Menopause...check

I realized I have recently completed another chapter in my life because I actually get cold and it’s uncomfortable.

This time last year I would wake up having kicked my blankets off and my skin would be cold to the touch. If someone would walk in and touch me they would have thought I was dead. That cold felt wonderful to me. Being cold felt great!

I heard women say no one talks about menopause. I don’t know why. Is it some secret? Why are people so afraid of discussing things that come along with aging? I’m 50 years old for God’s sake. My hair turned gray, my skin got wrinkles and women go through menopause.

It’s a natural progression and there shouldn’t be anything ugly or scary about any of it.

I was younger than average when I started having pre menopausal symptoms. I was 42 years old and I just ended a long term relationship so I was taking birth control pills. After a couple months of suffering strange monthly headaches I realized they only occurred the week I was not taking the pill. The pill was working like hormone replacement therapy. When I stopped taking it, I stopped having regular periods. For that matter, I’ve had maybe two periods in the last 8 years. I’ve had zero periods in the last four years.

Hallelujah! I haven’t missed it one little bit.

Hot flashes? Not for me. What I had would be described as intolerance of warm. I was too warm all the time. It didn’t take much for me to break out into a sweat. My thermostat was set at 68 degrees in the winter while I was awake and down to 58 at night. If I was cleaning or working I’d have to drop the temperature in the house until I was done and showered.

Summertime was miserable. I couldn’t move without sweating so if the A/C wasn’t on I was immobile

Sometime this January I realized I was kind of chilly in my house. I could be under my blankets at night and my feet were cold. Walking the dog wearing a thermal sweatshirt had always been normal as long as it was over 32 degrees outside. Now I was freezing my ass off and needed to wear the puffy down coat even when it was over 40 degrees.

I was cold at work. I needed to drink hot coffee and hot tea to warm up and doing so didn’t make me break out into a sweat.

So now I get cold when I would normally be warm. I’m uncomfortable when I’m cold when I used to welcome the chill. After over 8 years it certainly is different. I’m curious to see how I’m going to feel this summer.