Fun Friday – Invasion of the Body Snatchers – 5 Signs that you may be experiencing Menopause

The moment a hot flash takes over my body...

It can strike morning, noon or night…emotions flair up, beads of sweat bubble to the surface of your skin, and your mustache thickens. If you have experienced any of these symptoms, your body may have been invaded by a thing called menopause.

The menopausal experience is different for each woman, but here are 5 signs that you may be experiencing menopause:

1.      You never have to set your home thermostat above 65 degrees during the winter months.

2.      You no longer wear turtleneck sweaters for fear of sweating to death.

3.      Your skin is itchy for no reason.

4.      You develop carpal tunnel due to excessive fanning of a hot flash.

5.      Your husband says, “Honey I left my shaving cream and razor for you and your mustache.”

In the middle of the night as you slumber peacefully, you may be snatched awake at any moment. Your body is on fire from the inside out. Sweat pouring like a running faucet. The first round of night sweats has attacked you like a boxer in the ring. You fight back by kicking the cover off.

You achieve victory in round one as the night sweats subside. Beware, the sweat monster is waiting until you fall into a deep sleep so he can once again control your internal thermometer. Keep fighting. Learn what triggers hot flashes, night sweats and other menopausal symptoms.

If I can help you in any way through my experience, post your thoughts and questions here or email them with the subject line - Dear HottFlash (awritersdream41@yahoo.com).

May you glisten and walk boldly through every menopausal episode you encounter.

Muffins with Mom – 3 Signs of menopause



photo credit: Jean Hales

Leg cramps, hair loss, hair growth, hearing loss, oh my. The aging process can be a funny creature. You can laugh through it or you can moan and complain. If your choice is laughter, come with me a few minutes as we explore the humorous side of aging and menopause.

I had an entertaining dinner with my mom the other day. We sat across the table from each other at one of our favorite family restaurants. As we waited for our food, mom asked me if I wanted a pop. I thought she asked if I wanted some “pot” (Mary Jane, doobie, marijuana, weed).

Clearly, I didn’t need any pop or pot. What I needed was a hearing aid. I told my mom that the faux pas must be a part of my menopausal state. If you think you may be experiencing menopause, take look at the 3 signs below.

1.      Hot Flashes – aaah, the dreaded hot flashes. This symptom of menopause will appear at random times and hang around for brief moments and keep reappearing. has been the occasion where I awoke sideways in my bed. It was due to kicking covers off in my sleep, flailing my arms, then pulling covers back on.

I had my very own version of the game Twister going on…left arm blue, right leg green.

2.      Mood Swings – You may have experienced these at other times in your life, but at that ripe age of…menopause, mood swings resurface. While watching a touching T.V. commercial one day, I suddenly felt a warm sensation coming from my eyes. Tears. “Am I crying over a T.V. commercial?” My subconscious asked. Yep. Menopause.

3.      Incontinence - I just read about this as one of the symptoms. All I can say is when you sneeze, squeeze your legs together really tight. Jumping jacks may pose a bit of a challenge as well.

While not everyone will experience all of the signs/symptoms of menopause, just laugh your way through. You may experience hair loss on your head and hair growth on your toes, but hey, life goes on. You can still have joy.