Am I just getting old?

[Janis]

I am taking a little estradiol with the progesterone, per the recommendation of the doctor and the lab. I'm also taking DHEA but only a couple times a week since it can increase estrogen and testosterone. My DHEA was low which is why she gave me that to take.

I did notice while researching it all online that there are different recommendations on how often to take the progesterone cream.

One of my problems with menopause has been insomnia. I actually only slept one hour last night, although that's a bit extreme even for me. I was getting two or three hours until I started taking melatonin and now get more like five or six. But I can tell I still don't get enough. That may have something to do with the cortisol problem.

I just turned 50 but that is close to 48.

You have my sympathies. Not getting enough sleep is probably the worst and most difficult symptom.

Other than a calcium and magnesium supplement before bed, wearing ear plugs, and going to bed early (so that I have plenty of time to unwind before I turn off the lights), having a brown carbohydrate before bed has helped me enormously.

I borrowed this idea from Kathleen DesMaisons, Potatoes not Prozac. "The potato creates an insulin response that effects the movement of the amino acid tryptophan from your blood into your brain. Your body uses tryptophan to make serotonin..." according to DesMaisons the body responds to this like a Selective Serotonin Reputake Inhibitor.

A bowl of oatmeal at bed-time made a world of difference for me.

HTH.

 

[intensitylisa]

Wow these are exceptionally great posts of advice. I am 47 and just posted on open discussion how my body has changed in the form of thicker middle, pooch belly. I forgot to mention changes in the private area. I have on and off hot flashes. I went through the worst stress of my life two years ago and it knocked me for a loop in the area of depression. I just about lost everything! I have an extreme form of anxiety which raises my cortisol levels sky high, so it is no wonder I have what looks to be a 3 to 4 month pregnancy belly. Since returning to "Cathe" I do have to say that my core is responding. I have gotten better with my depressive issues and am not eating all the junk because I was depressed. I just didn't care. I have learned to catch myself getting down on myself and exercise with "Cathe" helps me tremendously, but when I was in the middle of this crisis I lost all interest in everything I loved doing. It was truly a scary situation for myself and I am glad I got through it.

 

[Janis]

Hi Lisa:

Thank you for sharing your story. I am glad you got through it too, and I'm glad you found your way back to Cathe and fitness. We just have to take it a day at a time... baby steps, really. Journaling everything has helped me. I journal everything, what I am feeling, what I am eating, what I am doing, how I am exercising...all of it. It is has been useful to notice trigger situations, trigger emotions/feelings, trigger foods. It has become a road map, if you will, of my journey.

Puzzling out the food was a big part of it. I bored my friends silly, from day to day and week to week, with "I think XYZ is making me bloat." or "I'm giving up sugar" and all the variations of diet strategies I've tried..."Paleo is working", "Paleo isn't working." "I think it's IBS." You get the idea - I've written about it and talked about it to everyone who will listen. The point is - it's your journey and what works for one person won't necessarily work for you. It is worth eliminating certain foods, changing a few lifestyle habits, and keeping notes, in this way you will discover what works for you.

For example, I have finally embraced eating a starchy vegetable carbohydrate at each meal because it keeps my energy up, keeps me off sugar, and keeps the bats out of the belfry.

 

[maddiesmum]

Excellent idea Janis. Love the "bats out of the belfry" comment!

I love this approach because very often I realize, belatedly, that the reason I am feeling so bad physically is because I am unconsciously worrying about something, only my conscious mind has been alerted to the fact yet. Then when I stop and "listen," I can usually work out exactly what the issue was and can take action to make myself feel better.

Janis, sounds like your journal achieves much the same thing in a much more organized fashion!

Clare