Episode Summary
This episode of The Survivors dives into surviving perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause through candid personal stories. Lisa and Natasha cover commonly missed symptoms—sleep disruption, brain fog, mood changes, joint pain, urinary changes, and surprising signs like itchy ears—plus conversations about hormone replacement therapy (HRT), treatment access, and self-advocacy with clinicians.
Listeners are reminded they're not alone, encouraged to seek care and community, and invited to share experiences as the hosts plan follow-ups to track treatment outcomes and coping strategies.
Episode Sponsored by The HelpHUB™
Struggling with your mental health? Feeling lost, overwhelmed, or just alone? Well, you're not. Welcome to The HelpHUB™—your online destination for mental health resources, treatment options, content, and tools to help meet you exactly where you are in the moment. Visit TheHelpHUB.co to get started.
Takeaways
- Symptoms of menopause and perimenopause
- Importance of early treatment and research
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) experiences
- Advocating for women's health in medical system
- Uncommon symptoms like itchy ears and frozen shoulder
- Impact of menopause on mental health and libido
- The role of diet, exercise, and self-care during menopause
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction to Menopause and Perimenopause 03:24 - Symptoms and Experiences of Menopause 06:27 - Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Insights 09:30 - The Importance of Research and Education 12:28 - Personal Experiences with HRT 15:18 - Understanding the Medical Perspective 18:13 - Conclusion and Future Discussions 19:46 - Navigating Hormonal Changes and Mental Health 23:59 - The Emotional Rollercoaster of Perimenopause 26:54 - Grief and Acceptance in Transitioning Bodies 32:13 - Building Healthy Routines for Well-Being 35:43 - Finding Balance Amidst Life's Chaos 41:09 - Empowerment Through Shared Experiences
Mental Health Resources
- If you or someone you know is struggling, please call 988 for help.
- The Survivors Podcast Website – https://thesurvivors.net/
- Surviving: Finding Hope After Suicide Loss (Familius Books)
- The HelpHUB™ – Mental health resources, tools, and support networks – https://www.thehelphub.co/
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See you next week! In the meantime, keep surviving.
00:00:01 --> 00:00:04 Hey friends, before we dive into this week's episode, just a heads up.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 Our podcast talks about suicide, sexual abuse, and other trauma,
00:00:09 --> 00:00:13 and some of what you hear may be triggering. So please listen with care.
00:00:13 --> 00:00:18 This is The Survivors, real stories, raw conversations, and the truth about
00:00:18 --> 00:00:21 what it means to keep going after the hardest things.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 We're so glad you're here. Let's keep surviving together.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:27 The countdown thing, right?
00:00:29 --> 00:00:32 It just did. Did it? We're live.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:38 I didn't see it. Is it going to do the countdown thing? I love it.
00:00:39 --> 00:00:42 You're so dialed in today. This is fantastic. We're off to a great start.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:47 I mean, if that just doesn't like perfectly cap what we're about to talk about,
00:00:47 --> 00:00:52 which is perimenopause and postmenopause. So there's perimenopause,
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 there's menopause, and then there's postmenopause.
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 I'm raising my hand really quickly. high right now for everybody who's listening.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 So are you in post-menopause?
00:01:01 --> 00:01:06 Sweetheart, I'm like approaching 60. So yeah, that's where I live right now. Okay.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:13 That's my hell is right now. Okay. So I'm in perimenopause now, just coming into it.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:18 And I don't have a uterus, so it's going to be a lot harder for me to track.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 I had a hysterectomy about three and a half years ago. Okay.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:22 Yeah, three and a half years ago.
00:01:23 --> 00:01:27 And so, you know, yeah, we're going to dive in and talk about it my experience
00:01:27 --> 00:01:31 just coming into it where you're at there's a 17 year age gap for us so i feel
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 like we've got a lot to discuss.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:40 We do yeah so the biggest thing you know we all hear about hot flashes and that's
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 the number one thing we're talking about here but,
00:01:43 --> 00:01:47 what is we're learning and there has been so much research coming out i would
00:01:47 --> 00:01:53 say in the just the last five years about perimenopause and the importance of if you tackle it,
00:01:54 --> 00:02:01 beforehand, it sets you up for greater success and survivability as you get
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 into, you know, menopause and post-menopause.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:11 In fact, I had my, I decided to get on hormone replacement therapy, aka HRT.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 She's gonna slap me on a patch.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 I actually, it's so funny that we're having this conversation today because
00:02:17 --> 00:02:23 Dave and I were just talking about it. He's like, babe, I know you've said you're just feeling off.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:28 Maybe go back on. I tried hormones. I tried HRT. I think you and I talked about
00:02:28 --> 00:02:32 it. I tried HRT last summer and I was on it and I have to be really honest with you.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:36 I didn't really see it move the needle all that much.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:42 So he said to me today, do you want to help doing some research?
00:02:42 --> 00:02:46 Do you want me to, you know, look for something else that might be better?
00:02:46 --> 00:02:50 I said, yeah, I'm kind of on the hunt now just to see what else might be better
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 or affect me in a different way. But I know HRT.
00:02:56 --> 00:03:00 Well, so I just, I thought it was just a, I have struggled with my sleep since
00:03:00 --> 00:03:03 my kids were basically born.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:08 I, you know, was a really good sleeper before that. And so I just figured that,
00:03:09 --> 00:03:15 I didn't realize it was just a part of Mary perimenopause. There it is.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 Anything that goes wrong today in this recording, we attribute to menopause and perimenopause.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:25 But I had realized several months ago, I was waking up at four and five o'clock in the morning and,
00:03:26 --> 00:03:31 and could not go back to sleep no matter what I tried. And it was so annoying.
00:03:31 --> 00:03:35 You know, I dealt with brain fog. That's actually, you know,
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 due to post-traumatic stress and also CPTSD.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:44 So brain fog is just a part of my life, but that is also an indicator of perimenopause.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 So, you know, the main things that
00:03:46 --> 00:03:49 we're talking about, aside from the hot flashes, I wanted to pull it up.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 So here's some symptoms that nobody warns about and nobody talks about.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:58 Can I ask you one favor? Before you give me that list, I want to make it clear,
00:03:58 --> 00:04:02 and I think you probably agree, that before anybody really starts listening
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 to this conversation, there are probably men out there who are like,
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 okay, click stop. This is not a conversation for me.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:13 Hang on. Slow your roll. Don't do anything yet. Don't go anywhere yet.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:18 This episode, if you're thinking this, there's no way this applies to me, if you are,
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 a partner of a woman, married to a woman, you work with a woman,
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 you live with a woman, you are a woman, you're supporting a woman,
00:04:25 --> 00:04:30 yes, friends, this conversation is a thousand percent for you as well.
00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 So hang in there. The conversation matters. Okay, continue.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:37 If you know a woman, you should listen. If you have ever seen a woman,
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 stick around. Right. So.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:44 The hot flashes we know about, brain fog, sleep disorders, anxiety,
00:04:44 --> 00:04:52 rage, depression, heart palpitations, joint pain, hello, frozen shoulder.
00:04:52 --> 00:04:57 Frozen shoulder, that's so random. No, it's for real. Like my shoulders have been bugging me.
00:04:58 --> 00:05:02 I, yeah, the one that I found the most interesting that I've seen so many women
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 on social media talk about is the itchy ear. Have you had that?
00:05:06 --> 00:05:09 Where your inner ear just itches and you can't get in there and get at it?
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 Let me tell you something about the inner ear itchiness.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:17 I thought I was on a planet in a solar system all by myself because until you
00:05:17 --> 00:05:20 just said that that was a thing, like I, of course, do the same research that
00:05:20 --> 00:05:23 you do, that everybody else does because we live in this world where it's so
00:05:23 --> 00:05:27 accessible and we can always just, if you're curious about something, go online, find out.
00:05:27 --> 00:05:30 So I've done the same thing everybody's done, which is to look all these things
00:05:30 --> 00:05:35 up and seen all the symptoms and signs and signals that you just rattled off.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:43 I have never heard of that itchy ear issue in relation to menopause or perimenopause.
00:05:43 --> 00:05:49 And yet my goddamn ear is so my left ear is like you just validated me.
00:05:49 --> 00:05:57 So I love you so much. You just validated every itch I ever scratched in my ear. Thank you.
00:05:59 --> 00:06:03 I feel so seen. You're like, okay, I'm not crazy. It's a wonderful thing when
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 you don't feel like you're crazy.
00:06:06 --> 00:06:11 If anybody's wondering, I'm sorry, I have an inappropriate reaction to funny things I cry.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:15 It's like laughing and crying go hand in hand for me. Oh, my God.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 So here's another thing that has hit me is...
00:06:23 --> 00:06:27 I'm getting my merds wixed up real bad. Oh, my God.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:31 It's a disaster, but I really feel great about the episode so far.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 I think if anybody's still here, it's a miracle. Let's keep going.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 All right. Decreased stress tolerance.
00:06:38 --> 00:06:42 Yeah, sure. I used to be able to handle stress like nobody's business.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:49 Again, I kept attributing all my symptoms to all the deaths that I've had in
00:06:49 --> 00:06:53 my life and all the trauma that I've had just in the last three, four years.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:59 Yes, those are contributing factors, but it's actually perimenopause,
00:06:59 --> 00:07:05 digestive changes, urinary incontinence, and then, of course, decreased libido.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:12 So here's the thing, is I thought women had hit their sexual prime in their late 30s.
00:07:13 --> 00:07:16 We're not in our late 30s anymore, dear.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:24 Did you did you also forget how old you are 41 years old i know exactly how
00:07:24 --> 00:07:29 old you are i just want to make sure you know how old you are i know but i i didn't experience that,
00:07:30 --> 00:07:36 i think i hit my sexual prime when i was in my 20s okay hey look everybody is different,
00:07:36 --> 00:07:41 everybody is different those glory days i will tell you guys right so one thing
00:07:41 --> 00:07:46 i don't think lisa is incredibly comfortable about talking about openly as i
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 probably am it's probably sex,
00:07:48 --> 00:07:54 no why we thought we you and i have talked plenty about sex not publicly on the on the pod well no.
00:07:55 --> 00:08:00 Because this is a family show so whose children are listening i don't know i
00:08:00 --> 00:08:04 don't know i'm just i'm just mine aren't look i'm just pulling things out of
00:08:04 --> 00:08:08 my ass right now so all right hey hey hey I am,
00:08:08 --> 00:08:14 full disclosure, happy to talk about any kind of sex you want to talk about.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 But I feel like let's just, no, easy now.
00:08:16 --> 00:08:23 I feel like we should have that be a separate, dedicated episode. So, all right. Okay.
00:08:23 --> 00:08:28 We're back. So, also, and as I've clearly shown here, other studies have consistently
00:08:28 --> 00:08:34 shown that your verbal memory, word finding, hello, attention,
00:08:34 --> 00:08:37 processing speed, and then, like, your active working memory.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:41 Who raise your hand if you walked into a room like you know what you were in
00:08:41 --> 00:08:45 there for but second you got in there you're like why did i just walk into this
00:08:45 --> 00:08:49 room or you're talking to somebody and you're like oh hey by the way and they
00:08:49 --> 00:08:50 stop and look at you and you're like.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:58 Got nothing i 50 times a day both of those things 50 times a day it's so annoying
00:08:59 --> 00:09:03 well and here's the thing too is i experienced this what three years ago when
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 i had you know my little mock stroke kind of thing,
00:09:06 --> 00:09:11 where the word finding and that is actively like when you know the word yeah
00:09:11 --> 00:09:17 yeah but you can't say like one of them is bacon i couldn't say the word bacon.
00:09:19 --> 00:09:24 It's so frustrating i'm not laughing at you i'm laughing i know it's annoying
00:09:24 --> 00:09:25 so here's the thing i actually i actually am,
00:09:26 --> 00:09:29 and so i you know i was talking to my best friend while i was on vacation a
00:09:29 --> 00:09:33 couple weeks ago she's six months older than i am and she had mentioned that
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 she got on hrt low dose hrt,
00:09:36 --> 00:09:40 she said she was sleeping better and she had been struggling tremendously with
00:09:40 --> 00:09:44 low back pain like getting shots in her back and like steroid shots because
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 she had been struggling with back pain for years.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:52 No longer. She got on HRT and she's great. I was like, well, I'll be damned.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 I'm tired of feeling like a trash panda. Yeah, I know.
00:09:56 --> 00:10:00 I know. And honestly, we have so many things out there in the world right now
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 that are available to us.
00:10:02 --> 00:10:07 And if one thing doesn't work, you just go after another and another and another.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:11 And it's time consuming and it's painstaking and It can be frustrating as hell
00:10:11 --> 00:10:17 and take forever, but we have options and what works for me might not work for you and vice versa.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:23 But I think for the most part, there's enough out there in the world to be able
00:10:23 --> 00:10:28 to help those of us with our issues one way or another.
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 And it's a matter of finding it, which is hard.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:35 You know, I think the juice is worth the squeeze. Absolutely.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 You know what I mean? Just put in the time and effort, which is why it's like
00:10:37 --> 00:10:42 my, the first round last year of HRT for me, you know, did I tell you the weird
00:10:42 --> 00:10:43 thing that happened to me?
00:10:43 --> 00:10:46 And if anybody's listening and this has happened to you, I would love you to
00:10:46 --> 00:10:49 reach out and just connect with me and let me know that this happened to you.
00:10:50 --> 00:10:53 So I don't remember if I told you this or not, that last year when I went on
00:10:53 --> 00:10:58 HRT, I, like I said, didn't really feel any significant changes one way or the
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 other, except for the fact.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 So I wear contact lenses and that the glasses that you see on right now are
00:11:03 --> 00:11:07 like just blue light glasses, but I typically wear contacts because I'm nearsighted.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 So I have trouble seeing things far away.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:14 And I was on HRT for, I don't know, like three, four weeks. And all of a sudden
00:11:14 --> 00:11:17 one night we're in bed and we're watching the news. And I always had my,
00:11:17 --> 00:11:20 I take off my contacts at night before I get into bed. And then I have my little
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 glasses on my nightstand so I can watch TV because it's just far enough away
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 that it's fuzzy. I don't have glasses on.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:29 So I'm sitting there and I have my glasses and I'm watching TV and Dave's looking
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 over at me and he's like, what is with you?
00:11:31 --> 00:11:34 Why are you squinting like that? I'm like, I don't know. I can't see the TV
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 clearly. What the hell's going on? Like, this is so weird. And I'm like,
00:11:37 --> 00:11:40 glasses on, glasses off, up, down, up, down. And finally I take off my glasses
00:11:41 --> 00:11:44 and I realize my glasses are making the TV blurry.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:50 I take them off with no contacts in my eyes and I can see the TV crystal clear.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:54 And I'm like, what the effing hell? like,
00:11:54 --> 00:11:59 such a random unexpected thing and so of course dave does what dave does which
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 is to like he's going to google it he's going to figure it out he's going to
00:12:01 --> 00:12:04 find this whole community of people that have had the same thing,
00:12:04 --> 00:12:10 it was like crickets nobody out there had had that same experience and yet here
00:12:10 --> 00:12:14 i am all of a sudden i can drive at night without contacts and i could and like
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 2020 vision like i'm 17 and a half years old,
00:12:17 --> 00:12:21 it's crazy and i have not worn contact lenses since.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:26 But you're not HRT. I am not on HRT, and I haven't been on HRT for probably
00:12:26 --> 00:12:30 like eight months, nine months. How long were you on it previously?
00:12:30 --> 00:12:34 I don't know. Probably six, nine months. Okay.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:39 Like enough for it to be adjusted in my body and acclimated.
00:12:39 --> 00:12:44 Yeah. Okay. So I don't know. After that long, you didn't feel like it had enough
00:12:44 --> 00:12:47 of an impact to continue staying on it, despite being able to see better?
00:12:47 --> 00:12:51 Yeah, right. That was the only thing that made me reluctant to give it up.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 But I thought, okay, let me just, you know, I want to see if it's a fluke.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:58 And I did get off of it because, you know, it's not, these things are generally
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 not covered by insurance.
00:13:00 --> 00:13:04 The one that I got was a bioidentical HRT. It was not covered.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:07 So it was out of pocket and it's, you know, it's a few hundred dollars a month,
00:13:07 --> 00:13:11 which is definitely, if it's not, if it's not moving your needle up or down
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 in any way, I'm not going to continue to do it.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:20 So I didn't continue to do it and just wanted to see if maybe diet or different
00:13:20 --> 00:13:25 exercises or meditation or some other things that I had been trying would make another difference.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:30 So I'm definitely going to go back and try something else. But yeah,
00:13:30 --> 00:13:36 the eyesight thing kind of stayed positive. So I'm like, okay. I'm glad to hear it.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:41 Well, thank you. I mean, so yeah, we'll see what happens. But if anybody out there had that issue...
00:13:41 --> 00:13:45 I am dying to meet you and have a conversation with you so that we can know
00:13:45 --> 00:13:48 that you're not alone. Compare notes. Yeah, that we're not alone.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 So yeah, it's crazy. Yeah.
00:13:51 --> 00:13:57 Well, I, so I got in touch with my PCP and they're like, no, we got to refer you to OB.
00:13:57 --> 00:14:00 Well, I don't have a uterus. I don't need to go to OB anymore.
00:14:00 --> 00:14:04 And you know, of course, it's a referral. You got to wait weeks or months.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 And I was like, F this noise.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:10 So, you know, scrolling the socials and I came across the telehealth company,
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 which I'm not going to say their name. If they work out great,
00:14:12 --> 00:14:15 maybe we can do a partnership with them. That would be great.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:19 I was able to get an appointment within 48 hours. That's great.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:24 Had a 15-minute conversation with her. One of the things that she shared with
00:14:24 --> 00:14:27 me that was absolutely shocking, and I had absolutely no idea.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:36 Is that getting on HRT, specifically estrogen, dramatically reduces your chances
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 for breast cancer and dementia.
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 I was like, come again.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:46 Well, that's a big X in the positive category.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:52 I agree. I agree. And again, there's so much research coming out because apparently,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 from basically 2000 to 2020,
00:14:56 --> 00:15:01 there was very little research being done in the perimenopause menopause world
00:15:01 --> 00:15:04 and a lot of it had been based on like studies on,
00:15:04 --> 00:15:10 for in men like what so you know it's it's absolutely astounding you know what
00:15:10 --> 00:15:14 they're finding out now and you know we're just continuing to learn more and so,
00:15:15 --> 00:15:19 i she told me you know look we're gonna put you on a super low dose again since
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 you don't have a a uterus.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:23 We don't need to put you on progesterone.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:27 And so she's just going to put me on a super low dose. We're going to check
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 my levels again in four weeks.
00:15:29 --> 00:15:32 And she's like, we're just going to continue to check you every four weeks until
00:15:32 --> 00:15:37 we get it dialed in. And one thing she did stress is it affects everybody differently.
00:15:37 --> 00:15:42 There are very few people that with all the same symptoms in it.
00:15:42 --> 00:15:45 So she's like, we have to go on a case by case basis.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:49 And rather than looking at labs, which is what your PCP does,
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 they go based on how you feel.
00:15:52 --> 00:15:57 That's so interesting because there's such controversy when you read about this in the media.
00:15:58 --> 00:16:01 How many women are so frustrated? And this is a longstanding issue,
00:16:01 --> 00:16:06 that women are so, so frustrated because they go to their GP and they're saying,
00:16:06 --> 00:16:11 I have X, Y, Z, P, D, Q, all these symptoms, all these issues.
00:16:12 --> 00:16:17 And it's like PCPs are refusing to acknowledge that there could be any tie-in,
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 to perimenopause or menopause.
00:16:20 --> 00:16:25 And you know what else I learned, and I believe it was my own PC who told me
00:16:25 --> 00:16:28 this, that in medical school.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:35 When they're going to medical school, there's like a 48-hour break.
00:16:37 --> 00:16:42 No more than like a two days worth of education that they're given in their
00:16:42 --> 00:16:46 entire medical training devoted to perimenopause and menopause.
00:16:48 --> 00:16:53 It's almost non-existent. Yeah, even for OBs, their studies,
00:16:53 --> 00:16:57 you know, their practices in women, and they got very, very little training,
00:16:58 --> 00:17:01 in hormone replacement therapy and all the things.
00:17:01 --> 00:17:06 Very little training and you know it's again that maybe just,
00:17:07 --> 00:17:11 emphasizes the fact that medical practice is more geared towards men and how
00:17:11 --> 00:17:16 many you would be shocked at how many studies that were done you know in the
00:17:16 --> 00:17:20 50s to into the 70s that all this research was done,
00:17:20 --> 00:17:25 for based off of men and they were using it for women.
00:17:26 --> 00:17:30 And so you know i i do have a lot of hope that we're finding out a lot,
00:17:30 --> 00:17:37 and there's hope for us as we come into a new age of women demanding better for themselves.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:45 But also, it made me sad because so many women were thrown into mental institutions
00:17:45 --> 00:17:49 because they were going through menopause or perimenopause, and they were deemed
00:17:49 --> 00:17:53 crazy and thrown in a mental institution.
00:17:53 --> 00:18:03 And it's so widely misunderstood. And it's a population that is so clearly underserved.
00:18:04 --> 00:18:08 And it's unfortunate because we are all struggling with so many of the same
00:18:08 --> 00:18:15 symptoms that are very directly related to this massive shift in our bodies
00:18:15 --> 00:18:18 that affects everything, every system, every function.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:24 And yet the medical profession is never sitting you down and and asking you
00:18:25 --> 00:18:28 questions relevant questions about that in the way that they're attributing
00:18:28 --> 00:18:32 it to some anything else anything but that which is maddening.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:38 So absolutely i mean in the weight gain and you know the random cravings that
00:18:38 --> 00:18:43 you have you know sometimes i have cravings late at night for and i'm just like,
00:18:43 --> 00:18:45 Again, thinking that that's my,
00:18:46 --> 00:18:50 food addiction calling out, but I also am on a GLP-1, so it helps control that.
00:18:51 --> 00:18:56 But still, it felt like I was having these weird, odd cravings,
00:18:57 --> 00:19:02 you know, just in the last six months. It's just like something really has shifted in my body.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:07 And so I felt like, okay, we've got, I've got to look at this more deeply.
00:19:07 --> 00:19:10 And, you know, and I, I didn't even consider it until I talked to my best friend
00:19:10 --> 00:19:15 a few weeks ago, you know, and I was like, okay, there's, there's got to be
00:19:15 --> 00:19:18 something there. So my, my patch is supposed to arrive today.
00:19:18 --> 00:19:21 I'm very excited. Well, mazel tov.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:28 Bi-weekly patch. And so we'll have to do a follow-up episode because you're
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 going to get on HRT as well, right?
00:19:30 --> 00:19:36 Yes, I am. So we are we are a thousand percent redoing this episode part two in like six months.
00:19:36 --> 00:19:40 Well, yeah, like like the fall or in the winter and kind of do a pulse check
00:19:40 --> 00:19:43 and see where we're at and how it helped. And maybe maybe at that point,
00:19:43 --> 00:19:47 maybe we'll both be so thrilled that we'll we'll have incredible sponsorships
00:19:47 --> 00:19:51 with all of these HRT producers. And then it'll be HRT for everybody.
00:19:51 --> 00:19:55 Yes. At a crazy discount from the survivors. And I'm happy to say that the telehealth
00:19:55 --> 00:19:59 company that I found was actually in network for my insurance,
00:19:59 --> 00:20:05 and they covered the medication 100%. I was shocked.
00:20:05 --> 00:20:10 I was absolutely shocked. So I'm very happy about that, because GLP-1 is not,
00:20:11 --> 00:20:14 as you say, some medications are out of pocket several hundred dollars, and...
00:20:16 --> 00:20:19 Again, I don't want to talk about GLP-1 too much, but I, again,
00:20:19 --> 00:20:22 was on vacation, and I forgot to pack my dose.
00:20:23 --> 00:20:27 And so a week without it, and I gained five pounds. Really? Yeah.
00:20:28 --> 00:20:33 Wow. And so for me, it works, and I'm very happy for it.
00:20:33 --> 00:20:40 I was looking at pictures of myself when I was over 300 pounds, and wow.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:45 Yeah. Big, huge change, and I know that I feel better. But again,
00:20:45 --> 00:20:49 you know, it's all about we're trying to get to the best versions of ourselves.
00:20:49 --> 00:20:52 And I've had a hard time, you know, navigating.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:58 Okay, is it my trauma speaking or is it hormones? You know, I've been struggling
00:20:58 --> 00:21:06 with like trying to find myself or feeling overstimulated and just crying because I couldn't go to sleep.
00:21:06 --> 00:21:11 And then at the same time, you know, there's rage and then emotional numbness.
00:21:11 --> 00:21:13 I'm just all over the place.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:18 Looking for mental health resources that actually fit who you are and where you come from?
00:21:19 --> 00:21:23 Then you need to check out the Help Hub. It's not another generic wellness site.
00:21:23 --> 00:21:29 It's a free, inclusive online platform built for real people living real lives.
00:21:29 --> 00:21:36 People managing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief or suicide loss.
00:21:36 --> 00:21:40 At the Help Hub, you'll find the resources, tools, treatment options,
00:21:40 --> 00:21:44 and trauma-informed content you need in the moment without having to dig through
00:21:44 --> 00:21:46 endless tabs or start from scratch.
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00:22:03 --> 00:22:07 And apparently this can be contributed to perimenopause.
00:22:07 --> 00:22:11 Absolutely. And I'm sure in your case, in my case, in everyone's case,
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 it's a combination of everything.
00:22:12 --> 00:22:16 I mean, look, you can be,
00:22:17 --> 00:22:23 perfectly grounded in your life and not dealing with any mental health issues
00:22:23 --> 00:22:30 or any trauma responses and still be absolutely plagued by perimenopause or
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 menopause or your body changing.
00:22:32 --> 00:22:36 And it's so difficult. I mean, every single or just about every single symptom
00:22:37 --> 00:22:40 that you rattled off since we started recording, I've got it.
00:22:40 --> 00:22:43 I've got them all. I've got the brain fog. I just, I just was sitting in the
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45 car with Dave this morning.
00:22:45 --> 00:22:49 We went out for coffee and I was talking to him about something.
00:22:49 --> 00:22:53 I couldn't tell you what it is, but it was not something that you would get emotional about.
00:22:53 --> 00:22:58 And all of a sudden, I just became completely overwhelmed, feeling like I was
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 about to burst out into tears.
00:22:59 --> 00:23:03 And I just kind of stopped myself and mid-sentence stopped myself.
00:23:03 --> 00:23:06 And he looks over at me and he's like, okay, what's the matter with you?
00:23:06 --> 00:23:08 And I was like, I don't know. I just can't say another word for a second.
00:23:08 --> 00:23:13 I need a beat because all of a sudden I'm going to lose it. And he's like, of course, what did I do?
00:23:14 --> 00:23:17 And I'm like, nothing. You're fine. You're great. You breathed.
00:23:17 --> 00:23:19 You're right, right, right. Don't look at me in that tone of voice. Don't.
00:23:21 --> 00:23:28 So I'm like it's not you it's it's truly like so cliche not you it was me and I couldn't tell you,
00:23:28 --> 00:23:33 what was going on but oh my god like just and you said something a second ago
00:23:33 --> 00:23:36 that and and like you know drum beats went off in my head,
00:23:37 --> 00:23:42 overstimulated I am not generally someone who has a very short.
00:23:44 --> 00:23:48 Emotional bandwidth capacity, usually I'm pretty good.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:51 I'll be fine wherever, doing whatever.
00:23:52 --> 00:23:55 Big crowds, little crowds. And I actually said to Dave, say,
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 I'm like, I don't know if I like people anymore.
00:23:57 --> 00:24:02 I'm like, I like Natasha. Like, I love Natasha. I love my mom.
00:24:02 --> 00:24:05 Kids are great. But no, as a joke.
00:24:05 --> 00:24:10 But the reality is, like, my social battery has gone from what I feel was,
00:24:10 --> 00:24:16 like, you know, one of those big, like a generator to, like,
00:24:16 --> 00:24:18 a little teeny AAA battery.
00:24:19 --> 00:24:21 And it's not like I could tell you why.
00:24:23 --> 00:24:28 And I'm sure that so much of it has to do with the conversation that we're having right now.
00:24:28 --> 00:24:31 And you know what? The part of this that I wanted to kind of weave into the
00:24:31 --> 00:24:36 conversation and talk about is that this whole notion of like perimenopause.
00:24:36 --> 00:24:39 And you said something that connects to this.
00:24:40 --> 00:24:42 You talked about how you're kind of trying to find yourself and figure yourself
00:24:42 --> 00:24:46 out and kind of flesh out the best version of yourself, which I think,
00:24:46 --> 00:24:49 in all fairness, every single one of us is probably trying to do.
00:24:50 --> 00:24:55 But we have to survive all of these other phases and stages.
00:24:55 --> 00:24:59 It's not just like the stage of becoming a mom or becoming a wife or getting
00:24:59 --> 00:25:03 a job or college or all the phases of your life.
00:25:03 --> 00:25:10 It's also navigating what we're like physiologically, emotionally,
00:25:10 --> 00:25:13 spiritually, mentally during all of those phases of our lives.
00:25:13 --> 00:25:15 And I feel like there's this big.
00:25:16 --> 00:25:20 Grief period that's woven into that.
00:25:20 --> 00:25:26 There is a lot of grief because sometimes it just feels so hopeless.
00:25:26 --> 00:25:31 You just feel like you're absolutely stuck in this place of my body is not responding
00:25:31 --> 00:25:36 the way I'm used to or the way I want it to. And I'm depleted and I'm overstressed
00:25:36 --> 00:25:38 and stimulated and my metabolism is for shit.
00:25:39 --> 00:25:42 And I've got a poochy belly where I never had a poochy belly, all these things.
00:25:43 --> 00:25:49 And so there's an element of grief attached to that version of yourself who
00:25:49 --> 00:25:53 didn't have any of these issues before. And now all of a sudden,
00:25:53 --> 00:25:57 you know, can't sleep, eating the wrong things. Nobody talked to me.
00:25:57 --> 00:26:01 You know what I mean? Can't, yeah, no stamina. Don't touch me.
00:26:01 --> 00:26:03 Not in the mood. Never in the mood. You know what I mean?
00:26:04 --> 00:26:08 And that's a lot to come to grips with. And this is what you and I always talk
00:26:08 --> 00:26:15 about, which is that you don't always just grieve the person you lost in your life.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:21 You can very easily be grieving the version of yourself that you lost in your life.
00:26:21 --> 00:26:24 And I feel like for us as women who,
00:26:25 --> 00:26:29 have these stages that we cycle through, like all the changes when your body
00:26:29 --> 00:26:32 is pregnant, all the changes after your body's pregnant, when you become a mom
00:26:32 --> 00:26:36 and what happens when you're nursing and what It happens,
00:26:37 --> 00:26:40 with what we're talking about, this stage of menopause and all that.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:45 It's like every six months. We're a completely different human being.
00:26:46 --> 00:26:49 And we just have to stay with it.
00:26:49 --> 00:26:56 We just have to ride the wave. It is a roller coaster of dumpster fire shit. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
00:26:57 --> 00:27:03 You know, I'm so tired of it. But at the same time, I don't want it to be like
00:27:03 --> 00:27:05 doom and gloom here. You know, we're all on a path here.
00:27:06 --> 00:27:10 We're going to go on this journey together to find a better version of ourselves
00:27:10 --> 00:27:12 that don't want to punch humans every five seconds.
00:27:15 --> 00:27:19 We can put we can punch a few i actually picked up a t-shirt a few weeks ago
00:27:19 --> 00:27:22 that says i hate morning people,
00:27:22 --> 00:27:27 actually i hate mornings also people i love it that's what i just said like
00:27:27 --> 00:27:33 i don't like people anymore and i was wearing it out and i got i love your shirt
00:27:33 --> 00:27:37 yeah that's great i love it so i was like okay so people can relate to this,
00:27:38 --> 00:27:43 so i also want to say that again in in finding this this best version of ourselves
00:27:43 --> 00:27:45 i came across this book on the zon,
00:27:46 --> 00:27:50 called this is we're calling it that now well i'm not keeping that unless i
00:27:50 --> 00:27:56 get a paid partnership all right hey i've got books on amazon i know this is
00:27:56 --> 00:27:58 true sister don't screw this up for me,
00:27:59 --> 00:28:03 okay on amazon you know doing a lot of scrolling as we do on the zon.
00:28:04 --> 00:28:09 And i came across a book it's called the 5 a.m club and i literally heard of
00:28:09 --> 00:28:13 the it's been it's been out for a little bit okay yeah i just got it so apparently
00:28:13 --> 00:28:15 i'm gonna try and get up at 5 a.m,
00:28:16 --> 00:28:21 yes somebody who i have to be at work i have a day job i have to be at work at 7 30,
00:28:22 --> 00:28:31 i roll out of bed at like between 6 10 6 51 and 6 55 and i'm skirting in there
00:28:31 --> 00:28:34 on two wheels at the parking lot at 727.
00:28:35 --> 00:28:38 You're adorable. To get clocked in by 730.
00:28:38 --> 00:28:42 Hey, you know how I feel. I've been a morning person forever.
00:28:42 --> 00:28:49 My eyes, I'm usually awake way before the 5 a.m. alarm goes off, but like...
00:28:50 --> 00:28:54 Let me tell you something. I've been part of the 5 a.m. club for decades.
00:28:54 --> 00:28:58 And, you know, I feel like I might be president of the 5 a.m.
00:28:58 --> 00:29:05 Club because I, I mean, can't say enough about it. That time to me is sacred.
00:29:05 --> 00:29:09 If Dave ever ends up coming downstairs early, which he does,
00:29:09 --> 00:29:11 I'm like, what are you doing?
00:29:12 --> 00:29:16 What are you doing? Like, I'm about to journal, honey. Like, I need, this is my time.
00:29:16 --> 00:29:20 He's like, whoa, whoa, whoa. Okay. Just down here for my coffee.
00:29:20 --> 00:29:23 Right, right. He's like, I will just take it and I will go back upstairs.
00:29:24 --> 00:29:27 Yeah. I'm glad he recognizes. He does. Way to go, Dave. Yeah.
00:29:27 --> 00:29:32 Dave has very self-aware moments. But no, I mean, just the whole idea of having
00:29:32 --> 00:29:36 that quietude and having that time.
00:29:36 --> 00:29:43 It's so hard to get up. Ask our friend Mel Robbins with her 54321.
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 Get the F out of bed. That's her thing.
00:29:45 --> 00:29:51 I do it, Mel. I do do it even though I've been getting up at five o'clock forever,
00:29:51 --> 00:29:56 it's not easy every time and but once like once you do it,
00:29:56 --> 00:30:01 and you you've captured that time for yourself oh that's like another world
00:30:01 --> 00:30:03 okay so what I'm gonna do so I'm gonna,
00:30:04 --> 00:30:09 that's the thing too is like I get books and I'm like I am so gonna read this book.
00:30:11 --> 00:30:16 Do you know how many books are sitting on my nightstand that I have not read?
00:30:16 --> 00:30:19 And I'm a horrible human being because I have not read your book.
00:30:20 --> 00:30:22 That's all right. I still love you. And you confess that to me.
00:30:23 --> 00:30:28 And that's okay. I know. When I told you that, I felt like I had just shot you. Oh, my God. Why?
00:30:29 --> 00:30:32 Because I felt like a horrible human. You are not. But I didn't read your book.
00:30:32 --> 00:30:34 No, no. Let me tell you something. Let me tell you something.
00:30:34 --> 00:30:40 Any author who writes anything more than a vignette or a short story understands
00:30:40 --> 00:30:42 and appreciates the fact that when you're writing,
00:30:43 --> 00:30:49 a book of 200 pages, that's 50 plus words, like mine happens to be the one you're talking about,
00:30:50 --> 00:30:56 it is a very big ask to ask someone to like, hey, it's not like,
00:30:56 --> 00:30:59 hey, can you look at this painting that I just painted?
00:30:59 --> 00:31:05 It's, it's, hey, can you devote an inordinate amount of time and energy to reading
00:31:05 --> 00:31:10 this big old fat body of work that's going to take you hours and hours and hours.
00:31:10 --> 00:31:16 So believe me when I tell you, I am the last person who's going to be offended
00:31:16 --> 00:31:18 by the fact that you have not read that book.
00:31:18 --> 00:31:23 Look, if you got my book on your coffee table, I couldn't be happier. It's on my nightstand.
00:31:24 --> 00:31:29 It looks at me every night. I see a picture of my dad. I see that book and I'm
00:31:29 --> 00:31:33 like, hey, you need to get your life together. Hence why I'm joining the 5 a.m. club.
00:31:34 --> 00:31:38 Okay. Because also a part of getting older, we needed to like build muscle.
00:31:39 --> 00:31:44 Okay. Yes. And so I need to work out and I am committed to not getting old and frail.
00:31:45 --> 00:31:48 Right. So I'm going to start by getting up at six.
00:31:49 --> 00:31:53 We're going to start with six. Work your way backwards. I like this plan.
00:31:53 --> 00:31:55 And you know what? What were you going to say before I interrupted you?
00:31:56 --> 00:31:59 No, it's okay. You really didn't interrupt me. It was just an optical illusion.
00:32:01 --> 00:32:08 If you get up at six, and I do things, I'm a very, anyone who knows me will
00:32:08 --> 00:32:13 laugh when they hear me say this, that very routine-oriented person.
00:32:13 --> 00:32:15 Lots of, like, I've got a system.
00:32:16 --> 00:32:19 So every day I get up and I start my day with meditation. That's the first thing
00:32:19 --> 00:32:22 that I do. And then I come down and I journal for five minutes.
00:32:22 --> 00:32:29 And maybe I'll read five or 10 minutes or five or 10 pages in a book. But it's amazing.
00:32:30 --> 00:32:35 You can pick through a book if you pick up and read two or three or five pages at a time.
00:32:36 --> 00:32:40 I think so many of us think that we have to do these things like yoga and meditation
00:32:40 --> 00:32:47 and reading and journaling for endless amounts of time. So untrue.
00:32:47 --> 00:32:50 If you're getting up at six o'clock, read for 10 minutes.
00:32:51 --> 00:32:56 You'll eventually finish the book. Or even start with just five pages. Yeah, exactly.
00:32:56 --> 00:33:02 Exactly. Exactly. The problem is, and again, if you're this person, I want to hear from you.
00:33:03 --> 00:33:08 You'll be like me, who loves to read, and will read those five pages.
00:33:08 --> 00:33:12 And because my brain is not at all dialed into what I'm reading,
00:33:12 --> 00:33:16 in spite of how focused I am on it, I will have to read those five pages 27
00:33:16 --> 00:33:19 times to know what I actually read.
00:33:19 --> 00:33:24 That is the thing. I just had this conversation with our youngest daughter is,
00:33:24 --> 00:33:28 not a fan of reading, has never been. She's like me in a lot of ways,
00:33:28 --> 00:33:30 very physical, likes to be out doing the things.
00:33:31 --> 00:33:35 And I was like, well, honey, just read two or three or five pages a day.
00:33:35 --> 00:33:37 She's like, mommy, you don't seem to understand.
00:33:38 --> 00:33:42 If I read a page or a paragraph, in order to actually absorb it,
00:33:43 --> 00:33:48 I will have to read it 42 times, which basically means like reading 42 pages.
00:33:49 --> 00:33:51 He goes, I don't have any time for that.
00:33:51 --> 00:33:53 And I don't have the mental capacity for that. And, you know,
00:33:53 --> 00:33:57 that's just the reality that we can't retain it. So that's another challenge
00:33:57 --> 00:34:03 to add to the whole list of shit that women deal with is what we're calling our list.
00:34:03 --> 00:34:07 The shit we deal with. Bullshit. The bullshit that we deal with.
00:34:07 --> 00:34:12 Okay, so one other thing that I think is really important, because you and I
00:34:12 --> 00:34:17 are both moms and you and I are both wives and you and I both work,
00:34:17 --> 00:34:25 is that it cracks me up that we have to deal with all of these changes and these
00:34:25 --> 00:34:29 limitations in some ways and these issues while we have,
00:34:29 --> 00:34:33 in my case, adult children who still need their mom and dad.
00:34:33 --> 00:34:38 And you have younger children who very much need their mom and dad and we're
00:34:38 --> 00:34:41 still doing our jobs and we're still showing up for our people and we're still
00:34:41 --> 00:34:46 cooking the meals and we're still that emotional glue for all the people around us who we help support,
00:34:46 --> 00:34:53 and yet on the inside we're like a nuclear bomb that's gone off and,
00:34:53 --> 00:34:59 it's just like everything is rubble on the inside but yet we're expected to
00:34:59 --> 00:35:03 hold it together yes we are yeah So if you feel like.
00:35:04 --> 00:35:07 You're constantly being rage baited, it's not just you.
00:35:09 --> 00:35:15 It's not just you. I love that expression. It is. I swear life just rage baits me constantly.
00:35:16 --> 00:35:20 It is the smallest little inconveniences and I swear I'm going to explode or
00:35:20 --> 00:35:22 have a complete meltdown.
00:35:22 --> 00:35:27 Yeah. So I'm going to say here's to, you know, and I'm not expecting HRT to
00:35:27 --> 00:35:29 be, you know, be all end all.
00:35:30 --> 00:35:33 I know it's going to take, you know, other things, you know,
00:35:33 --> 00:35:38 weight training is not just weight training, but taking care of our bodies in
00:35:38 --> 00:35:42 that we're doing strength training, prioritizing protein intakes,
00:35:42 --> 00:35:43 you know, working on sleep,
00:35:44 --> 00:35:48 limiting our alcohol, which, you know, I don't drink too terribly much.
00:35:48 --> 00:35:51 But, you know, as we get older, it's like, hey, we need to de-stress after a
00:35:51 --> 00:35:52 long stressful, you know, a long day.
00:35:53 --> 00:35:58 And how many of us come home and it's like just one glass and two glasses and
00:35:58 --> 00:36:02 all the things. And a whole bottle later, and now all of a sudden,
00:36:02 --> 00:36:03 that's a whole different issue.
00:36:03 --> 00:36:06 Yeah. And I mean, for me, my thing when I come home at the end of the day,
00:36:06 --> 00:36:10 George and I, we share a twisted tea and we share a cigarette.
00:36:11 --> 00:36:16 And when I had my consultation with the HRT consultation, she's like, you put one?
00:36:17 --> 00:36:20 Did you really put one cigarette a day? I'm like, actually, it's a half.
00:36:22 --> 00:36:27 I don't even smoke. She's like, well, thank you for being honest. Yeah.
00:36:28 --> 00:36:32 You know what? Look, I think that if you're one of those people who has the
00:36:32 --> 00:36:37 capacity to self-regulate like that, and that's all you need.
00:36:38 --> 00:36:44 I know like my stepdad, if he has a bag of M&Ms, like a single serving bag of
00:36:44 --> 00:36:47 M&Ms that most people can just, you know, knock off in a sitting,
00:36:48 --> 00:36:50 he'll eat like five M&Ms.
00:36:50 --> 00:36:55 Five single bags or five M&Ms? No, no, no. Five M&Ms, like five pieces of candy.
00:36:55 --> 00:36:59 And he, you know, he'll satisfy his craving and he's good.
00:37:00 --> 00:37:03 He's good. It's like some people can go, like Dave is someone who,
00:37:03 --> 00:37:06 we don't gamble, but occasionally because of business, he'll have to go to Vegas
00:37:06 --> 00:37:09 and he'll, they'll always, Dave, come on, come on, come, come gamble,
00:37:09 --> 00:37:11 come, come down to the tables.
00:37:11 --> 00:37:14 And we've always had this thing where we, if we ever go there,
00:37:14 --> 00:37:15 we'll, a hundred dollars,
00:37:16 --> 00:37:22 however long it lasts it lasts we get up we walk away had a great time see you
00:37:22 --> 00:37:25 later it's just it the ability to self-regulate and the fact that you can do
00:37:25 --> 00:37:27 that with a cigarette like bravo,
00:37:28 --> 00:37:35 bravo that's yeah it's moderation yep it's my great yeah and and allowing yourself
00:37:35 --> 00:37:39 the the grace to be like you know what if this is what i need to get through
00:37:39 --> 00:37:41 the end of the day you know what i mean it's,
00:37:42 --> 00:37:47 find a little harmless yes whatever it is is harmless as long as it's in moderation.
00:37:49 --> 00:37:52 But i also want to point out that you know just because we're approaching you
00:37:52 --> 00:37:56 know i don't know about you but when i was younger it was like oh menopause
00:37:56 --> 00:37:57 like you're getting so old,
00:37:58 --> 00:38:04 i never in a million years thought that at 40 years old i would still feel like
00:38:04 --> 00:38:08 i'm sometimes a teenager it is all a matter of perspective,
00:38:08 --> 00:38:14 definitely you know and i'm so grateful that i've reached this age and the wisdom
00:38:14 --> 00:38:17 that comes with it because i,
00:38:17 --> 00:38:23 i don't know about you but 40 year old natasha if she had this kind of like wisdom in my 20s,
00:38:23 --> 00:38:25 i would have fucked some people up.
00:38:30 --> 00:38:33 I would have loved to have seen 20-year-old Natasha with 40-year-old Natasha's
00:38:33 --> 00:38:37 brain. That would be fantastic. Oh, man. I would have been absolutely unstoppable.
00:38:38 --> 00:38:43 Hey, look, you can be whoever you want to be right now. You can be 41-year-old
00:38:43 --> 00:38:47 Natasha fucking everybody up right now from today on. I still need my day job.
00:38:48 --> 00:38:49 Yeah, I know. I know. Good point.
00:38:50 --> 00:38:56 So as we wrap the conversation, if you're listening today and you are feeling
00:38:56 --> 00:39:01 any of the thousands of things that we've talked about women feel during menopause,
00:39:01 --> 00:39:03 perimenopause, postmenopause.
00:39:04 --> 00:39:08 You're not alone. God, we're hugging you right now so hard. You're not alone.
00:39:08 --> 00:39:09 It's happening to all of us.
00:39:10 --> 00:39:18 Nothing you feel is unusual. Someone somewhere is feeling the same thing.
00:39:19 --> 00:39:22 And you know what? You got to advocate for yourself. You deserve answers.
00:39:22 --> 00:39:26 You deserve the right to have the right kind of treatment for yourself.
00:39:26 --> 00:39:32 So if your doctors aren't prioritizing these things that are happening to you
00:39:32 --> 00:39:36 and why they're happening, you make your doctor prioritize these things and
00:39:36 --> 00:39:39 these things that are happening to you and you work together with them.
00:39:40 --> 00:39:43 You got to be your own best advocate and make sure that you're getting,
00:39:43 --> 00:39:47 whether it's something like HRT that we're doing or it's, you know,
00:39:47 --> 00:39:50 something homeopathic or something medicinal, like go for it.
00:39:50 --> 00:39:58 Do what you need to do to make yourself okay, because it's really, really hard.
00:39:59 --> 00:40:03 We're not going to sugarcoat it. No one's going to blow sunshine up your ass here on this podcast.
00:40:04 --> 00:40:09 It is hard. So if this conversation resonated with you in any way,
00:40:10 --> 00:40:12 we would love to hear from you.
00:40:12 --> 00:40:15 Want to hear your story. Want to hear the stuff you're struggling with.
00:40:15 --> 00:40:17 Want to hear the things that you figured out, like more importantly,
00:40:17 --> 00:40:20 because we're, we're all in this together
00:40:20 --> 00:40:24 and we got to be able to communicate about it, not just to get it off our chest,
00:40:24 --> 00:40:28 but to communicate about it, to like work together, to,
00:40:28 --> 00:40:31 use the things that have been helpful to each other.
00:40:32 --> 00:40:37 Hopefully, making those things helpful to other people. So, reach out to us.
00:40:37 --> 00:40:41 Let us know if you're dealing with the same thing.
00:40:41 --> 00:40:48 And we can all just be miserably hot and sleepless together. And it'll be beautiful.
00:40:48 --> 00:40:52 You know, and this isn't the end of womanhood. You know, this is just another
00:40:52 --> 00:40:55 transition into our lives.
00:40:55 --> 00:40:58 I heard somebody call it cougar puberty.
00:41:00 --> 00:41:04 Cougar puberty. I was like, all right, all right. You know, and there's no party.
00:41:04 --> 00:41:07 There's no guidebook. We're all just in this together. But the more we talk
00:41:07 --> 00:41:12 about it openly, the more we're helping people and that there's more awareness.
00:41:12 --> 00:41:15 So I have to say, can you guys do us a favor, those that are listening,
00:41:15 --> 00:41:19 if you know a woman, and we all and y'all do, I know you do.
00:41:20 --> 00:41:24 Don't lie that you feel like this this conversation would be helpful please
00:41:24 --> 00:41:28 share it with them it would help us out tremendously and we just want to help
00:41:28 --> 00:41:32 the women out there and just let them know that they're not alone on this journey of,
00:41:32 --> 00:41:36 figuring this bullshit out exactly and honestly too we also want to help the
00:41:36 --> 00:41:40 men figure out the women in their lives because let me tell you something if
00:41:40 --> 00:41:44 we're not happy you're not happy either so we want we want to hear from you too so,
00:41:45 --> 00:41:48 if you hung in this long, you know we appreciate you.
00:41:48 --> 00:41:54 And we'll be back in exactly one week to talk about something completely different.
00:41:54 --> 00:41:56 I promise. Completely different.
00:41:57 --> 00:42:00 Until then, keep surviving. We'll be back. Take care.
00:42:02 --> 00:42:05 Thanks so much for listening and for being part of the Survivors community.
00:42:06 --> 00:42:09 No matter where you are in your story, you're not alone and you're definitely
00:42:09 --> 00:42:13 not broken. Healing takes time and it looks different for everyone.
00:42:14 --> 00:42:18 The fact that you're still here and still trying means you're already doing the hard work.
00:42:19 --> 00:42:23 If something in today's conversation resonated with you, please share it with
00:42:23 --> 00:42:24 someone who might need to hear it too.
00:42:25 --> 00:42:30 That's how we keep these conversations going and remind each other that there's always hope.
00:42:31 --> 00:42:34 And if you or someone you know is struggling please remember help is always out there
00:42:35 --> 00:42:39 you can call or text 988 anytime to reach a trained crisis counselor like me
00:42:40 --> 00:42:44 and for more mental health resources, tools treatment options and content to
00:42:44 --> 00:42:47 support your mental health visit thehelphub.co,
00:42:47 --> 00:42:51 we're so grateful you're part of the Survivors family and we'll be back next
00:42:51 --> 00:42:55 week with another honest conversation about life after the hardest things until
00:42:55 --> 00:42:59 then take care of yourself and your people and keep surviving.