Finally looking for help!
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Hi all - After a call to a Bupa menopause helpline, I've been signposted to some online support, and found this among others.
I'm 59 and my main symptoms are hot flushes, brain fog, and moods...and total loss of libido. Is anyone else here neurodiverse? I'm finding that menopause is making everything worse.
For my life in general, I look after the house and family, which consists of 3 young adults with Fragile X Syndrome, my husband, and younger sister - who can't live independently, and who is also experiencing symptoms, in particular night sweats and hot flushes. The kids are able in a lot of ways, but not in others hence they're still at home in limbo. Our youngest may be with us for sometime yet.
Recently I've been finding my moods are particularly amplified, and I wake up feeling completely dysregulated, sometimes anxious. Masking gets me through it most days, but there have been times when I've wanted to put on my boxing gloves and find a punch bag somewhere, or find a large cushion into which I can scream to my heart's content. Does anyone else have something similar?
EGs:
My son didn't want to go on our recent caravan trip, which sent my dysregulation into a spin. Once I'd told my husband and we discussed some activities we managed to dangle a carrot and he came. When we got back he sent me several texts complete with angry emojis saying no more caravan holidays. Now he doesn't want to go on the next one, which is shorter, so I'm having to try and dangle another carrot. While I should just be channelling energy into ideas to get him to come, instead I spent most of the day feeling out of sorts and dysregulated. By this afternoon, I had a plan, and also managed, with effort, to talk myself down, and trying to find some perspective - there are other families with SEND who have more challenging situations.
When my sister gets dysregulated, depending on serverity, it can throw a cloud over the whole house, but it's up to me to sort things out - which then dysregulates me.
Lastly, has anyone else taken any alternative remedies? I've recently started Black Cohosh and Lions' Mane, but not consistently (brain fog makes me forget 🙄). The Menopause nurse I spoke to today said there's not enough research, but I just wanted to know what anyone else thought.
Thanks for reading!
