There is a lot going on in the world. Icebergs the size of Rhode Island are falling off of Anartica; teenagers who are escapees from the Sci-Fi movie Village of the Damned are attacking their teachers and videotaping themselves doing so; and who knows what Dick Cheney is smiling about behind his sinister sunglasses in today's news stories. However, as serious as these matters may be, I don't have time to write about them. My world is about me, and only me for today.
When I turned 50, my doctor told me that I was perimenopausal.
"Perry who?"
"You're perimenopausal, Ms. Reid. It's a normal part of aging, a transition into menopause, there's nothing to worry about."
Warning: if you're the type of man who passes out or starts giggling uncontrollably when you hear words like period, stop reading now.
That was three years ago and I sort of forgot about it. I read a little online about being perimenopausal and it didn't sound so bad. I was coming to the end of my reproductive cycle and eventually, after 12 consecutive months without a period, I would be officially menopausal, no big deal.
I had my last menstrual cycle 13 months ago and I was delighted at how smoothly I had transitioned from perimenopause to menopause. On my 53rd birthday a few weeks ago, I was chatting with my sister who is two years younger.
"Well, based on my experience, menopause should be a breeze for you, if these things are at all hereditary."
My sister's response wasn't as enthusiastic as I expected, "Uh huh."
As I mentioned in my last post, I was a bit under the weather this past weekend. My doctor had allowed me to switch to a generic substitute for the Lipitor I've been taking for years and I had every side effect possible--muscle pain, nausea, and loss of appetite. I was also extremely fatigued which I also attributed to the side effects from the medication change. Needless to say, I'm back on Lipitor and I'm all better, sort of. Two nights ago I had my first night sweat. Or maybe it was a hot flash. I think that they may be the same thing, except one happens at night, while you are attempting to sleep and the other in the light of day.
It was 3:00 am and I woke up soaking wet. Ohmygod! Who wet the bed? I gave Laa-Laa (she's the yellow teletubby) a suspicious look but she just lay there, looking innocent. As I dragged myself out of my damp bed, I realized that I had experienced a night sweat! I reached for the phone to call my sister, but then I noticed the time again and thought better of it.
Since then, I haven't had another bout with the night sweats, but I've been doing some reading on menopause, and it's not pretty.
My eggs are drying up even as I type this, just drying right up and I will never have any more. That's it, every woman gets a finite number, when they're gone, they're gone. There is no egg store! What if I need eggs in the future?
I've been totally lethargic all week. No energy to do anything. My front flower bed is a weed filled, over grown mess, but do I care? Of course I do, in fact I may start crying for all those poor flowers, trying to live among all those weeds. Did I mention the mood swings?
It gets worse. I can look forward to changes in my libido, that's polite talk for wanting to have sex. According to a delightful article that I read on WebMD, there's going to be a bit of atrophy. Yep, that's right, my vaginal walls are going to thin and atrophy. I quote, "In addition, your vaginal walls will thin, and the cells lining the vagina will not contain as much estrogen. Your doctor will simply take a Pap-like smear from your vaginal walls -- simple and painless -- and analyze the smear to check for vaginal 'atrophy,' the thinning and drying out of your vagina."
You know that someone is lying; does this sound simple and painless to you? I've had pap smears before I atrophied and even they weren't totally painless!
I have just enough strength to make a shopping list for all the homeopathic remedies that I've found on the Internet. Maybe I can get some nice young man to take the list and pick up the things that I need. Hmmm, maybe I haven't totally atrophied yet...
I love this song:
Tags: perimenopause, menopause, women, aging,
16 comments:
Sheria, I'm chuckling as I write! I hope your transition goes smoothly. :)
Did you happen to catch last week's episode of "The New Adventures of Old Christine"? It was about exactly this subject, and it might give you a chuckle. I don't know if it's available on the CBS web site, but I think you'd get a kick out of it.
Beth
Great song choice, fits the bill perfectly, sorry you had such terrible side affects to your new medication and feeling better. As for the "Change"(we call it that in the UK) I suppose i have that to look forward to...not, I wonder there are seven ages of man but for women it seems to be reproductive and then not, men seem to have mid life crisis and we end up with hot flashes and night sweats boo hoo not fair.
Take care
Yasmin
xx
I don't know how you did it but you made me laugh while reading some of this. I, myself. would like to bring at least one life into this world before all of this stuff starts happening to me but if that does not happen at least l will still have chocolate and shopping. There's no time limit on those joys. Take Care. Carlette
Oh honey, don't you see? You have something now to BLAME EVERYTHING ON. Feel like staying home and watching One Life to Live? MENOPAUSE! Gotta buy that new red dress? MENOPAUSE! Crying uncontrollably? Laughing like a madwoman? Must seduce a younger man? Can't rememember your pin number? Repeat after me-MENOPAUSE! Some women go through it for 20 years!
Sorry about your eggs :o)
What else is man supposed to say???
Indeed, sistah, I am perimenopausal... man that is hard to spell without looking. I have hot flashes by day and by night. A few by day, ten or more by night, or maybe they just last longer at night. At night, they are worse because they wake me up. I was a light sleeper before, but now I am hot and light so I wake up twice as often as I did before my eggs started doing the disappearing act. I throw off my chemise if it gets too bad. You know those movies that show older women in bed with heavy nightgowns and a bonnet... I mean, get real! Older women don't wear those kinds of clothes to bed, not when they are perimenopausal or menopausal... you know? (well except in homes that weren't insulated, like back in the 1800's and earlier.) Maybe after we go through the menopause, we get cold again. My mother wears sweats around the house (you'll notice she is preparing breakfast all dressed up in heavy sweats in my recent entry about her but what you don't see is that I'm wearing a skimpy lightweight chemise because I am so hot!), so I'm thinking we get cold later on. I don't miss my eggs. The important egg met the right sperm and grew up, and soon he'll be living in Baltimore, and I'm happy with that. I loved the song... I don't look forward atrophying, though, because there are some things about being a woman I don't want to give up... ever! <grin>! love ya, bea
I think it's quite appropiate to call these teenagers escapees from the Village of the Damned...
I've been perimenopausal for a few years now and I'm just getting ready to turn the corner to 43. I was so hoping it would all be good after I finally entered that far off land of menopause...apparently we are all doomed in one form or another...
I'm still chuckling over Bucko's comment...(Hugs) Indigo
Aw, honey, bless your heart. I know just how you feel; that is where I am, too. It's waaaaay worse than puberty was. Heck, that was almost fun compared to this mess. ;-D And the night sweats are THE WORST, aren't they?
Um... don't know much about those things. But I just stopped by to say hi, my ol' friend. It has been such a long time. How are you? Unfortunately I lost some of your emails I had saved when AOL made changes. But hopefully we can catch up.
I'm glad to see you are still writing. How is that book coming along?
Aimer, I want to thank you for all of your support while I was journeying down the dark side of society and look forward to a web reunion.
Keep up your beautiful writing and telling it like it is... or at least how you see it.
May the wings of our friendship never lose a feather.
RIVER
http://journals.aol.com/riversharki/JESUSLOVESYOU/
When I read of all the stories of the Menapause I decided then and there that I was NOT going to have all that nonesense...that was when I was around 47...I am now 64 and can say that I have swept through the menapause with little or no trouble...yes I did have the odd hot flush and occasionally still do...but I'd rather have that than a frozen flush !! also when I think of all the Money I have saved each and every month...well that is worth it in itself. ( I nearly had a heart attack few weeks ago when I noticed the cost of tampax etc.!!) Love Sybil xx
I've been perimenopausal for a couple of years now as well. SO far I have not had any of the dreaded hot flashes but I do sweat sometimes at night. I am doing it all naturally. My mother got breast cancer only a few months after starting hormone replacement treatments so that's a no go for me. Have a lovely weekend, Sheria, and I too, loved that song!
Marie
http://ayearatoakcottage.blogspot.com/
i have just turned 50 but started this 3 or 4 years ago....sheesh getting older is no fun!! lol i don't know if you enjoy the comic strip 'for better for worse' by lynn johnston, but she did a series on menopause...collection put together in book form. it was hilarious! i think the title was 'after 40' or something to that effect. check it out. :)
gina
I can only wish you strength, Sheria.
Very amusing.
Going through breast cancer threw me into menopause with the night sweats as the worst symtoms. I started my own company making sleepwear from moisture wicking fabrics so women can stay more comfortable and get a better night sleep. Check us out at haralee.com.
We can help. We say cool garments for hot women and we mean it!
I only bled for two years steady before menopause but I held on to my uterus through many a surgeon's determination to divest me of all my problems. Finally a little doctor told me he saw signs my estrogen was dropping and the bleeding should be slowing and it was. It took more tme but it eventually quit and that was one of the best things that ever happened to me! I have never noticed any atrophying or less juices while having sex, just a whole lot of relief about the inability to get pregnant. I just loved monopause! And still do. Gerry
Oh, man............ I, too, would like to just nod and then forget about it. When it's the end, simply end.
Oh, and can us women all jus tskip tha vaginal atrophy thing, pretty please? Cuz, well, I may like to do things with a man, if I so chose, when I'm over 53, too. Oh, I know, things can still be done and work, but it really wouldn't be the same. Um, yeah.......
Sorry about this. I suppose any woman who lives long enough, gets this / these. I'd rather not think about it TOO much......
(I hear soy can help, and that's not too painful.)
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