoying and uncomfortable or be convinced that I have a life-threatening illness.
So perhaps that is what your doctor meant....some of these changes may be frightening because we haven't experienced them before and need to put these changes into context. I am more active and involved now, at 51, than I have been for years. I volunteer with our Humane Society large animal rescue ranch two days a week and I feel better on those two physically demanding days than the other five days. Not saying that I don't need an Advil or two now and again, buy hey --I've got at least 15 years on most of the other staff!
If the physical and mental changes are a trade-off for the wisdom and maturity gained over these past 51 years, then I think it's a fair deal, at least for me. Of course, you might want to check with my husband. He might have a different take - at least on the emotional roller-coaster aspect! ;-)
I've learned that it takes as much time and energy to wish as it does to plan.
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junkjunkie
True Blue Farmgirl
1306 Posts
Judy
Lawrenceville
NJ
USA
1306 Posts |
Posted - Sep 30 2007 : 08:13:58 AM
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This a good thread! I've been on the 'other side' since 1999. I'm 53, and I guess I started a little early. My sister starting going through menopause in her late 30's. I've been lucky so far as far as physical symptoms go...I don't have crying jags, in fact I rarely cry anymore. I can be moody, as have been all my life, but no worse than before. In fact, my moods aren't as explosive as before in my younger days, but I still get a little depressed. I do take Prozac, so that probably has helped. I try to eat simply and healthy and always been conscience of my diet. I don't and won't touch hormones, but that's just me, I don't feel like I need them, and I do get flushed and hot flashes, but they aren't too bad. All in all, menopause hasn't been that bad for me, but I do seem to forget things a lot easier. And best of all.....no periods!! My perimenopause was a real pain, literally. My periods were sporatic from very little spotting to very heavy with a lot of cramping. I'm glad to finally be through all that. I like getting older, being in my 50's. I feel I'm understanding myself more, but still have a way to go.
"To have life in focus, we must have death in our field of vision." Benedictine monk John Main |
Edited by - junkjunkie on Sep 30 2007 08:21:41 AM |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Sep 30 2007 : 10:51:36 AM
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I love menopause! Not having to deal with periods is the best thing that ever happened to me. I did have some issues with hot flashes and night sweats but they are pretty much gone now. I chose not to do HRT but make sure that I get calcium every day and also take a multi-vitamin. Peri-menopause was worse for me than the actual menopause. The mood swings were awful. I thought my family was going to move out. During that time I was on a soy protein suppliment and took herbs that were helpful. Just glad that I'm on the other side now.
Love Jo's reverse puberty idea -- I know that I'm in that!
http://therusticcottage.wordpress.com
Visit my Etsy Shop! http://therusticcottage.etsy.com |
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EnchantedWoodsGirl
True Blue Farmgirl
959 Posts
Kathy
New Jersey
USA
959 Posts |
Posted - Oct 10 2007 : 3:41:31 PM
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I had a total hysterectomy in my early 30's - I would not stop bleeding no matter what they tried all I can remember is feeling exhausted all the time and having pain so bad that I had to go to the ER for shots of Demerol for the pain. Although I was supposed to be left my ovaries, I awoke to find out that the dr had taken them too -I had fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis- you name it it was pretty much going on. It was a tough road to hoe - thrown into menopause. So many things to consider that back then I did not think about. I was on hormone replacement for many years and am now back on them again with the original estrogen with added testosterone.
I have also added many herbal treatments into my life. Soothing tincture of Motherwort for my nerves - lemon balm for boosting the immune system -
Infusions made from red clover and milky oats are wonderful additions to the changes in my body - also, nettles is great. Nothing tastes as refreshing as a cold glass of red clover infusion. I feel good about all things herbal but I also need to find a balance so that I can once again be comfortable during intercourse - anyone with the hysterectomy pretty much knows what happens to the vagina as we get older (I am now heading towards 49)the walls thin and tear quite easily and intercourse can become quite uncomfortable. The quick moisture we once had when being aroused is hard to muster.
I suggest a great book on menopause called Menopausal Years by Susun Weed - filled with great inspiration stuff and herbal remedies for just about any menopausal symptom.
My hysterectomy was something I needed to have done. I could not go on bleeding non-stop. I felt so free to finally be rid of my period. I did not look at my hysterectomy the way my mother did - she saw it as a loss of her womanhood - I saw it as a launching pad (excuse that awful pun) to a new, and free me.
Sometimes, yes, a health practitioner is necessary - as are the yearly papsmear even though you have had a hysterectomy are still an important part of our lives. But as this thread seems to follow - we have to take an active part in our own healthcare. We have to be informed and not be afraid to let our doctors know that we read and we do know there are options other than what they pitch at us. We are ultimately in charge of our own health (nonwithstanding genetics and acts of God)and we need to stay in charge. We need to have a partnership with our doctor - to both be on the same page so to speak.
My Goddess, let me get off my soapbox hehehe - just look at this rant as a healthy outpouring of menopausal energy  and love!
Kathy of the Enchanted Wood
http://enchantedwoodmusings.blogspot.com/
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Here's to Your Health: "THE CHANGE OF LIFE" |
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"THE CHANGE OF LIFE"
