Hello all, I’m brand new here. Wow, so much info, it’s kind of overwhelming. I had my last official cycle over 2 years ago, I'm now 50. Menopause has been at the same time the most magical, awesome time and most baffling and bewildering of my life. I’ve been so much more open spiritually and along with covid stay-at-home, I’ve done a lot of self cultivation. I’ve been using hot flushes to help me ‘burn away whatever no longer serves me’. 5-6 years ago, when I had pre-menopause symptoms, I found it very helpful to read Dr. Christiane Northrup books. It helped me prepare. Then again, NOTHING can really prepare you for this!!! Last year I was experiencing insomnia. At times I’d have sensations like shrews just under my skin, running up and down me, especially my legs. It was really like the rapid pitter-patter of feet going up and down. So weird. Lately the most bothersome things have been vaginal dryness, achey joints (one year ago I could do pull-ups and run 2K a few times a week. Now I mainly walk and even have trouble opening jars, getting dressed, etc. due to achey joints.) And the anxiety. I’ve had it on and off for 6 years, but for the last few months it’s affected my eating and drinking. I’ve never had weight issues or eating disorder, but for 3 months I’ve had issues, stopping myself swallowing, as if I’m fearful of drowning in a glass of water or something. SO strange. I’ve tried all the tricks in my hat and up my sleeve: hand-over-heart, left-handed writing, EFT tapping, mantras, visualizations etc, etc and I’m doing better but not totally getting through it. I finally broke down and spoke with GP, got low dose of Propranol which takes the edge off enough for me to get through meals. I also had a few sessions of counseling but private is so expensive and NHS I’ve been on waiting list for weeks. My partner is very supportive but it’s not easy for him, either, as I’ve often been eating meals pacing around the kitchen while he sits alone at the table. I’ve not tried HRT yet, I’ve not even spoken to anyone about it yet. I have a follow-up call with the GP this week regarding the anxiety, I plan to speak about the joints and see where that goes.
