Thoughts

Life Lately | January 2023

It’s been quite a while since I’ve done one of these so I thought I would get back into the habit. I do like looking back at old ones to see what I was thinking at the time and they are fun to laugh at! Lots of gifs in this one because, why not?

Thinking:
About perimenopause.

Yeah.

Fun subject to talk about, right?!


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About 6 or so years ago I followed a crafting newsletter and she was in her very early 40s at the time and she would mention perimenopause from time to time. I didn’t really pay much attention to it because in my head, and what most of us think of as menopause, the demarking of time when your period has ceased for a year, happens in your early to mid 50s. I thought that well, maybe she was going through something early—I had no idea perimenopause was this decade+ long thing happening BEFORE menopause. BECAUSE NO ONE TALKS ABOUT IT. It’s all, “Yeah, in your 40s, things change, blah blah blah” but no one tells you it is because your hormones are changing and that it’s all related to menopause! (Also, other women my age did not know this because I got several people messaging me who were very confused!)


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But…thankfully some young GenX and elder millennials are starting to be more vocal about it on social media and after talking to a couple of internet friends and watching far too many Reels and researching some issues I have, a lot of it is correlated with perimenopause. The insane thing is that I can trace a lot of it back into my 30s and you will quickly find people talking about experiencing these symptoms in their 30s and doctors not taking them seriously. Also, fun thing, come to find out even doctors don’t really know much or can help much with it all because the amount of research on perimenopause/menopause at all is the bare minimum compared to other things. So, that’s fun to know.

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Hormones, they are a bitch! The frustrating thing is that the same symptoms can also be other ailments as well and the hormones can also cause you to have those ailments. It’s this insane, weird cycle. I did have my yearly appointment with my midwife this week and mentioned some of it but because I’m still early in the process and the most she could really do was prescribe me the pill which would provide estrogen for symptoms but really I’m not at that point yet. And there’s HRT later for those who need it. Again, not there yet. I still have my IUD so I have no idea if my cycles are changing and won’t for another 5 years because I just found out Mirena has been approved for up to 8 years so I don’t have to have it replaced in two years like I thought. *phew*

Suffice to say, I am rethinking a lot of things from diet to sleep to supplements to workouts. It’s a party here!


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I don’t have any resources really, though I am all ears if you do. I’ve been gleaning things from different people like Dr. Sara Gottfried, the Glucose Goddess – Jessie Inchauspé, Dr. Stacy Sims, and Dr. Jen Gunter.

Gardening:

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Tomato season is coming! I am growing two types this year, Marglobe and Black Krim, plus some peppers and Dr. Wyche’s yellow tomatillo!

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The full load—the rest I’m sharing with neighbors and family.

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Calendula with calligrapher fly

Reading:
I have read 7 books this month and hope to finish at least one more if not two more! I’m also going to get back into a monthly reading write-up so I’ll save that for there!

Making:
I’m not making much at the moment. I had almost caught back up on my nature sketchbook but the last week or so has been hectic and I haven’t done any work. I need to get back onto that and into my studio and cleaning up that so I can do some art in there soon.

Watching & Listening:
I am watching nothing! I am doing a Dry January but instead of alcohol it is for streaming! So far it has been really nice but I do replace the urge to zone out with scrolling my phone so I need to be more intentional about just going to sleep or reading a bit before bed. I am probably going to try to keep it up as long as possible, though I will watch Grey’s Anatomy and Call the Midwife when they both return to airing episodes soon.

Listening wise, I am mostly listening to audiobooks or a podcast occasionally. And trying to curate Spotify playlists for whatever mood I’m in!

Looking Forward:
My MRI for my hip is on February 6th and the follow up appointment on the 9th. I’m looking forward to having some insight into what is going to happen going forward. It’s been giving me a lot of issues lately and I’m just ready for that to be figured out.

I’m ready to get through February so we can get into spring gardening. A lot of my looking forward is pending my hip because I don’t know how mobile I’m going to be for the next few months.

5 Comments

  • Judy

    Menopause. Been there, done that. When I was about 42, I felt something had changed, but of course, the doc just said “crazy woman”. I was done by 48 and my feelings (emotional and physical) were perimenopause not
    “crazy woman”. It is real. Being aware is the best way to deal with it. If you are feeling a certain way, remind yourself that it is just your hormones and in a few years it will even out. 🙂 Yes, just a few years.

    • Patrice La Vigne

      I totally sympathize on the peri issues, as you know. Awareness is totally validating from your own research, especially when the professionals are like, hmmm. And sadly there are no solutions except for hormones, which I can’t take. My doc says, “eat healthy & exercise and everything should be mild.” The frustrating thing for me is so many of my friends in their 50/60/70s tell me, “I didn’t even notice!” Resource-wise, you and I have swapped ideas, but I am curious if you’ve found any comical YouTube videos or anecdotes. I feel like I just want to laugh about it!

    • Patrice La Vigne

      I totally sympathize on the peri issues, as you know. Awareness is totally validating from your own research, especially when the professionals are like, hmmm. And sadly there are no solutions except for hormones, which I can’t take. My doc says, “eat healthy & exercise and everything should be mild.” The frustrating thing for me is so many of my friends in their 50/60/70s tell me, “I didn’t even notice!” Resource-wise, you and I have swapped ideas, but I am curious if you’ve found any comical YouTube videos or anecdotes. I feel like I just want to laugh about it!

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