Menopause, shopping for cannabis with my 84 year old mother, and the wheels falling off. Also I tried another YouTube hair curling tutorial. So yeah, shit went down this week.
Actual text from Thursday
I spend one hour each night watching television. Mostly dark series like Killing Eve, Ozark, or Shameless but none as detrimental to my hair as a Hallmark Christmas movie. I blame the Hallmark franchise of Christmas movies on this ...
It starts in November, and by December I can't help myself. I wake up one morning and decide I'm going to have to curl my hair. It's not a thought so much as a compulsion after watching hours and hours of Hallmark starlets, with a head full of not too uptight, not too loose curls. I've never liked curls. They're too curly for me. I've never liked Christmas sweaters, dainty necklaces or saying Oh Gosh but after a month of watching I enter what I assume is some sort of Hallmark hypnosis.
This is how I end up curling my hair. Once or twice a year I give it a shot, it fails in a rather epic way and I walk around for the rest of the day as if this is a totally normal and good look for me. The next morning I retire the ambition of curls until the next round of Hallmark seasonal movies comes on television.
I want to make it clear that I don't blame Hallmark entirely, I blame YouTube beauty Vloggers. Specifically the ones who do hair tutorials, upload them, and expect me to be able to replicate what they do. Last time I watched a video on doing a type of rag rolling technique in order to look exactly like Charlize Theron. You can see the startling results of that here.
This time, I wanted to dry my hair with a diffuser to easily bring out "the luscious natural curls that were just waiting to blossom from my head". That was the description. So that's what I did. I diffused and diffused and diffused with my billion dollar hairdryer until I flipped my head back up and saw Nick Nolte staring back at me.
I would never have even tried to achieve head blossom curls even a year ago but something's changed in that time. I think my meno is pausing.
I had some blood tests last month that I think confirmed it. I'm not entirely sure because my doctor didn't walk me through the results. I read and interpreted the test results myself online. My doctor is retiring at the end of the month so if you aren't scabbing up from some sort of radiation poisoning, she's maybe not going to get back to you.
If it's true, this would ALL MAKE SENSE. I have had a bizarre series of random symptoms (including the gut wrenching anxiety that started earlier this year) over the past several months. None of which I've ever heard of as being related to menopause.
Want to know why? Because menopause is relegated to the same level of medical concern as "my kid stuck a peanut up his nose." The only time I remember any sort or real discussion in public about menopause was when one study thought maybe hormone replacement therapy could give you cancer and all the doctors stopped prescribing it giving us a world of 45-60 year old women screaming their way through a medical crises with no medical help at all.
Don't think going through menopause without hormone replacement therapy is a medical crises? Picture this conversation:
Doctor: Hello man person. You had a heart attack, you might have had a stroke, I'm going to have to remove both your arms and legs and you have cancer in your eyeballs. And oh yeah, it looks like all of your testosterone is gone.
Man Person: Nooooooo!!!! My testosterone is gone???!!!!!
Turns out the whole women shouldn't use hormone replacement therapy thing is pretty close to bullshit by the way. More on that in an upcoming post I plan on writing called Hey menopause, what the f*ck?
How this relates to hair curling, is that one of the things that can happen during menopause is your hair can go from straight to curly. Or in my case straight to curlyish in the back and sort of just weird in the front. I figured with these random curls that started naturally blossoming from my head all I needed was a diffuser to enter my Hallmark movie life. You can see from the photo above that this is yet another time I was very, very wrong.
This possible menopause thing is probably what's also causing my anxiety. I got it back in February and thought it was because of the health scare I went through. But now that I'm sort of connecting all the dots, it seems like menopause might be the asshead in this scenario.
I gave CBD oil a shot and thought I noticed it helping a little bit, but it's so hard to tell because it takes a while for CBD oil to take effect in your system. I stopped taking the CBD mainly because of the cost and because I really wasn't 100% sure if it was doing very much. A few months later I noticed my anxiety had gotten really bad and I started taking it again it. It does seem to help, but I wouldn't say that CBD is the magic drug it's touted at yet.
That realization led me to meeting my 84 year old mother in the parking lot of my local pot shop. She has a fascination with anything different or interesting so I knew if I told her I was going to the new "drug store" as I call it, she was going to want to go.
I wanted to see if they had some strain of pot or something that would help me calm down before bed and sleep. I'd been waking up relentlessly with panic attacks for months and I was exhausted.
Her bravado ended the minute we had to actually walk through the parking lot and into the small drug den with the cheery yellow "Hello Cannabis!" sign out front. She refused to show the attendant her identification as is required when we walked in. When she realized he really wasn't going to let her in without showing it she basically waved her wallet in front of his face and said There. You saw it. This is stupid.
And just like that my mother had made another friend.
We went in and stared blankly around. It's set up like a 1980's catalogue store with a long counter of sales people ready to grab something from the back for you, and a row of tables down the centre of the room where you can flip through their online catalogue and fill out a request form for whatever you want.
Looking up, I saw my neighbour Wayne behind the counter and he waved us over. Betty was in it now.
I told her to relax. I imagined she was worried someone would see her there, but I reminded her that if they were seeing her, she was also seeing them. That calmed her down some. Once she realized it was a store like any other that she could browse for home accessories in she let loose.
It was quite a mother daughter day. Daughter buying a couple of THC and CBD options for debilitating menopausal anxiety, mother contemplating if 1 or 2 handblown glass pipes would look better as a coffee table accessory.
We put on the THC virtual reality glasses ...
.. and discussed the paintings that were displayed in the outer room. She liked them. Wondered if they had anything to do with pot. Other than the bright colours, they did not.
In the end I had to drag her out of there. My mother liked the new experience. Next month I'm thinking of taking her to visit someone in jail.
Last Tuesday I walked to the grocery store at night with my antique wicker market basket. As one does. If they're an idiot.
I've done it once before and loved how much easier it made walking home with groceries. And also so much more stylish than a regular bundle buggy. I mean I might be going into menopause but I'm not at the bundle buggy stage yet.
Just as I was in the middle of crossing the road at a stoplight, my wheel fell off. Which would have been bad enough. But I didn't really notice it even as I was suddenly scraping my cart across the road. When a spark caught my eye, I looked down and noticed one wheel was back near the sidewalk curb and all that was sticking out from my market basket was a metal axel.
By now the crosswalk light was in that alarming state where it counts down how many seconds you have left before being run over by a car. There wasn't enough time for me to make it to the side I was headed towards so I had to turn around, in the spotlight of everyone's headlights, lift my market basket and hobble my way towards my wheel.
This was all on the way to the grocery store, so I didn't have to worry about getting all the way home on one wheel. The basket was carried to the store where a cashier gave me the one thing that can be used to fix anything. Duct tape.
Wheel attached, groceries purchased, I made my way home with my duct taped cart, reminding myself all the way that if this were a Hallmark movie a handsome lawyer/rancher would have hopped out of his truck to help me with my market basket situation.
And my hair would have been curled.
Saja Miller
Thanks for the laughs! Menopause for me brought on the onslaught of arthritis which is worse in the winter months. I doubt that I would try that option, but I thank you for sharing your adventure.
Meredith
I just read an article that said the medical community is starting to think that the longer a female's brain is exposed to estrogen, the smaller the chance of Alzheimers/Dementia, as the percentage of aging adults diagnosed with Alzheimers/Dementia is overwhelmingly female and there is a direct correlation between women who go through menopause later and a reduced Alzheimers/Dementia rate. So as a pre-meno woman, I starting to think HRT might not be so scary after all.
Teresa Perry
Hmmmmmm. I think you look adorable in that pic at the top, and I don't mean that in a weird way. ...
Post menopause here and so wish I could sleep....anytime, anywhere. 😴,😩
gordon lorincz
Hi,
Just started reading some of your posts, and you're angle on this BS life is HIL-Larious!
ref: "And just like that my mother had made another friend". keep up the good work!
Karen
Thanks Gordon! ~ karen
Dave R.
I've been sleeping like crap for years. Last year after watching an episode of Disjointed, with Kathy Bates as a pot shop owner (now cancelled), my partner suggested I look into "the herb". I tried the vape pen that a friend gave me, and I had the first full night's sleep I've had in ages!
Since then I've tried the tinctures that you put under your tongue, but I find the THC chocolate really seems to work for me. Note: Do not mix this stuff with booze. I had a small piece of the chocolate after drinking a tallboy of beer and some hummus and crackers. About an hour later I was blowing chunks. Never one to learn my lesson, last summer I smoked a doob after having some beer, as one does at the cottage. Next thing I knew, I kinda lost my ability to help myself to the cheese and cracker plate and gestured with a dead-eyed look and a nod of my head for my partner to feed me what I wanted. Again, I felt that familiar feeling. Up things came. When a friend asked me how much I smoked, I said "just one", and he said "just one drag?", and I said "no, just one joint." "OMG!!! You kinda OD'd! This isn't the stuff we had in high school! A couple of hits is all you need!" Lesson learned. I gave all my smokeables, papers, filters, roller, etc. to another friend of mine who knows what they're doing. I prefer to stick with measured oils or chocolate I can portion out, and that the neighbours in my condo won't take offence to.
Karen
Hey Dave! I promise I will not mix with booze. I don't really drink. Although I didn't smoke pot until last week either so God know's where I'll be by next week. Scabby and stealing hams to sell for meth I imagine. ~ karen!
SF
My doctor is great with supplements, and she also recommended L-theanine for anxiety (not related to menopause). I'm not taking max dosage, but I do think it helps some. Doesn't hurt to try. Pure Encapsulations is a good brand and available on Amazon. She's also a big proponent of magnesium, but it doesn't agree with me.
I'm terrified of menopause. It all sounds just horrible. My mom said hers was mild, so I'm hoping for the same.
Thanks for talking about it! Women shouldn't feel like they can't talk about what's happening with their bodies!
Jessica
Been there. So much fun!🙄😳😬
Renee R
I started right around 50. I just hit 56 and am thankfully DONE with that shit about 2 years ago. Oh the night sweats and wanting to cry and screech at the same time. For myself, I tried St. John's Wort, and it helped me alot. My dr, who is very supportive of herbs and natural remedies said it works similar to Prozac with less side effects. It may not work for everyone, but I could have kissed those 2 little green capsules every day. I am off of them now, and through that mess, but what I also notice is the dry skin and brittle nails all the time. And my hair sucks. The best part though- getting to skip down the feminine product aisle.
susang
kind of on topic - read "no stopping us now" by gail Collins. interesting read. I cant use my market basket in the snow!
Alena
All my friends seemed to hit menopause early, in their mid forties. Of course, I had to be the exception, menstruating until I was almost 59. Except that the river finally dried up I would not even know anything was happening. Menopause has literally been a blessing in my case.
Eileen
webmd on L-thyanine:
•Avoid beer, wine, and mixed drinks (alcohol) while taking this product.
•This product may cause you to be sleepy. Take extra care driving and doing tasks that you need to be alert for.
Take extra care and check with your doctor if you have:
•Anxiety
Huh? This makes it sound like it could worsen anxiety?
Actually, just the fact that you have to swear off alcohol would do that...just sayin'
ErinG
This group has really helped me navigate perimenopause.
http://www.menopausechicks.com
Shirley's book "Mokita" is a terrific resource.
Love the Hallmark hypnosis idea - I'm totally distracted by those gals' hair too
Pam
OMG - I loved this post for so many reasons... I’m 57 and have been having hot flashes for about 5 years. And cold flashes also! Loved reading all the comments and suggestions for menopause. I’ve tried CBD, a tincture that has low level of THC, magnesium and black cohosh root. So far nothing has worked. The hot flashes and hormones are totally disrupting my sleep and are more than annoying during the day. I’m going to look into THeronine... thank you to whoever suggested that. As for the curly hair... my daughter turned me onto manesbymell. IT’s two sisters that do a lot of YouTube videos and explain the process and products for curly hair. I haven’t tried it yet but she has had great results.
whitequeen96
I was lucky (preening a bit!); my menopause was easy. I think I only had 3 or 4 hot flashes, and not much else. But that's because fat women have an easier time of it generally, because fat stores hormones (so I've been told). So finally, fat was good for something!
I love your take-your-mother-to-a-head-shop story! I was pretty fascinated the first few times I went. I had to get CBD for my son's seizures and I was sitting next to an elderly woman in the waiting room. I finally turned to her and said, "YOU don't look like a druggie!"
I think your idea of taking your mother to visit a jail is a great idea! I'm sure she really would find it interesting!
Kim
God I love everything you say.
Makes my day!
Karen
Thank you, lol. ~ karen!
Ecoteri
one of my good friends, who is a pharmacist, says "better living through pharmaceuticals". Another friend wisely recommended that I go straight to the hormones and not suffer for 2 years trying what she called "hippy dippy cures". she had a tonne of girlfriends who experimented with all kinds of alternatives and were mad as barking dogs (her words - she's Australian) until they 'caved' and took HRT and became human again.
I was on the murder/suicide team so my family Doctor was totally willing to get me on HRT when I asked. He also knew that my home life was dreadful and that I had very young children - fool that I was to wait so long. So HRT for the win, I avoided the morgue and jail.
.
As for the hair? Mine is naturally curly. I have tried all kinds of potions to keep the frizz down. Recently I was in a place where I didn't have my usual expensive de-frizz stuff, so in desperation I used body lotion. I will never go back to expensive de-frizz stuff. Body lotion takes out all the frizz, gives my hair even more body, it is really soft, and it smells lovely. So that is my extra advice - use body lotion on your hair... I am not sure how it will work out with your straight hair, Karen, but I bet you will share photos for our laughing pleasure!
Curtis Wynn
Do you mind sharing which body lotion you used? I get tired of having so many specialized products.
Ecoteri
I just use a cheap oatmeal body lotion that I get at IGA, Curtis. I like the smell and texture of it. I learned to use the lotion when I was on a trip in Peru - one of the guys on the trip had great hair, and when we asked him he just said he applied lotion on his face then rubbed his hands in his hair... I have a LOT more hair than he did, but the lotion serves to tame mine.
Melody
I can’t help with the menopause thing, but maybe with the curls. My hair is also curly/wavy, but I didn’t really know until I was past 30. Before that, I had spent all my time blowing it out and then curling it with hot rollers. I think you need product to make the curls clump together before you diffuse or air dry. Possibly also just curls in the back and straighter in the front. The layers you usually have in the back of your hair probably help release the curls.
KiwiKat
In the past two years (since she turned 70) my mothers hair is straight on top and grows crimped underneath (like 80’s rare skirt and neon leg warmers crimped) and sticks out everywhere...her hairdresser has just about given upo trying to fix it and mum is settling in to the “I’m old, I don’t give a s.....” mindset....
Lanie Day
I did menopause at the same time as:
divorce
financial ruin
kid off to college
moving to a different city
dating
caring for a family member with dementia
going back to college
raising a grandbaby
and a partridge in a pear tree
Pot is wonderful for relieving menopause rage, depression, and anxiety ! Antidepressants made me feel like nails on a blackboard, although I did stop crying at the littlest things. Anti-anxiety meds put me to sleep. Hormone replacement therapy was costly and I had no health insurance. (a shout out to all the fat cats in the USA government) A little marijuana was sometimes the attitude adjustment needed.
Lisa
My menopause story: Called my brother, the doctor. Told him I thought I needed HRT. He asked me why. I said because I either want to kill myself or everybody else. But I'm worried about breast cancer. Brother said, "If we're talking about murder or suicide, I think maybe you should try the HRT (no fam history of BC)." Then I got the patch. No murders or suicides were committed and I slowly cut the patch down over the course of about a year. I MADE IT. Now I'm post menopause (63) and am care-taking my demented mom. Anxiety is back. It's hard being a girl...
I also fully endorse the weighted blanket! Help me sleep like nothing else. You can make one yourself, because you know how to do everything. But I bought mine and it has saved me lots of sleepless nights.
Cathy
Many, many yrs on HRT, and I still have small flashes. But I’m trying to get off them at age 68. I’ve thought about a weighted blanket but I’m in the fence. What weight/brand do you recommend? Insomnia is stil an issue, even though I’m retired.