The support Baggy received yesterday from friends was overwhelming once again. Freda Fretter in particular would like to thank you all for your comments. Clever Bird was thinking that the menopause hadn't particularly affected Baggy anymore than before her surgery. Once again Clever Bird was just plain WRONG! The gang had no idea that so many of their friends had had hysterectomies (often at a considerably younger age than Baggy) and had therefore had the menopause hit them like a bolting horse. She did of course realise that many of her friends of a similar age must be coping with it. Truth is that Baggy was kind of just getting on with it. The hot flushes were particularly annoying. Before Baggy suffered them, she could never understand why women would announce to the world, "Oh, sorry I'm having a hot flush". Why would you want everyone to know that you're getting old? She now realises that that was just dumb on more than one level! Firstly, just try to hide them! Totally impossible. Clever Bird now realises that Baggy not only goes an interesting shade of beetroot, but she literally drips sweat. A really bad one has it rolling down her back or off her forehead as if she's just done an hour's serious aerobic work at the gym (no she can't remember the last time that happened). Even if it's freezing, for the few seconds or minutes that it lasts, she just wants to strip all her clothes off. Secondly, it does not necessarily mean that you're getting old. Have a hysterectomy equals immediate menopause, but also many women have the menopause at a very young age. Truth be told, not very clever Clever Bird, really did not know this. She also did not know that it can go on, not just for a year or so as she thought, but for twenty or more years. Another hidden "illness", and yes, Clever Bird realises that it's not an illness as such, but if it hits you at twenty, or thirty or even forty, when most women expect it in their fifties, what would you call it? Whatever age it gets you at, it's not great! Understatement.
Clever Bird's ignorance about the menopause had her thinking that Lawrence-the-durmoid-cyst was just a part of it, along with the hot flushes and the night sweats (that make hot flushes look like a walk in the park). She had decided that she didn't want Baggy to take HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy), so why bother finding out about the symptoms? Yes, agreed,
not clever. Since the surgery she thought that Baggy's menopause had not got any worse. She's beginning to realise that that is rubbish. It has hit her like a bolting horse! These feelings of vulnerability and almost hopelessness are it. The tears that are constantly just a drip away, are it. The lack of confidence, is it. Even the new aches and pains are probably it. The sudden anger from nowhere is it. The irritability at nothing is it. The feeling of worthlessness is definitely it. Yes, there is a new member of the gang. Please give a very warm welcome to Hormonal Hannah, the latest member of Baggy's gang, introduced to her by a friend. She's been hanging about trying to join Baggy for quite a while, she has pretty much been kicking the door in since Baggy had her surgery, but Baggy hadn't realised. Now Baggy is going to recognise and embrace her and as she was not offered HRT and in any case would rather not take it, she is going to be spending rather a lot of time with her..........
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