As most of you know I am well into menopause - expotv wanted me to do a video explaining what Im going through and if I can help with some advice. I thought I had better do a blog post about it .
Expo would only let me do a short video on menopause and its way to big a subject to talk about in a 2 min video. I have had to come up with help on my own because I cant take any hormone replacement therapy. So for those of you in the same boat I am in I thought I would recomend a few things that have helped me a lot.
First I have a big problem with the hot flashes, these use to be sooo bad that I would wake up 3 times a night soaking wet and have to change my PJs. I ended up keeping a stack of PJs next to my bed so I would not have to run around at night looking for something dry to wear. Although this was helpful it did nothing to help me get some sleep.
Here are somethings I use at night to get sleep that may help you too, but not everything works for everyone of us.
1- Flaxsead oil taken before bed will lessen the nightsweats a lot at least for me. I have not had to change my PJs for a long time because I take one 1000 mg flaxseed oil gel cap a night before bed. I get the nature made its great.
2- Estroven night caps, these are really good and work well to not only help you with night sweats but also to help you sleep. I take one of these a night. You can buy them for a great deal if you get a 3 pack off amazon. I do thins so I never run out because their will be no sleeping for me if I do.
All of these thing as well as the ceiling fan on all night really helps. Try and get some wicking wear T shirts so that when you do get a hotflash it will wick the moisture off your body and cool it a bit.
The big problem with Wicking wear is its really pricey. Sometimes you can sub flannel with it if you live in a cold climate or if you live where the air conditioner is constantly on as it is in Florida.
The problem with fans and air is that until you control the night sweats you really cant use them, you will get chilled to the bone if you are all sweaty but the initial hotflash has gone and your left with wet and cold its very unpleasant trust me.
The 3 day rule
I have a lot of problem with mood swings too. One thing that does help me is the supplement Cocoawell it should be taken in the morning because it will also provide energy as well. It has the ability to help with stress which is a major problem for me.
I use to be so thick skinned that nothing much bothered me and I was a very happy person. Now with menopause this is not the case and I find that little things can really spoil my day.
I do a lot of praying and this helps a lot. What also helps is to write down what you are feeling daily in a diary.
I have found by tracking this that its a 3 day rule. If you feel crabby you will be crabby for 3 days and than it will change. I have found this to be the case in a whole lot of menopause problems.
for me its Three days for moods happy, depressed, manic and blah, also some day I will have sever hotflashes (you will always get hotflashes but some days of the month will be worse) 3 days for being really happy and elated. some days just plain disinterested in anything but TV . So if you are like me maybe this will apply to you as well. Its very helpful to know that in 3 days you will change to a different mood and that nothing lasts forever with it. Your next happy mood may only be 3 days away:)
Also Moods can vary, I do not get to much depression but I'm big on being just plain mean. I hate this, I really do. but its so uncontrollable sometimes and even though I'm not having a period anymore I still think my body is effected by a cycle of some kind. I even sometimes have cramps for a few days and nothing but a bad mood to show for it. Funny thing is I never had bad moods when I was having regular periods and I only had few cramps. sometimes I would be caught by surprise by a period with no symptoms to give me warning. Its seems I'm making up for this now with menopause :( More than anything I hate being crabby its the menopause symptom I hate the most
Now as far as Cocoawell supplement goes its very good at helping you not be crazy mean like I was for about 9 months. I take it everyday. That being said somedays it will just be overwhelmed and not work as well.Thise days are in the cycle of 3 I Told you about. Here is a photo of the kind of Cocoawell I take . Amazon sometimes has this in stock at a better price.
weight gain . wow is this ever annoying. I have gained 30 lbs since this all started and can no longer just eat anything and not do exercises. I have found out that fat is a big problem around my stomach and hips and so far I have no real answer for this.
I seem to gain weight even on a strict diet.
I was always able to burn fat rather well but now I am not able to at all and most of my cloths are not fitting well and I have had to put many away in bins in the hope of fitting in them again.
We do not have extra money for cloths so I have to make due but its really hard and often a real point of frustration for me. I exercise 20 min a day, so far I have not lost any weight just firmed up a bit. I am 5 foot tall and about 130 lbs now which dose not look so great when its all in my stomach and hips. I do not have one pair of jeans that fit me now and I end up wearing yoga pants for comfort. So as far as advice about weight gain, I have no advice that is currently working to my satisfaction to offer. :(
Pray for help I cant stress this enough praying will help you center your thoughts and make your requests know to the Lord who designed our bodies to work the way they do. If something is off or a problem ask him to fix it so you can go through this easily. This continues to help me a great deal. The Lord knows what you are going through and can make it so your stress level is easier to control. He and only he can really balance your hormones so they are in the proper proportions. I have had so much less problems asking the Lord to help me over come this problem that I consider it a miracle that I am so much better than what I was before praying about it.
Well thats some of my very best advice You are very welcome to leave a comment or email me and Ill help you however I can with this. And if you have something that works for you I would love to hear about it. Thanks for reading :)