Early morning as sun rises on a new day full of promise.
Foggybrain: “I lost my keys.”
Muddlehead: …”Hey those are my keys, no wait those are not my keys, whose are these?”
Foggybrain: “Dunno. Now I can’t find my wallet.”
Muddlehead: “I saw it outside in the backyard.”
Foggybrain: “What’s it doing out there?”
Muddlehead: “Dunno but I misplaced my “to-do” list for today and for the life of me, I can’t remember where it is I’m about to go.”
Foggybrain:”Yea, but where are my keys?”
Muddlehead: “Dunno.”
Foggybrain: “I can’t find my coat. I think I left it at Bill’s.”
Muddlehead: “I’m late for work…why are you wearing my shoes??”
…Stay tuned for more conversations with Foggybrain and Muddlehead…
Jan
Menopause
How, I ask myself did I end up here? Too much time spent marching down the path of the ‘Have-Not’s,’ ‘Why-Me’s’ and ‘It’s-Not Fairs’ instead of exploring the ‘I-Haves’ on the Road of Gratitude.
Why does it often take a life crisis or even interruption to get us to absorb what we do have?
This last two weeks I have faced such an event. In my mind’s eye, viewing the potential disaster of my future, I was confronted with the reality of the condition of my heart.
I had grown terminally discontent. The small things mainly. My husband leaving his used bath towel on the bathroom floor would send me into internal grumbling and complaining.
The light fixture that didn’t work forced me to condemn the whole house adding adage’s of “why can’t I have bigger, better, more?”
So subtle is the negative spirit that robs us from viewing the abundance of the present. Sometimes the threat of losing enlightens our spirit to embrace the gifts we routinely overlook day after day.
I switched paths and today my gratitude runs deep. The mantle on my fireplace, the specially designed tiles on my kitchen floor, the well being of my children and even the used bath towel my husband left once again on the floor. It all appears new and I feel clean.
And as I exercise this gratitude I am offered a strength that overshadows of any threat of the future, fear of disaster and a provides a profoundly joyous heart replacing the one that just wouldn’t see.
Blessings to all!
Jan
Menopause
Two days ago I lay in an ER hospital bed with tubes in my nose, a heart monitor attached and needles sucking blood from my arm.
Was it a heart attack? I certainly had all the symptoms: chest pains, extreme dizziness and nausea, couldn’t take a deep breath, heavy fatigue. Read the rest of this entry »
Jan
Mid Life Madness
So the most common symptoms that women come into my office for around peri-menopause and menopause is if there is still peri-menopause then it’s a lot of abnormal bleeding problems. That could be light, that could be heavy, that could be long, that could be short. Any way, shape, or form. Once the periods have stopped, then peri-menopause or menopausal we are talking about hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, depression, anxiety, overreacting, overwhelmed. You used to be able to handle twenty feet of stress before you got pissed off. Read the rest of this entry »
Jan
Menopause
menopause signs, menopause symptoms, Tori Hudson
There is a condition called irritable bowel syndrome that is really kind of a basket term for a lot of irregular bowel habits and bloating that women experience during menopause. And again, hormonal influences seem to affect irritable bowel syndrome. In fact, women who are still menstruating, irritable bowel syndrome can flair up as a premenstrual symptom. Often we think this might be a little bit more related to progesterone, because progesterone is a sedative to smooth muscles. It helps the muscles relax. With irritable bowel the colon is hypertonic, spasmodic, irritated and not having its normal, rhythmic motions.
Read the rest of this entry »
Jan
Menopause
And now, my husbands viewpoint on the mysteries of menopause…(brace yourself).
One beautiful Saturday morning about 10 years ago I am reading the paper and sipping on a Starbucks soaking in the stillness and solitude of our home, when I hear her footsteps descending the stairs. Jan rounds the corner and I notice that she looks like she just plowed 40 acres of land last night with a broken down mule. Being the observant male that I am with all the sensitivity that I could muster, I said, ” What’s wrong honey, you look horrible.” She looked at me with a hollowed out expression and said ” I don’t feel like me anymore. I don’t understand what is happening to my mind and body with this menopause stuff.” I woke up feeling depressed and dreading the day.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Jan
Menopause
Memory loss and confusion can be very difficult to determine between the early phase of a progressive condition versus normal age related changes in our memory, in our focus, and in our concentration. There are also other health problems that affect memory and concentration other than menopause, like low thyroid function, depression, anxiety, medications, and chronic pain. But as it relates to menopause, again we have changes in our hormone levels in our brain affecting how things are firing, and blood flow to our brain. So brain chemistry and blood flow affects memory, concentration and focus. And this is an area, as time goes on, that can be more difficult to understand. Is this a more serious, progressive problem ultimately leading to dementia? Or, is it just a hormonal change that can be connected with something hormonal? Or, is it normal age? Or is it, as I said, one of the other treatable causes?
Read the rest of this entry »
Jan
Menopause
…my knarly tango with menopause that is! Just when I have those menopausal symptoms licked and I’m feelin’ back to me again, I discover that I am aimlessly wandering the aisles of Safeway or some other potential place of public humiliation talking to myself and in addition, extremely irritated and angry with anyone that comes within 25 feet of me. Or pretty much anyone within my hormonally challenged eye line.
I think we need to learn to laugh when experiencing these uncomfortable menopause signs and symptoms and if you haven’t seen our music video yet, get a giggle and watch the following video after the break:
Read the rest of this entry »
Jan
Menopause, Mid Life Madness
Welcome to Part One of the Why’s and How’s of Menopause Symptoms by Dr. Tori Hudson. I think you will find it intriguing and interesting as well. I’ve also included a bit about Dr. Hudson as a FYI. And now Part One…
There’s kind of a short list of symptoms, and a long list. And the short list, the most common thing really would be hot flashes. That’s the thing that probably brings women most to the doctor’s. Whether they are day time or night time we call them hot flashes, although some people say night sweats. If we are in the peri-menopause, of course there are changes in the menstrual cycle, but once one has stopped bleeding, then you don’t have a period anymore.
-Hot flashes
-Insomnia
-Mood swings, including: weepy, irritable, anxious, very snappy sometimes, not being able to tolerate the world so well
Read the rest of this entry »
Jan
Menopause
As my daughter recently celebrated her 28th birthday, I was recalling the day of her 11th birthday and the ‘This is my how I got out of a speeding ticket story’.
I had been on the road performing in several states for a month or so leaving my two daughters behind with a nanny. The ‘guilty mom complex’ was incessantly nibbling at my gray matter and trying to invade my already weighty heart.
I was home for one day and fortunately right on my eldest daughter’s birthday! Just coming in from the East Coast, I was to leave the next day for LA. I just had enough time to pick up a cake and make it to my daughter’s classroom for a little birthday celebration.
Read the rest of this entry »
Jan
Musings
