A chocolate fish for anyone who figured out my struggles with overheating in bed this summer was an early sign of menopause. I’ve hesitated to post about this, but in honour of my Mum who went through it and never talked about it, and because I’m doing a gyne list this morning, I’m thinking Let’s Hear From The Wimmin! Yeah, right on. But don’t be afraid, there won’t be any gory gynaecological details because hot flushes are my only symptoms so far. Except maybe a bad memory, short temper, and irritability. Wait… is that new? Abject apologies* to anyone who still thinks the subject is too icky to talk about.
It only became obvious last week, when I started getting hot flushes during the daytime for the first time. I don’t find them particularly unpleasant actually, and toyed with the idea of trying to deal with it without medication – for about half a day. Non medical treatments available, so I am informed, include giving up tea and coffee, alcohol, and sugary or spicy foods – just about everything that makes life worth living, in short. Sod that for a lark.
I had a bit of practice with what flushes might feel like years ago when I was pregnant with the twins who were trying to kill me with pre eclampsia. The team gave me an IV injection of magnesium, and it caused instantaneous blood vessel dilation all over my body, even my tongue. It was ghastly, like being on fire. I almost punched the midwife. (Could this be the title of a new TV series? Something like “Call the midwife… a cow” I would watch it.) So I knew what all over vasodilation felt like. With a hot flush, you can feel when it’s about to start and then whoosh! It comes over you like wave – or maybe a power surge. It’s like blushing all over. Like I say, it’s actually not too bad – far less unpleasant than magnesium – but the problem is not being able to sleep at night. So, being a firm believer in “better living through chemistry “ or “a pill for every ill”, I’ve started back on the oral contraceptive pill. I really hope I’ve got my diagnosis right, because all the other possible causes of night sweats are pretty dire – malaria, lymphoma, tuberculosis. Wish me luck!
And don’t worry – I’m still the vital, dynamic, sensual woman I’ve always been (or shall I say rather, I have those features as much now as I ever have in the past).
*not really