I was in the middle of my menopause phase. It hit me like a lightening bolt. Here is my story. I bought 8 new windows one winter day, the cost was around $700 per window. My niece keeps reminding of that morning in the middle of winter, one of the coldest days of the year. I just climbed out of bed and the family were all sitting in the living room. I looked at the windows with a glare and said "I feel like a bear, I could bust every one of these windows" My niece said "you do not wanna do that. You think your mad now, you'll be more mad" I do not miss those days and I am happy it is over and done with. I never felt so irritated, ugly and out of control in my entire life. I was always in a bad mood. I felt sorry for my family having to put up with me during this stage of my life. The irritability was intense and just as bad as the hot flashes. If I had to do over I would go on some type of medication for menopause. I was afraid of the side effects, and having worse problems. My advice to anyone going through this stage of life, and having a difficult time. Do not suffer during this time of your life, meds, counseling, diet, natural products are options. I hope your journey through menopause is easier on you that it was on me.
After menopause (I'm two years free of heavy painful draining periods) I found I had a lower bull$h!t tolerance and a clarity of focus I never had before. I'm on thyroid treatment so those of you with brain fog get thyroid tests if you haven't done so already.
Some call menopause a woman's second spring - those people deserve to have their asses kicked because as we know it can be the time of life we get more stress than ever. The only thing is my sharper post-menopausal mind and lowered bull$h!t tolerance help greatly dealing with my parents admin.
I do not take my good fortune for granted but I used to go through hell for at least one week every month from age 11 to 49.
OMG Xenajada ain’t that the truth! Years ago when my daughter was under 2 and flew for free, we used to fly up to my parents house a few times a year. The first few times we flew, I started my period out of nowhere while walking through the airport!! And this was when I was oblivious to tracking my cycle and dealing with IUD periods which....TMI.....came on without warning and it was just an immediate heavy flow. Thank God airports have mini convenience stores because I would have been up a creek!
I began having perimenopausal symptoms at age 43. I can remember my first hot flash was at a friend's birthday party at a fancy restaurant. The room was quite cold, yet I broke out into "the mother of all hot flashes" with sweat pouring down my scalp, face and back. I always felt like the life had been drained from me, like a wilted flower every time I had a hot flash.
I had a hysterectomy at 45 and use a low-dose estrogen patch. Have not had a hot flash in years.
But, I'm hanging in there.
I don't know if the others have ever experienced the same, but sometimes it feels like the hot flashes come the second that I have a less then pleasant thought or feel stressed about something , which happens often these days :(
Like an ... external manifestation of a deep, unconscious emotion?
No problems???
I remember for a time span that my Dad and I wanted to run away from home back when I was in my 20's. We couldn't wait to get out of the house to go to work in the morning [we worked for the same company thus carpooled], and were scared once we got home from work. Life was NOT pleasant. Mom was good at giving us the silent treatment for who knows what reason.
I am laughing/crying reliving my menopausal ride of the lifetime. Now I have DAUGHTERS who are in peri-menopause and THAT makes me feel so old (I'm 63!)
I, too had weird, irregular periods that basically lasted 24 days all month, every month. One Sunday, I was passing enormous CLOTS and thought "well, that's weird" and went to church, as per usual. Calling the dr the next day & I am in his office within a half hour. Turns out, you CAN bleed to death from a period!! Dr. did an endometrial ablation (basically, burning out the lining of the uterus) and had no more anything--no spotting, anything. Then lining of the uterus puts out hormones and I wasn't 'cycling through' mine & shedding the lining as I should have been, so for 4 years I was in a constant, never ending state of pre-menstrual issues. My 2nd daughter is dealing with the same exact thing, but she won't take care of it (there is almost zero downtime!)...can't make her see that it turned my life back to MY LIFE. She's miserable and I feel so bad for her.
Hot flashes still come, but many women I know have them all the time no matter what. 90 yo mother gets a look at the sun and begins to immediately drip with sweat.
Now, with chemo, I have all those same symptoms back again. Knowing it's temporary makes it deal-able, but I change from the skin out 2-3 times a night AND sleep on a towel and one on top of me nightly. Fan blowing--AC turned down to 73 and I am bright red and feel like I am heating the whole house.
OF COURSE Dh has an underactive thyroid and he is freezing all the time. Sleeps in sweatshirt and sweatpants with a small room heater.
Obviously, we don't share a room. His is about 85 degrees, mine is about 75, if I am lucky.
Lealonnie, thank you for sharing your experience. This is something no one tells us about, no one tells us islts possible this could happen! I would have never expected periomenopause or early menopause at this age! Truth be told, the only reason I even suspected this could be menopause related is because a friend who is in her early 50s has been going through menopause and she describes it like everyone here! Said she felt like a crazy lady and not at all like herself. She had no idea it was menopause until she went for her annual exam and the doctor called her after getting her bloodwork back! I will do some googling and see what supplements people recommend. If my insurance will pay for an annual exam before October, I’ll try to get an appointment ASAP.
Please don’t wait until October to get checked out.
A friend of mine had twins, her 40th birthday and menopause started all the same year. Another woman I know started at 36. She was trying to get pregnant and learned it was too late.
For me menopause hit secondarily to the chemo from a lovely bout with breast cancer, age 47. Because the chemo was so nasty I couldn't figure if it was the chemo or the menopause. I found the hot flashes only "interesting" but because life seemed so precious at the time, everything went from "awful" to "interesting", even my daughters fighting like cats and dogs. I would stop weeding in the garden and listen up two stories to the flat and say "They are fighting. Isn't it lovely." And honestly, it was. It was all just fine.
I couldn't take meds, of course, as they feed cancers. So I toughed it out. Compared to cancer the menopause just didn't get any cred at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndFBFXV3jjs
Anyone have memory loss as a symptom? Many, many times I couldn’t remember things. I got in the habit of writing lists for myself (which I continue to do). My girlfriends too had STM loss on and off.
Two years of those night sweats. I remember waking up drenched and then you get up to change and you get that awful chill from wet clothes. Rinse and repeat.
I had a partial hysterectomy this had menopause in my 50’s. Kept my ovaries.
And Margaret, you are correct. I had really bad periods prior to my hysterectomy. But I had endometriosis that no one was aware of until after surgery. My periods were so heavy I almost passed out at work and had to go lie down in the break room. My pre-op hematocrit was 7 (normal > 10).
Menopause was terrible for me. I did not get irritable thank goodness. Just forgetful.
Now occasionally I get a hot flash or wake up in a sweat although I have noticed my night sweats now have more to do with how much stress I have usually work related. I can’t wait to retire.
I have not experienced any of that (yet) except the painful ovulation. I always know when I ovulate because I get horrendous pain in my ovary area, if I don’t take an Advil it lasts for hours. And it hits very suddenly and is crippling. I have not met anyone else who experienced that until now!!! I did have periods like you describe but the culprit was a copper IUD! So I had it taken out.
I been having some symptoms that made me wonder if I wasn’t entering perimenopause or early menopause. my periods are only 2 days long now. Definitely not complaining about that. But concerned about it. From what I have read, it’s common as you get older (I am 38) but I see no relation or correlation to my other symptoms. For months I have felt similar to what most of you ladies have described-moods all over the place-everything from wanting to cry one minute and feeling a rage of anger the next! Then I feel very happy. No hot flashes like you all described but I do get minor hot flashes, feels like a fever has just come on. I also run warmer these days. I used to be cold all the time & sleep in sweats & use multiple blankets. I now sleep in light PJs with one blanket. Used to love having the dog cuddle with me for the extra warmth. Now, I get way too hot, Uncomfortably hot, if he’s too close (yes he sleeps with me). My annual exam is in October and I’ll get a full blood panel done so hopefully that will shed some light here. Don’t think it’s menopause related after all.
i hope I don’t sound crazy but my other theory was that the moods are related to loss of my cat, he died in April 2018. This is the first time in almost 30 years that I don’t have a cat of my own (the one in my profile picture is my 11 year old daughters cat, she shares him with me & I love him dearly but I don’t have the same bond with him that I had with my other cats). My cats provided so much emotional support through out the years. Either I never realized just how much their emotional support helped me, or my hormones are all out of wack :-)
this doesn’t the hot flashes and running warmer though.
Yes.......................I know. :(
I'm still going through it though and the hormones don't always help. Some days I feel like a volcano. Crying one minute, laughing hysterically the next. Didn't they used to commit women back in the day when they were going through this. So glad they don't anymore or I'd possibly be in a rubber room.
Working out helps. When I'm on the treadmill I watch all the macho men grunting and slamming their weights down and I glare at them. Why are they so dramatic about it all. The women don't make noises and slam things. I find the passive aggressive glaring really helps me. :)
When I was in my 20's I had a total hysterectomy.
Oh the hot flashes, and night sweats.
I remember my head feeling like it was on fire.
Horrible horrible time in life.
I feel for any going through it.
But glad that is over.
It was almost like puberty all over again with the emotions.
My periods became so much more heavy, I was passing thumb sized clots and flooding. Yes, flooding means flooding. I would feel it start and have to bolt for the toilet. I had to wear overnight maxi pads and extra absorbent tampons and still woudl flood. I had to keep a change of clothes at work. They stayed 28 days apart.
The when I ovulated the pain was excruciating. It wrapped from my belly button to my anus. The pain was crippling and in a good month lasted 30 minutes and in a bad one lasted 24 hours.
I went to my doctor and told him I wanted it all ripped out. Instead I got a Mirena UID and within 3 months life was bearable again. They last for 5 years, and I am 2 years into my second one. No cycle anymore.
I do get night sweats fairly regularly, as someone else said from the under breast to the top of my head. My hair will be soaked. Hot flashes are rare, but come more frequently.
Lack of sleep is another issue.
Luckily so far not bad for brain fog.