My inspiration today is my late mother (who died when I was 16). I am at that stage in my life where I am starting to go through the menopause. My body has had a couple of ‘trial runs’ at it and it was hell!!
How on earth my mother coped I have no idea. I was coming into my teenage years (I was born when she was 41), she ran a household (without many of today’s conveniences like a microwave, tumble dryer etc), was wife to my father, had a full-time job, did various crafts like crochet and tapestry, went to bingo – AND went through the menopause. Good God she must have been a superwoman.
Every time my body decides to have another ‘stab’ at it I suffer from complete lack of sleep due to the night sweats, despite sleeping in the nude with no covers. A friend is also going through it and we have both described it as ‘a sudden raging temperature’. You can be freezing cold one minute then in a furnace the next – and the furnace can then take a while before it finally gets back to normal temperature. This means I am exhausted the next day.
I did have a laugh when I did a google search for ‘menopause symptoms’ – one website included: peeing when you sneeze, flatulence, itchy skin, forgetfulness, irritability – one friend who had been through it asked me if I was suffering from the latter symptom. I told her she’d have to ask my friends and colleagues if I am more irritable than normal!!!
This is a friend who is in her early 60s and had her menopause 15 years previously. When I asked her ‘when does it end?’ she stated that she still had hot flushes. Can I slit my throat now?????????
Jen
I'd hug you...but you might slit my throat for touching you during a flush! :o) Your mom sounds like she was an amazing woman! Thanks for sharing about her.
ReplyDelete