World Menopause Day!

In recognition of World Menopause Day, here is my story!

Just when you think life is becoming easier, your children are growing up, work-life is consistent and the general pressures of life have mellowed, the menopause arrives.

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World Menopause Day!

As much as we females know it is going to happen to us one day, nobody tells us just how hellish it can be. My personal experience didn’t include the usual symptoms so I felt quite alone from the word go – I didn’t have any hot flushes or night sweats and hadn’t previously suffered at the usual time of the month, so didn’t think too much about the menopause until my GP mentioned that a blood test had come back indicating I had low oestrogen levels, which is a sign of being perimenopausal.

One night I woke up in the early hours of the morning thinking that I had rolled onto my hand in my sleep. My two fingers were so painful that I was convinced I had dislocated them. I stumbled to the bathroom half asleep and ran them under a warm tap, rubbing them gently to make the pain go away. I didn’t know at the time, but this was the start of my journey through the menopause and if I thought this was bad, I had a lot more coming my way over the next few years.

I started to get pains in my elbows next and at times struggled to carry a handbag or carry a cup of tea. This pain gradually moved to both sides of my body, to my knees and hips. I would have considered myself to be quite fit at 45, going to the gym 4 or 5 times a week and being able to eat what I wanted to most of the time, but during this period I struggled to walk, stand and sit for long periods and it made my work as a beautician almost impossible.

I was sent for countless blood tests, X-rays and MRIs to try and discover what it was causing my joints so much pain. I was sent to multiple Physios, GPs and Consultants and the idea of Arthritis, Fibromyalgia and Lymes disease were thrown around quite often but my tests always came back clear.

After years of pain, I was eventually told that this joint pain was down to the menopause and the only way to get through it was by pain relief. This hadn’t crossed my mind as I didn’t have the common symptoms, but the idea began to make more sense over the years whilst I developed a low mood, survived on a few hours sleep a night, and couldn’t remember the word I needed to finish my sentence, let alone why I’d walked downstairs and gone into the kitchen.

Nobody prepares you enough for the menopause and if someone had mentioned to me that my joint problems were linked to it, it would have saved years of investigation and sleepless nights worrying what was wrong with me. I am writing this blog at the age of 53 and although I still struggle with a bad neck, which I have always had, my joint problems are miles better than they were. I’ve tried most medications, most herbal remedies and every support on the internet and I want to tell my blog readers about what I was never prepared for, what I found helped me and how to get through this hard time in your life as a female.

If any men are reading this you don’t know how easy you have it sometimes, but I’m hoping my menopause blogs will help others put into words how they feel and how the male population can help to make life for us women that bit easier.

I know everyone suffers from different symptoms of the menopause but I want to create a platform where people can share their experiences and hopefully help others out and know that you may feel like you are alone but many women are going through the same thing! I know it’s hard, but I promise you, you will get through this! One company that I have recently tried is Optibac probiotics, they have a range of products and I would definitely check them out!

We have a book out called Menopause Help that covers all of the main symptoms of the menopause in n easy to read, short book format! Click here to take a look!

For more blogs from The Menopause Lounge Click Here!

*DISCLAIMER*This page does not provide medical advice; it is intended for informational purposes only and is based upon my opinion and experiences. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on The Executive Menopause Coach website. Always seek professional medical advice.