Wednesday, August 29, 2012

There are options to help

Once you start Peri-menopause , at some point your periods will become irregular and flow can become extremely heavy with heavy clotting. It may not happen to you that way, your flow may just gradually lighten and become sporadic and eventually stop all together. However, that was not my experience. I was the heavy flow girl. Actually, I went in over a year ago for that very reason, but decided to just "deal" with it for as long as I could. Over the summer though, things just continued to get worse. June I had no period at all, July it was very light but was longer than normal, 10 days I believe. About a week and half after I stopped my original period for July, I started to bleed again and never stopped until I finally went to the doctor 4 weeks later. That was the clincher for me. I could not continue to flow for months at a time, especially so heavily. I was so exhausted and often felt dizzy and I had absolutely no energy whatsoever! Not to mention, it was so stinkin' hot here this summer, I think you could have fried an egg on the sidewalk just about every single day. ( NOT my idea of fun). Luckily, I have not become anemic thus far.

I went to the doctor and they did a  Trans-abdominal and a Trans-vaginal ultrasound. The results came back normal. While that is all well and good it doesn't fix the problem I've been having. The doctor decided to put me on a double dose of birth control daily to give me a major dose of hormones to stop the bleeding. Holy buckets, talk about raging hormones. Yikes. (My poor poor husband and children!) Once the bleeding stopped she told me to just take one pill a day from that point on.Fast forward a week into taking the pills, the bleeding had stopped so I dropped down to one a day and after 3 days of that, the bleeding started up again. Me = not a very happy camper.

I had an appointment this last week and discussed my options for getting a handle on the bleeding long term. I can't really be on birth control long term because I get migraines and BC can triggers migraines and I certainly don't need any help in that area. So, that really isn't an option for me. We did discuss, which is what I want to let women know, that there are quite a few options out there. We don't have to suffer through this unnecessarily. Many women choose to go about it the natural way, which is fine. But, for me, I do not want to suffer through this. I want to enjoy my life without having to worry about when,where or whom I will be with when my heavy flow starts unexpectedly. It would be just my luck to have something like that happen to me at the beach.Without a doubt it would happen to me.

A few of the options we discussed were, Bioidentical Hormone , Birth Control,Endometrial Ablation or a Hysterectomy.  If you or someone you know is having problems with heavy bleeding, please read these articles and speak to an OBGYN. We decided that for me and my journey, a hysterectomy would be the best option for me. Removing my uterus but leaving the ovaries so I am not thrown directly into menopause and having to worry about hormone replacements. This is the best of both worlds for me. No more bleeding, but not being forced into full blown menopause.

I will keep everyone updated on the surgery, pre and post surgery symptoms or issues. Hopefully there will be none, but there is always some risk involved with any surgery.


Love and Blessings,
Becky

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

We are not alone

The reason I am starting this blog is to join women together and talk openly and candidly about Peri-menopause and Menopause and any other subject we come up with.

In retrospect, I believe I have been having symptoms for the last 2 years or so but only in the last 6 months  has the affects had a profound effect on me. As I was researching this morning (I was up at 3am because I couldn't sleep) I came upon a blog that changed the way I felt about what I was going through. I felt so much justification and relief upon reading the long list of symptoms and comments from other women that I literally broke down. I am not going crazy after all ( though, my mother thinks otherwise!). I do have something real, that although not many women my age are probably experiencing yet, almost all women do experience symptoms at some point in their lives.

Therein lies the problem for me. I am younger. 39 to be exact. Yet my body is going through things that most women experience in their late 40's- 60's. It has brought on an onslaught of feelings, which were already up and down like a yo-yo hourly.

Often adding to the hormonal affects on the body is the feeling that you are alone, that there is something wrong with you and there is no one you can openly talk to about this besides maybe your mother.Most women fear opening up about about their inner most feelings and fears. I am not one of those women. I believe opening up about issues such as these and the symptoms that accompany them empower us as women.

So, I have decided to blog about my journey. I have always worn my heart on my sleeve, but in the recent years, due to life and stress and what I now believe is partly due to the Peri-menopause, I often struggle with feelings of extreme anxiety, withdrawing and feeling alone. While it "appears" most women my age are out having the time of their lives, enjoying friends and having amazing experiences, I don't always feel that way and I wonder how many others are suffering in silence?

When I come out the other side of this hormonal craziness I want to take away something  from this experience besides thinner hair,bone loss, a bigger ass and night sweats. I want to be a better wife,mother,sister,daughter,friend and woman from this and that is why I am recording my journey. Hopefully, someone will stumble upon my blog and have an epiphany in the middle of the night like I did.

Here is the blog I stumbled upon this morning:

http://www.theperimenopauseblog.com/symptoms-of-perimenopause/

This is just a guideline- not everyone will experience all of the symptoms and there may be things you are experiencing that are not on this list. If you are worried about your symptoms, see your OBGYN. There are options out there women. We don't have to suffer through this and we certainly don't have to do it alone!!!

35 Symptoms of Perimenopause

  • 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.


Love and blessings,
Becky