No one ever tells you . . .

You hear all the jokes, read all the information and talk to your doctor, but I don't believe that any of those things actually prepare you for what is in store during menopause. For instance, a hot "flash" is NOT a flash! It is at LEAST 10 minutes of feeling, no, not feeling, BEING hot. You are really hot and yes, you do perspire. My husband, God bless him, thought that I just "felt" hot. One day he asked, "How could you be HOT?!" The a/c must have been on full blast set at 50 or something. :-) I took his hand and put it on my head and then neck. I was perspiring pretty seriously at this point, so he finally understood. Ladies, please follow my example here.

I had to leave one of my groups at church because of the hot flashes and lack of continuous sleep. Yup, you get that too. Why do you think women complain of "waking up drenched"? That would be because you are either awakened before the hot flash begins (like me) or a few minutes into it. I will wake up and yes, be WIDE awake, like it is time to get up for the day. But it is only 2:00 am, or 3:00, or 4:00 and most nights ALL THREE. By 6:30, my same dear husband, can't understand why I don't want to get up. Now, I have to admit that the 5:00-5:30 am hot flash may get me out of bed, so he is probably confused. If I wake up and have things to do or have my day planned out in my head, I figure I might as well get up and get going. Now, you see where this leads . . . not only have I not gotten a nice, continuous sleep, I'm getting up early!

Back to leaving the church group . . . as well as the tiredness, the hot flashes are very distracting. Others may not even notice but believe me, you do! When I told one woman member she chuckled and said, "what does that have to do with you leaving?" Well, she has not been through it yet and, God willing, she may not have the severity of symptoms. I have to forgive her for her seemingly callous remark because she doesn't understand . . . yet.

I honestly don't believe that menopausal women are scatterbrained, like the jokes indicate. I think they just have trouble concentrating because of sleep deprivation . . . seriously. And, while I have not been prone to mood swings - and don't tell me I have! LOL, some of them may be attributable to the interrupted sleep patterns. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that hormones don't have something to do with those symptoms, just that other factors may contribute.

Now, for a couple of recommendations:

1. Put a nice heavy quilt on your bed (for your husband) and turn the air conditioner on so "you can hang meat" in the bedroom, as a friend's husband says. :-) You will, at least, be able to feel a little cooler during the night.

2. Drink lots of water! Remember you are really perspiring and you will get dehydrated more easily.

I may or may not add more to this . . . we'll see!