Hot flushes and occasional temper tantrums and bouts of anxiety by Dunja

My poor precious little girl! She has had a continuous ear and throat infection for a full three months now and has only just started recovering from it. And of course the poor thing couldn’t tell me what was wrong so I was non the wiser. I’d just assumed that my generally emotionally stable angel had turned into a bipolar ticking bomb. I thought ‘that’s it, the honeymoon period is well and truly over’. To cut to the chase, after months of misdiagnosis, last monday the doctor diagnosed her in seconds, prescribed antibiotics, and I have my cheeky little angel back! But every time she gets sick I just cant help but remember what a little miracle she is. Especially this week.  Three years ago, after trying to conceive for a year with no results, I decided to get some tests done. I didn’t expect to be told that in a few months I would enter perimenopause. It’s ok though, the gynaecologist said, it takes about 4 or 5 years to reach full menopause. And I thought, well that’s not really going to comfort a girl in her late 20s who’s struggling to have a baby! So I said thank you, and walked straight out of the office and off to a casting. Needless to say, I didn’t get that job, must have looked like a deer in headlights!

So fast forward a few years of hot flushes and occasional temper tantrums and bouts of anxiety, this week I have officially reached the last stages of perimenopause and will in no time be fully menopausal.  My hormones are apparently pretty much identical to those of a 14-year-old boy! Oh yes, I’m loving the pimples, moustache and occasional fits of turrets.  Ironically, after years of keeping away from oral contraceptives, the doctors are now putting me on the pill as part of my hormone replacement therapy (HRT).  But as always, I’m looking on the bright side of things, might actually get me some much needed curves! Watch this space, will keep you all updated with how the treatment is working, and if any of you are going through early menopause too, may I recommend the Daisy Network Premature Menopause Support Group, a registered charity for women who have experienced a premature menopause.