If you have even the slightest thought that you may be starting menopause, go to a doctor early. Perimenopause is real and about 6 million women are hitting it in America each year. If you do not seek treatment early, you may not ever be what you once were. 73% of women blame menopause for their divorce. LADIES, you are not alone!! You are still wanted! I was so afraid to even utter the words menopause for the thought of being not wanted anymore, that I was not a whole woman anymore.
I went to my doctor yesterday and I told her what was wrong with me and instead of letting her diagnose me. I said I am in menopause, and I need help today. I have a hot flash every 30-60 minutes all day and all night long waking me up and interrupting my day. I am exhausted. I am not functioning. At first, she said that I should just use nighttime cough syrup to help me sleep. I promise you, I have no problems getting to sleep. I just keep getting woke up. When I have a hot flash, it is like my body is suddenly in an inferno and I can’t stand anything touching me. I have beads of water running down my back. It lasts about two minutes or so then I am freezing and cover back up. I fall asleep then it hits me again and I am awake again, being miserable. When my doctor told me that she had to do blood work to measure my estrogen and she can see me again in two weeks, I cried right there in her office. The thought of leaving without getting help that day had me so frustrated.
Men do not understand menopause. My husband called it “the change” and referred to it as “transitioning”. I’m over here like “transitioning to what? Death?” I think the only way to truly explain it to where a man can understand it is to describe it like this: Put yourself on a thin board and have yourself inserte3d into a preheated oven until you can’t stand anything touching your body. Then SLOWLY pull you out and blow an AC directly onto your sweating body until your are chilling with bumps all over your wet body. Do this every 30 minutes. And on top of this, you have to still take care of the house chores, meals, laundry, children, a full time job, having someone tell you that you aren’t as active as you once were so you are gaining weight. Do this for 10-15 years and have your spouse tell you all about how you are going through “the change”. Yes, I am angry at him but it’s not because hormones are messing with my mental state but because there is no understanding and being judged unknowingly by your partner. I choose to take it out by journaling in blogs like this instead of going off on him. Each woman handles this differently.
Here I am at the start of an actual new career and in my first year at the age of 53 and I am hit with full on menopause that I am having difficulty dealing with and functioning. I keep thinking to myself that women should be able to retire for a few years when going through this and it be acceptable and offered. It’s that miserable. Not only is it difficult but it can cause life threatening issues.
We need to talk about this. Let’s talk and be heard!