FRUSTRATING REAL LIFE
For Claire Ferris, 51, from Warwickshire, the menopause has taken ahuge toll on her life...
Opening the back of the remote control, Ineeded to change the batteries.
Only, trying to push the double As into their slot, I couldn’t get them to pop in as Iwanted.
Frantically trying to shove the batteries inside, Icould feel myself getting more frustrated. And with my rage building,
I’d soon reached afever pitch.
Launching the remote control at the living room wall, Iwas so annoyed that Iwanted to scream. ‘I give up,’ I huffed. I’d never before had such a short temper. Iused to be quite apatient person.
In fact, it was something that had only come on when I started the menopause.
And that was just one horrible symptom.
If I’m honest, you could say that the menopause was ruining my life.
Having been on ahuge weight loss journey, working so hard to drop from 18st 7lb to 12st 2lb, I noticed the scales had stopped moving early last year.
With the pounds slowly piling back on, I’d thrown myself back into exercise.
Swimming for hours at atime, Iwent back onto astrict diet, eating plenty of fruit and veg.
But it made no difference. And by summer, I’d gained
6st back.
I felt my confidence waning. Iworked so hard on getting to aweight Iwas happy with, I couldn’t bear going backwards.
‘I’m going to see the doctor,’ I’d confided in my husband Gary, 62.
With aswollen tummy, I wasn’t sure this rapid weight gain was normal.
And heading to my appointment on 23 July last year, Ihad blood tests and an internal scan on my ovaries –I think doctors wanted to rule out the possibility of cancer.
‘Your perimenopausal,’ the GP told me.
This was the first stage of menopause –it could last afew months or afew years.
And at 50, Iknew it was heading my way.
But I already knew what I was in for.
My sister Sharon, 59, had already been through it.
‘You’ve got some bad things to come,’ she teased me.
‘I know!’ I replied. ‘You were very snappy.’
But Sharon’s symptoms had nothing on mine.
With my weight still increasing, I also found Iwas incredibly emotional.
As well as outbursts of rage, I found myself randomly bursting into tears.
Ahuge fan of the soaps, I’d always settle down of an evening to watch EastEnders, Corrie and Emmerdale.
But watching when any character left the soaps, I’d burst into tears.
‘I’m not surprised you cry at EastEnders, it is terrible,’ Gary teases me. Although he does know to stand back if I’m holding something!
But the behaviour wasn’t me. Iwas angry, emotional and sudde
