THE BIG M

Kirsty-Anne Bissell, shares with us her menopause journey.

The big M is taking over my life, not in a bad way now but chatting to other women and their partners is just proving how unspoken this still is. Whether it’s sat in the bar, out for dinner or even passing in the supermarket, women and men out there are suffering pretty much in silence still, which is shocking in 2022. One lady I spoke to has been suffering similar symptoms to myself, for 20 years, her UK doctor said that at 43 she could not possibly be menopausal, let’s hope that things are easier for ladies today and that they are not so easily dismissed.

I do wonder if there any official statistics, detailing how many women take their own lives because of menopause, but there certainly are cases, as survivors will tell you. This is something I will touch on later, as I’m just doing a bit more investigation for now and trying to keep my initial columns positive.

So, my journey continues, the gel is doing its stuff and that’s not just my opinion, but hubbys too. I can believe that I’m feeling better, but it’s more important to get the view of someone on the outside looking in, in order to form a well-rounded view of what’s really going on. “Well, I am still alive” says he. “And the hole down the bottom of the garden hasn’t got any bigger.” Not renowned for his comedic talents my dear hubby, need I say?

I went back to my doctor in December, as I was suffering from what felt like anxiety attacks (I knew the feeling from when my Mum was terminally ill). My own lady doctor was on holiday, so after being left, forgotten in the waiting room, her locum finally saw me. I was already unimpressed, an hours wait to see him only to feel that he felt I was wasting his time (general look of annoyance). He asked me if there was anything happening that would make me feel anxious, so I went onto explain my menopause issues and confirmation through blood tests but other than that, no not really, I consider my life a good one.

He disregarded this altogether and prescribed me some tablets, I got home and looked up the side-effects only to find that these side-effects were exactly the same as what I was already experiencing. I made a decision there and then to try carrying on without them. It’s nearly a month on and the feeling of panic has subsided. So maybe I just needed to give the gel a bit more time to do its thing.

I do feel more like the old me and my relationship with Lee is back on an even keel, the old pet names are back, although d#$% head (a favorite of us both) might not seem like a term of endearment, but then we are from Yorkshire, ha, ha.

I’m working on a list of symptoms (already a long one), but if you have a symptom that is not on the list below, I would appreciate it if you would drop me a line so I can collate a definitive list (if that’s possible), so as to help those that follow us. Contact me on simplyfrancekb@hotmail.com • Irregular periods • vaginal dryness • hot flashes (flushes) • Chills • night sweats • sleep problems • Mood changes • • weight gain slower metabolism Kirsty x