Comments on: Roses are Red, Violets are Blue… and Sometimes, So Am I

By: Wendy

Wendy — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:37:32 +0000

I have been having peri-menopausal symptoms since I was 35. I am 40 now. I was told by my OB GYN that I was too young . All my blood work and tests came back normal but when I did a saliva hormone test( from ZRT ) my levels were rock bottom. I even had a full physical and everything was fine. I started taking bio-identical hormone cream( compounded) and it made it so much better. This has been a living hell for me and I thought I was losing my mind at times. I am blessed to have an extremely supportive husband and sons. I still get angry about even going through this at such a young age. I thought I’d be older before I really felt this crappy. I didn’t even know that nausea & depression were symptoms. I try to take this one day at a time but it is hard sometimes to have a good attitude about it.

By: Meg

Meg — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:02:44 +0000

We all need to be reminded that the temporary bouts of depression we experience are usually due to hormones and /or chemical issues in our bodies. Of course it doesn’t help that there is so much transition during this period with jobs, relationships, adult children, etc! But I agree wholeheartedly that chocolate and especially WINE can really help you get over that hump!

By: coffeenut

coffeenut — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:38:17 +0000

Ok, ANYONE who has ever passed through a Magnolia,stopped at a Magnolia,or worst of fates LIVED in a Magnolia you will forever be marked. There is something about a Magnolia–ever seen ERueka? Well we don’ have any brain surgens that I know of but we are a whole town of Good Ole Boys…and gals.
I am a almost 50 that has lived in this Magnolia and have seen stuff that would make a New Yorker laugh and blush. We do love our town I guess because we keep comming back. So check out a Magnolia…there is one around your somewhere…..Mine is in ARkansas….and BOy oh boy its a real treat…ya see the grass grow and everything…..

By: Rita

Rita — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:12:58 +0000

I lived through the symptoms of menopause. One thing troubling to me was being badgered by doctors to take hormone replacement therapy. I never did think it was a good idea, and I’m grateful for that.

I write a boomer consumer blog called The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide at http://boomersurvive-thriveguide.typepad.com.

Rita

By: Debbie Stevens

Debbie Stevens — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:45:57 +0000

At 47, I often feel as though I’ve been ‘ripped off’, as some say “Oh Debbie, you are too young to be going through the ‘change’, are you SURE??” This also from a couple of doctors, who seemed to look at me as if I were imagining things! If ONLY! I believe we all know our bodies, better than any doctor, and I knew mine was experiencing the symptoms of menopause, but how was I to handle it with no support? Along came a God-send, along came the boomer divas!
Through each woman and her own experience, I have been better educated & able to face it with more optimism, knowing this is all a part of the woman’s cycle….hot flashes, insomnia,night sweats, headaches, mood swings, weight gain and depression,all the symptoms I have endured but also those I now embrace! Yes, EMBRACE! Better to accept everything as the role of being a woman, than as some cruel punishment, which was my first reaction. I too have now been placed on anti-depressants, apparently this will ease the suffering? I am not sure, but I do know my attitude towards my body has changed,just as it had when I began my first menstrual cycle. It IS who we are-having a hot flash isn’t the end, it is merely a sign of my maturity and the wonder of being a female species!

By: Magnolia

Magnolia — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:39:12 +0000

I agree Pam. It is temporary, but much like adolescence, perimenopause seems like it swallows your entire world and it “seems” it is forever.

Being on the far side of the worst of my symptoms, I see the wisdom and truth in your words. Yet, I feel a deep empathy for those women who are following in our footsteps and who haven’t yet been able to clearly idenitify “what is wrong” if you will.

One of the biggest things I hear women say, and I certainly said it myself is……”Am I going crazy????”

That is exactly how the tumultuous upheaval of perimenopause feels. What was once a life full of predictability and “sameness” is now a crapshoot every month.

Those of us who are beyond perimenopause, or close to the end (as myself) can offer hope and a helping hand to our sisters before us.

Yes, this too shall pass……..

By: Archer Pam

Archer Pam — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:55:45 +0000

I have come through menopause, fairly unscathed, but not without endless hot flashes, mood swings, depression, bleeding for a full year, the whole nine yards. I agree that it helps to realize that sometimes we do need medication to balance the raging hormonal wars. It also helps to realize it is a normal part of life and it lasts only for a season. This is one of the best and happiest times of my life. In retrospect, the best advice I can give regarding pre, peri, or any other stage of menopause, is to keep reminding yourself that it is temporary.

By: Pop Art Diva

Pop Art Diva — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:05:22 +0000

I entered a Twilight Zone of emotional ups and downs that shook me to the core. I was always to “in control” that the temper that came with my hot flashes was like a monster let out of a cage!
I’m finally through that particular phase and the hot flashes and emotions are manageable but I pity the people who happened upon me during an episode, lol.

By: Magnolia

Magnolia — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:00:59 +0000

Eileen,

You are such a love. Thanks for hosting The Magnolia Diaries! Pass the love around.