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Author Topic: Hello  (Read 7047 times)

Cider

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Hello
« on: May 11, 2016, 09:57:41 AM »

Hello all,

I am about to turn 46 and recently learned that the horrors I have been going through for the last 2 years has a name.  HELLO PERIMENOPAUSE. It has been a gradual build up of symptoms that came to a head late last year when I thought I was suffering from stress (which was also a factor), and it's only been since January that I have put all the weird things that had been happening over the last 18 months to 2 years had all been part of the menopause transition.

All the other older women in my life appear to have sailed through this thing with just a few hot flushes (including my own mother) luring me into a false sense of security that during menopause I would just get a bit sweaty at times, maybe get a bit weepy and my periods would stop. How wrong could I be. I think I have the symptoms for ALL of them. Thanks dears.

Anyway, I am trying to avoid any type of medication or therapies and ride this thing out using diet and exercise. I won't say it is easy, but when I stick to it rigidly it DOES work. Unfortunately at the moment any little slip up seems to leave me reeling.  As someone who has always eaten healthily and worked out, I found I had less and less motivation to do so  over the last couple of years and have slipped into bad habits. Typical meno - making what should help, that little bit harder! But I am hoping that as I work at it, and regain my health and fitness, a night on the town will no longer turn into a week of suicidal mood swings and rage.

I am looking forward to meeting you all and sharing the pain and the laughs with you all over the next 10/20 years and hpefully save my relationship with my husband and bestie by ranting at you guys instead of them!!  (don't worry they are very supportive, I just feel bad putting it all on them).


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CLKD

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Re: Hello
« Reply #1 on: May 11, 2016, 11:20:59 AM »

 :welcomemm: ……. browse round.  Make notes!

HORMONES  >:(    ::)
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CLKD

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Re: Hello
« Reply #2 on: May 11, 2016, 11:27:51 AM »

There's a thread "Who is still up" for those who can't sleep  ::)
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dazned

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Re: Hello
« Reply #3 on: May 11, 2016, 12:36:31 PM »

Hi and  :welcomemm:
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Dancinggirl

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Re: Hello
« Reply #4 on: May 11, 2016, 02:26:10 PM »

Hi Cider and welcome to MM
Your story is very typical.  You don't say what is happening to your periods - are you getting longer gaps or have they changed in any way - have they already stopped?  One of the main issues with the peri meno stage is the fluctuation of hormones - this fluctuation gives good and bad phases and this will often fool us into thinking that natural remedies and diet are working at times. Don't beat yourself up if you feel your diet and exercise regime is not working - it is very important to be kind to yourself and relaxation is terribly important as we go through this inevitable part of the life cycle.
It's worth keeping a simple diary to monitor your cycle.  Flushes, poor sleep, headaches, aches and pains tend to come and go in relation to the hormonal fluctuations.  As you are still young, if your periods do stop in the next couple of years then HRT would be advisable to protect your heart and bones for the long term, however, whether one chooses to use HRT or not will usually be down to personal choice. It is worth looking into your options as oestrogen deficiency can lead to some nasty long term problems e.g. vaginal atrophy and bladder issues. If you are finding the ‘lady bits' are getting dry, sore and sex is becoming difficult then there is always local oestrogen treatment that can help a great deal. Many of us on MM tend to take the view that quality of life is important and if meno symptoms are restricting life then HRT is a very good option - nobody can tell you how long the meno symptoms will last, even after the periods have stopped.
Do read up all the info on this site to get really clued up.  Concentrating on diet and exercise is really great - keep going but don't suffer unnecessarily.  DG x
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Cider

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Re: Hello
« Reply #5 on: May 11, 2016, 03:56:03 PM »

Hi, thanks for the info. I have been reading a lot about menopause and the advantages and disadvantes of HRT over the last few months. 

About a year ago, I got two periods a month for about three or four months and then they went back to normal, they have been fairly regular until the last few months when my cycles have slowly started to increase to  28-33 days instead of 21-28 day.  (I use an app to minitor) I have a very clear cycle at the moment. When bleeding stops I have a few symptom free days - 3 days to a week, then I have a "phantom period",  bloating, cramps etc, this can last up to a week, then I go into my two week "PMT" cycle - depression, anger, irritablity, mood swings, headaches (although I think these may be eyesight related - I need a test), brain fog, memory loss, fatigue, overheating, itching, emotions all over the place, then my period which can range from really heavy to really light.

Sometimes it is worse than others, but eating a clean diet, exercising and having reducing the stress factors in my life help massively.

I had three months off work with what I believed was stress from November through January (stress was a factor but it was actually peri-meno). Once I had slept for three days I got up and cleaned up my diet and got back to a regular exercise routine, I immediately began to feel better,  then I went away for a week and once I got back I slipped into old habits and my symptoms came back. This lasted until January when I once again, cleaned up my diet and got back to regular exercise, by the end of the month I felt amazing, back to my "normal" self and how I used to feel before this all started. I slowly went back to work on a phased return, as my shifts got longer my ability to eat clean and exercise lapsed and obviously stress increased. My symptoms slowly returned and increased as I tried different things to try and juggle work and life. I found my way in April, and have much improved. Stress is still a massive factor, and my emotions have been all over the place, but in a managable way. The mood swings have gone, the anger, irritabilty etc have all gone. I'm just crying all over the place. And as a person who is normally very emotionally repressed, this is weird for me to deal with, but I can live with it as a compromise.

I know that symptoms can fluctuate, but I also know how I have been feeling over the last 18 to 24 months and what has changed. There is a clear link between what I eat and how I exercise to what my symptoms will be.  Eating sugar, refined carbs or processed food will lead to a worsening of my symptoms the next day, continuing to eat this way will make them worse to the point of unbearable, for me and all around me. Exercise will relieve symptoms immediately and if I don't exercise for a couple of days I can really tell the difference . I am still in the early stages of trying to find that balance between work, life, convenience, diet, exercise and being social. For the most part I have it down, but life likes to throw us curveballs every now and then. I have 13 hour working days including travel, so it's quite difficult to fit a lot of life in at the best of times, but I am figuring it outI do ensure that I get one complete rest day in my working week (today is that day :) ).   I am listening to my body and monitoring my habits and symptoms very closely.

I haven't ruled out HRT completely and my doctor and I have agreed that it will be prescribed as an abosolute last resort only. At the moment, the risks very much outweight the benefits to me, especially if I can find a way of getting through this without medication, and that is what I want to do if I can.




« Last Edit: May 11, 2016, 03:59:51 PM by Cider »
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kpatton56

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Re: Hello
« Reply #6 on: May 11, 2016, 04:37:13 PM »

Welcome Cider. You have great motivation!
I would love to know more about your clean eating and exercise. I can see the link to feeling well for myself but haven't been organised enough to work out exactly what is making the difference. I know being well hydrated is a big factor!
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Dancinggirl

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Re: Hello
« Reply #7 on: May 11, 2016, 04:38:15 PM »

Hi Cider - I admire your strength and determination - the peri stage can be really challenging. Your life sounds pretty full on!! ???
I am interested to know why you think the risks of HRT outweigh any benefits?  Do you have a close family member with breast cancer? From what you are telling us, HRT may not be the best option right now but if you do have fears over the safety of HRT I would suggest you look at some of the latest research and findings about the actual long term benefits of HRT  - I believe that 5 years of HRT in our 50s can protect our heart and bones for the long term and will help to prevent vaginal atrophy and bladder problems. I am not suggesting you should use HRT - it is a personal choice and you have said you haven't ruled it out, however, don't listen to all the scare stories as the risks are actually very small until the age of 60.  Do keep us posted about your progress - there are many ladies who want to ‘ride the storm' without medication who will be eager to hear your positive message and follow your story.  Keep posting.  DG x
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CLKD

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Re: Hello
« Reply #8 on: May 11, 2016, 05:58:35 PM »

I found in the 1990s that chocolate made my body feel sluggish.  I don't eat as much these days and I was a bar a day Girl  ::).  Some food stuffs cause my mouth to burn so have cut those out.  I need to do more exercise  ::) ……..

Let us know how you get on!  Keep in mind that Quality of Life is important?
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Cider

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Re: Hello
« Reply #9 on: May 11, 2016, 07:36:02 PM »

Welcome Cider. You have great motivation!
I would love to know more about your clean eating and exercise. I can see the link to feeling well for myself but haven't been organised enough to work out exactly what is making the difference. I know being well hydrated is a big factor!

Hi there and thank you.

For eating, I basically cut out all refined sugar (naturally sourced sugar, ie from fruit is fine), white refined carbs (white flour, white pasta, white rice etc), processed foods (anything in a packet with a bunch of ingredients half of which you can't prononce), and personally I avoid dairy too, but that is more of a personal choice, a lot of dairy isn't good for you, and if you do have it, sheep or goats milk is better, I also don't eat meat, but again that is a personal choice, if you do eat meat lean protein and oily fish is especially good. No alcohol or caffienated products. So you might be thinking what the hell do you eat??  Home cooked food basically. A wide variety of different coloured fruit and vegetables. Avocado is an amazing source of nutrients and good fats, wholegrain products (personally I try and avoid wheat, but again that is more of a personal choice), leafy greens are important, nuts, legumes, and seeds (brazil nuts and flax seeds are particularly good for us meno-ladies), and the only supplememt I take is kelp tablets every day, because kelp is full of the good stuff and hard to get hold of and probably not very tasty.

With regard to exercise my approach has always been find something you enjoy and do that, because if you don't enjoy it you won;t do it, having said that I have forced myself to start running, something I have never enjoyed, a few years back when my job moved to a different town and I didn't have as much time to exercise.  Now I love running. I also force myself to lift weights, becuase strength is very important, and now I really enjoy it and look forward my lifting days. Also I love the feeling of being strong. Exercise can be anything, try some stuff out, or go back to something you enjoyed when you were younger, it doesn't have to be expensive or going to a gym, you can walk or run outside for free, you can watch youtube videos in your front room. Just try a few things out and see what you enjoy. Personally I love running and long walks, or short brisk strolls to clear my head and help me think clearer. I love boxercise to de-stress, and I do pilates to calm down and quiet my mind, I lift weights or do bodyweight exercise to be strong.

Exercise is so important and especially at our age. It keeps your heart healthy, it strengthens your mind and helps with memory and cognitive function, lifting weights build muscle which supports your bones and helps to avoid osteoporisis, it also helps to improve your metabolism which slows down at our age, it gives your body a better shape and gets rid of those bingo wings!!

Sometimes with our busy lifestyles it is hard to fit things in, I will grab 20 to 30 minutes exercise where I can during the day, and then do something more intensive on my days off.  I am lucky to have a gym at work so I use the treadmill in my meal break. I make batches of food and freeze them for convenience for those days when you just don't have time, and have rediscovered my love of cooking and finding new and exciting recepies. I have made some amazing sweet treats without using any sugar or sweetners.

Sorry, I didn't mean to be so long - I am really passionate about health and fitness!! And I don't know what your lifestyle is so I just sort of went with everything I could think of!!
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Cider

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Re: Hello
« Reply #10 on: May 11, 2016, 07:49:48 PM »

Hi Cider - I admire your strength and determination - the peri stage can be really challenging. Your life sounds pretty full on!! ???
I am interested to know why you think the risks of HRT outweigh any benefits?  Do you have a close family member with breast cancer? From what you are telling us, HRT may not be the best option right now but if you do have fears over the safety of HRT I would suggest you look at some of the latest research and findings about the actual long term benefits of HRT  - I believe that 5 years of HRT in our 50s can protect our heart and bones for the long term and will help to prevent vaginal atrophy and bladder problems. I am not suggesting you should use HRT - it is a personal choice and you have said you haven't ruled it out, however, don't listen to all the scare stories as the risks are actually very small until the age of 60.  Do keep us posted about your progress - there are many ladies who want to ‘ride the storm' without medication who will be eager to hear your positive message and follow your story.  Keep posting.  DG x

Hi - thank you.

Basically what I meant was that the risks involving taking any medication - there are always side effects and risks - outweight the benefit if there is another way to do it that has no side effects. I have no family history of breast cancer that I am aware of, I have had pre-cancerous cells removed after abnormal cells were found in a smear test. I don't want to put myself at any risk of any cancer if I can help it. And while it might be helpful for me to take HRT and I know many women benefit greatly from it, there are also many who manage using other methods and I would like to be one of those if possible. So what I meant was, if I can find a way that works just as well as HRT but without any of the risks involved, then I would prefer to use that method. I take the same view with any medication, if there is a way of doing the same job with the same results, without taking the medication, then I will try that first. So if I can feel 100% better (which my experience so far tells me I can) without using HRT then I will do that, it might not be the easiest option, and there will be peaks and troughs, that is the same with HRT too, it takes some trial and error to get the right medication, just as it is taking some trial and error for me to get the correct diet and exercise routine. If in the end I find it doesn't work at all, then I will look at other options.
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kpatton56

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Re: Hello
« Reply #11 on: May 11, 2016, 08:00:50 PM »

Thanks Cider 😀
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Cider

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Re: Hello
« Reply #12 on: May 11, 2016, 08:10:56 PM »

I found in the 1990s that chocolate made my body feel sluggish.  I don't eat as much these days and I was a bar a day Girl  ::).  Some food stuffs cause my mouth to burn so have cut those out.  I need to do more exercise  ::) ……..

Let us know how you get on!  Keep in mind that Quality of Life is important?

Hi, thank you. Yes quality of life is my top priority and what I am working so hard to achieve, and may it be a long, happy and healthy one. :)
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Dancinggirl

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Re: Hello
« Reply #13 on: May 11, 2016, 09:05:13 PM »

Cider - it all sounds good.  Do keep us posted about your progress.  You are clearly doing all the right things.
Be kind to yourself as well though - remember we need relaxation and ‘a little of what we fancy' now and again.  DG x
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Kathleen

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Re: Hello
« Reply #14 on: May 12, 2016, 03:11:36 PM »

Hello Cider and welcome to the forum.

I am also interested to learn how you manage the menopause with your regime so I hope you can keep us updated.

Can I ask, is your diet a vegan one and have you considered adding B12 and Vitamin D supplements as I believe these are recommended for anyone not eating any animal products.

Wishing you well on your quest for a trouble free meno!

Take care and keep posting.

K.
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