Menopause Lab Rat!

Posted on by Reclaim the Menopause

One of the overriding comments that women make about the menopause is feeling a lack of control over themselves or their bodies. Some even say that surrendering to the unknown is part and parcel of the menopause transition.

Today’s blog features a piece written by Ular, a woman in her late 50’s, one Sunday morning while in the grips of the menopause blue.

LAB RAT

Woke up sweaty, hot and bloated. “Why?” I ask myself.

A shower. Surely that will cool me down.

Whose body is this? Raw, listless, sweating.

Breakfast: surely that’s something I can do.

Breakfast’s done, I should feel better.

But no.

Limp and aching. I need to lie down; curl up into a ball to calm the throbbing in my body.

Why?

Have I been prodded and probed, injected with an illness

That runs rampant through my body, replacing my energy with pain.

Please make the pains stop; the monthly show, I can handle that.

But being a lab rat for the menopausal?

No!

How I Used My Voice to Affect Change.

Posted on by Reclaim the Menopause

Change ahead warning sign

This week Fiona Gaye tells her story about how the lack of adequate support from her GP, with the menopausal symptoms she was experiencing, empowered her to get involved with her local Patient Participation Group to help affect change to local services.

It started one Sunday morning with an uncontrollable flooding, unquenchable thirst, dizziness and cold sweats. After that, bad bouts of insomnia, mood swings depression, a feeling of worthlessness, listlessness and fatigue, leaving me feeling as if I was having a semi nervous breakdown. All I wanted to do was lay on the settee for a year and a half. On a bad day I could not drive because I felt clumsy and uncoordinated, anxious and shaky, and somehow I just knew that something was very, very wrong.
 Continue reading How I Used My Voice to Affect Change.

Talking to GP’s About the Menopause

Posted on by Reclaim the Menopause

Going to the GP to discuss the menopause can be a daunting task for many women. In our short audio story Fifi tells about her experience of visiting her GP and why one trip to your GP is not often enough.

Visit our page Women’s Stories for more women’s short films discussing the menopause.
You can also visit NHS Choices Menopause pages for more information

Remember we welcome any story you would like to share about the menopause to help enlighten and support other women.