Maintenance & Menopause: The Struggle is Real

dralicephd

Hi,

Sometimes a girl just needs to vent, ya know?

First, some background on my most recent weight loss. I took about a full year to lose 30 pounds (173 to 143 lbs.). I didn't use any "special diet", just calories in/calories out, while paying attention to getting enough protein for my age. Once I hit 30 pounds of loss, I increased my calories and, with some trial & error, had managed to maintain the ~143lbs. for about 7 months.

And then the hormones happened.

Like many women in their late 40s, I've been going through perimenopause. The hot flashes have been ridiculous. I had a week where I woke up at night every freaking hour on the hour with a hot flash! The lack of sleep was making me completely non-functional at work. On top of that, the periods got so bad that I was afraid to leave my house. No joke. Now, to be clear, I've had a lot of these symptoms for years, but apparently those little *kittens* known as ovaries decided it was time to kick the torture into overdrive. In desperation, I called my gynecologist and she prescribed me hormone replacement therapy.

HRT has been WONDERFUL. I can sleep! I can think! I can go in public while menstruating! It's like life has returned! Yay! (**insert violins and film footage of a woman happily prancing through a sunny meadow here**)

EXCEPT....

I now have the intense desire to eat EVERYTHING IN THE HOUSE. Ok, not everything. If I was binging on carrots, I wouldn't be writing this, now would I? Oh no, it's the salt I want. And the chocolate. We won't speak of what occurred on Easter. And the day after. Or the day after that. Consequently, I've gained about 4 pounds in the last month.

I've worked so hard to lose and maintain my weight. Seeing the scale bounce back up so quickly is just maddening! And I know how to lose it, but those chips are calling..... Loudly.

*sigh* I am only in the beginning weeks of HRT, and already some of the early bothersome side effects have started to quiet down. I'm hoping that the cravings will fade away eventually too. But it better happen soon..... or the rest of the family won't have anything to eat!

If you read this far, thanks for letting me vent.

AnnPT77

I have nothing to offer but sympathy, so I'm beaming that at you as hard as I can.

So, please vent away, if it helps!

(Context: I went into menopause abruptly in the midst of chemotherapy in my 40s, so I don't have a clue what was menopause symptoms, what was cancer symptoms, what was chemo side effects. I can't do HRT because my tumors were estrogen fed . . . and in fact I had to take anti-estrogen drugs for 7.5 years after treatment. I literally haven't had a solid night's sleep since chemo, but again, I don't know which thing caused it. I have some clues what it's like to be in full menopause after 20-some years of it, but no personal experience with the normal way of getting there.)

Sending wishes that your course ahead will smooth even further!

snowflake954

I can sympathize hon. I had hotflashes from Hell, every hour, like clockwork, and they lasted exactly 5 min every time. My doctor wasn't into HRT so I had to soldier through. They started over 10 years ago and I still get a few everyday.

Hope the hunger calms down.

SuzySunshine99

I'm 47, and just in the past year, my cycle has gotten unpredictable and a bit out of whack.
I totally understand the "afraid to leave the house" days.

I haven't yet had hot flashes or other symptoms. Luckily, cravings haven't been an issue either. I'm nervous though, because I know my Mom had symptoms for over 10 years. Hopefully, that's not hereditary.

i hope things get better for you.

vivmom2014

Knockoff Zzz-quil for sleep, which "they" say is not habit forming. I don't care if it is or isn't, it gives me some meaningful hours of sleep each night.

Fan at the end of the bed. Windows open on cool evenings. Summer pajamas all year long.

The chocolate habit is one I'm not willing to part with, so I aim to fit it into the calorie goal, but I don't always win that race. Easter chocolate explosion? Child's play!

dralicephd

Thanks for letting me vent, everyone. I appreciate the support. It's why I still lurk around this forum.

dralicephd

Update: the cravings, bloating, and weight gain hung out for another couple of weeks, and then one day, it started to subside on it's own. I'm finally back to normal eating and back to 143-ish pounds. Yay!

The HRT symptoms were rough for the first couple of months, but they have really quieted now. My period is still behaving a bit wacky, but at least it isn't keeping me from leaving the house anymore. I'm feeling like my old self again. Wait, scratch that. I feel like my YOUNG self again. I seriously feel like I lost 5 years. It's the best thing EVER. I wish I hadn't put it off so long.

ilfaith

I will be 54 this July, and for the past five years, every time I buy a box of tampons, I think maybe this will be my last. But “Aunt Flo” keeps on coming. Until about six months ago you could set a click by my regular cycles (although they did shorten from 28 to 26 days after I turned 50 (because let’s squeeze a few more periods in before we’re done.) but since last fall, things have gotten wonky. I have skipped a month entirely, had a couple of normal cycles, had a month with just light spotting for a few days. Had an 18-day cycle. I have been wearing panty liners on the daily, because no me there’s no telling when she’s going to appear. This past month, she arrived on day 31. After two days of light to moderate flow (aside from an early morning day 2 gush when I got out of bed to pee) today was just a spit or two. I feel this is the beginning of the end. My mom had a hysterectomy in her 30s, so I can’t turn to her for advice. No hot flashes, but there are definitely sleep issues (insomnia the week before my period is due) which I assume are hormonal. I am ready to be done. 40+ years of bleeding every month is long enough.