HRT Update

I have some good news. Excellent news. I have been on HRT since December and now seem settled on the dose that works for me and it is working well.

I no longer suffer from hot flushes. None at all. I sleep well. My cognitive function has returned. I have energy. I have drive. My body/joints ache a lot less. I have hardly any anxiety. I am not depressed. I could go on.

It seems hard to believe that just a few months ago I was barely able to function. It is still not as easy as I would like it to be talking about my journey. Menopause is a ‘natural‘ process all women go through and I can completely understand why health professionals want to present it as something not to fear.

To talk about it in negative terms, as in sharing how debilitating it has been and how it was ruining my life, worries me, but not for long. For women like me, who undoubtedly make up the minority of severe cases things need to change. We simply cannot suffer in silence any longer.

Not every woman will be unable to function to the degree demanded of them in the workplace. Not every woman will be working in an environment where staff are ignorant, dismissive and hostile towards the health issues that menopause can bring. The fact is many women are. And the sad reality is some women do take their own lives. This has got to change.

Society needs a kick up the backside to better support those of us that have a hellish time. It is no joke and yet people continue to joke about it - the long suffering husbands and children not knowing what on earth is going on with mum. Please don’t joke about it.

A difficult peri menopause and menopause invariably leads to broken relationships and broken homes. And let’s not forget that at the same time teenage children may be going through their own angst and elderly parents are increasingly needing support.

I have found that the most effective course of action has been to educate myself. Go back to my earlier blogs and you will read what action I took. The result has been a life saver and a life changer. You don’t have to go private as I did. You can get help from your GP and there are many tips and hints that will help prepare you so that you will be able to get the best out of an appointment with a health professional.

I have my next appointment coming up in a couple of weeks. At the last appointment my blood pressure was a little high. I was still finding life more stressful than was healthy. It is back to normal now. In my new career I’m busier than ever. I am grateful that I enjoy my art, find pleasure in what I do and getting satisfaction from building my new arty life.

HRT may not be what every woman chooses but it is something she should be able to make choices about.