Enjoying Life With Menopause

MOST JOURNEYS BEGIN WITH THAT FIRST STEP .... MINE BEGAN WITH A CROSSROAD There is only ever one place to start in a story and that is at the beginning. For me that was when I was 25 years of age, a young newly registered nurse with a boyfriend and not many more plans about life than that. It was also 12 month after I had completed extensive radiation treatment for Hodgkins Disease (a cancer of the lymph system) centred in my left groin but having spread into my pelvis, and when I was informed that the radiation had totally destroyed my ovaries despite attempts at the time of the radiation to shield them. Yes I was 25 years of age and I was post-menopausal (confirmed through blood tests). All hopes of my ever being able to have children of my own (something I had always wanted) were instantly dashed. I am sure you will appreciate that this was an extremely difficult time for me and I had to do some serious growing up and reality checks very quickly. Many life-altering decisions h...

ROUNDABOUTS The years to follow consisted of trialling various brands of 'the pill'. Some gave me terrible headaches day after day, others gave me migraines at certain times in the cycle. Most caused me a certain amount of fluid retention in my breasts, legs, and stomach along with the headaches, other times without the headaches or migraines. Emotionally, I was a wreck more times than not. If I wasn't eating someone's head off, I was one big weeping, depressive excuse for a human being. People didn't know from one day to the next whether the sea was going to be calm sailing or stormy. Looking back now I have so much sympathy for those family and friends around me. It was a difficult time for everyone including my partner and me. Sexually I had really nil to minimal interest. Most times it became a chore for me rather than a pleasure. Oh my how my world had turned upside down from the one I had had a couple of years previously. Life can be cruel. 'The pil...

A Detour in My Journey I came across a book written by Dr. John R Lee titled "What the Doctors May Not Tell You About HRT" and it was mind altering. At this time I was taking a medication apparently manufactured from pregnant mares urine, and hence the drugs name Premarin - I kid you not, pregnant horses urine - and which Dr Lee strongly advised anyone against taking. I urge you to grab a copy of this book or any books written by Dr Lee on HRT if you need information on what is happening to your body, first chance you can get.  Press here for all John R Lee books. I actually read it over a weekend and it impacted on me so much so that I struggled every night there after to put a Premarin tablet in my mouth. It was like swallowing poison. I dreaded the night after night battle to swallow that tablet until in the end I just couldn't do it any more. I consulted my doctor, told him how I felt about the Premarin and asked him if there was any way I could purchase the n...

An Alternate Route From the list given to me by Sandra Cabot, I could possibly consult with a doctor in Yepoon or doctors in Brisbane. It meant leaving the practise of my Townsville doctor as he was not willing to continue my care if I decided to go ahead and trial unsupported TGA authorised medications. This would be a huge loss to me as I had built up a good relationship of trust with him over the years but one I could understandbly accept if I had been in his position. But my mind was made up, my beliefs in a more natural alternative a better option for me. I lived at the time in Townsville, and Brisbane was way more doable than Yepoon. So appointments were made, and air flights booked to and from Brisbane. This was going to be an expensive exercise but I believed it was a small price to pay in taking control of what was hopefully right for me. One month later with leave taken from work, I found myself boarding a plane for Brisbane. It was a huge day especially for someone...

Roadworks At last the opportunity to not have to travel such a complicated and expensive route to procure my medication. With Susan Samimi the compounding chemist now available in Townsville and not too far a distance from me, it meant that I didn't have to airfreight my medications from New South Wales, not a huge issue as long as I was organised enough to order my new supplies before the old ran out. Usually this meant being at least one week ahead of myself, and only failed me a couple of times, each time resulting in a day or so without medications and hence not a big issue. My next biggest challenge was now to find a doctor in Townsville willing to prescribe me the medications I had been prescribed in Brisbane so that I didn't have to fly to Brisbane every 6 months. The Brisbane doctor would be missed but it would be more desirable to have a local GP to take care of all my 'life dramas'  as since going to Brisbane I didn't have a local GP. I was fortunate t...