You have probably experienced these symptoms even if you didn’t recognise them as premenstrual tension
A woman I worked with once told me she felt like an over-ripe tomato when she had PMS and was so sensitive to touch that she thought she would explode if anyone touched her.
For me, it’s noise. There are days when the chatter on the train in the morning goes right through my head putting me in a bad mood that can last all day. Noise sensitivity is, in fact, one of the symptoms of PMS although I hadn’t made the connection until I came across an amazing list of pre-menstrual syndrome symptoms recently. It includes:
- bloating
- abdominal cramping up to 2 weeks before period that may also be felt in the back, thighs, or vaginal area
- poor coordination
- rashes
- breast pain and swelling
- stiff neck
- back/joint pain
- indecisiveness
- slurred speech
- eye problems – dry eyes, difficulty focusing, aching eyes
- tiredness
- hand tingling
- sensitivity to noise, touch or smell
- dizziness / fainting
- pounding or irregular heart
- more – or less – interest in sex
Not to mention the mood and emotion symptoms that are more commonly connected to PMS.
There are some practical steps that can help alleviate these symptoms like avoiding sugar and alcohol, switching to a healthier diet, and taking regular exercise. It’s not a bad idea to have a little refresher on these techniques because by the time we get to peri-menopause when PMS symptoms can resurface as a problem, many of us will have forgotten both how wide the symptoms can be and what’s effective in dealing them. The article cited above is a useful starting point. It has certainly opened my eyes.
For more on the subject of menopause, you may like to read this useful feature from the New York Times.
Confusing symptoms, PMT and Perimenopause
The thing I hate most about perimenopause is the uncertainty that comes with this hormonal shift. There is the inconvenience of an altered pattern of periods – irregularity interspersed with regularity, lighter periods interspersed with much heavier periods, longer periods interspersed shorter periods, all of which together mean rarely leaving home without an array of sanitary options to cope with each eventuality. Add to that the fluctuating PMT-type symptoms - low moods, tearfulness, anxiety – and then the headaches, aching joints, the weird and/or horrifying dreams, the painful sore breasts and palpitations. It’s so strange that you can get into your 40s or 50s – 30s if you’re really unlucky – without anyone ever warning you. When the symptoms kick in they are confusing and it takes a while to work out what is going on. What’s amazing, and wonderful, is to find so many women going through the same experience and sharing their experiences and concerns on blogs and discussion boards. I’m not an advocate for any HRT or herbal remedies but I definitely do advocate looking at diet and exercise as tools to help combat the changes and, after a month of dining out and pre-Christmas festivities, it’s definitely time to take some of my own medicine. I know I would feel the better for it.
For more information on menopause, see this useful article from the New York Times.
Okay. I admit it. I’ve had a couple of weeks away from the office and have probably enjoyed a few more coffees than I would fit into an ordinary working day. You’d think that was a simple, innocent enough indulgence given there are so many alternative vices around to choose from. Well, wrong. Why did nobody warn me that too much coffee in these fabulous perimenopause years can contribute to horribly painful, throbbing breasts? I might have been spared days of misery and think of the fun I could have had trying out alternative beverages. I might work my way through an A-Z of potential substitutes (Absinthe, Baileys, Cointreau, Drambuie, Eggnog, Fizz, Gin, Heineken …) were it not for the fact that these are all alcohol products and bring with them perimenopause challenges of their own, no doubt. So what, I ask, is a girl to do without coffee? Answers on a postcard please – or by way of a comment. All suggestions welcome (but please don’t try to sell me HRT-related products or menopause cream. I’ve already had those emails!)
It seems to be a fact of life that leg problems start to kick in (pardon the pun) around 50.
For a few weeks now I have been having more problems than usual with swelling in my legs – particularly the right leg -and probably partly because I cross my legs even though I try to remember not to. The fact that my job involves sitting for long periods is not helpful. I have had an ongoing issue with an itchy patch on the back of one of my legs that corresponds with the exact point it presses against my office chair. Worse still, I even damaged a vein at that point in my leg a few weeks ago.
It’s not a lot of fun – particularly as I am going to have to carry on sitting on the same chair for quite some time to come unless my numbers come up in the lottery – so I was a sitting target (no pun intended) for a spa treatement, ‘Vital Legs’ that promises to reduce swelling and improve circulation. The product range used was Comfort Zone. At e85 it was not to be undertaken lightly but on the last day of my recent road trip, I considered it was worth the investment. The treatement consisted of a chemical exfoliation, followed by a very cooling mask during which my legs were encased in clingfilm and then wrapped up tightly in blankets. While the mask worked its magic I received an Indian head massage, so restful that it almost sent me to sleep. The mask was then followed up with an ‘active gel’ – also cool and pleasant on the legs, and the treatement concluded with a moisturising lotion. All in all, very pleasant, and my legs tingled and felt cool for about two hours afterwards – which is pretty good. On the advice of the therapist, I followed up with a session in a hyrdrotherapy room the following morning. This was one of those large hydrotherapy pools that has different jets in different locations so you could have back massage, leg massage, foot massage, etc. It also had a feature that generates a current, and since I had the place to myself, I ran with the current for a couple of laps which was really enjoyable. If you get the chance to try that, I strongly recommend it.
To be honest, I think the pool reduced the swelling in my legs more than the treatment. But the treatment felt wonderful and funds permitting, I will certainly be trying it again.
At the risk of offending dog lovers everywhere, I have to begin this evening’s post by admitting that I am not a huge fan of man’s best friend. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t dislike dogs, but I wouldn’t want to live with one – mostly for reasons of hair, smell, food and pooh, not necessarily in that order.
I was surprised, in light of this, to awake recently from a dream about a black puppy.
I turned to the web for illumination and learned that, since they are often seen as faithful companions, dreaming of dogs may indicate a longing for companionship. Alternatively, dogs may turn up in your dreams to guide you into worlds you cannot see for yourself. You are meant to watch carefully where the dog is leading you amd draw insights from that.
Some people believe dogs have a psychic sense and that dreams of dogs may indicate that you are getting in touch with your own pyschic abilities.
Finally, dogs, like cats, are sometimes substitutes for substitutes for children and so dreaming of a dog may symbolize maternal longings.
This is the sum total of my knowledge of interpreting the presence of the puppy dog in my dream. Sadly, none of the interpretators was able to tell me why the sweet black puppy bit me on the nose. Left to my own interpretation on the finer detail of the dream I can only conclude I was right all along. Dogs are fine in their place but I wouldn’t want to live with one.
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