April 4, 2024 • 25 mins
A little life perimenopause life update The symptoms, visits to doctors, hormone treatments, and the emotional challenges of this life stage. I hope this chat helps you as much as sharing this helps me!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey, everyone.
Welcome back to how it's reallygoing with Shannon wrecker.
And today I am just here with abit of a life update.
I'm going to talk about a coupleof things.
We're going to talk about.
Menopause, because I'd love toupdate you on some things that
have happened in that space.
I know a lot of you listening tothis podcast are struggling with
menopause yourself.
Perimenopause menopause, all thethings.
(00:22):
And I want to just, yeah, justtalk about a couple other things
that have been going on and havebeen on my mind.
And it's funny because with thispodcast, I always feel like I
need to come on with a specifictopic because that's how I've
just always been trained to doanything in this kind of space.
And I realized that I cansometimes just even come on here
and turn on the mic and justtalk about all kinds of
(00:43):
different things.
And it doesn't have to be aspecific thing and it's more
just of a life update and it'sfor me to just share and.
Get it off my mind and chest andget it out there into the world.
And it's up to you guys.
If you decide you like it andwant to listen to it.
And that's where I just need tolet go.
And so.
That'll be something part ofwhat we're going to talk about
(01:04):
today.
So we're going to do a littleperimenopause menopause update.
We're gonna talk about lettinggo.
Just some of the things thathave happened in my life.
Because of letting go.
Yeah.
And we'll see, what else, whatelse I touch on?
But to start, I would love toupdate you guys on where I'm at
with this whole menopause thing.
That episode that I did, where Italked about menopause and
(01:26):
perimenopause and the symptomsand the struggles and all that
stuff.
Was probably the most respondedto episode I've ever created.
And I think that's because it isa really hot topic right now.
I think there's a lot of womenin this 40 to 50 age group.
There must be a lot of us outthere because I think we are
creating a movement.
In the sense that.
(01:47):
On social media.
It's like a huge topic.
We, and maybe it's just becauseI'm in the algorithm of it
because I'm clicking on videosand following people who are
talking about this stuff.
But I do feel like it isactually a movement that's
happening right now because themedical space.
Just needs to catch up.
They need to catch up.
So.
(02:07):
For me, I, as you guys know, inthat last episode, I talked
about the struggles that I wasdealing with, the violent mood
swings, the not sleeping.
Just the depression, feeling,the sadness, all that kind of
stuff.
I also have skin rashes.
I have weight gain.
I have.
Just tiredness, just all thethings.
(02:28):
There's so many things.
And I will say.
I am doing things to help to tryand help mitigate those
symptoms.
I am trying to clean up my diet.
I am taking vitamins minerals,all kinds of.
I mean, I take more pills now inthe morning than I've ever taken
my entire life.
I work out minimum three times aweek, lifting weights.
I walk my dog every day, I hadbought a weighted vest to help
(02:51):
without all the things I'mtrying to get to bed by no later
than 9 30, 10 o'clock.
I am doing all of the thingsthat I can physically do for me
personally.
To help mitigate symptoms andall that stuff.
When it comes to just, trying tobe healthier.
But it doesn't always work.
It's not.
I don't think that personally, Idon't think that it's something
(03:14):
that you can cure just by beinghealthy.
I think hormones there's a lotwe can do with hormones with our
physical, habits.
But I do believe that there arethings that just, just, just
are, they just are what they areand we need to get support for
those things.
And so I did go to my doctor.
(03:34):
My doctor was, doing the bestthat he could with what he was
trained to do, which is part ofthe problem is that there's not
really any training for generalpractitioners when it comes to
menopause.
There's not really any studiesthat have been done on women.
Oh around menopause.
And so it's, it's no fault ofour general practitioners.
(03:55):
I don't think because I just,from what I understand is the
education just isn't there.
So they're a little bit lost andhow to, to work with us.
And so.
My doctor did the best that hecould with what he knew and what
he had at his disposal.
To be able to help me.
But it was really a struggle.
I, right now I am.
(04:16):
As far as I got with him, I wason birth control for a year,
which definitely made adifference in my mood swings,
but it just made everythingfeel, sort of blend bland, blah.
So it just made everything andit just wasn't.
It was okay.
So got off that.
I moved to a vaginal estrogen.
(04:37):
Which is a gel that you have,it's like a cream you put in
your vagina.
I don't know that I, I don'tknow exactly.
I've tried to figure out exactlywhat it's doing.
He did mention that it couldpotentially help with my mood
swings and stuff.
Aye.
I would say it's okay.
(04:58):
But mostly those kinds of creamsare meant for things like
dryness and, there's lots ofother symptoms down there that
can happen, which I don't haveany of those.
So.
I think it's doing something,but I'm not really sure.
Like I just kind of feel alittle bit unsure about what
it's actually doing, becauseit's a vaginal estrogen.
It only affects the area.
(05:19):
It's not something that's, Iguess they call.
Systemic like a systemic hormonewould go through your whole body
through your bloodstream where avaginal estrogen, the estrogen
is just contained into that areais how I understand it.
So it just helps with things inthat area, but he did mention
something about potentially ithelping my mood swings.
So I don't know.
(05:40):
I don't know.
I don't know.
I just do it because I don'tknow.
Anyhow.
So from there.
I got a referral to another, anOB GYN.
Who.
Then their office called me andsaid they were full and they had
no room for me.
So then they moved me to the OBGYN residency clinic at the
(06:04):
hospital.
I'm not sure exactly what'sgoing to come at that
appointment because I'm hopefulthe fact that they're residents
and it's a residency clinic.
It is overseen by a, obviously adoctor.
But an OB GYN, but I'm hopingthat there's new research and
new information and new options.
That may come from that when Igo.
(06:26):
But I haven't gone yet.
It's going to, it's still acouple weeks away.
So.
Until then.
So what I did in between is Idiscovered online.
Through social media.
It was actually, Instagram waswhere I saw the ad for a company
called Felix health.
And I'm not affiliated withthem.
I do have a referral link.
For them.
(06:46):
Which I will put in the shownotes, but I'm not being paid to
talk to, to you about Felixhealth.
I literally stumbled upon it onInstagram.
They have a menopausal support.
System in place at Felix health.
And I I have a referral linkthat gives anybody who wants to
go down the road with Felix andhave a get there, get support
(07:09):
from them.
It gives you$40 off theconsultation fee, which is$99.
So I will put that in the shownotes.
You're welcome to use it.
I don't get a kickback from it.
I think I get put into a draw towin a prize or something.
If you use my link, that's it.
So anyhow, I went through theprocess with them.
And so basically what you do isyou take the survey.
(07:32):
There's a survey that you gothrough.
It's.
It's very long, extensivequestionnaire.
You give them all theinformation about you and your
medications you're on and yourhealth history and all that kind
of stuff.
Same kind of things.
A doctor would ask you if youwere in a doctor's office.
And you get once you're done.
You that goes into their systemand a nurse practitioner reviews
(07:54):
the information.
And the nurse practitionerresponds to you through their
online system and gives you her.
Prescription.
Recommendations.
So from that you then agree toaccept the prescription and then
you pay the fee.
So you pay for the prescriptionand you pay the$99.
(08:15):
Or if you use my link, it's$50.
And from there, they you talk tothe practitioner, you go back
and forth, you ask questions andwhatever.
And then once you're done, thenthey send out the prescription.
And so for me, I did this.
And I got after going throughthat, my nurse practitioner
recommended that I be onprogesterone because I was
(08:37):
already on the vaginal estrogen.
They recommended progesterone.
So I said, yes.
And then within a matter ofthree days, the progesterone was
delivered to my door.
I have been taking theprogesterone for almost a month.
Now you take it at night beforeyou go to bed.
I'm on a hundred milligrams ofprogesterone.
And I will say, and I wasn'tsure because when I first
started taking the progesterone.
(08:59):
I was J was just after my cycle.
So I still get a cycle I'mhaving, I've only missed two
periods in a row and that's it.
I now they're back in thereevery month.
Again.
I thought for sure.
When I missed those two in arow, I was like, sweet.
I'm on my way to menopause.
But that wasn't the case.
I ended up getting it back.
So yay me.
So anyways, I was at the end ofmy period when I started taking
(09:23):
the progesterone.
And if you guys are familiarwith your cycle, which I've
literally just gotten familiarwith this concept now in the
last five years, I'd say.
Is after you have your period,those first two weeks after your
period, or like the spring andsummer of your cycle, where
things feel good and you feelgood and you're happy.
And like, everything's great.
(09:45):
And then the two weeks beforeyour cycle are like fallen
winter, where the mood swingstart to set in, you start to
feel like garbage, you're tired.
And then the week before yourperiod, you're even more tired
and everything.
And then your period comes andthe cycle repeats.
So when I started taking theprogesterone, I was in my spring
and summer weeks of my cycle.
(10:05):
So I was feeling better and Ihad take, started taking the
progesterone and I was likewaking up in the morning and I
was feeling better.
And everything, but I was like,yeah, but is it working or is it
just because I'm at this goodstage of my cycle?
So I was waiting for the fallwinter weeks to come to see if I
was noticing, still noticing adifference.
(10:26):
And so what I find with theprogesterone now that I'm taking
this is that the, it has takenthe edge off.
Of the anxiety waking up withanxiety, waking up with that
feeling of like irritability andlike anger.
And like those, like, I wouldwake up with that already
running through my system.
(10:47):
Like I would already wake upfeeling annoyed.
Feeling anxious.
Like pissed off with the world,annoyed with the dog, annoyed
with my husband.
Like I woke up like that.
This is how I started my day.
And I will say that I don't, Ifeel like it's taken the edge
off.
I won't, I'm not going to saythat it's removed it completely.
(11:08):
And I wake up super happy.
But I will say I wake up with aMo.
A greater reduced amount ofanxiety and irritability, and I
feel.
Just better when I wake up.
So I do feel like theprogesterone has made a
difference.
And I'm still uncertain aboutthe estrogen I'm going to, when
(11:29):
I go to the OB GYN clinic in thecouple of weeks here, I'm going
to ask them about what it'sactually doing and is that the
right estrogen from errors or adifferent one that I could be
on.
But cause it's not really.
It's.
I mean, it's okay.
It's you got to, yeah, it's awhole process and it has some
not so great side effects, butwhatever.
For now I'll just stay thecourse.
(11:51):
So, but the progesterone, I havereally noticed a difference and
I do feel like it also hashelped me sleep a little bit
better.
I don't think I'm waking up asmuch in the evening as I used to
be.
And so I take it at night with Itake it with my magnesium.
So every night I take aprogesterone pill and a
magnesium pill.
And that has made a differencein how I sleep.
(12:13):
And also, and how I feel when Iwake up in the morning.
So for now, I still have my skinrashes.
I still, I'm still dealing withfatigue.
I still deal with.
Joint pain.
I'm still dealing with some,the, some of the main issues.
I still get irritable and Istill have those moments for
sure.
But I feel like it's a littlebetter.
(12:37):
A little better and I've hadlots of people reach out to me.
About taking hormones and thiswhole like synthetic hormones,
are they bad for you and breastcancer, all that stuff.
And I'm not a doctor.
So this is not medical advice atall.
You obviously always want tospeak to your doctor, but I have
seen through, Dr.
Mary, Claire Haber, and some ofthe other.
(12:57):
Women, I follow on Instagramthat they do have so much more
research now that really justshows that the hormones that
we're taking are not.
Hurting us.
They're actually helping toprotect our bones.
They're helping to protect ourheart.
They're helping us in ways that.
Far outweigh, any of, the thingsand a lot of the things that we
(13:21):
used to think that hormones weredoing to us, like increasing our
risk of cancer has actually beendebunked.
So again, Don't take my word forit.
Talk to your doctor, but I'veseen lots of information out
there about how it's doing morefor us than it is hurting us.
And so.
something to think about.
If you really struggling withsymptoms.
(13:42):
And you're really struggling,with, the things that I've
talked about and more I knowsome people I've seen people on
social media talk about.
depression to the point of,,Like really severe depression
and stuff like that.
And it's, we don't have to livethat way.
We don't have to live that way.
And I would rather see someonetake something to help them live
(14:03):
a more satisfaction, like.
A life that's.
At least, I'd rather seesomeone.
be able to take something andenjoy a good quality of life
than to be miserable, andfearful that something might
happen.
when there's lots of informationthat shows that it's.
If there's a good chance, itwon't happen.
So anyways, I hope you get whatI'm saying there.
(14:25):
Always talk to your doctorfirst, but I have personally
noticed a difference.
Since taking a specifically thatprogesterone really noticed a
difference.
So that's something that I'vebeen doing.
Again, it's not like end all beall cure kind of thing for
menopause.
And I don't think there isanything.
(14:46):
I think that there is.
This is something we have togrow through.
And I did see something though.
That I was really excited about.
I've seen a few articles aboutthis, talking about how
actually, when we get tomenopause, like post-menopausal.
That we are actually, we canactually be happier than we've
(15:07):
ever been in our entire lives.
When we get to that stage.
And I I sent it to my husbandand he was like, oh, so there's
hope.
I was like, there's hope.
cause like, this is very tryingon our relationship.
this has been hard for me.
I know it's been really hard formy husband.
(15:28):
Probably even a bit difficultfor my kids to, to watch, to see
their mom, be miserable too.
And.
It's been hard, it has beenhard.
And to know that there is alight at the end of this tunnel
is something that I hold ontodearly.
Because it is not easy.
And there's so many aspects tothis part of life and I've had
(15:51):
some conversations with somefriends about it.
Even about like relationships,not even just with your husband,
but relationships with friends,like friend, group
relationships, and, Relationshipwith your career and your job
and there's so many.
Changes that are happening.
And I know one of the one of thedoctors out there who I follow
(16:11):
and let me just look her up.
Cause she just wrote a book andI just bought it.
She's all over the internetright now.
Dr.
Mosconi and Lisa Mosconi and shetalks about her book is called.
Let me just see if I can get itup here.
The menopause brain, I justbought it.
I haven't gone through it all.
But she talks about how our it'sactually our brains that are
(16:36):
changing more so than ourovaries and our reproductive
system.
Our actual brains are changing.
As women and going through thisstage of life.
And this is why this feels likeso big.
Like, one of the things that Iread you guys obviously can
tell, I read a lot of things andwatching a lot of things online.
(16:58):
But it was about how.
Women don't feel likethemselves.
That was the first sort of signthat I was going through.
Something was, I just didn'tfeel like myself.
I felt like.
I felt like I just was in thislike weird space of not even
knowing who I was and not evenknowing what I wanted anymore
and just feeling like.
(17:20):
Yeah, just feeling like I wasjust not sure of who I was or
what I was doing.
And that is something that inthis article, and that was
something that Dr.
Mary Claire Haber posted about.
I recently put it in my storieswas about.
How many women go to the doctorsaying that they don't feel like
themselves and like that's thefirst sort of sign.
(17:40):
That we're going throughsomething big, like we're going
through something huge here andit's just seems to be in
society.
It just seems to be disregardedas.
hot flashes and night sweats.
Like I don't even get thosethings.
I'm not even really getting hotflashes or night sweats.
Maybe it's because of my vaginalestrogen.
I don't know.
But I don't really get those,but man, do I get all the other
(18:03):
things?
And those are like, it's tough.
They're really tough.
And you it's, like I say, it'shard on your relationships with
your family, but also yourfriendship relationships,
because.
When you don't feel likeyourself?
I know for me and with my friendgroups, I just don't feel like I
fit in anymore.
(18:23):
I feel like I just don't.
Belong.
I just feel like I don't haveconnection with anyone anymore.
I feel like I'm like on thislittle life.
Raft.
Oh, by myself going through thisthing that nobody understands.
I don't have the same.
I don't know, like, I used tohave a nickname called fun
Shana, and that was the funperson that came out when we
(18:46):
would go out and, maybe have acouple of drinks and party and
whatever.
It's like, she doesn't evenexist anymore.
I don't even, I couldn't evenpull her up.
Even if I tried.
Like alcohol is just, doesn't dothe same things for me anymore.
I just don't feel like I don'tenjoy it.
I get massively hung over in thenext day.
It's like three days to recover.
(19:06):
So it's like, when I'm out withmy friends, I just feel like I'm
so guarded and so uncertain ofwho I am and how I relate and
then I don't want to drink.
And then everybody else, it'sjust like this weird fucking
space we move into.
And it's really difficult, butthen to know that.
When we get to the other side ofthis, and unfortunately the
(19:28):
other side could be anywherefrom five to 10 years, if not
sometimes even longer.
Away.
But when we do get to the otherside of it, that to know that.
There's a new level ofhappiness.
It's just comforting to knowthat when we get to the other
side of all of this, that.
There is another level ofhappiness and really knowing who
(19:50):
we are.
And I think that's why you hearstories about older people, in
their seventies and eighties,and they, they give you all this
wise advice about not to worrywhat other people think and all
that kind of stuff I think isbecause they just hit that, that
level of.
Really knowing who they are andnot letting those little things
worry them anymore and notletting all of this stuff, that
(20:11):
life sort of throws at you.
make it mean anything.
They're just content and they'rehappy and, and they're just
enjoying the life that theyhave.
And so, That's just kinda niceto know,, is what I'm getting
at.
It's such a transition and untilsomebody in it.
It's really hard to explain it.
And I think that's why when I dothese episodes, I get such a
(20:34):
response from you all becauseyou, if you were going through
it, you can relate to what I'msaying.
And it feels like.
Somebody like beside you going,I get it.
I see it.
I hear you.
I feel you, you're not alone.
And if you're not here yet, itmight be something that you
don't even want to hear becauseyou're not ready to start
dealing with it.
(20:54):
And you're not ready to startthinking about it.
And I don't blame you.
I, it is a, it's a sad thingbecause here's the thing for me
on top of all of this.
And top of all of this.
I have two older children.
One's 22 and the other one'sturning 20 this year.
Who are leaving the nest and my22 year old actually moved out a
(21:17):
year ago.
And my 20 year old is movingout.
In a couple of weeks.
And that's another whole thingthat parents go through, but
women.
On top of being peri-menopausepuzzle.
And for me anyways, I'm 48 and Ihave, I had my kids younger.
(21:37):
I had my first one, I was 26 andthen Dylan, I had, when she was,
when I was.
28, 29.
So I was bit younger, but you'reat the age, like I'm at the age
of going through perimenopauseand.
Grieving this loss.
Not, not that my kids are gone.
They're here still, but youdon't see them everyday.
(21:58):
I see my kids once or twice aweek.
My older two, I still have myyounger one at home, which is
great, but there is a whole sortof grieving process that you go
through when your kids leave thenest and they go either go off
to school or move out with theirfriends or whatever, where
you're not seeing them everyday.
And so you're dealing with thaton top of everything else.
(22:19):
It's like the timing of this isjust impeccable.
I also know some friends.
Who had their kids a bit later.
And they're going throughmenopause perimenopause while
they have 14, 15 year olddaughters, which is also a
deadly combination becauseyou've got hormonal teenagers.
And then you're a hormonalparents.
(22:40):
It's like a crazy mixture.
I'm grateful that I wasn't inthat perimenopause stage.
While my daughter was goingthrough that.
Transition herself.
I'm grateful for that, but Idefinitely am feeling the
extremeness of the fact thatthey're moving out while I'm in
this stage too.
So it's like dealing with.
(23:02):
It's like this whole transitionis.
Of perimenopause is as womenwe're moving from.
From making and creating babiesto no longer being able to do
that from being caregivers andtaking care of people to no
longer having people to takecare of.
And we're being left toourselves.
It's like, okay, you don't haveto do anything anymore.
(23:23):
Now it's just you.
Who are you?
And what do you want?
And you're like, fuck, I don'tknow.
I can't even think straight.
My brain fog is so thick.
I'm sad.
I'm depressed, I'm angry.
I'm all of these things.
And now you want me to alsofigure out who I am and what do
I want?
I don't fucking know.
I'm just trying to get throughthe day right now.
And I think that whole, thiswhole process is that.
(23:46):
Is us figuring out who we areand what we want in life.
And I think that's what we get.
When we get to the other side ofthis is we get to really
discover who we are and what wewant.
And then we get to go there anddo that and be that.
And that's why there's that nextlevel of happiness that comes
through once we're there.
And so it's this messy middlepart.
(24:08):
And we're not stuck here.
It's just, it may take longerfor some of us to get through it
than others.
But at the end of the day, Thereare things we can do to get
support through this time.
And if you are somebody who'sjust trying to slog through it.
I mean everybody to each hisown, but to know that there is
things out there like Felixhealth, if you're struggling to
(24:30):
get help from your doctor.
there are hormone therapyreplacement, things that you can
take.
To help you feel better that aresafe and that actually do so
much more good.
Then than what we used to think,and those things are out there
for us.
And like I say, if you'restruggling with your doctor,
then try something like Felixhealth, if you feel comfortable
(24:51):
doing that, I felt I had a greatexperience with it.
I have a nurse practitioner thatI can message anytime with
questions.
My prescription just gotrefilled.
It's going to be delivered todayto my door, So in the pricing
was reasonable.
there are options out there foryou.
And so I think I'm going toleave it at that today.
Just an update on the wholeperimenopausal thing.
I was going to talk aboutsomething else, but I have been
(25:13):
jabbering on for a long timenow.
So I'm going to leave it atthat.
That's my little life update andI hope that.
Wherever you are in your worldright now that things are going
well, that you are good, thatyou are healthy.
And yeah, I look forward tochatting with you next time.
So until then have a great day,everyone.
We'll talk to you soon.
Bye.
For now.
Hey, everyone.
Welcome back to how it's reallygoing with Shannon wrecker.
And today I am just here with abit of a life update.
I'm going to talk about a coupleof things.
We're going to talk about.
Menopause, because I'd love toupdate you on some things that
have happened in that space.
I know a lot of you listening tothis podcast are struggling with
menopause yourself.
Perimenopause menopause, all thethings.
(00:22):
And I want to just, yeah, justtalk about a couple other things
that have been going on and havebeen on my mind.
And it's funny because with thispodcast, I always feel like I
need to come on with a specifictopic because that's how I've
just always been trained to doanything in this kind of space.
And I realized that I cansometimes just even come on here
and turn on the mic and justtalk about all kinds of
(00:43):
different things.
And it doesn't have to be aspecific thing and it's more
just of a life update and it'sfor me to just share and.
Get it off my mind and chest andget it out there into the world.
And it's up to you guys.
If you decide you like it andwant to listen to it.
And that's where I just need tolet go.
And so.
That'll be something part ofwhat we're going to talk about
(01:04):
today.
So we're going to do a littleperimenopause menopause update.
We're gonna talk about lettinggo.
Just some of the things thathave happened in my life.
Because of letting go.
Yeah.
And we'll see, what else, whatelse I touch on?
But to start, I would love toupdate you guys on where I'm at
with this whole menopause thing.
That episode that I did, where Italked about menopause and
(01:26):
perimenopause and the symptomsand the struggles and all that
stuff.
Was probably the most respondedto episode I've ever created.
And I think that's because it isa really hot topic right now.
I think there's a lot of womenin this 40 to 50 age group.
There must be a lot of us outthere because I think we are
creating a movement.
In the sense that.
(01:47):
On social media.
It's like a huge topic.
We, and maybe it's just becauseI'm in the algorithm of it
because I'm clicking on videosand following people who are
talking about this stuff.
But I do feel like it isactually a movement that's
happening right now because themedical space.
Just needs to catch up.
They need to catch up.
So.
(02:07):
For me, I, as you guys know, inthat last episode, I talked
about the struggles that I wasdealing with, the violent mood
swings, the not sleeping.
Just the depression, feeling,the sadness, all that kind of
stuff.
I also have skin rashes.
I have weight gain.
I have.
Just tiredness, just all thethings.
(02:28):
There's so many things.
And I will say.
I am doing things to help to tryand help mitigate those
symptoms.
I am trying to clean up my diet.
I am taking vitamins minerals,all kinds of.
I mean, I take more pills now inthe morning than I've ever taken
my entire life.
I work out minimum three times aweek, lifting weights.
I walk my dog every day, I hadbought a weighted vest to help
(02:51):
without all the things I'mtrying to get to bed by no later
than 9 30, 10 o'clock.
I am doing all of the thingsthat I can physically do for me
personally.
To help mitigate symptoms andall that stuff.
When it comes to just, trying tobe healthier.
But it doesn't always work.
It's not.
I don't think that personally, Idon't think that it's something
(03:14):
that you can cure just by beinghealthy.
I think hormones there's a lotwe can do with hormones with our
physical, habits.
But I do believe that there arethings that just, just, just
are, they just are what they areand we need to get support for
those things.
And so I did go to my doctor.
(03:34):
My doctor was, doing the bestthat he could with what he was
trained to do, which is part ofthe problem is that there's not
really any training for generalpractitioners when it comes to
menopause.
There's not really any studiesthat have been done on women.
Oh around menopause.
And so it's, it's no fault ofour general practitioners.
(03:55):
I don't think because I just,from what I understand is the
education just isn't there.
So they're a little bit lost andhow to, to work with us.
And so.
My doctor did the best that hecould with what he knew and what
he had at his disposal.
To be able to help me.
But it was really a struggle.
I, right now I am.
(04:16):
As far as I got with him, I wason birth control for a year,
which definitely made adifference in my mood swings,
but it just made everythingfeel, sort of blend bland, blah.
So it just made everything andit just wasn't.
It was okay.
So got off that.
I moved to a vaginal estrogen.
(04:37):
Which is a gel that you have,it's like a cream you put in
your vagina.
I don't know that I, I don'tknow exactly.
I've tried to figure out exactlywhat it's doing.
He did mention that it couldpotentially help with my mood
swings and stuff.
Aye.
I would say it's okay.
(04:58):
But mostly those kinds of creamsare meant for things like
dryness and, there's lots ofother symptoms down there that
can happen, which I don't haveany of those.
So.
I think it's doing something,but I'm not really sure.
Like I just kind of feel alittle bit unsure about what
it's actually doing, becauseit's a vaginal estrogen.
It only affects the area.
(05:19):
It's not something that's, Iguess they call.
Systemic like a systemic hormonewould go through your whole body
through your bloodstream where avaginal estrogen, the estrogen
is just contained into that areais how I understand it.
So it just helps with things inthat area, but he did mention
something about potentially ithelping my mood swings.
So I don't know.
(05:40):
I don't know.
I don't know.
I just do it because I don'tknow.
Anyhow.
So from there.
I got a referral to another, anOB GYN.
Who.
Then their office called me andsaid they were full and they had
no room for me.
So then they moved me to the OBGYN residency clinic at the
(06:04):
hospital.
I'm not sure exactly what'sgoing to come at that
appointment because I'm hopefulthe fact that they're residents
and it's a residency clinic.
It is overseen by a, obviously adoctor.
But an OB GYN, but I'm hopingthat there's new research and
new information and new options.
That may come from that when Igo.
(06:26):
But I haven't gone yet.
It's going to, it's still acouple weeks away.
So.
Until then.
So what I did in between is Idiscovered online.
Through social media.
It was actually, Instagram waswhere I saw the ad for a company
called Felix health.
And I'm not affiliated withthem.
I do have a referral link.
For them.
(06:46):
Which I will put in the shownotes, but I'm not being paid to
talk to, to you about Felixhealth.
I literally stumbled upon it onInstagram.
They have a menopausal support.
System in place at Felix health.
And I I have a referral linkthat gives anybody who wants to
go down the road with Felix andhave a get there, get support
(07:09):
from them.
It gives you$40 off theconsultation fee, which is$99.
So I will put that in the shownotes.
You're welcome to use it.
I don't get a kickback from it.
I think I get put into a draw towin a prize or something.
If you use my link, that's it.
So anyhow, I went through theprocess with them.
And so basically what you do isyou take the survey.
(07:32):
There's a survey that you gothrough.
It's.
It's very long, extensivequestionnaire.
You give them all theinformation about you and your
medications you're on and yourhealth history and all that kind
of stuff.
Same kind of things.
A doctor would ask you if youwere in a doctor's office.
And you get once you're done.
You that goes into their systemand a nurse practitioner reviews
(07:54):
the information.
And the nurse practitionerresponds to you through their
online system and gives you her.
Prescription.
Recommendations.
So from that you then agree toaccept the prescription and then
you pay the fee.
So you pay for the prescriptionand you pay the$99.
(08:15):
Or if you use my link, it's$50.
And from there, they you talk tothe practitioner, you go back
and forth, you ask questions andwhatever.
And then once you're done, thenthey send out the prescription.
And so for me, I did this.
And I got after going throughthat, my nurse practitioner
recommended that I be onprogesterone because I was
(08:37):
already on the vaginal estrogen.
They recommended progesterone.
So I said, yes.
And then within a matter ofthree days, the progesterone was
delivered to my door.
I have been taking theprogesterone for almost a month.
Now you take it at night beforeyou go to bed.
I'm on a hundred milligrams ofprogesterone.
And I will say, and I wasn'tsure because when I first
started taking the progesterone.
(08:59):
I was J was just after my cycle.
So I still get a cycle I'mhaving, I've only missed two
periods in a row and that's it.
I now they're back in thereevery month.
Again.
I thought for sure.
When I missed those two in arow, I was like, sweet.
I'm on my way to menopause.
But that wasn't the case.
I ended up getting it back.
So yay me.
So anyways, I was at the end ofmy period when I started taking
(09:23):
the progesterone.
And if you guys are familiarwith your cycle, which I've
literally just gotten familiarwith this concept now in the
last five years, I'd say.
Is after you have your period,those first two weeks after your
period, or like the spring andsummer of your cycle, where
things feel good and you feelgood and you're happy.
And like, everything's great.
(09:45):
And then the two weeks beforeyour cycle are like fallen
winter, where the mood swingstart to set in, you start to
feel like garbage, you're tired.
And then the week before yourperiod, you're even more tired
and everything.
And then your period comes andthe cycle repeats.
So when I started taking theprogesterone, I was in my spring
and summer weeks of my cycle.
(10:05):
So I was feeling better and Ihad take, started taking the
progesterone and I was likewaking up in the morning and I
was feeling better.
And everything, but I was like,yeah, but is it working or is it
just because I'm at this goodstage of my cycle?
So I was waiting for the fallwinter weeks to come to see if I
was noticing, still noticing adifference.
(10:26):
And so what I find with theprogesterone now that I'm taking
this is that the, it has takenthe edge off.
Of the anxiety waking up withanxiety, waking up with that
feeling of like irritability andlike anger.
And like those, like, I wouldwake up with that already
running through my system.
(10:47):
Like I would already wake upfeeling annoyed.
Feeling anxious.
Like pissed off with the world,annoyed with the dog, annoyed
with my husband.
Like I woke up like that.
This is how I started my day.
And I will say that I don't, Ifeel like it's taken the edge
off.
I won't, I'm not going to saythat it's removed it completely.
(11:08):
And I wake up super happy.
But I will say I wake up with aMo.
A greater reduced amount ofanxiety and irritability, and I
feel.
Just better when I wake up.
So I do feel like theprogesterone has made a
difference.
And I'm still uncertain aboutthe estrogen I'm going to, when
(11:29):
I go to the OB GYN clinic in thecouple of weeks here, I'm going
to ask them about what it'sactually doing and is that the
right estrogen from errors or adifferent one that I could be
on.
But cause it's not really.
It's.
I mean, it's okay.
It's you got to, yeah, it's awhole process and it has some
not so great side effects, butwhatever.
For now I'll just stay thecourse.
(11:51):
So, but the progesterone, I havereally noticed a difference and
I do feel like it also hashelped me sleep a little bit
better.
I don't think I'm waking up asmuch in the evening as I used to
be.
And so I take it at night with Itake it with my magnesium.
So every night I take aprogesterone pill and a
magnesium pill.
And that has made a differencein how I sleep.
(12:13):
And also, and how I feel when Iwake up in the morning.
So for now, I still have my skinrashes.
I still, I'm still dealing withfatigue.
I still deal with.
Joint pain.
I'm still dealing with some,the, some of the main issues.
I still get irritable and Istill have those moments for
sure.
But I feel like it's a littlebetter.
(12:37):
A little better and I've hadlots of people reach out to me.
About taking hormones and thiswhole like synthetic hormones,
are they bad for you and breastcancer, all that stuff.
And I'm not a doctor.
So this is not medical advice atall.
You obviously always want tospeak to your doctor, but I have
seen through, Dr.
Mary, Claire Haber, and some ofthe other.
(12:57):
Women, I follow on Instagramthat they do have so much more
research now that really justshows that the hormones that
we're taking are not.
Hurting us.
They're actually helping toprotect our bones.
They're helping to protect ourheart.
They're helping us in ways that.
Far outweigh, any of, the thingsand a lot of the things that we
(13:21):
used to think that hormones weredoing to us, like increasing our
risk of cancer has actually beendebunked.
So again, Don't take my word forit.
Talk to your doctor, but I'veseen lots of information out
there about how it's doing morefor us than it is hurting us.
And so.
something to think about.
If you really struggling withsymptoms.
(13:42):
And you're really struggling,with, the things that I've
talked about and more I knowsome people I've seen people on
social media talk about.
depression to the point of,,Like really severe depression
and stuff like that.
And it's, we don't have to livethat way.
We don't have to live that way.
And I would rather see someonetake something to help them live
(14:03):
a more satisfaction, like.
A life that's.
At least, I'd rather seesomeone.
be able to take something andenjoy a good quality of life
than to be miserable, andfearful that something might
happen.
when there's lots of informationthat shows that it's.
If there's a good chance, itwon't happen.
So anyways, I hope you get whatI'm saying there.
(14:25):
Always talk to your doctorfirst, but I have personally
noticed a difference.
Since taking a specifically thatprogesterone really noticed a
difference.
So that's something that I'vebeen doing.
Again, it's not like end all beall cure kind of thing for
menopause.
And I don't think there isanything.
(14:46):
I think that there is.
This is something we have togrow through.
And I did see something though.
That I was really excited about.
I've seen a few articles aboutthis, talking about how
actually, when we get tomenopause, like post-menopausal.
That we are actually, we canactually be happier than we've
(15:07):
ever been in our entire lives.
When we get to that stage.
And I I sent it to my husbandand he was like, oh, so there's
hope.
I was like, there's hope.
cause like, this is very tryingon our relationship.
this has been hard for me.
I know it's been really hard formy husband.
(15:28):
Probably even a bit difficultfor my kids to, to watch, to see
their mom, be miserable too.
And.
It's been hard, it has beenhard.
And to know that there is alight at the end of this tunnel
is something that I hold ontodearly.
Because it is not easy.
And there's so many aspects tothis part of life and I've had
(15:51):
some conversations with somefriends about it.
Even about like relationships,not even just with your husband,
but relationships with friends,like friend, group
relationships, and, Relationshipwith your career and your job
and there's so many.
Changes that are happening.
And I know one of the one of thedoctors out there who I follow
(16:11):
and let me just look her up.
Cause she just wrote a book andI just bought it.
She's all over the internetright now.
Dr.
Mosconi and Lisa Mosconi and shetalks about her book is called.
Let me just see if I can get itup here.
The menopause brain, I justbought it.
I haven't gone through it all.
But she talks about how our it'sactually our brains that are
(16:36):
changing more so than ourovaries and our reproductive
system.
Our actual brains are changing.
As women and going through thisstage of life.
And this is why this feels likeso big.
Like, one of the things that Iread you guys obviously can
tell, I read a lot of things andwatching a lot of things online.
(16:58):
But it was about how.
Women don't feel likethemselves.
That was the first sort of signthat I was going through.
Something was, I just didn'tfeel like myself.
I felt like.
I felt like I just was in thislike weird space of not even
knowing who I was and not evenknowing what I wanted anymore
and just feeling like.
(17:20):
Yeah, just feeling like I wasjust not sure of who I was or
what I was doing.
And that is something that inthis article, and that was
something that Dr.
Mary Claire Haber posted about.
I recently put it in my storieswas about.
How many women go to the doctorsaying that they don't feel like
themselves and like that's thefirst sort of sign.
(17:40):
That we're going throughsomething big, like we're going
through something huge here andit's just seems to be in
society.
It just seems to be disregardedas.
hot flashes and night sweats.
Like I don't even get thosethings.
I'm not even really getting hotflashes or night sweats.
Maybe it's because of my vaginalestrogen.
I don't know.
But I don't really get those,but man, do I get all the other
(18:03):
things?
And those are like, it's tough.
They're really tough.
And you it's, like I say, it'shard on your relationships with
your family, but also yourfriendship relationships,
because.
When you don't feel likeyourself?
I know for me and with my friendgroups, I just don't feel like I
fit in anymore.
(18:23):
I feel like I just don't.
Belong.
I just feel like I don't haveconnection with anyone anymore.
I feel like I'm like on thislittle life.
Raft.
Oh, by myself going through thisthing that nobody understands.
I don't have the same.
I don't know, like, I used tohave a nickname called fun
Shana, and that was the funperson that came out when we
(18:46):
would go out and, maybe have acouple of drinks and party and
whatever.
It's like, she doesn't evenexist anymore.
I don't even, I couldn't evenpull her up.
Even if I tried.
Like alcohol is just, doesn't dothe same things for me anymore.
I just don't feel like I don'tenjoy it.
I get massively hung over in thenext day.
It's like three days to recover.
(19:06):
So it's like, when I'm out withmy friends, I just feel like I'm
so guarded and so uncertain ofwho I am and how I relate and
then I don't want to drink.
And then everybody else, it'sjust like this weird fucking
space we move into.
And it's really difficult, butthen to know that.
When we get to the other side ofthis, and unfortunately the
(19:28):
other side could be anywherefrom five to 10 years, if not
sometimes even longer.
Away.
But when we do get to the otherside of it, that to know that.
There's a new level ofhappiness.
It's just comforting to knowthat when we get to the other
side of all of this, that.
There is another level ofhappiness and really knowing who
(19:50):
we are.
And I think that's why you hearstories about older people, in
their seventies and eighties,and they, they give you all this
wise advice about not to worrywhat other people think and all
that kind of stuff I think isbecause they just hit that, that
level of.
Really knowing who they are andnot letting those little things
worry them anymore and notletting all of this stuff, that
(20:11):
life sort of throws at you.
make it mean anything.
They're just content and they'rehappy and, and they're just
enjoying the life that theyhave.
And so, That's just kinda niceto know,, is what I'm getting
at.
It's such a transition and untilsomebody in it.
It's really hard to explain it.
And I think that's why when I dothese episodes, I get such a
(20:34):
response from you all becauseyou, if you were going through
it, you can relate to what I'msaying.
And it feels like.
Somebody like beside you going,I get it.
I see it.
I hear you.
I feel you, you're not alone.
And if you're not here yet, itmight be something that you
don't even want to hear becauseyou're not ready to start
dealing with it.
(20:54):
And you're not ready to startthinking about it.
And I don't blame you.
I, it is a, it's a sad thingbecause here's the thing for me
on top of all of this.
And top of all of this.
I have two older children.
One's 22 and the other one'sturning 20 this year.
Who are leaving the nest and my22 year old actually moved out a
(21:17):
year ago.
And my 20 year old is movingout.
In a couple of weeks.
And that's another whole thingthat parents go through, but
women.
On top of being peri-menopausepuzzle.
And for me anyways, I'm 48 and Ihave, I had my kids younger.
(21:37):
I had my first one, I was 26 andthen Dylan, I had, when she was,
when I was.
28, 29.
So I was bit younger, but you'reat the age, like I'm at the age
of going through perimenopauseand.
Grieving this loss.
Not, not that my kids are gone.
They're here still, but youdon't see them everyday.
(21:58):
I see my kids once or twice aweek.
My older two, I still have myyounger one at home, which is
great, but there is a whole sortof grieving process that you go
through when your kids leave thenest and they go either go off
to school or move out with theirfriends or whatever, where
you're not seeing them everyday.
And so you're dealing with thaton top of everything else.
(22:19):
It's like the timing of this isjust impeccable.
I also know some friends.
Who had their kids a bit later.
And they're going throughmenopause perimenopause while
they have 14, 15 year olddaughters, which is also a
deadly combination becauseyou've got hormonal teenagers.
And then you're a hormonalparents.
(22:40):
It's like a crazy mixture.
I'm grateful that I wasn't inthat perimenopause stage.
While my daughter was goingthrough that.
Transition herself.
I'm grateful for that, but Idefinitely am feeling the
extremeness of the fact thatthey're moving out while I'm in
this stage too.
So it's like dealing with.
(23:02):
It's like this whole transitionis.
Of perimenopause is as womenwe're moving from.
From making and creating babiesto no longer being able to do
that from being caregivers andtaking care of people to no
longer having people to takecare of.
And we're being left toourselves.
It's like, okay, you don't haveto do anything anymore.
(23:23):
Now it's just you.
Who are you?
And what do you want?
And you're like, fuck, I don'tknow.
I can't even think straight.
My brain fog is so thick.
I'm sad.
I'm depressed, I'm angry.
I'm all of these things.
And now you want me to alsofigure out who I am and what do
I want?
I don't fucking know.
I'm just trying to get throughthe day right now.
And I think that whole, thiswhole process is that.
(23:46):
Is us figuring out who we areand what we want in life.
And I think that's what we get.
When we get to the other side ofthis is we get to really
discover who we are and what wewant.
And then we get to go there anddo that and be that.
And that's why there's that nextlevel of happiness that comes
through once we're there.
And so it's this messy middlepart.
(24:08):
And we're not stuck here.
It's just, it may take longerfor some of us to get through it
than others.
But at the end of the day, Thereare things we can do to get
support through this time.
And if you are somebody who'sjust trying to slog through it.
I mean everybody to each hisown, but to know that there is
things out there like Felixhealth, if you're struggling to
(24:30):
get help from your doctor.
there are hormone therapyreplacement, things that you can
take.
To help you feel better that aresafe and that actually do so
much more good.
Then than what we used to think,and those things are out there
for us.
And like I say, if you'restruggling with your doctor,
then try something like Felixhealth, if you feel comfortable
(24:51):
doing that, I felt I had a greatexperience with it.
I have a nurse practitioner thatI can message anytime with
questions.
My prescription just gotrefilled.
It's going to be delivered todayto my door, So in the pricing
was reasonable.
there are options out there foryou.
And so I think I'm going toleave it at that today.
Just an update on the wholeperimenopausal thing.
I was going to talk aboutsomething else, but I have been
(25:13):
jabbering on for a long timenow.
So I'm going to leave it atthat.
That's my little life update andI hope that.
Wherever you are in your worldright now that things are going
well, that you are good, thatyou are healthy.
And yeah, I look forward tochatting with you next time.
So until then have a great day,everyone.
We'll talk to you soon.
Bye.
For now.
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