Ok; now you know I love fluffy bunnies, pink preferably and when people are talking about something uncomfortable I smile and pretend that I am in my happy place. You also know that I don’t get embarrassed easily, you have seen my Instagram right?
I suppose I am softening you up for the blow of what I am going to write about today.
I am still going to try and ease you in gently… have you ever had thrush? Yes I am sure most of you have, it is rubbish isn’t it? Imagine that you have it for say 1 month, 3 or what about 6 months to 1 year. Ouch & ouch! Yep, now times that by 100 and when you go to your GP and then to a specialist clinic they just send you away as they don’t know what’s up and give you the same internal thrush cream.
Horrible with a CAPITAL H.
I have touched on this a little on social media, however I have been pondering writing a blog on this for a while then few weeks ago I went to a menopause conference and meet a lovely lady called Jane. She shared her story with me and it struck home because I suffered with the same for around 4/5 months and then on and off for another 4 months until treatment set in, which was my HRT ; oestrogen patches. She had suffered for years, my heart broke for her.
I hope you are sitting comfortably, no pun intended. Atrophic Vaginitis is where the vagina becomes extremely dry and uncomfortable, because of the decreased oestrogen in our body. If not treated then the walls of the vagina become paper thin and any type of penetration is unbearable.
I am sorry.
However, on the plus side it is treatable!! YAY. I did not know this, neither did the first 2 GP’s I visited or the nurse at the clinic. It wasn’t until I went to the 3rd GP who wrote me a prescription – I did not know at the time what it was for as she never actually told me; she typed it out gave it to me and off I went. The GP did say something like “this will help with the dryness”. It wasn’t until I got the packet home and read the leaflet that I knew what it was for. I sobbed and sobbed I cannot tell you how devastated I was. Atrophic Vaginitis – thinning of the lining of the womb – I zoned out. This cannot be happening to me, I felt sick.
The internal oestrogen cream helped a bit, but it wasn’t until I was on hrt that after around 2/3 months I felt normal again.
As the weather has been a bit rough lately and I was a little tired I thought I would run myself a bath and its then I realised that I have not had a bath for over 1 year! It was lovely. The simple things are sometimes the best.
I started Meno & Me because I don’t want women to suffer, waste time and to feel isolated.
When it happened to me I was so devastated and yes a bit embarrassed, but I cannot sugar coat everything but I had to accept it myself first before sharing. I am sure you can understand.
So after meeting Jane at the conference and the read her story in Menopause Matters that I gave myself a kick up the backside to write this to you.
I feel that we, women and the press, are just starting to talk about menopause more, but still have a long way to go. Jane (lady at conference) says that there are other symptoms that just are not talked about enough. This is one of them. I have to agree, especially as a lot of health care practitioners didn’t pick up on what I was going through.
Please don’t fret, if it happens to you, you know what to do, don’t waste time, nip it in the bud (again no pun intended!). You can put a stop to the thinning and dryness and feel normal again.
On another note, are you following me on Instagram? As I find it easier to share “stuff” on there – especially food and exercise tips.
In the meantime please feel free to email me back with any questions. I am here to help.
Jane xx