March 14, 2009

Mama Never Said There'd be Days Like This

Somewhere I got the idea - or the old wive's tale - that menopause starts earlier in women who've never given birth. Well OK, I figured that meant that rather than being menopausal at 60, I might be at 55. Later I learned of something called peri-menopause. I guess that's when you still get a period, but it starts to change. And this crap can last for a decade! I never thought it could happen at my relatively young age. And I am NOT happy.

My primary complaint is the PMS fatigue. Of course I also have MS fatigue which has never been debilitating for me. But, during PMS - which can last from 2 to 10 days - I can hardly function. Ideally I would sleep through all of it because when I'm not actually sleeping I am a (barely) walking slug. My eyes are not clear. My hands are pretty useless. And walking even a semi-straight line is totally out of the question.

There are very probably people with MS who feel like this each and every day. That I cannot imagine. This once a month nonsense, even though it can last for 1/3 of a month, is bad enough. Oh, how I long for the days when PMS meant bloating and mood swings. I NEVER agreed to trade those symptoms in for this one! And I am NOT happy.

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