My Menopause Blog

Continuing on with the ‘free to pee’ series of posts for the bladder challenged among you, I bring you to the roadside edition.

On the road peeing is an art form for women. Here is an example of a pit stop that allows almost complete privacy. Unless there’s a guy in the ditch with a camera that waits until you’re in full stream before clicking a picture. But even then, as you can clearly see, nothing, not even my embarrassment, is visible.

This trip lasted several weeks, running from good ole Guelph Canada to Puerto Escondido Mexico. The rough roads of Mexico tended to stimulate my bladder into even more frequent activity. Given the thousands of miles we were traveling, a second more time conscious method was also employed: the bucket in the back.

Options ladies…. ‘tis a powerful thing to have options tucked up your sleeve for times when incontinence strikes or bladder control is not within your grasp.

Sue Richards
Tags: My Menopause Blog, my menopause blog,blog,Sue Richards, peri-menopausal, menopausal, menopause relief, Mexico, information on menopause,baby boomer, menopause, funny blog, bladder control,incontinence, womens health news, travel, menopause symptoms , menopause, aging.

This is me on my first canoe trip ever in Algonquin Park. Since this date in 1985, I’ve likely clocked 80 glorious trips in various Ontario locations. Canoe-head has become one of my identifying monikers.

Prior to embracing the wilderness camp life, I could pee out of doors provided it was dark, I had tissue and the washroom was too far away or lined up. Another words under the right conditions my bladder had an out so to speak.

Fortunately liberation is a slippery slope. Little by little I lifted the tight controls surrounding my bladders comfort, mostly thanks to my outdoor adventures, eventually evolving past the arbitrary needs and right to the solution. Practice makes perfect and there’s nothing quite like living in the bush for a 10 days stretch to help hone the squatting skill and loose silly inhibitions.

I’m not trying to gross you out with these details of my bladder function history. Nor do I want to suggest that toilet use is passé. The idea of encouraging everyone to abandon the civilized etiquette of using indoor plumbing is not my intention. Now that would be gross.

Instead, I’m simply pointing out the options that are available when nature calls. Women can pee outdoors. Menopausal women with incontinence issues or bladder infections could certainly do well to add the act to their repertoire.

Call it sweet relief.

Sue Richards

Photo credit: B. Higgins

Tags: My Menopause Blog, my menopause blog,blog,Sue Richards, peri-menopausal, menopausal, menopause relief, bladder infection, information on menopause,baby boomer, menopause, funny blog, peeing,incontinence, womens health news, pre menopause, menopause symptoms , menopause, aging.

Continuing on the subject, ‘Badder Bladders’ my meno-pal Ellie offered a lovely example of ‘peeing ones pants’ in her latest blog post.

Ellie and I are of the Peri-Tribe, perhaps separated at birth and only now finding each other through the blogosphere. The joys of menopause have brought us together. Our bladders are cementing the deal.

Needing to pee or peeing when not peeing would be more appropriate equal two life experiences that I could dedicate an entire blog to. My Pee Blog would start out with the sorry tale of how at twelve, I moved into a household with 8 other people and only one bathroom. Quickly I learned to bash on the bathroom door while one of 5 boys, (anyone of whom could have whipped it out behind the garage) dallied, simply because torturing the door banging girl was a highlight to be cultivated and savored.

Door bashing instead of yelling and screaming was the most effective way of getting the attention of one of the two adults. These particular adults had a high threshold for yelling but a low tolerance for the sound of fists pounding solid wood. The added benefit to my door/fist strategy came when said boy would get cuffed on the side of the head. That didn’t stop them from practicing their sport mind you. It appeared that these particular boys’ heads loved cuffing.

Ahhh, life has such fond memories don’tcha find?

On the backside of this daily occurrence, I got a part-time waitress gig at a local country diner. With an 8 mile bike commute, followed by my standard 9 hour shift, during which time washroom use was forbidden, unless during the single randomly assigned 20 minute break, I could go 12 hours pee-less. Back then, I bragged. Now, I’d like to turn back the clock and tell the puffy faced, idiot owner to kiss my leaky ass.

In my mind, both of these early external situations influenced my current, randomly apparent bladder control adventure. Throw in the reduced estrogen production common to peri-menopause and I join the 1.5 million other Canadian women who free-style-pee in places other than the toilet.

Given the numbers of ‘ P club members’, learning about incontinence is easy if you can get past your own embarrassment. This post alone should clearly indicate that you are not the only one. Depending on your actual situation, there may be a ready solution or support.

There’s also this option that has saved my butt on more than one occasion. Learn to pee outside. Get past the ‘must sit on throne, have toilet paper, sink, towel, running water mindset’ and learn to squat. From my pragmatic perch, it’s better to have an empty bladder and few drips in your panties than a puddle at your feet.

Sue Richards

Tomorrow: Pee Warrior Road Stories.

Check out my Bloggy Award Review.

Tags: My Menopause Blog, my menopause blog,blog,Sue Richards, peri-menopausal, menopausal, menopause relief, incontinence, information on menopause,baby boomer, menopause, funny blog, hormones,peeing, womens health news, pre menopause, menopause symptoms , menopause, aging.

Funny. A bladder replacement never crossed my mind prior to reading my menopause blog stats yesterday and noticing bladder replacement as one of my search term phrases. And here I thought your bladder was for life. Silly me.

Bladder issues don’t usually rear their pretty little heads until post menopause. Another words, you’ve stopped having a period for at least a full year. Done. Over. Past the post. Hurray for you.

Now that all that moody swinging and temperature change has gone the way of afternoon tea, your bladder steps onto the stage. Hormonal changes have affected your bladders function and for reasons that seem completely unfair, you are now prone to…..Urethritis and Cystitis.

That’s fancy talk for a bladder infection. (Both urethritis and cystitis are commonly referred to under the single heading bladder infection.)

The burning sensation of a bladder or urethra infection is hard to confuse with anything but what it is. Add to this is a constant, urgent need to pee…even as you are flushing the toilet. Nagging low-back pain joins in to create a full unpleasant situation. At this moment, thoughts of a bladder replacement may cross your mind.

I’m betting your mother likely told you…never hold your urine! On this topic and the breakfast eating thing, she was right.

Resisting the urge to go pee is one of those human traits that will always get you into trouble. Just go when you have to go. Urine is your body’s waste. Holding it in your body after your body has indicated that release is in order will lead to infection.

Do not think that restricting your fluid intake will solve the peeing when you don’t want to pee issue either. Dehydrating yourself leads to bladder infections too. Always drink plenty of water.

Drink water and pee when needed. This will lead to a happy bladder. A happy bladder is what you want. In my mind, you do not want a used replacement bladder.

But what if you dis your mother’s advice and toss mine out with the baby and the bathwater. Well then, I shall not judge your wisdom but rather will offer some relief suggestions.

You can:

* Go to your doctor. They will prescribe antibiotics.
* Take Vitamin C to help protect you from frequent infections.
* If you do not want to go on antibiotics try drinking pure, 100% cranberry juice. Do not bother with juice from concentrate or cranberry drink. This won’t work. Pure juice is expensive and it tastes like it will take the skin off your tongue. Instead it will acidify your urine and relieve your infection. Dried cranberries also work.

Personally, I’ve used all three at one time or another. Even though I’m nowhere near post menopause, I’ve still been stupid in the holding department.

Sue Richards

Tags: My Menopause Blog, my menopause blog,blog,Sue Richards, post menopausal, menopausal, menopause relief, bladder infection, information on menopause,baby boomer, menopause, funny blog, hormones,Bladder Replacement , womens health news, post menopause, menopause symptoms , menopause, aging.

Folks reading this blog find it in a number of ways. Many of you have gone to a search engine like Google, typed in a keyword or key phrase that best describes your query. After getting three million options, you proceed to wade through the lot eventually landing here.

Thanks to the fine folks at Barking Dogs Studios, I have a statistical program attached to this blog that tells me ALL the keywords that end up bringing readers to my blogstep. Now you’d think that the word ‘menopause’ and phrases like ‘my menopause blog’ would be at the top of the list. This is in fact true and you may now move to the front of the class. My blog posts are peppered with both of these terms. This makes them easy for Google to find.

What is also true is that 515 other phrases have also been successful. Why you might ponder? Well, it appears that somewhere within my 239 posts, the following phrases appear.

Perhaps this is only interesting to me. But just in case your intrigue of the World Wide Web enjoys whacky information, I’m about to share My Whacky Key Phrase Information. Here are some of the more ’stand out’ search terms that have been used to find My Menopause Blog. Or conversely, have lead to the finding.

If My Menopause Blog was a diner, these tasty dishes would be on the menu.

* Eggs and Menopause
* Plugged Ears and Milk
* Instant Menopause
* Scrambled Eggs Blog Infertility

If My Menopause Blog was a Dermatologist these complaints would be my specialty.

* Pimples last a year.
* Pimples on my chest when it got hot.
* Pimples on my upper lip.
* Zits on the back of my neck.

If My Menopause Blog were an Ear Doctor or Zoologist I’d know all about these.

* Hot ears menopause.
* My ears and neck hot all the time.
* Red Ear Turtle

For the sports minded, this could be exciting.

* Heart racing a hormone.

For the scientist/brew master there must be money for such a place.

* Research Institute of Brewing and Malting Estrogen

Menopausal body part upgrades are already very popular.

* Life Without Thumbs
* Bladder Replacement Blogs

The Menopause Detective Agency would investigate this mystery.

* Stole My Sandal

And the Menopausal Interior Decorator would certainly be seeking a web site dedicated to this fashion must have.

* Taupe coloured couch

Finally, I bring you this search term. Someone typed in ‘My My’ and found this blog.

My my the www is a strange place. And menopause is a very strange condition.

Sue Richards

Tags: My Menopause Blog, my menopause blog,blog,Google, peri-menopausal, menopausal, menopause relief, search terms, information on menopause,baby boomer, menopause, funny blog, hormones,keywords, womens health news, pre menopause, menopause symptoms , menopause, aging.

I have been keeping mum about this for the last few weeks for fear of waking the sleeping, fire-breathing dragon. Today I throw all caution to the wind, thanks to a favorable horror-scoop, an unusual pre-dawn get-up-and-get-at-it awakening and my realization that this is news.

My hot flashes seem to have fizzled out. Gone. Burned off, out and up leaving me cool, calm and clothed.

The weather gets full credit. Not for helping cool my jets but rather for helping me notice the absence of my former hot self. We’ve had a bit of a bloody cold spring up here in Can-er-da. Unlike winter, where sock less….barefoot no less…..me….former Ice Toes Queen 1970 - 2005…I wandered my home, intentionally seeking cold floors to help sooth my French-fried digits. Now, right now as June looms on the horizon, my feet, wrapped in socks and boots, are blocks of ice.

Nose, fingers, neck all cooler than cucumbers, despite the four shirts…two made of fleece…that cover my body.

Gee Sue, sounds like you’re complaining.

(Shuffle shuffle, look away, smile…guiltily….hmmmm….maybe just a tad.)

I will admit this. I don’t like being cold. Melting down is not fun. Give me the few moments that existed between one stage and the other and by golly, I’d be a happy camper.

Right then. How did this happen?

Beats me really. I’m still chewing on Evening Primrose Oil. Adrenal Formula Capsules are dutifully being consumed thrice daily. Vitamin B’s, C’s, and more oil….Flax and Cod get tossed into the mix. Plus a bit but not too much Soy finds its way into my diet here and there.

Then there’s this blog….could daily blogging decrease hot flashes?

Well then.

Sue Richards

Tags: My Menopause Blog, my menopause blog,blog,Sue Richards, peri-menopausal, menopausal, menopause relief, cold flash, information on menopause,baby boomer, menopause, funny blog, hormones,, womens health news, pre menopause, menopause symptoms , menopause, aging.

According to my father, a day spent hauling and stacking wood was a day spent doing honest work. A man with only an elementary level education, he had very little appreciation for ‘pencil pushers’ unless they were ciphering numbers. I’m certain that my blogging and writing career keeps him turning in his grave.

Given we heated our thin skinned, Northern Ontario cottage home with wood burnt in a ancient McLeay cook stove, we must have been a family steeped in honesty. Dad kept a three-year supply of wood, split and piled, on hand at all times. This took considerable effort thanks to another charming preference….all wood must be free. It was quite common for me to join him in the bush for tree felling and scavenging. I also became the head honcho of stacking, as high as I could reach, keeping bark side up, lines straight and pile strong.

As part of his gruff but loveable teaching method, he would give my woodpile a good shake. Sometime it would topple to the ground and I’d start to cry. But then he’d help me build it back up, showing me again how to read each piece of wood and fit them together.

I spent much of Sunday creating this two face cord wood pile from large well seasoned maple and small, wet apple wood that my pal Tannis and I hauled from the local Jesuit orchard. Apple wood burns hot and long offering a pleasing fragrance and delightful coloured flame show. I’m hoping that my small stove will find the different sizes to its liking.

Oh how my back ached. Gloveless, I avoided slivers but managed a couple of chinks in my fleshy ‘pencil pushing’ hands. It was a cold, wet and wildly windy day unfit for the first long weekend of our summer. But I’ll tell you. As a day for doing wood, it was pretty much perfect.

Since Sunday, I’ve spent more time gazing at my funky wood pile, shaking it, eyeing up the lines and shapes and imaging the cold days next February, sitting warm and satisfied and even more grateful for my effort. I’ve had the neighbors by. And I’ve snapped a dozen pictures. I can’t say for sure but I suspect my age and stage of life is adding pleasure to my experience. I’m grateful for my menopausal bodies ability to do ‘honest labour’.

My dad would be most proud.

Sue Richards

Tags: My Menopause Blog, my menopause blog,blog,Sue Richards, peri-menopausal, menopausal, menopause relief, woodpile, information on menopause,baby boomer, menopause, funny blog, hormones,Hormone Replacement Therapy, womens health news, pre menopause, menopause symptoms , menopause, aging.

Here’s a quaint slice of Canadian culture for you.

This weekend, we Canucks join together and celebrate Queen Victoria’s Birthday. She’s the dead mother great-great grandmother of our current queen, Elizabeth, mother of Prince Charles, widower of Princess Diana. As part of The Commonwealth we get to sling our association to royalty around and throw parties in their name.

The birthday celebration takes the following Canadian centric form. We get a long weekend. Monday is officially classified as a holiday.

Less universal, but generally understood, and despite which actual date the weekend falls on, we call this May Two Four. Quite simply, Victoria’s birth date was the 24th.

Many Canadians who don’t label themselves monarchist or have little interest in Queens either dead or alive, might assume that the two-four references relates to a box of beer. Yes we have six packs and twelve’s, but any beer drinker worth their weight in brew knows the real way to buy beer is in a 24-bottle case.

And so they do, in great long lines that weave out of our Beer Stores into the parking lots starting right about now. (Time-stamp viewing of this post will provide the needed reference.)

May Two Four is our first official summer long weekend. Even though it’s not summer for a month, we are no longer suffering snow, darkness or butt freezing temperatures. Given our real summer flies by faster than a Lear jet, cheating a tad is considered acceptable.

With the first long weekend comes a burning desire to throw oneself into the outdoors with unrestrained, wild abandon. This behavior does not come naturally following six months of weather that whacks a person senseless. Fortunately, beer has been found to stimulate ‘wild abandon’ release. Hence the aforementioned line-ups.

In a previous life lived in the 70’s, I was one of these two-four purchasing fans. During the 80’s, deep in debt from post secondary educational pursuits coupled with a shift from my former country girl roots to that of my sophisticated city gal locale, I moved toward drinking draft in bars. By the time the 90’s rolled out and my career choice of ‘artist’ rolled in, my economic picture stayed pretty much level. And so did my beer drinking. Now in the 20’s, (you get my drift) which don’t in anyway resemble my twenties, my menopause, heck my just about everything makes beer drinking so much less of a desired thing.

This did not stop me from hollering over to my neighbor yesterday and asking if he was going away for the two four. “No,” he replied, to which I threw back. “You’ll have to come over for a beer.”

Sue Richards

Tags: My Menopause Blog, my menopause blog,blog,Sue Richards, peri-menopausal, menopausal, menopause relief, Beer Store, information on menopause,baby boomer, menopause, funny blog, hormones,Hormone Replacement Therapy, womens health news, pre menopause, menopause symptoms , menopause, aging.