My Soul in Shoes…..

From time to time we invite someone who we think is pretty great to write an article for us. This week my friend Lynn is our special guest blogger.

Lynn andI met about 15 years ago when I was working in New York. We have maintained contact on and off overthe years, and recently she accepted my invitation to write a guest blog. One ofthe reasons that I like Lynn so much is that she is very down to earth. Notonly is she is a Law and Order addict, but lately, for the last couple of weeksshe has bought a $5 lottery ticket. (What’s that saying, all it takes is adollar and a dream?) She hasn’t won yet, but knowing Lynn, she will. She has operatedas a CPA, Controller, and for the last 7 years, as a consultant. The consultingrole allows her pursue one of her lifelong passions, travel. She and herpartner of 14 years have visited Europe, Asia and South America in the last 9years. Her passport runneth over.

I askedLynn to write about something she was passionate about. I thought she would saysomething like she wanted to be the next Suze Orman and speak on moneymanagement, or she wanted to write about her travels. She surprised me. She choseto write about being a single woman over the age of 50, and having a life withthe man you love. I could not have asked for anything better.

Here is what shewrote. (Please note: there is some graphic and personal information here.)

MENOPAUSE

I havechosen to write about a biological life experience that women go through. I would also like to encourage the men wholove these women to be willing to learn from my article. I chose this topicbecause it was one of the most difficult periods of my life that I have had toconfront. I would never have come through it in the way that I did without a veryunderstanding, strong man who loved and supported me every step of theway.

My Family History with Menopause

I am theoldest of 4 children. My mother passedaway when I was 21, and she was 43, so I have no knowledge of her situation inthis area.

My Experience

My ownexperience with menopause started when I was about 42 years old. I amcompletely through the experience, never having been pregnant. My sister is 18months younger than me. We are now 54 and 52 years old. She has two children, buthas no menopausal symptoms. Certain reading I have done indicates that havingchildren makes a difference.

When Ihad definite irregularities in my menstrual cycle at the age of 42, I wasalarmed. I don’t mean being irregular, I mean excessive bleeding with clots. Ithought maybe I had some kind of cancer. At one point, I was changing both padsand tampons after every two to three hours. This was at a time when there wasno internet information available, like there is today.

Over thenext few years I saw several different gynecologists and each one told meeverything was normal. I didn’t think it was. When my moods started to change itwas even harder to hear that everything was normal. It didn’t make sense to me.

In theend, I started talking to women I knew. Some were the same age, some older andsome younger than me. I started learning about different experiences they had andwhat worked for them. It can be anembarrassing thing to talk about, but I find that women are either very willingto share their journey about this, or they simply say no. I made mistakes, butin the end was rewarded with the physical and mental health I enjoy today.

Advice

Here ismy advice:

· Have female friends you can sharewith about what you are experiencing and see what they can recommend.

· If you don’t have female friends,look for them.

THIS IS IMPORTANT. THEY ARE OUT THERE.

· Age is not necessarily a determiningfactor, so find a doctor you trust. It may take some time. Hang in there. . In the end it was an endocrinologist who madethe difference for me.

· Read and do research. There is noright answer for every woman.

· If you are not into diet andexercise, start. I started with WeightWatchers, and am currently doing yoga. Ihave maintained a 25 lb. weight loss, while being much stronger than I was 6years ago.

· Have your partner share in yourexperience. Share with each other what you are feeling, thinking anddoing. It could be the thing that hasthe relationship you value last for a lifetime.

Here’s the best news. Despite what you might hear or read, it’s possible to have good sexduring and after menopause. I spentthree years with no interest in sex. ButI tell you from personal experience that it can come back, and could be betterthan ever. Look out men; you just might get what youwish for!

I wishyou all the best,

Lynn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a note from moi:

I went through “the change” in my mid 40’s and it lasted less than 6 months. I didn’t even realize that I was going through it until I stopped getting my period. No sweating, no sleepless nights, no nothing. My friends and I used to joke about menopause and call it “Men on Pause”, which seemed hysterical to us at the time. None of us ever had any symptoms so we really didn’t know how other women experienced it. Every woman is different. My coaching to you is this: (and this is only IMHO)

If you have not gone through menopause yet, start discussing it with your doctor NOW.
If you are currently going through menopause and unhappy with your doctor, get a new one NOW.
ALWAYS consult your doctor if you are experiencing any discomfort.
And remember,

OH, and BTW guys, we didn’t want you to feel left out. You need to be in communication with your doctor too.

PS. We are currently undergoing a face-lift. Duh…not literally, just on our website. Thank’s for hangin’ in there with us!

Toodles,

Kimberly

PPS.
MOXIE? WTF?
You want to take this Moxie challenge!

click the checkmark dammit ✓

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