LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Menopause and Health Supplements

WARNING: This post may be too graphic for men!!

I suppose that this brush with anaemia is a blessing in disguise. It alerted me to all the implications of menopause. Apparently, it takes years to menopause ... I suppose that's why it isn't called menostop. Wouldn't it be nice if it just stopped? Without fanfare and very quietly? But no... menopause must announce itself dramatically and take its time to sweep through a woman's decade from her 40s to her 50s.

It hardly seems fair.

It seems like yesterday when I had to get used to the idea that I would bleed inconveniently once a month. It seems like yesterday when I realised with great dismay that some days in a month, I wasn't to do some of my favourite sports. It seems like yesterday when I wondered why boys didn't have to bear with the dull throbbing pain of stomach cramps. And then, I gave birth... which is singularly the most painful experience any man would never experience. TWICE! Do you want to hear about breastfeeding? Cow-on-call... udder infections... high fevers... fungal growth... cow-on-call... baby's chew toy?

Just when I thought life was getting comfortable and that I now have control over my own body... menopause strikes up an acquaintance with me in the most dramatic way possible - anaemia.

But I guess the anaemia is a blessing in disguise. It isn't too late to prepare myself for the bone loss, the hardening of arteries and a whole host of other health problems that pop up because the body can't figure out how much progesterone or oestrogen (if at all) it should produce and when.

A very kind gentleman about my age shared some interesting articles about eating a mineral rich diet. Since I am already on a full complement iron supplement, I thought I would add full complement calcium supplement... that comes with a few other necessary minerals. Hopefully, if I take care of me, this body will last me till the grandchildren grow up.

Menopause? Oh boy, I AM old. Sob!

11 comments:

Open Kitchen Concept said...

Nah.. you are not old. We get old only when we lose interest in the world.. So being Petunia Lee, you'd probably never grow old.. :)

Unknown said...

I know there is an 18-year-old in you!

Petunia Lee said...

OKC - Heh! Heh!

Petunia Lee said...

BFG - The inside of me feels 18 (actually more like 25)... the outside of me feels... well anaemic... Hee!

Blur Ting said...

Oh geez, I am not spared either. I can feel it coming already. Not good.

Petunia Lee said...

Ting - Ant crawly skin is one of the early symptoms. Do start on calcium and iron supplements?

Unknown said...

Old? Huh? Where? :D

Unknown said...

By the way can you kindly divulge to me where I can get batavia salad seeds? I recently created a salad dressing out of balsamic vinegar, honey, lemon, grainy mustard and olive oil in a bottle and I need yummy, homegrown greens to get smothered with the sauce :D

Petunia Lee said...

J - I still have leftover salad seeds. If you PM me your address, I'll send them to you.

vanilla said...

Age is only a number so goes the saying but you will be forever young in enjoying what you do only when the body tells you otherwise. Sorry to read about your recent episode of unwell and am glad you are felling better now. Your post reminds me to resume my calcium & glucosamine pills.. I hate popping pills but enjoy brews of the natural kind whether bitter of sweet. Luckily chasteberry tea tastes & smells nice..er PetLee your tree must be quite botak liao consider you are drinking on a daily basis? Hee hee.. Take care SYT !!

ps. I gotta type this comment twice as after I finished typing do I realised must have a google account to post.. aiyoh gotta do all over again..

Petunia Lee said...

Gee... thanks for typing twice... yeah, now I drink once every 2 days. Trying to make it last. I am worse than the fattest caterpillar!!