My Menopause Blog

So many people tell me they hate change.

Which must mean they really hate life. After all, life is constantly in a state of change.

Everything in the world is changing every second of everyday. Right down to the cellular level. All the hate in the world ain’t going to stop that. In fact, my bet is that by hating change, we just make matters worse. For ourselves. And everyone around us.

Could this be why some women have such a hard time with menopause?

Sue Richards

Tags:My Menopause Blog, Sue Richards.

Yesterday’s post was intended to (un)cover a hot flash strategy, should you find yourself publicly melting and needing relief. It’s a funny human trait that I’ve noticed…reluctance to take off our clothes. Instead, we suffer through, maybe roll up our sleeves or loosen a neck line. But striping down? Rarely seen that in any situation.

Which of course makes no sense. When your hot, you’re hot. It’s perfectly okay to do something as practical as remove a few layers of warmth producing clothing.

At home, depending on your comfort level and situation, you may want to let it all hang out, take it ALL off, bounce around in your Birthday suit.

Being naked is one of the best ways to cool off. Your skin, ever last pore of it, gets to breath. And you get to spend some time getting to know this body which you are, but likely ignore or even worse hate.

Sue Richards

Tags: Sue Richards, hot flashes, My Menopause Blog,peri-menopausal.

Here’s the thing. Layers of clothing is where it’s at. Especially if you need to cool down fast from a hot flash attack.

The bottom layer is the most important. It should be sleeveless, low front and back, and short. Another words, something that covers your breasts and a bit more.

There should be no shame in stripping down to this layer, as quickly, sexily, haphazardly or publicly as you need to.

You are roasting alive. Boiling in your own broth. Your burning flesh needs close contact with fresh air.

Of course you realize that I write this from a Canadian perspective. We have an abundance of cool, fresh air much of the year. Like six months too much.

This could be a new Canadian tourism hook….. market Canada as the Menopausal woman’s vacation hot spot so to speak. “Get cool, come to Canada.”

Sue Richards

Tags: Sue Richards, hot flashes, My Menopause Blog,peri-menopausal.

It was dramatic. Sexy too. Most definitely fun.

In mid conversation, my hot flashing, menopausal friend started to turn red, like a tomato ripening in the sun. Without skipping a beat and before beads of sweat formed on her brow, she whipped out the most elegant, black, lacey, folded, hand held fan I’ve ever seen, cracked it open with an easy flick of her wrist and proceed to fan her neck, down her low cut top and beneath her long glorious hair.

It was a breath taking performance art piece of the highest degree.

The fan, she explained, came from South America and cost pennies. She owned several. A couple from Japan, some from other Asian countries. All beautiful, compact and effective.

And no need to get on an airplane either. (Although, an exciting, round the world fan buying trip would likely cure what ails you too.) Simply head on over to Chinatown district of any city.

So here’s the gig. If you want to be a fan of a hottie in your life, buy her a fan. It’s a real cool gift.

Sue Richards

Tags: Sue Richards, hot flashes, My Menopause Blog,peri-menopausal.

Rock Bitch posts some funny stuff on her blog. I scoped the following wee passage for obvious reasons, but left ten other ‘reality Barbie’ descriptions for you to check out at her digs.

Hot Flash Barbie. Press Barbie’s belly button and watch her face turn beet red while tiny drops of perspiration appear on her forehead. Comes with handheld fan and tiny tissues.

Now I’m wondering about Wilma Flintstone. Does Peri-menopause Wilma forget that she’s married to that lug head Fred, strip off the two inch waist sized dress and ride off into the night on Dino the Dinosaurs back, leaving a trail of falling red hair?

Maybe Menopausal Minnie the Mouse stops dying her fur black, kicks the ridiculous shoes habit, and joins a yoga ashram, becoming both vegan and lesbian.

Cinderella? Mood swings, shape shifting and joint stiffness end Cindy’s ballroom blitz. Prince Charming is no longer charmed. Yet Cinderella goes on to invent the first, compostible car, The Pumpkin Pacer.

Sue Richards

Tags: My Menopause Blog, Sue Richards, Barbie, Hot Flash, peri-menopause.

My menopause and I took the weekend off. I didn’t start out with that intention. I merely followed my nose.

You know how companies do that ‘been in biz this long’ thing by putting a “Since 1950″ or whatever year under their company name? I did that on Thursday night. Sue Richards, Home Based Business Since 1989.

When I did the math and realized that I had been generating my own pay cheque for 16 years, primarily working in various arts disciplines, all from some corner of my house, I had an epiphany in the form of a voice that said, “yah done good.”

So when the sun was shining like a kid with an ice cream on Friday afternoon, and the autumn leaves were flashing orange, red and yellow glory, I put on my new purple hat, closed down said ‘home based business since 1989′, and struck out for downtown. I had other fish to fry.

I wandered, gathering as I went. Five junk stores, one liquor store and a cafe later, my step was leisurely and relaxed. By evening I was sitting by a roaring fire, in conversation with three delightfully articulate 20 something year olds, enjoying a Guelph brewed beer and laughing heartily.

Saturday’s damp dawn promised a day of drizzle. I barely took noticed thanks to an afternoon house warming party invitation across town. I set off on foot, token gift in hand, marveling at the difference a day makes.

My arrival was met with extreme grinning from the host and hostess. Much to my surprise and amusement, the house warmees, (my mentee and a canoe partner from the summer) had eloped! This was their wedding reception.

Again the exuberance of youth bounced around the room, leaving no old fart stone unturned. Like showering outdoors on a hot August afternoon, I felt invigorated by my newly married friend’s energy. Keen to suck that vibe up, I was the last to leave the party.

Sunday could have been grim. The carpet in my home based business office came with it’s own disgusting Since 1969 tag. The long ‘brown to hide the dirt’ shag, with toxic underpad turned to dust had to go. The evil cover on my floor was messing with my breathing.

With help from a dear, muscular friend, we chopped that sucker up into a dozen manageable pieces, bagged, vacuumed, dusted and wiped for three hours. Even though the tile and plywood beneath holds no charm or character, neither does it hold 36 years of foot odour, dust and crusty stuff.

This morning, my home is lighter. I feel blessed to have young pals. And I’m grateful that my muscled friend was willing to join in the fight against evil carpet.

If this is menopause, I’m good to go.

Sue Richards

Tags: My Menopause Blog, Sue Richards, aging, life stages, peri-menopause.

My neighbour, Gareth Lind, is a fabulous comic strip artist. He also designs the Breast of Canada calendar.

Gareth’s October 21st edition of Weltschmerz.ca dives into the world of sex between couples. Since I’ve been wandering around the orgasm aka sex corral in recent posts, and because we know that a picture is worth 1,000 words, it seemed timely to let Gareth’s work illustrate a point.

How Often? speaks to the different ways men and women understand their sexual relationships. In the comics case, pre-menopausal sexual relationships.

So imagine the results of an additional menopausal flush of hormones, mood swings, hot flashes, other aging issues, and perhaps a waking up to our own mortality.

My bet. The sexual relations department will be even more over worked and likely under paid. This means even less understanding.

Perhaps our best strategy is to accept that there is infinitely more than one way or rather, more than our way, of looking at something. This of course requires each of us hell bent on being right, to remove our own heads from our own arses, rinse off the crap and take in a slightly bigger picture of the world.

Wheeeeee!!! Pardon me as I take a ride on my mood swing!

But really, what do we gain from being cemented in our corners. Women and men do not think the same way. Best we make room for both points of view.

For sex sake.

Sue Richards

Tags: My Menopause Blog, Sue Richards, hot flash, sex, peri-menopause.

Lest you think I spend all my time vacuuming up my thinning hair and losing my nouns in a flap of female helplessness, I will share some menopause remedies that I have come to know.

Evening Primrose Oil is a natural estrogen promoter. Since dwindling estrogen is a key contributor to menopausal symptoms, it’s a good idea to help your own natural estrogen production. A little hired help if you will.

I take one 1000mg gel tab of Efamol-Evening Primrose Oil a day and have for several months. I started pretty much when my period was missing in action the first time. It’s part of my nature. Prevent disaster, be prepared, stay healthy.

Apparently, Evening Primrose Oil helps reduce hot flashes too. Which may very well be the case since I’ve only had a couple. And Primrose is a source of essential fatty acids which everyone and there mother will tell you is good for you.

For the horticulturally curious amoung you, the plant is tall with multiple bright yellow flowers, about the size of a flattened quarter, densely spaced on the single stem. Every evening, just at sunset, the tightly closed flowers pop open like popcorn kernels to the delight of anyone watching.

Hence the name. Evening Primrose.

Sue Richards

Tags: My Menopause Blog, Sue Richards, menopause relief, estrogen, peri-menopause.