Moody Menopause

I Surrender

I have surrendered to menopause, again. Early this morning, I took a menopause supplement. My husband was the first to know this information and he did try hard to hide his look of relief, but I still saw it. Bless his heart.

Today marks the end of my effort to be in charge of my emotions without any help. Before menopause, I have been described as moody or prickly. My family knows to leave me alone until I have drank about a half a pot of strong, black coffee. After that, I love you and want to hear what you have to say. So menopause seems to have magnified this personality trait, plus added tearfulness, suspiciousness, and rapid mood swings. Rapid as in, happy to upset, by the time you blink once. Moreover, my thinking process seems to have developed an inability to stay focused on one topic for more than thirty seconds. My analogy is my brain feels like a super ball in a rapidly shaken, closed shoebox. Sound familiar?

Dabbling with a Supplement

Two months ago, I dabbled at taking black cohosh for menopause, but I quit when I had my first monthly cycle in nine months. Oh no, I did not want that to start again! In my opinion, that was the best part of being pregnant. However, I did notice a change in my behavior and thinking. By day two, I actually felt my thinking process slowing and resuming a more normal, logical way of processing thought. In addition, the mood swings leveled out to gentle, rolling hills. Alas, the break through bleeding caused me to stop taking the supplement. Are you getting the idea that I am an all or nothing kind of gal? Good, because you would be correct. As the black cohosh left my body, the mood swings and bouncing thought process resumed.

Surrendering Again

Do you want to know what caused me to surrender again? Okay, here it is - I love my family. When my loved ones start asking me if I am Bad Sallee or Good Sallee, it is time to surrender and change. One pill a day is not something to be stubborn about. So I bought two boxes of Estroven at Dollar General Store and after two pills, I am feeling better. I know that could be the sugar pill syndrome, but I do not really think so. My husband bravely agreed to observe me for signs of changed behavior this week. He will report his findings to me next Sunday.

Update 6/6/2013
Five days down and I am feeling less stressed. Plus,  my brain has slowed down and my ability to stay focused has increased.

Please feel free to comment on menopause, your problems with menopause, or any helpful information pertaining to menopause. Below are four links for more information on menopause

• Dealing with Brain Fog
• National Institute on Aging - Menopause
• WebMD Menopause Health Center
• University of Rochester Medical Center - a brief look at the stages of menopause