After having experienced some interesting emotional things as well as a few anxiety things, heart palpitations and so on....I decided that I must be experiencing menopause symptoms. So I Googled menopause symptoms. A web site or actually many web sites popped up that listed 35 symptoms of menopause. Wow, as I read down the list I realized that so many of these things were happening to me. So I was somewhat comforted knowing that perhaps I wasn't going crazy and somewhat scared in a way to realize how powerful these hormones are. Could it really be possible that in that very afternoon when I searched this list of 35 symptoms that I was experiencing 34 and 1/2 of them within a time span of about 2 hours on that given afternoon? It was possible. Or at least that is what I am choosing to believe in my somewhat foggy mind (symptom #12). Is the foggy thinking from not sleeping well (symptom #5) or is there not enough blood pumping to my brain due to the palpitations (symptom #2) of my menopausal heart? So I self diagnosed myself as just one of countless women passing this era of life and telling myself that I could get through this as millions of women have and carried on about the day.
I had read that exercise can help ease these lovely symptoms, so I took up cycling. Yes I ride a road bike wearing those goofy bike shorts and all. The bike shorts aren't so bad except on those days when you get a sudden bout of bloat (symptom #21). Spandex and bloat don't always make a pretty picture. Spandex with many things does not a pretty picture make. Back to biking, it's pretty fun except that another symptom is episodes of loss of balance (symptom #27), not so good on a bike. Although it was a soft fall into some kind of unprickly bush. My questions is did my achy, sore joints (symptom #16) the next day come as a result of my loss of balance or just another symptom? So anyway back to my tumble. I got myself back on my bike and continued to ride and rode for miles and miles and miles. Not so much because I wanted extra exercise but I had a disturbing memory lapse (symptom #13) and couldn't remember my way home. Oh well, the extra miles wont hurt with the recent weight gain and all (symptom #25). During this "very special season" of a woman's life this weight gain is sometimes referred to as the disappearing waist. I discovered that it doesn't so much disappear but just kind of slides down somewhere between your knee caps and ankles. Gravity is not our friend ladies, not another symptom just fact.
I can get through this hopefully without major depression (symptom #22) as that could lead to thoughts of tossing myself off a bridge somewhere and who knows what ugly outfit my husband might choose for my eternal rest. Don't get me started on the hair. As I wrap up these thoughts.......um...... oh yeah menopause, let me be of encouragement to those of you in this wondrous time of life to read the list of 35 symptoms. You might recognize many of them from your own life and remind yourself you're not crazy. Well not permanently crazy anyway. Is it me or is it really hot in here (symptom #1)?