"No you didn't." I said accepting his good morning kiss.
"But everything was on my side of the bed." SM protested.
"That's because I threw everything over on to you, I get so hot." I replied.
"You don't look like you're hot now." SM says noticing that I've got a pullover on.
"Yeah, that's what's weird about it. I get the random hot flash here and there but I can guarantee that between midnight and 6am I'll be tossing and turning in a sweat."
"Glad I'm not a girl." SM says making his coffee. "Are you going to get on hormones?"
"I'm going to try not to, although Natalie (a friend) says it stopped her hot flashes. I just don't think I'm miserable enough to want to consider HRT yet."
Since we'd had that conversation, I figured I'd better get educated so I googled the pros and cons of HRT. Which said that you should try to stay off them unless your symptoms are moderate to severe.
So I googled Peri-menopause symptoms and came across this blog.
35 Symptoms of Peri menopause
- Hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and/or cold flashes, clammy feeling
- Irregular heart beat
- Irritability
- Mood swings, sudden tears
- Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats)
- Irregular periods; shorter, lighter periods; heavier periods, flooding; phantom periods, shorter cycles, longer cycles
- Loss of libido
- Dry vagina
- Crashing fatigue
- Anxiety, feeling ill at ease
- Feelings of dread, apprehension, doom
- Difficulty concentrating, disorientation, mental confusion
- Disturbing memory lapses
- Incontinence, especially upon sneezing, laughing; urge incontinence
- Itchy, crawly skin
- Aching, sore joints, muscles and tendons
- Increased tension in muscles
- Breast tenderness
- Headache change: increase or decrease
- Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, flatulence, gas pain, nausea
- Sudden bouts of bloat
- Depression
- Exacerbation of existing conditions
- Increase in allergies
- Weight gain
- Hair loss or thinning, head, pubic, or whole body; increase in facial hair
- Dizziness, vertigo, light-headedness, episodes of loss of balance
- Changes in body odor
- Electric shock sensation under the skin and in the head
- Tingling in the extremities
- Gum problems, increased bleeding
- Burning tongue, burning roof of mouth, bad taste in mouth, change in breath odor
- Osteoporosis (after several years)
- Changes in fingernails: softer, crack or break easier
- Tinnitus: ringing in ears, bells, ‘whooshing,’ buzzing etc.
Well, crap. I guess I'd better raise my expectations a bit. It sounds delightful though doesn't it?
Anyway, I also went online looking to see if there was such a thing as cool sheets and pillows. And there are! Check this out. Has anyone tried this stuff?
We sleep on a memory foam mattress that is supposed to already adapt to your body's temperature. But I have a mattress pad on it. I wondered if THAT was making me hot. So I took it off and guess what! I've slept better that past 2 nights than I have in months. The heat from the bed drove me away and I would end up sleeping on the couch. I still wake up warm from time to time but no sweats.
Coincidence? Maybe. Time will tell but it's been wonderful actually getting a couple of good nights sleep.
I often wonder if men can even BEGIN to fathom how wonderful (haha) menopause is. I've been going through this since 1999. Yup. Going on 13 years. I haven't slept right in all that time. My kingdom for no night sweats. But I won't do HRT.....too many dangerous things involved there. But, yea...sleep would be good.
ReplyDeleteHope that does the trick for ya. My hot flashes seem to have ebbed for a while now. Only get them every once in a while. Sleep well tonight!
ReplyDeleteCan't say I had anywhere near those symptoms - just the hot flushes, bit grouchy and sleeplessness.
ReplyDeleteAnd regarding the theft of your bedding, when I met RMan he has two single duvet covers on his bed. We kept that arrangement and it's worked beautifully 'cos he's never stolen my duvet and if I'm hot I can cast it aside, and he can't roll over and "gather it all unto himself". I reckon the two duvet system is a marriage saver, plus you can roll yourself up totally into your own one when you're freezing in winter.
Try and resist the HRT if possible - just make sure that you take a calcium supplement which contains Vit K for maximum absorption.
My best friend (and lover) and I, have successfully went through that time in our lives. I think that she had most on the list of 35 symptoms. I also went through some changes too, although not even close to the physical difficulties she did. My changes made it difficult at times to help her. We are now getting back to the physical closeness we had when we were younger. I hope this can help others to know there some relief with time.
ReplyDeleteHere's another vote for staying away from the bad drugs in HRT if you can manage to survive without them. They have side effects also. Probably about 35 also.
ReplyDeleteAin't it grand being female? But seriously, if we only (ONLY? Ha!) suffer the physical effects and it's not so bad it affects us too much mentally/emotionally, we're strong enough to get through it. It WILL get better.