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
No comments:
Post a Comment