Menopause Advice

[Mermaid]

Hi Everyone,

Some of you may remember me, I was very active on the site a few years ago. I was in a real mess before I discovered TMS and with a lot of soul searching and belief in the TMS process I got my life back from fibro/chronic migraine diagnosis and the medical mismanagement of both of these "conditions".

I didn't post a success story, because the perfectionist in me couldn't accpet that being 90% better could be considered a success. I never totally managed to stop the migraines, but reduced them and had the tools to recognise the events triggering them.

I won't recount my whole life story again, but it's been extremely challenging and stressful. Anyway I'll cut to the chase; I've been going through perimenopause what seems like forever and am on HRT, which my doctor increased a month or so ago. This didn't work for me and I had to revery to my original combined patches, which seems to have thrown my mental and physical health way off course. It seems that the hormonal emotional turmoil I'm experiencing has brought my TMS symptoms back with a vengence.

I'm doing everything I did to free myself last time, but nothing is helping which is really scaring me. I have no new stressors in my life just now. Has anyone else experienced anything similar? I think the hormonal change are creating the ideal conditions to trigger TMS. I need some hope that I can calm this down.

Thank you

 

[JanAtheCPA]

Hi @Mermaid, I certainly remember your name from whenever that was. I have to admit that I never posted a comprehensive success story either, although I have posted short ones about specific TMS incidents, and I certainly consider myself a success for different reasons - none of which are 100% recovery because IMHO there ain't no such thing.

I have no new stressors in my life just now. Has anyone else experienced anything similar? I think the hormonal change are creating the ideal conditions to trigger TMS.

Really? You don't think that the fact of menopause isn't a new stressor? Honey, it is one of The Big existential stressors, eventually affecting 50% of all humans who reach a certain age.

And yet we are supposed to shove our negative feelings about this significant theft of our hormones under the rug and pretend that it's some kind of glorious celebration and rite of passage blah blah fucking blah.

What it actually is, is some kind of unfair bullshit, a rotten trick played on human females by evolution.

Speaking this truth about menopause is part of what led to my recovery from a crisis of TMS symptoms at age 60, back in 2011. I stopped taking HRT shortly after, and substituted quality minerals and more relevant exercise in order to protect bone density, which was the only possibly legitimate reason for the HRT, as I'd been doing it for plenty of years by then.

HOWEVER - the main TMS trigger I had to deal with was the other big existential repressed fear, which is mortality.

My recommendation is to revisit the writing exercises in the SEP, or maybe just review Nicole Sachs' advice on emotional writing (just do a search on "Nicole Sachs how to JournalSpeak").

Good topics to start with are referred to as the four key issues in a practice called Existential Psychotherapy:
Isolation (or Abandonment)
Freedom
Meaning
Mortality

When it comes to facing the inevitability of aging, all four of these come into play.

See what happens!

 

[Sita]

I had some issues also, yes. I use:

- daily meditations;
- Pilates, walking in nature (at 6 in the morning), QiGong (this is very relaxing), lifting weights sometimes but not heavy, aerobic exercise;
- hobbies daily for mental relaxation;
- breathing exercises done outside or in front of an open window;
- very healthy diet (no alcohol, hot spices, sugar, coffee, nothing processed, no junk food ever);
- supplements like Magnesium, K2D3 and Black Cohosh;
- grounding (bare feet, in nature);
- no screens (laptop, phone, tablet, music, TV, etc, none) after I wake up for 1.5-2 hours. And no screens before I go to bed in the evening, again 2 hours before bed.
etc.

Take care.

 

[Mermaid]

Thanks ladies, much appreciated.

 

[Ellen]

Just want to welcome you back @Mermaid . I remember you well. Sorry to hear that you are having a relapse. Unfortunately, relapses are pretty normal. I get one about once a year or so. But if you have recovered from TMS once (and 90% counts) then you can do it again. Just do what you did the first time for your current issue(s).

I also recommend that you seek out Nicole Sachs online. She addresses women's issues especially well. Her podcasts are wonderful.

 

[Mermaid]

Hi Ellen! Thanks for your words of encouragement.