Menopause Matters

Bronnie

The weight around the middle business is not good. Have a look at "Fat around the Middle" by Marilyn Glenville. Bit of a precis here
http://www.marilynglenville.com/fat_around_the_middle.htm

She lays a lot at the door of stress, which I don't really feel applies to me. However, a lot of what she says is common sense.

shykins

firebird i know that tallking yourself down thng too. i used to drive anywhere, in any car, anytime now its a case of thinking hell do i have to drive then i have to run thru the route in my head AARGGHH

bronniw well done on deciding to get fit and lose the little extra, i cant say i have gained weight i just seem to have got thicker in certain places!!

aah well nice to knowe we arent alone even tho i wouldnt wish this on anyone

choille

Great thread & let us hope this doesn't get scrubbed.

I'm really glad that some of you are mentioning anxiety. I've gotthat in bucketloads, but stopped smoking this year & wondered if it was down to that - also the weight gain.

I suppose I'm peri as I have just had a period about 2 months back & the one before that was about three months before that one.

I seem to have a themostat problem - boiling hot & sweats loads of times during the day & especially in bed - not sleeping too well.
My self esteem seems to have gone out of the window & am having a load of angst & worry.

Really glad to have others on here to talk to.

Firebird

Hi Choille,
I am finding the anxiety the worst. I get these horrible "rushes" a bit like an adrenaline rush that seems to surge up from nowhere as if on the top of a rollercoaster which might be fine for some but I hate them. I have got to try some deep breathing till it passes and it is driving me nuts. I seem to worry about such stupid things and yet when something major (actually worth concern), I have no problems.
I stopped smoking about 18 months ago and didn't have much bother with weight gain but this year my middle is just getting thicker and thicker. i have decided to accept that this is my new shape as long as the weight doesn't increase much I will just get on with that bit.
Bronnie i love the sound of your "gentle glows", unfortunately when my thermostat goes, If get too hot, then comes the nausea, dizzieness and shaky legs.
I have been trying a supplement that is supposed to balance the hormones - all natural etc etc and keeping a note of when things seem to be worse as in when oestrogen is at its lowest, so I will see how I get on. Whatever works is worth a try.

Dawning

Thank you so much for starting this thread.
I'm a longtime lurker and thought it was very bad form when the other(s) were removed. I fully appreciate the issue of liability for the site if people are giving medical advice, but also as others have pointed out, we have diet threads, ADD threads, depression threads.

Menopause in my opinion is NOT simply a medical problem - it's a transition phase that women go through. Similar to puberty. If someone started a thread about unruly teenagers going through puberty and what to do about their acne and moods would it have been deleted? I dont know. I do know that I'm very tired of the ageism and sexism I'm experiencing as a 'mad middle aged woman'...:mad:

Ok, now I've got that off my chest,thanks again for starting the thread and bringing me out of about 5 years of lurkdom here! I suppose I'd better start posting regularly now :rotfl:

choille

My anxiety is the worse thing I think. It is crippling especailly when I wake really early & really sweaty!

I've also been very achy in my mainly knees & hip. I was at the doctors yesterday & they didn't seem that concerned but said they'll arrange an appointment with a pyhsio. I did mention that my brother who is only 52 has just had a hip replacement. I do worry about that & the fact of osteoporosis but she didn't suggest any tests. Said I should exercise more as I have also put on weight since stopping smoking. I am quite active but my hip is not really that comfortable doing masses of walking.

Firebird

I must admit i did notice my knee joints are aching now and a gain ususally if I crouch down for any reason. I did try to take more calcium in the hope that it might help.
I know the waking up anxiety one. I usually find when I wake my heart is pounding and when I get up I can feel the blood rushing to my face. When I look in the mirror I can see a red circle round my neck as the flush rises up my face. That was interesting when I first noticed it - I hadn't a clue what it was.

I feel quite jittery today as if that anxiety is just lurking there, waiting, churning away so I think the oestrogen levels have dropped to their lowest. Hopefully it won't take hold - deep breaths.:):)

choille

I'm waking really early & just lying there sweating!

I haven't had a reddening of my face & neck yet just a wet sweat & almost as if my thermostat has gone wonky.

I try & deep breathe when the anxiety takes hold but i must admit my moods & head are all over the place.

shykins

firebird i was similar to u in that the hot flush led to nausea and dizziness to the point that i almost fainted a couple of times, thankfully they arent so bad now i take a herbal (darent say what just in case they close us up lol)

i so hate the anxiety thing its over the stupidest things which would never have bothered me before, i MAKE myself do whatever it is

just recently i have started waking at some ungodly hour unable to get back to sleep so i just lie there UGH

added to everything else my severe back problems have got considerably worse.

hmm thought this was supposed to be our best years!!

Dawning

Main problems I'm experiencing are

night sweats - thank goodness I'm single. I hate being single but this is just one more reason I'm nervous about trying to meet a new partner...the sheets would be on fire in more ways than one! I wake up around 3am and have to throw the duvet off, my neck and upper chest are covered in sweat..hair needs washing much more often now (not very MSE to use all that shampoo and conditioner .

skin problems. Red face that just flares up for no reason. Not rosacea apparently. Getting spots on my chin and forehead lately, but my face often feels tight and looks dry. Again the MSE aspect of this is the huge amount I've spent on different skincare over the past 18 months.

Sore joints and heels, especially first thing in the morning.

Emotionally. Just when I was starting to accept who I am and like myself, it's all changed again. I have no confidence most of the time. I hate losing my looks. I was never beautiful, but I was pretty enough like an average girl. Coming to terms with losing my looks has been hard. I probably sound really vain but I feel invisible now. ..I'm divorced and would love to be in a new relationship but when I look in the mirror nowadays all I can think is 'who'd have me?nobody is ever going to fancy me now'.
I'm afraid I'm never going to have sex again, but there again that may not be too much of a problem because for the first time in my life I have zero sex drive.:rotfl:
I also have anxiety and PMS symptoms have worsened.
The loss of confidence and anxiety have led to me having problems in my working life. I work part time and do need to find more work but am too scared to go to interviews, convinced they'll only want to employ someone young and I just lack confidence to answer their questions.

Periods are regular for the first time in my life. How weird is that! I was always irregular, cycle could be anything from 26 days to 40 days long. It changed about 4 years ago and became much more regular. Now it's usually 30 days.

I'm almost 49, btw. Not sure if I mentioned my age in my first post.