I am finding that my hot flashes are a mild inconvenience. I have them for sure, and they can be annoying, horrible, frustrating..... it really depends on where you are. The other day I was trying on clothes. I've gained a little weight. Fifteen pounds. Enough so that I literally had no clothes. One pair of carpi's that were getting a little snug and two shirts that didn't quite cover the weight gain around the middle. My future step daughter said "haven't you worn that shirt three times this week?"
So off to the sale I go. Not wanting to spend a fortune, but I do need to have something to wear. I am trying on clothes and more clothes. I find some pants that are a bit snug, but a nice style, and a shirt that looks okay, may be a good professional shirt for work. So I jaunt out in my try-ons to find a size larger in the pant.
Let me say here that 99% of my clothing is cotton. I don't do polyester well. My body likes to breath under my clothes and even before menopause I did not do well in non-cotton clothing, be it polyester, wool, you name it. So here I am looking for a pair of pants, and anything else that catches my eye. Oh no, here it comes. A hot flash. Not a problem, I think. I've handled them well so far. But no, I'm in polyester and that seems to make it worse. So I am sweating, dripping in fact, the heat is emanating from my face and my body and all I can think is "GET THIS SHIRT OFF ME!" If I didn't have more "insert your own word here" I would have ripped that shirt off my body on the sales floor. It was all I could do to RUN back to the fitting room, get that shirt off my body and breathe!! And then I laughed, a good, healthy, rib-tickling laugh! I guess I just won't look at polyester anymore!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Living With Menopause: Everyday Tips
It's been a while since my last post. And while every day in life is an adventure I am thoroughly loving life! Several things I have noticed in the past few weeks:
Living With Menopause: Everyday Tips: "Everyday Tips for Living With Menopause
Stay Healthy During Menopause
Menopause usually starts around age 51 but can begin as early as 30 or as late as the mid-50s.
During menopause, estrogen decreases, which can lead to many changes in your body. You may find it harder to fall asleep, or stay asleep. You may be irritable. You may find yourself gaining weight around your waist that is impossible to lose. You may have 'hot flashes,' a warm feeling that spreads up your neck and face.
To stay healthy during this time, the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Aging recommends you:
* Eat a healthy diet, with lots of fruits and vegetables.
* Don't smoke.
* Make sure you get enough calcium and Vitamin D.
* Learn what your healthy weight is, and try to stay there.
* Do weight-bearing exercises.
-- Deborah DiSesa Hirsch
Last updated: July 2006"
- I can't remember anything
- I miss the possibility of becoming pregnant (didn't know THAT would happen!)
- I feel more myself than ever and more so with each passing day
- I love my fiance for understanding that when my "shortness of patience" starts he sees it, recognizes is, and doesn't throw it back at me. (more on this later but it allows me to breath and stop so that I am not going into full fledged "ugly" mode!)
- I can't remember anything
- I feel free
- I am eating healthier than ever in my life, exercising more and GAINING weight. Huh. So when I found this little ditty I was happy to know it's probably not just me.
Living With Menopause: Everyday Tips: "Everyday Tips for Living With Menopause
Stay Healthy During Menopause
Menopause usually starts around age 51 but can begin as early as 30 or as late as the mid-50s.
During menopause, estrogen decreases, which can lead to many changes in your body. You may find it harder to fall asleep, or stay asleep. You may be irritable. You may find yourself gaining weight around your waist that is impossible to lose. You may have 'hot flashes,' a warm feeling that spreads up your neck and face.
To stay healthy during this time, the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Aging recommends you:
* Eat a healthy diet, with lots of fruits and vegetables.
* Don't smoke.
* Make sure you get enough calcium and Vitamin D.
* Learn what your healthy weight is, and try to stay there.
* Do weight-bearing exercises.
-- Deborah DiSesa Hirsch
Last updated: July 2006"
Monday, June 23, 2008
The Vitamin D Cure
On Menopause - The Blog, Wendy posted this great article and interview. As someone who cannot currently take HRT I have been putting together my own little health regimen and Vitamin D tends to be at the top of the list from many sources I have found. (Which makes me glad I have been taking it for so long!) Here's a tidbit of good info:
“The Vitamin D Cure” Author Weighs In On the “It” Vitamin Since my blogpost about Vitamin D several months ago, I’ve noticed dozens of articles, research studies and even books about the “sunshine” vitamin. It seems to be the new “it” vitamin that everyone’s talking about. Vitamins A, B and C have had their 15 minutes of fame. Apparently, it’s D’s turn and, as my own physician said to me, “it’s hot.” To find out why, I contacted the leading proponent of Vitamin D, the author of “The Vitamin D Cure,” Dr. James Dowd , a rheumatologist and founder and director of the Arthritis Institute of Michigan. He responded to my questions by email, which I gladly share with you here. First, why is Vitamin D such a hot topic these days? Vitamin D is “hot” because relevant clinical studies have only just been published in the last 5-7 years. Prior to that, all the studies were laboratory research done by Ph.Ds. Books like The Vitamin D Cure and The UV Advantage have also rasied public" Read the full article @ Menopause - The Blog » “The Vitamin D Cure” Author Weighs In On the “It” Vitamin "
“The Vitamin D Cure” Author Weighs In On the “It” Vitamin Since my blogpost about Vitamin D several months ago, I’ve noticed dozens of articles, research studies and even books about the “sunshine” vitamin. It seems to be the new “it” vitamin that everyone’s talking about. Vitamins A, B and C have had their 15 minutes of fame. Apparently, it’s D’s turn and, as my own physician said to me, “it’s hot.” To find out why, I contacted the leading proponent of Vitamin D, the author of “The Vitamin D Cure,” Dr. James Dowd , a rheumatologist and founder and director of the Arthritis Institute of Michigan. He responded to my questions by email, which I gladly share with you here. First, why is Vitamin D such a hot topic these days? Vitamin D is “hot” because relevant clinical studies have only just been published in the last 5-7 years. Prior to that, all the studies were laboratory research done by Ph.Ds. Books like The Vitamin D Cure and The UV Advantage have also rasied public" Read the full article @ Menopause - The Blog » “The Vitamin D Cure” Author Weighs In On the “It” Vitamin "
Friday, June 20, 2008
Menopause ~ Getting to Know YOU!
I can't imagine that I'm the only one who feels this way but a funny thing happened when I lost my uterus. I found myself. In so many ways I love the new old me. It's as if the me that was always there is finally uncovered, allowed to peek through, to see the light of day. And it's glorious. But more about that later.
Today I am having a tough day. I fell in love last year. Fell deeply in love with a man who deserves a good life. I found that I deserved a good life too. And while I thought I knew what I wanted I am finding surprises around every corner.
For years the older I got the more I was pretty sure I did not want to have children. I felt that it was something I had wanted when I was younger. That I didn't want to spend my older years worrying about my teenagers.
The funny thing is...I woke up the other day and knew that I should have had children. I recognized the fear that had held me back all these years. And I wondered what else I have been afraid of that I haven't been brave enough to see yet.
And as I sleep next to the man I have fallen in love with I grieve for what we will never have.
Today I am having a tough day. I fell in love last year. Fell deeply in love with a man who deserves a good life. I found that I deserved a good life too. And while I thought I knew what I wanted I am finding surprises around every corner.
For years the older I got the more I was pretty sure I did not want to have children. I felt that it was something I had wanted when I was younger. That I didn't want to spend my older years worrying about my teenagers.
The funny thing is...I woke up the other day and knew that I should have had children. I recognized the fear that had held me back all these years. And I wondered what else I have been afraid of that I haven't been brave enough to see yet.
And as I sleep next to the man I have fallen in love with I grieve for what we will never have.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Hot flashes underreported and linked to forgetfulness
"Hot flashes underreported and linked to forgetfulness
Women in midlife underreport the number of hot flashes that they experience by more than 40 percent, and these hot flashes are linked to poor verbal memory, according to a study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The study is published online and will appear in the September/October issue of the journal Menopause.
It is the first study to explore the relationship between objectively measured hot flashes and memory performance.
Memory complaints are common at midlife, and previous research indicates that" Read the full article...
I found this to be quite fascinating because I have also read recent articles that say memory loss is NOT related to menopause.
I have noticed that some of my hot flashes are so mild I don't recognize them until they are subsiding. But I have also noticed a big increase in memory loss. For example I will be talking to K and I will stop at a word because I just can't remember it. I know what I am talking about, what the subject matter is, even what I am trying to say but literally cannot come up with a word. So I tend to talk around it until I come up with it.
I feel sometimes that it's akin to having a stroke ~ you know what you want to say and can't. It's also like looking in a box: you walk toward and open the box because you know the item you need is in it but when you lift the lid it is empty. You may feel and look around in the box but it's still empty and you are still sure it shouldn't be.
Women in midlife underreport the number of hot flashes that they experience by more than 40 percent, and these hot flashes are linked to poor verbal memory, according to a study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The study is published online and will appear in the September/October issue of the journal Menopause.
It is the first study to explore the relationship between objectively measured hot flashes and memory performance.
Memory complaints are common at midlife, and previous research indicates that" Read the full article...
I found this to be quite fascinating because I have also read recent articles that say memory loss is NOT related to menopause.
I have noticed that some of my hot flashes are so mild I don't recognize them until they are subsiding. But I have also noticed a big increase in memory loss. For example I will be talking to K and I will stop at a word because I just can't remember it. I know what I am talking about, what the subject matter is, even what I am trying to say but literally cannot come up with a word. So I tend to talk around it until I come up with it.
I feel sometimes that it's akin to having a stroke ~ you know what you want to say and can't. It's also like looking in a box: you walk toward and open the box because you know the item you need is in it but when you lift the lid it is empty. You may feel and look around in the box but it's still empty and you are still sure it shouldn't be.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Menopause ~ Day Sixteen
So the first two weeks have been rather effortless. A few mild mood swings, a few moments of wanting the air conditioner turned on. When I went to see the cancer specialist every person who questioned me asked if I was having hot flashes and when I said I wasn't sure, the reply was always "oh, you will know!" The trick in life is knowing and listening to your own body. Over the years I have gotten very good at this. Mostly because my body doesn't do what other people's bodies do. So I feel quite in tune with myself and when I have little rushes throughout my body I have come to learn that is a hot flash. In my case it is very subtle but it is there.
So it's finally here ~ everything you hear about ~ it's starting slowly but surely. I felt a wave of heat creep up the other day and thought, OK, not so bad. Today it is stronger so I know the best is yet to come. I also have not slept for the past two nights. Well, three hours a night, but does that really count? And lying in bed I waffle between feeling icy cold, crawling under the comforter and extremely hot, tossing that comforter right off!
Since my doctor took me off hormones I am researching the best course of action to take. I am continuing my vitamin and supplement regimen and will continue to do so but I will post more info as I find good stuff!
So it's finally here ~ everything you hear about ~ it's starting slowly but surely. I felt a wave of heat creep up the other day and thought, OK, not so bad. Today it is stronger so I know the best is yet to come. I also have not slept for the past two nights. Well, three hours a night, but does that really count? And lying in bed I waffle between feeling icy cold, crawling under the comforter and extremely hot, tossing that comforter right off!
Since my doctor took me off hormones I am researching the best course of action to take. I am continuing my vitamin and supplement regimen and will continue to do so but I will post more info as I find good stuff!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Menopause ~ Day Two
Before I went in for my hysterectomy I did quite a bit of online research. I found a lot of technical stuff and an article of interest that talked about how menopause is such a hush-hush topic. It's true. Other than two women I have worked with who would occasionally say "oh, hot flash", no one I know ever really talked about it. At least not in any way that would give us any useful information....and I am a hog for useful information, and some not so useful too, if the truth be known!
Because I like to talk about everything, I don’t quite understand this secretiveness, so I love when I find menopausal musings out there on the web. It’s important to define our own path in life but it’s always fun to see what others are up to, how they cope and what great suggestions they may have. When I find blogs, websites or even articles I will share them here.
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