They should warn us {RANT}

Menopause is not fun. This is pretty much common knowledge. HOWEVER. What they do NOT tell you is that things can be worse AFTER rather than before you go through menopause. So let me explain all of this to you. Menopause is the term for when a woman no longer has the "curse."We stop having our monthly periods. YIPPIE!  Ahhh... sort of. The time before we stop our periods, for around 5 years, on average, when we have wacky cycles, a period every 3 weeks or none for 3 months, is known as peri menopause. Menopause is when one has not had a period for a year. The time after that is known as post menopause. Most of what one reads tells how hellish it is during peri menopause. And then life is the life of Riley. My peri menopause was relatively painless. but the post menopause has been horrible. During peri I had heat flushes ( these are different from hot flashes as they are a feeling of being slightly flushed with a warm feeling and might last all of 15 seconds or so ). I had mood swings, mostly mild though a few episodes were 10 minutes of bitchiness, 10 minutes of depression, things like that. And then I went through menopause and thought cool, no more periods, no more of menopause. It is OVER. Yeehaw! Little did I know... About 6 months ago or so things happened. Depression, anxiety, rage and flat out being antsy and restless. Pacing the floor sort of antsy. GRRRRRRRRR. NO FUN. And then there are the hot flashes...EEK. I turn 60 soon and thought all of this nonsense was OVER. It was done, kaput. Except it wasn't. So here I am with the mood swings from hell, with hot flashes, brain fogs... and when I checked it out on line, guess what? It turned out to be NORMAL! Why then, when they talk about menopause do they always mention menopause as if the years prior to it are the worst of it? Who knows? Maybe it is because for most women it is the worst. But we should be warned that menopause is not only peri. It is also post. And for some of us it it is worse after than before. And we need to know that when we think all of this nonsense is over it might only be beginning. How bad is it? How about having PMS plus hot flashes all month long? I just want to be normal again...I just want to be normal again. I just want to be normal again.... 

Snooty ( and often depressed, ornery and flat out cantankerous ) Aunt Cynthia