It is really depressing and it is literally in parking lots. It is terrrrrrrrrrrible.

It is a parking lot full of cars with the trunk doors open, sometimes decorated, and the car owners sitting in lawn chairs next to their cars handing out candy to lines of crying children and equally unhappy parents. 

Same.

I’m an elderly millenial, but please, let me have a boomer moment here:

My week has been shitastic. My cousin is in jail following an assault on our shared aunt and his mother (apparently he is no longer sober) but there is a silver lining: while she was hospitalized her nursing staff discovered she has ovarian cancer. So, now my aunt has had a hysterectomy and we’re waiting for results…

Inter-relationship abuse/trauma is a life altering experience for all parties; allow yourself to feel what you’re going thru and do the homework your therapist gave you.

I guess I’m a weirdo then cuz I’ve been looking forward to this for more than a decade. My mother’s experience was so openly discussed that I didn’t really get any of the “make fun of people” or “hide it” messaging that you wrote about, but I hope that practice ends. 

lolololol

Your third menopause (a situation that sounds both awful and deeply funny) sounds a lot like mine, tho my body has yet to slow down on hair production. I don’t know that it ever will, my aunts on my dad’s side are still waxing everything.

Sick days and a cool room?! Waaaant.

I haven’t noticed any depressive symptoms, but I am tired in the day and tired in the night and a shrew the rest of the time. I can’t sleep for shiiiiiit tho. I was having such bad night sweats until I gave up pajamas and blankets and closed windows. The sweats are handled but I still wake up a dozen times a night.

My mom’s was hellish too, but it was due to a hysterectomy immediately after a birth, so I don’t know how much of hers I can expect. She has an older sister that I seem to line up with pretty neatly, tho. I have decided to embrace menopause. No periods, no babies, no problem.

I haven’t felt like anything was intolerable yet, tho the boob pain is distracting as hell sometimes. I’ve put on about 15 extra pounds and it’s all in my thighs and ass, but I come from pears so I apparently shall return to them after my apple shaped ‘prime.’ I like my ass for this first time in almost 20 years, so…

My periods have been all over the place in the last couple years, but veered on the heavy side with shorter than normal cycles. Then I started missing months. My last period was in July. I’ve had hot flashes for about a month, and my left boob aches periodically. My skin in breaking out and dry as hell, and my hair…

I’m mostly good on facts. Between my CNM and my aunts I’m up to date on my symptom management. I guess I just am curious if people viewed their change as a net positive or negative in their lives, or if most people paid it no mind.

Yes! Of course!

I haven’t started any hormone replacement yet, mostly I’m just wearing layers and sleeping naked (when I can sleep). The boob pain is the worst for me right now, like, I have actually punched my own boob in an attempt to distract it.

My mother in law has been teasing me about how maybe this is actually pregnancy and I’ve devolved into hissing like a cat anytime she brings it up. I told her if she keeps it up she won’t get invited to my party.

Who wants to chat about menopause? Anyone? My aunts are promising me a cronehood party next fall. So far there will be brats and moonshine, and dirty jokes about dead men. and a fire.

Happy Birthday lovey! Don’t forget to pee after!