Help & advice for a newbie please - Menopause Message Board

oliveoil54 · 01-11-2007, 03:05 AM

After reading all these posts it’s so nice to know I’m not alone. My Ma-in-Law, who is of the old school, believes I’m making a mountain out of a mole hill; she thinks we should just get on with it and suffer in silence. I have this plan where 1st I’m going to pull out all her nails one by one, then bury her alive

, then maybe she’d take me seriously!

I’m a 21 year old inhabiting a 53 year old overweight body (with a spare tyre which would easily fit a tractor)! My confidence is at rock bottom especially when my face lights up like a belesha beacon, I’m sure everyone in the room is staring.

Since starting the menopause at 49, I just don’t seem to have the incentive to be able to loose weight & keep it off. Each New Year I make the same resolution & am unable to stick to it. Apart from loosing weight, my major ambition is just to get a good night’s sleep. Hot flushes and the need to go to the loo (I have tested negative for diabetes) every 2 hours during the night, make me exhausted

during the day and its back to the same cycle at night.

I was proscribed Clonidine 25mg 3 x daily, this had no effect on the hot flushes, so the Doc suggested I double the dose to 6 a day. I was like a zombie during the day, and no difference to the nights, so they are now in the bin! I am also taking Maca 500mg x 8 a day, I originally got these to help with my lack of sex drive, believe me a cup of tea & a good book is more exciting! I’ve been taking them for about 3 weeks but not felt any effect on the sex drive or the hot flushes as yet.

Any suggestion or miracles will be welcome, preferably nothing which would re-introduce my periods which stopped about a year ago.

liverpool sue · 01-11-2007, 10:31 AM

hi oliveoil (good name incidently). i think many women of your mother-in-law's generation are of the same mind, not all mind you, my mum was very open and talked to me about lots of stuff. but i know a few of my aunts who always seemed grumpy, hot, tired, etc., and never talked about menopause at all. such a shame really, because maybe if they had talked about it, they'd have felt better and friends/family would have been more understanding. to a certain extent, maybe the 'stiff upper lip' works, no-one likes a person who moans all the time, but talking about things really does help, doesn't it? especially with someone who's either going through the same, or already gone through it. so it's a good job you found this site, because everyone listens and has something to say, and almost always in a nice, positive way.
have you looked at the natural solutions at the top of this board? if you have a good read of it you'll see there's a number of supplements which may help your symptoms. magnesium, calcium, fish oil, etc., really have helped me, just over the counter stuff that doesn't interfere with periods but honestly does help the symptoms, but you do need to take them for a few months so they really get into your system. maybe other ladies here have other tips, so it's worth having a good read of all the topics.
hope this helps.

sue

Wizard · 01-11-2007, 11:39 AM

I just love the image of you pulling out Ma-in-laws fingernails one at a time lol.

I have to second the idea of adding fish oils, flax seed oil etc into your diet. It can really help you maintain a positive mind frame during all this. I also take B Stress complex to help with anxiety, magnesium (helps to relax before bed), and I also use natural progesterone cream (although this is not for everyone).

You might want to consider what you're drinking before bed. I found that anything with caffeine in it had me peeing all night long. I had to go to a decaffeinated tea before bed.

oliveoil54 · 01-11-2007, 11:42 AM

Hi Sue
This site must be a life saver its just so good to have someone to chat to who understands exactly how I feel. My husband has been really supportive, but cant really understand, and as he has Lyme disease I try not to go on too much.

Yes I have checked out the Natural solutions post - Fish oil seems to be well recommended, do you think they will help with the hot flushes? Not sure whether to continue with the Maca as there were a few comments re being ineffective, and one post seemed to indicate it can cause insomnia and not getting a good night's flushless sleep is my biggest problem. Are both magnesium & calcium beneficial to a good nights sleep?
Pat

liverpool sue · 01-11-2007, 01:11 PM

hi again. yep, i believe from what i've read here, that magnesium, calcium and fish oil are supposed to help with sleep and relaxation. i've never been a good sleeper myself but have got used to having maybe 3 nights a week where i hardly seem to sleep at all, but then the rest of the week my body catches up and i'm so tired i sleep better for a night or two. whereas i used to worry about it, now i just go with the flow. at various times in my life when i've had an occasional need for sleeping tablets (after surgery), even they don't have much affect on me, think i'm just nosey and my mind won't switch off!! just lately, i've been going to bed maybe an hour later and then reading for anything up to an hour, and i do find i'm falling asleep a bit better, rather than lying there, tossing and turning and worrying about not sleeping - it's a vicious circle isn't it?
i take these supplements in an all-in-one pill, specially formulated for menopausal women, although i'm sure you could buy them all seperately and vary the amount of each one depending on what you think you need.
stay cool (that's a joke, right?)

sue