Taming the Dragon…

I’ll go ahead and say right now in full disclosure…we’re about to get personal here.  You know…the REAL stuff.  No dancing around, sugar coating it or being overly PC.  Just the good, the bad and the REALLY REALLY UGLY.  So that being said…if your TMI button is really sensitive and easily flipped…you might want to scroll on.  If you want some honest affirmation about “the change” (being a little sensitive to the TMI folks that might not have scrolled on yet)…then hang around sister, this one’s for YOU!!!

I’ve always been “right as rain”.  My monthly cycle was…well…cyclical. You could set a clock by it.  I could tell you 3 months in advance exactly what day I’d start and finish my period.  My teenage years were met with a flow that could be quite heavy at times.  Heavy but manageable. And always on time.

Twenties and Thirties rolled in,  Babies came.  All was lovely.  Peaceful.  And still oh-so predictable.

As the Thirties were on their way out…I began to notice it.  Suddenly I’d feel light headed and flushed. Out of nowhere. And it would take what seemed like FOREVER for it to go away!  It was embarrassing. It was as if my face were on fire. HOT FLASHES!!! I felt like a child with no control over my emotions/body!

I thought to myself, “Surely, I’m too YOUNG to be having hot flashes!”  At this point, most would go ask their mothers when they started having them.  What did they do to fix it?  What suggestions and pearls of wisdom she could impart?  But my mom passed away when I was 25 (she was 53).  So I couldn’t go seek her input.  That led me to my good friend Google.  🙂

I did learn that PERI-Menopause could start as early as the thirties.  I also learned there were many other symptoms (my personal symptoms are marked by *):

• increased allergies*

• increased anxiety & stress*

• bloating*

• brittle nails*

• breast tenderness

• change in body odor

• depression

• difficulty concentrating*

• dizziness*

• electric shock feelings under skin*

• fatigue*

• gastrointestinal problems*

• problems with gums

• hair thinning (also hair growing in places in never has before!)*

• headaches

• incontinence

• irregular/pounding heartbeat*

• irritability

• itchy skin*

• joint pain*

• loss of libido*

• memory lapses*

• mood swings*

• muscle tension/pain*

• night sweats*

• panic attacks

• sleep disorders*

• tingling extremities*

• vaginal dryness*

• weight gain*

My jaw dropped when I first read the list.  I was experiencing most of those and had NO idea they were related to my hormones.  Other than the hot flashes, most were very mild though.  I researched some more and found that the herb motherwort was supposed to be useful in helping suppress hot flashes.  I located some at a semi-local health/herb store and did find some relief.

Several years went by and no real change in my symptoms above. I would still classify them all as “mild” at this point.  They had simply become part of my “new norm”. I even stopped taking the motherwort as I really had no need for it any longer.

The Forties made their entrance.  And all remained pretty status-quo.  Forty-five came, still no real differences.  Forty-six…hey, if this is as bad as menopause gets…I’ve got this!

Then it happened.  We were planning a trip to Hawaii to see our oldest daughter and grandbaby.  According to my normal “schedule” I’d be slated to start the week before we left. 

That’s great!  It will be over and I won’t have to deal with it while traveling! 

That week came and went.  No sign of starting.  The trip came…2 weeks…still no sign of starting.  Came home…nope.  No sign. 

Two full months passed with no period.  Now, don’t get me wrong…I was truly grateful to not have to deal with it while on vacation. 

But now I was a little concerned. Something was “off”.

***Let me take a sidebar here and say “No, I was not concerned I might be pregnant!” Hubby had a vasectomy YEARS ago as well as having his prostate removed a couple years prior due to cancer.***  

I knew it was “change” related.

The next month came…and boy did it come.  With a vengeance! I have NEVER had cramps like I had that month.  I have never had the breast tenderness like I had that month.  And what I thought had been heavy flow in my teens…nah, a mere trickle compared to the deluge that hit. 

In a span of about 6 hours one Sunday evening…I completely soaked an entire package of #5 pads (you know the ones…extra long, extra wings, extra absorbent).  I had to change clothes 3 times.  I could not make it from the den to the bathroom without overflowing.  And then there were blood clots.  The size of my fist!

My bathroom suddenly looked like the set from a horror movie.  It was out of control.  And then the nausea set in.  About this time, hubby is starting to get a bit worried.

Several questions of “is this normal?” or “do I need to rush you to the ER?” came.  I did end up having to send him out at 10 PM for more supplies.  I could not make it until morning to go to the store.  He didn’t mind going to get them, but he was reluctant to leave me alone.  About 5 minutes after he left…the nausea turned into dizziness…and then I could feel myself about to black-out.

I could see the whole scene in my head…I’d pass out.  Continue to bleed profusely.  He’d get home and feel like he’d walked into a crime scene. I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness…but thought, “I have to get to the bathroom.”  I felt my way to the toilet, and sat down.  And waited there where I could brace myself on the walls.  I was still there, never fully passing out when he returned.

That horrible pain and flooding lasted another couple of hours.  And then like a switch…everything seemed to go back to “normal”.  To say I felt relieved would be an understatement.  I was all too happy to fall into bed exhausted. I felt defeated by the dragon.

The week and that cycle ended on a much less drama-filled note.  I decided that I needed to research my options because if I had 10 more years of days like that one, I needed help even though I hoped that was a one time ordeal. 

It wasn’t.

Another Sunday afternoon.  We had been out and about.  We were about 40 miles from home and stopped to eat lunch.  It was late for the lunch crowd and early for the dinner folks, so the restaurant was nearly empty.  Thus I thought it really odd when the girl sat us all the way in the back, next to the restrooms. 

We ate our lunch.

Hubby paid the check. 

Hmmm…I better hit the ladies’ room before we take off home.

I stood up…and KNEW at that moment in time a repeat of that Sunday evening a couple months prior was about to take place.  I have NEVER been so glad to have been seated next to the restroom before.

It was literally 5 steps to the door of the restroom…and in those 5 steps I could tell that I was completely and utterly “flooded”. I sat in the stall for what seemed liked FOREVER.  What were my options??  I didn’t have a change of clothes.  I cleaned up as much as you can in a public restroom with no supplies…and made my way outside where hubby was waiting.  He asked if I was OK.  I looked at him and said, “Just get me home. Now.”

The remainder of the afternoon was really a repeat of the previous horrible Sunday ordeal.

In between the two episodes, I had rediscovered a company and their products that I’d used before.  I perused their online catalog and found what I hoped my be the answer to my prayers. I almost didn’t see it.  It was the last item on the page, kind of like it was an after-thought.  An all natural alternative to HRT (hormone replacement therapy). {Update: the company has currently discontinued their product.}

I am not a candidate for traditional HRT since my mother had breast cancer. I needed something else. I ordered my first month’s supply with a bit of skepticism.  But at this point…if I found ANY relief it would be welcome.  I could not be house-bound until this dragon decided to be done with me.

That was in July of this year that I started the daily regiment. If you are Peri-Menopause, then you have to start the system on a specific day of your cycle.  If you are full menopausal with no periods any longer, you can start as soon as your kit arrives. It is now the last day of October. I cannot tell you what a difference it has made.  And the improvement was evident within 3 days of starting.  The first two nights…the night sweats still came, but were much less severe.  By night 3–gone!  I’ve not had one since.

Hot flashes…pretty much gone too!  I’ve had 2…but both were very mild and were gone very quickly.

The extreme heavy flooding, faintness etc…have not experienced another instance like those two before!  This month is a little heavier than August and September were, but is manageable and I don’t feel like a prisoner in my own home. Or like I’ll be a nominee for best actress in a horror film.

If you suffer too, I recommend researching natural alternatives and speaking with your health care provider.

Sources:

Senior Living Magazine