I am amazed that somehow we made it to this age without knowing what was in store for us. I mean, didn't we all get "the talk" prepuberty? I knew pretty much exactly what to expect then. My mom and step-mom both had hysterectomies before hitting this stage, so they just are not much help in the been there done that dept. I'm feel like I'm blazing (pun???) a new trail here. UGH!
This perimenopausal junk is ridiculous, and I was completely unprepared for:
- Problems sleeping (and thank you for bringing this up - thought I was just losing what's left of my mind!!!)
- Hair loss (handfuls, daily)
- Nails splitting constantly
- Night sweats (or in my case waterfalls)
- The reality of a hot flash - have yet to read a description that truly embraces the searing heat that punctuates a general sense of being on fire. If my beloved daughter asks me one more doggone time, "Are you hot AGAIN?", I think I may actually just spontaneously burst into flames.
- Memory issues... I used to have a brain - I can't remember what that's like anymore. Completely ditzy, forgetful, clueless at this point - literally (*literally*) cannot remember conversations from 5 mins ago - did I ask that question, or did I only think about asking that question? It is *so* frustrating. I used to be a pretty sharp cookie.
- Dull dry skin that has lost its elasticity.
- The joys of period roulette. Every 28/35/14 days? Give me just a little hint, and PMS doesn't count anymore 'cuz I'm PMS-ing 24/7/365.
- An overall sense of just having completely lost it.
Poor husband - caught between a severely hormonal teenage girl and his perimenopausal wife. Bless his heart, he just brings me chocolate and hugs me as often as it's safe to get near me (okay, so not that often, but he tries).
And what *really* burns my toast about this whole stage of life is that I am reaping zero "benefits" of menopause. Seriously?
We had all those cutesy books about puberty. We had "What to Expect When You're Expecting." I want to know, where is the durned book called "Hold onto Your Hats: Here Comes Menopause (You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet)"???????
(and yes, I am hot, but so *not* in a good way!!!)