Perimenopause Invasion of the Body Snatchers #LOU

Invasion of the Bodysnatchers - Perimenopause

by Sharon Greenthal on Empty House, Full Mind

Ah, the joys of getting older. You know what I mean – the droopy eyelids, the dry skin, the more frequent visits to the hair colorist…and to the bathroom. And that’s just the beginning. There are some definite pluses to aging, but they certainly aren’t in regards to our bodies. Of all the things I find bothersome, the thing that causes me the most distress – even more than not being able to see without my reading glasses – is perimenopause.

Perimenopause sounds sort of innocuous, don’t you think? It’s almost a pretty word, like periwinkle – the little i in peri, there just to fool you. Because, truth be told, perimenopause can be a nightmare for some, including me, and by extension my husband, children, family,

friends, and pretty much anyone I encounter when those moods and pains and irritations descend on me, taking over my sanity for a few (or many) days each month.

My husband has come to understand it, bless his heart. He’s learned to live with me - or avoid me, probably - when I'm in the midst of the body snatching that comes each month, sneaking up on me – is this really happening again???? It’s as if someone has stuck a tube inside of me and blown me up like a balloon, then added a vice then

control? Didn’t we nurse our babies, turning over our bodies to them for months and months? Some of us went through hell and back just to get pregnant. And now comes the onset of middle age, and having to deal with the loss of our youth as we grow older. Do we really need this? Do we deserve this? Come on!

Some of my friends are fortunate, and haven’t really experienced much of the joys of perimenopause. Others struggle with hot flashes -which so far, I rarely get – extreme fatigue, mood swings, ferocious headaches, and