Men-O-Pause Ain’t No Joke!

This is me on any given day — literally, dripping in sweat.  Sounds gross, I know, but it’s a fact.  I break out in a sweat without warning, and at any moment.  One minute I’m comfortable, the next minute I’m burning up and, then, I’m freezing half to death.  However, on those days that I could use a little heat, when the weather is frigid outside, I get absolutely no “warmth” at all.  Ugh!  Why oh why, didn’t someone prepare me for this “menopausal monster” as it was approaching?

When I was a youngster, I heard someone mention that women actually committed suicide during their menopausal years.  I didn’t really pay much attention to their conversation because:  1) I wasn’t supposed to be listening; and 2) I was a kid.  What I’ve learned over the years is that menopause and being severely depressed go hand in hand.

I can vividly recall the first time I had “symptoms” of being perimenopausal.  I was at work, and thought something was drastically wrong with me because I was heating up on the inside.  My initial thought was to dash off to the emergency room because surely I was dying of some terminal disease (okay, I’m just a little melodramatic; I can’t help it; it’s the actor in me, LOL!).  I mentioned it to one of my bosses and she told me that it sounded like I was perimenopausal.  I was in shock and denial at the same time.  Yes, I was of age, but I wasn’t prepared for the next step — at least not that part, anyway.  I was, however, prepared for the “other” part to go away, if you know what I mean.

Perimenopause or menopause transition (as it is also commonly known) begins several years before menopause when your ovaries slowly begin to make less estrogen.   Perimenopause lasts until menopause, when the ovaries stop releasing eggs.

Girl, as you can see, this is not something that goes away immediately.  It drags on and on and on — seemingly, forever!

For me, I actually don’t know what’s worse — the heat or the mood swings.  I think I’m going to go with door #1; however, my son would definitely go with door #2.  He truly thinks I’m out of my tree on most days, but that’s a good thing because he knows how far to go without crossing the line :-).

How many of you take your covers off and put them back on again when you’re sleeping?  Then, when you really get hot, you stick one foot out from beneath the covers, and you cool off.  I don’t know who came up with this idea, but it works!  It must be instinctive because I don’t recall anyone ever telling me to do that.

If you have trouble word finding, blame it on menopause because it’s all apart of it.  There are days that I can’t remember simple things like how to use words or it takes me a minute to think of how to spell something simple.  I thought I was losing my mind and certainly wasn’t going to share that with anyone.  I wondered, secretly, if I was developing early dementia — that is, until one of my bosses and I were talking.  She assured me that I was perfectly normal (whatever that is, LOL) and it was all a part of menopause.  What a relief that was.  So, I’m not crazy after all!  Woohoo!!

If you can make it through you ever-changing mood swings and hot flashes, you’ll be fine.  Even though that person is getting on your last nerves and you’ve warned them several times, don’t hurt them :-).  By the way, this is all Adam’s fault — if only he hadn’t eaten from that forbidden fruit that Eve gave him :-), we wouldn’t be in this predicament.

Now, I don’t know how long your menopausal symptoms will last, but they will go away eventually, so take a deep breath and relax.  Today, there are over the counter medications that you can take to ease some of your symptoms.  However, if you’re really bothered, please talk to your doctor so that you can come up with a plan together.

The menopause blues, the menopause blues
hot flashes flashin’ from your hair to your shoes
brittle bones, insomnia and puttin’ on weight
except for the above I guess I’m feelin’ great
you say some women have no trouble, well thanks for the news
the rest of us are stuck with the menopause blues

I went to my doctor, I said is there a cure
she bit her lip and handed me a pink brochure
about the miracle of hormone replacement pills
the modern way to fix those pesky change-of-life ills
but oops! They might cause cancer—and I’m s’pposed to choose?
Good trying to sort out all your menopause blues

(Lyrics By Marie-Lynn Hammond)

Always, remember #GurlYouGotItGoinOn

Love, Grace

Author: Grace Deveraux

I started this site for women, because as a woman, I understand the challenges that we face daily. Some of you are wives, some are significant others, some are mothers and/or grandmothers, running your own business, caretakers, etc. In other words, we have a lot going on. There are those of us who have been deemed "super women" or "super heroes" (boss babes), and we wear our "capes proudly," as we should. However, at the end of the day, we often neglect ourselves, thereby losing sight of the fact that we should practice self-care regularly (and no this is not selfish, but necessary). We have to "learn" to love ourselves enough to "stop," and take/make time to "smell the roses." Life is short...❤️ View all posts by Grace Deveraux